Full name for Ari

Gender Neutral Names
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I am looking for a name for myself–ideally something that is solidly gender-neutral, but I am considering other names if they feel right, and I might balance them out with a middle that leans a bit the other way. A while back I was set on Arlo; it really, really felt like the right name. But I’ve found that while in theory I see it as gender-neutral, in practice it felt too masc. To be fair, I only tried it out online and with one in-person friend, so it’s still on the list, but I’m thinking about alternatives.
When I tried out Arlo, I also used the nickname Ari, and I really love it. I think that for myself I prefer it as a nickname, so I’m looking for full names to use.

Here are some of my ideas and my concerns about them:

Arden - I like the soft sound and the Shakespeare connection, but it’s the name of a close friend’s grade 1 best friend. They don’t know that Arden at all anymore, and it’s probably not an issue, but would it be kinda weird?

Artemis - super cool vibes, but it is weird to change my name bc I want something more neutral (as opposed to my traditionally feminine name) and choose the name of a goddess?

Kiari - feels a little trendy/invented (and the origin seems to be unclear), but I still think it’s kinda cool. Will it always be misunderstood as Kiara though? And is Ari intuitive?

Arbor - cool, but I usually prefer word names in the middle

Ariel - would almost certainly be considered 100% feminine here

Arlen - not sure how I feel about it; is it just me, or does it feel like it’s missing something?

Amari - cool name and meaning, but not sure about using it personally because I am a white person of mainly German/Scandinavian ancestry

Azariah - I like the sound and the meaning, but I’m not sure if Ari comes naturally as a nickname. I also like Amariah, but I prefer Azariah

Any thoughts or suggestions?

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I like [name_u]Arden[/name_u], [name_u]Kiari[/name_u], and [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] best of your options.

I think [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] feels the most neutral because of it being a word, but if you’re sure you don’t want a word name in the first name spot, I would take it off the list. However, if you like it as an exception to your usual preference, I think it makes a great choice.

[name_u]Arden[/name_u] also feels very neutral, although slightly more feminine in my opinion (still very much a unisex name though). I don’t think [name_u]Arden[/name_u] being your close friend’s childhood friend’s name is an issue. They don’t know each other any more. Unless this other [name_u]Arden[/name_u] holds a very special place in your friend’s heart, to the point you would feel uncomfortable asking this friend to call you [name_u]Arden[/name_u], I wouldn’t worry about it.

[name_u]Kiari[/name_u] is definitely cool and I think [name_u]Ari[/name_u] is intuitive as a nickname. However, I do think it will be misheard sometimes. I think if people mistaking your name for the very feminine [name_f]Kiara[/name_f] or [name_f]Kiera[/name_f] will make you uncomfortable, [name_u]Kiari[/name_u] might be one to avoid just to avoid that confusion. If you’re okay with the occasional correction, I think [name_u]Kiari[/name_u] is solidly neutral and a cool, modern choice.

A few other suggestions could be [name_u]Ara[/name_u], [name_u]Arlington[/name_u], [name_u]Arial[/name_u] (this feels more neutral in the English-speaking world than [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], although I’m not sure how you’d feel about the font connection), [name_u]Carlisle[/name_u], or [name_u]Solaris[/name_u].

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[name_u]Arden[/name_u] - a great option!! I don’t think that connection is a big deal - esepcially if they don’t know them anymore, plus, it’s not unusual to know two people with the same name!

[name_u]Artemis[/name_u] - i do like this, but yeah, not sure on choosing a goddess’s name

[name_u]Kiari[/name_u] - [name_u]Kiari[/name_u] does feel invented, yet also well established? Like it doesn’t feel super plucked out of the air. [name_u]Ari[/name_u] makes sense as a nn

[name_u]Arbor[/name_u] - charming and similar enough to names like [name_u]Arthur[/name_u], [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] or [name_u]Alba[/name_u] that it feels natural

[name_u]Ariel[/name_u] - yeah, I do think it will be associated with The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid

[name_u]Arlen[/name_u] - not sure on this

[name_u]Amari[/name_u] - if you’re not sure on using it, I probably wouldn’t

[name_u]Azariah[/name_u] - [name_u]Ari[/name_u] makes sense to me and this is a gorgeous name

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Arden is gorgeous, nicely neutral and literary. I don’t think the connection would matter but I guess that would be a conversation to have with your friend.

It’s a shame Ariel is considered so feminine these days because that’s also a great Shakespeare reference! I’d consider it neutral but you’d likely get people thinking of Disney.

Kiari is cool but I do think it would be understood as feminine because of the similarity to Kiara etc.

This might be a hot take but I think Artemis is very much neutral despite being a goddess name. Maybe because the first context I encountered it was as a boy’s name? Artemis → Ari works for me!

Less keen on the others, but I do like Arlo → Ari and think that has potential.

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Arden - I do not find that to weird at all. I mean, your friend doesn’t talk to their friend anymore nor has any contact with them so it is not like it will get confusing to differentiate you two or will be a problem. Maybe try to ask your friend if they are comfortable to call you Arden (because that friend might hold great importance in their heart)? If they don’t say no, then really Arden would be perfect for you. It is so soft and I love Shakespearean associations.

Artemis - I do not think it is too femenine. Yes, it is the name of a goddess, but if Jupiter is gender neutral why not Artemis? And there are boy names like Artëm or Artemius. Also here is Artemis Fowl. Use it totally!

Kiari - It does not feel trendy or invented to me. It won’t get confused with Kiara for me (the sounds are so different!) Ari and Kia would be my first direct or intuitive nicknames.

Arbor - I think it would be a very good choice for you! But you might want to consider others if it feels to naturey.

Ariel - To be honest? If you live in the Anglosphere, I would say it would be femenine, but won’t feel weird on a boy or enby too. In other countries, it is neutral or masc. I wouldn’t think that a boy or enby named Ariel is weird.

Arlen - Very beautiful. I recommend this choice, but nickname Ari might not be intuitive, at least I would use Len. Maybe Arlo.

Amari - I think Amari is a perfectly understandable and good name even for a white person.

Azariah - I would use Aza or Riah. But Ari isn’t that stretched. l prefer Amariah though. Anyway all great choices.

My favourites here are Arlen, Arden and Artemis.

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@EagleEyes - thanks for the thoughts and suggestions! Those three are probably the ones I’m leaning towards the most. I love [name_u]Solaris[/name_u], but I feel like [name_u]Ari[/name_u] isn’t the first nickname people would go to (nothing against [name_u]Sol[/name_u], though), and my instinctive pronunciation was “soh-LAIR-iss”, so I think I’d also be correcting other people a lot.

@Greyblue - thank you for all the feedback! [name_f]Glad[/name_f] to hear that [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] doesn’t sound too out-there. And also happy to hear some more love for [name_u]Azariah[/name_u]!

@persephonescrown - thank you for sharing your thoughts! I love [name_u]Arden[/name_u] for those reasons, and I think it’s also a good idea to bring it up with my friend. Also I agree it’s too bad [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] isn’t considered more neutral… why couldn’t [name_u]Arielle[/name_u] have stuck as the feminine form? And re: [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], I love [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] as a neutral name, but I’m worried about how others might see it, and a bit about taking a name from another religion and changing it to suit me, if that makes sense.

@heartwings - thank you for all the feedback! [name_u]Arden[/name_u] really does feel like it could be the perfect fit, so I think I might ask my friend about it. And I like your take on [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] as a gender-neutral name.

@DropOfsunlight - thanks for all the ideas! [name_u]Archer[/name_u] is one that I considered, but it feels too masc (and I do archery, so it feels a bit on-the-nose…). I also love the sound of [name_u]Arian[/name_u], but it is a definite no-go because of the association with the [name_m]Aryan[/name_m] race. [name_m]Aramis[/name_m], [name_f]Ellaria[/name_f], Evaria, and [name_f]Lunaria[/name_f], and several others, are gorgeous, but unfortunately feel too gendered for my preference.

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[name_u]Arden[/name_u]- Nothing weird about that!
[name_u]Artemis[/name_u]- If that’s a concern, you can try out other versions of [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] like [name_m]Artem[/name_m]!
[name_u]Kiari[/name_u]- It is a cool name, though I do think people will think of the name [name_f]Kiara[/name_f]. I do see [name_u]Ari[/name_u] as a NN to it
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]- I actually consider this very neutral
[name_u]Arlen[/name_u]- Hmmm It does kind of feel that way
[name_u]Amari[/name_u]- I know someone with a name similar to this and they are hispanic, so I’m not sure either!
[name_u]Azariah[/name_u]- I really cool name. This one is my fav from your list

Other name suggestions

[name_u]Aries[/name_u]
Ariston
[name_m]Aritz[/name_m]
Aristey
Aristo
Aristone
[name_u]Artie[/name_u]
[name_u]Ardell[/name_u]
[name_m]Arlis[/name_m]
[name_m]Armand[/name_m]
[name_u]Arrington[/name_u]
[name_u]Arrow[/name_u]

[name_u]Alizarin[/name_u]
[name_u]Dariel[/name_u]
Leomaris
[name_u]Merari[/name_u]
[name_u]Solaris[/name_u] / [name_f]Solari[/name_f]
Xaris

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[name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] are lovely! I think [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is wonderful, but I do find it very feminine because of its history.

Between [name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_u]Arbor[/name_u], I lean more towards [name_u]Arden[/name_u]. That’s a lovely, literary, and earthy choice. I don’t think the friend thing would be much of an issue, especially since you’ll be going by [name_u]Ari[/name_u] a lot of the time.

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In regards to [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], you could always use the less feminine [name_m]Artemas[/name_m] spelling which also then isn’t directly using the name of goddess if that makes you uncomfortable!

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@unknownsel - thanks for the feedback! I like [name_m]Artem[/name_m], but I think it’d get mispronounced. [name_u]Ardell[/name_u] is another one that I’ve thought about, but it might be too close to [name_f]Adele[/name_f]. Leomaris and [name_u]Alizarin[/name_u] are super cool!

@snowmaiden - thank you! I like the positive reception [name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] are getting. And thanks for pointing out that the nickname [name_u]Ari[/name_u] kind of lessens the [name_u]Arden[/name_u] issue.

@Archer27 - thanks for the suggestion! I like [name_m]Artemas[/name_m]. I feel like there will be a lot of correcting spelling, but it’s still worth considering, because I love the sound.

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Elarian/Alarian is super cool! Thanks!

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I think [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is a great option! Eventhough it’s the name of a goddess I’ve always loved it on boy/men and nonbinary persons as well. [name_u]Arden[/name_u] would be nice too. I don’t think that friend’s friend is a problem.

Maybe Ariste, Arton, [name_m]Aritz[/name_m], Arany, Arentine or Alex-Riley would fit you.

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I second others saying that [name_u]Arden[/name_u] and [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] are cool choices! If you want more of a blank-slate name without the past connections, however slight, that [name_u]Arden[/name_u] has, [name_u]Arbor[/name_u] would be a great one! [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it is a word with its own meaning, that starts to fade for me as I say it a few times to myself as a name…and the word is abstract and has positive associations anyway, which is a cool plus.

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