Unisex Names: E&W Top 1000 VS. US Top 1000

General Name Discussion
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Admin edit: 2020 data now included in today’s blog!

So, recently I have noticed a buzz around unisex names, both in people’s combos and in discussions about naming in general. I always find it interesting to see which names are considered “unisex” in which places. So I thought, why don’t we compare the US top 1000 data with the England and Wales top 1000 data and see how different unisex names are used in the two countries?

I’ll put the full details below for anyone who wants an in depth explanation. The list is 70 names long (!) so I’ve hidden that as well to make scrolling easier.

Extra Info

Okay so, to be included here, the names have to:

  • Appear on BOTH the US and UK Top 1000 at least once (for either gender)

  • Appear on BOTH a Boy’s Top 1000 and a Girl’s Top 1000 (from either country)

I hope that makes sense, and if it doesn’t I hope it will make sense when you see the data. Basically many names that are culturally unisex are not on this list, because they they didn’t rank above 1000 for either gender in one or more of the countries. Also some names that are used in a unisex fashion only occasionally, i.e. James, only rank for one gender on both lists, and so they don’t appear either.

The names are ordered alphabetically. For ease of reading (so you don’t have to check the rank for each) I wrote out which gender the name is more popular in for each country. For this I decided, perhaps slightly arbitrarily, that:

  • “Exclusively used for boys/girls” means that the name only ranked in one gender.

  • “More used for boys/girls” means the difference in rank was more than 100 places.

  • “Slightly more used for boys/girls” means that the difference in rank was less than about 100 places.

  • “Roughly equal” means the difference in rank was less than about 30 places.

Just in case anyone takes issue with these very nonscientific judgements, I also included the rank numbers, so you can decide for yourself :grin:

NOTE: I’d also like to apologise to anyone in the UK outside of E&W - I realised I’d erroneously written “UK” instead of England and Wales in the data set after I manually typed the whole thing out :man_facepalming:Please let me know if it bothers you and I’ll go back and change it.

Anyway enough from me! Let’s go!

Names

ADDISON
US: Used exclusively for girls (52 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Used more for girls (496 for girls, 894 for boys)

ALEXIS
US: Used more for girls (236 for girls, 450 for boys)
UK: Used exclusively for girls (448 for girls, >1000 for boys)

AMARI
US: Used slightly more for boys (238 for boys, 313 for girls)
UK: Used more for boys (366 for boys, 724 for girls)

ANGEL
US: Used more for boys (72 for boys, 395 for girls)
UK: Used exclusively for girls (362 for girls, >1000 for boys)

ARI
US: Used more for boys (372 for boys, 601 for girls)
UK: Used exclusively for boys (410 for boys, >1000 for girls)

ARIEL
US: Used more for girls (172 for girls, 549 for boys)
UK: Used exclusively for girls (823 for girls, >1000 for boys)

ASHLEY
US: Used exclusively for girls (136 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Used exclusively for boys (481 for boys, >1000 for girls)

AUBREY
US: Exclusively for girls (45 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for girls (223 for girls, 723 for boys)

AUGUST
US: More for boys (167 for boys, 844 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (740 for boys, >1000 for girls)

AVERY
US: More for girls (18 for girls, 204 for boys)
UK: Slightly more for girls (424 for girls, 506 for boys)

BAILEY
US: Exclusively for girls (158 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for boys (188 for boys, 570 for girls)

BEAU
US: Exclusively for boys (132 for boys, >1000 for girls)
UK: More for boys (162 for boys, 325 for girls)

BLAKE
US: Slightly more for boys (183 for boys, 222 for girls)
UK: More for boys (96 for boys, 432 for girls)

BROOKLYN
US: Exclusively for girls (52 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for boys (469 for boys, 590 for girls)

CAMERON
US: More for boys (57 for boys, 544 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (197 for boys, >1000 for girls)

CARTER
US: More for boys (30 for boys, 513 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (63 for boys, >1000 for girls)

CASEY
US: More for boys (527 for boys, 897 for girls)
UK: More for boys (356 for boys, 770 for girls)

CHARLIE
US: Slightly more for girls (132 for girls, 211 for boys)
UK: More for boys (9 for boys, 601 for girls)

DAKOTA
US: More for girls (247 for girls, 357 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for girls (402 for girls, >1000 for boys)

DYLAN
US: More for boys (39 for boys, 437 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (54 for boys, >1000 for girls)

EDEN
US: More for girls (145 for girls, 469 for boys)
UK Slightly more for girls (111 for girls, 206 for boys)

ELLIOT
US: More for boys (173 for boys, 596 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (71 for boys, >1000 for girls)

ELLIOTT
US: More for boys (160 for boys, 462 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (83 for boys, >1000 for girls)

ELLIS
US: More for boys (342 for boys, 719 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (76 for boys, >1000 for girlds)

EMERSON
US: More for girls (152 for girls, 268 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (723 for boys, >1000 for girls)

EZRA
US: More for boys (49 for boys, 835 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (60 for boys, >1000 for girls)

FINLEY
US: Slightly more for girls (188 for girls, 287 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (27 for boys, >1000 for girls)

FRANKIE
US: Exclusively for girls (743 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Slightly more for boys (58 for boys, 128 for girls)

HADLEY
US: Exclusively for girls (112 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (476 for boys, >1000 for girls)

HARLEY
US: More for girls (273 for girls, 809 for boys)
UK: More for boys (77 for boys, 212 for girls)

HARLOW
US: Exclusively for girls (317 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for girls (258 for girls, 535 for boys)

HARPER
US: Exclusively for girls (9 for girls, not ranked for boys)
UK: More for girls (29 for girls, 825 for boys)

HAYDEN
US: Slightly more for boys (189 for boys, 294 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (242 for boys, >1000 for girls)

HENLEY
US: Exclusively for girls (600 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (561 for boys, >1000 for girls)

HUNTER
US: More for boys (66 for boys, 865 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (52 for boys, >1000 for girls)

JAMIE
US: More for girls (574 for girls, 742 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (142 for boys)

JORDAN
US: More for boys (89 for boys, 407 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (204 for boys, >1000 for girls)

KAI
US: More for boys (100 for boys, 807 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (109 for boys, >1000 for girls)

KAMARI
US: More for boys (468 for boys, 860 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (874 for boys, >1000 for girls)

LEIGHTON
US: More for girls (414 for girls, 691 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (338 for boys, >1000 for girls)

LENNON
US: More for girls (388 for girls, 711 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (274 for boys, 1000 for girls)

LENNOX
US: More for boys (332 for boys, 716 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (388 for boys, >1000 for girls)

LOGAN
US: More for boys (16 for boys, 321 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (29 for boys, >1000 for girls)

MARLEY
US: Exclusively for girls (234 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for boys (186 for boys, 373 for girls)

MCKENZIE
US: Exclusively for girls (237 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (694 for boys, >1000 for girls)

MICAH
US: More for boys (110 for boys, 950 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (271 for boys, >1000 for girls)

MILAN
US: More for boys (451 for boys, 715 for girls)
UK: More for boys (317 for boys, 717 for girls)

MORGAN
US: More for girls (176 for girls, 730 for boys)
UK: More for boys (274 for boys, 574 for girls)

NOA
US: Exclusively for girls (566 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for girls (432 for girls, 952 for boys)

NOVA
US: More for girls (51 for girls, 864 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for girls (186 for girls, >1000 for boys)

OAKLEY
US: Slightly more for girls (348 for girls, 441 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (98 for boys, >1000 for girls)

PARKER
US: Slightly more for boys (98 for boys, 143 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (121 for boys, >1000 for girls)

PEYTON
US: More for girls (98 for girls, 439 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for girls (317 for girls, >1000 for boys)

PHOENIX
US: Slightly more for boys (257 for boys, 313 for girls)
UK: More for boys (201 for boys, 398 for girls)

PRESLEY
US: Exclusively for girls (204 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (787 for boys, >1000 for girls)

QUINN
US: More for girls (83 for girls, 402 for boys)
UK: Equal! (285 for girls, 286 for boys)

REAGAN
US: Exclusively for girls (102 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for boys (622 for boys, >1000 for girls)

REIGN
US: More for girls (389 for girls, 769 for boys)
UK: More for boys (454 for boys, 864 for girls)

REMI
US: More for girls (154 for girls, 908 for boys)
UK: More for girls (226 for girls, 435 for boys)

REMY
US: More for boys (423 for boys, 538 for girls)
UK: More for boys (235 for boys, 897 for girs)

RILEY
US: More for girls (30 for girls, 263 for boys)
UK: More for boys (68 for boys, 243 for girls)

RIVER
US: Slightly more for boys (168 for boys, 214 for girls)
UK: Roughly equal! (167 for girls, 194 for boys)

ROBIN
US: More for boys (865 for boys, 996 for girls)
UK: More for boys (143 for boys, 349 for girls)

RORY
US: Slightly more for boys (358 for boys, 464 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (46 for boys, >1000 for girls)

ROWAN
US: More for boys (118 for boys, 229 for girls)
UK: More for boys (83 for boys, 443 for girls)

RYAN
US: More for boys (54 for boys, 399 for girls)
UK: Exclusively for boys (95 for boys, >1000 for girls)

SHILOH
US: More for girls (467 for girls, 697 for boys)
UK: More for boys (768 for boys, 936 for girls)

SKYLER
US: Slightly more for girls (441 for girls, 504 for boys)
UK: Exclusively for girls (443 for girls, >1000 for boys)

TAYLOR
US: More for girls (133 for girls, 299 for boys)
UK: More for boys (307 for boys, 526 for girls)

WREN
US: Exclusively for girls (428 for girls, >1000 for boys)
UK: More for girls (210 for girls, 874 for boys)

So, if you made it through that, congratulations! What do you guys think? A waste of time or not? :smile: Feel free to pick out your favourite names or comment on things you found interesting! Which ones surprised you the most?

Data Sets / Sources

Top 1000 Boys E&W: Baby names for boys in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

Top 1000 Girls E&W:
Baby names for girls in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

Top 1000 US:

Most Popular Baby Names 2021 | Nameberry

EDIT: I’ve posted in the thread but I thought should put it here as well - this is actually the 2019 data set for the US.

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This… Explains a lot :joy:

Thank you for doing this! As someone from the UK who likes unisex names I can sometimes be confused/swayed by the US perspective on here.

I particularly liked to see [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] lol :joy: I’ve seen a lot of people use it as an example of “boys names taken by the girls” but all the Ashleys I know are male. :see_no_evil:

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I’m in the UK too and definitley notice the gender perception flip for [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and [name_u]Evan[/name_u]!

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This is amazing! Thank you so much for doing this. I think this would make for a wonderful blog, if you’d be up for that? PM me if so :slight_smile:

As a [name_u]Brit[/name_u], lots of these read male to me: [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_u]Rory[/name_u], [name_u]Ellis[/name_u], [name_u]Ezra[/name_u], etc, as well as [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_u]Parker[/name_u] and the like.

[name_f]My[/name_f] faves:

[name_u]August[/name_u], [name_u]Quinn[/name_u], [name_u]Remy[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_u]Robin[/name_u] and [name_u]Wren[/name_u] for boys;

[name_u]Hadley[/name_u] and [name_u]Wren[/name_u] for girls.

Looks like I’m a typical [name_u]Brit[/name_u] in preferring unisex names for boys generally!

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I’m another [name_u]Brit[/name_u] with almost all my unisex names falling male.

I may just link this thread every time I mention [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] for a boy to point out I’m unusual but not TOTALLY unusual!

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How interesting! Thanks for sharing this!

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This is fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

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Yes, fantastic, thank you. And please say yes to Emma’s blog idea – we would love to give this the visibility it deserves!

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It’s worth mentioning that [name_u]Alexis[/name_u] is generally masculine in Spanish but feminine among [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers, which might explain why it’s significantly more popular for boys in the US than the UK.

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I have a confession to make…

I just realised when I recombed through this data that this is the 2019 data set from the US, which is not the most recent one. Sorry about that guys! Hopefully it still makes for interesting reading.

For any of you still who want to see the 2020 US data compared, though - I will hopefully get a chance to write about that in the not-so-distant future. At least now when you get to read my blog post, it will be new and exciting information :grimacing:

In all seriousness I do apologise for the mix up. I’m going to keep this thread up because I think the comparison is still valid, and I also think it will be fun to see how the unisex-ness of the two countries changes from the 2019 and 2020 data set.

Okay, feel free to throw eggs and rotting vegetables and the like at me now!

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I think I prefer 99% of these on boys, maybe cause they all started as masculine names before doing the gender swap in the US?

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I’m in the US and I side with the UK on many of these lol like for Addison, Aubrey, Bailey, Brooklyn, Charlie, Drew, Eden, Emerson, Frankie, Henley Jamie, Leighton, Lennon, Marley, Quinn, Reign, Reagan, Riley, and Shiloh, my preferences agree more with UK
I differ from UK on Dakota, McKenzie, Kai, Ocean, Phoenix, River, and Skyler. Otherwise, I’m going to be Benedict Arnold: UK all the way! :uk: :rofl:

I’m most surprised by Ashley. I knew it used to be a boy’s name here but I didn’t know how polar opposite it is between US and UK. Also Reagan and Presley. I thought they were more unisex here than being exclusively for girls.

For Angel, I’m guessing our hispanic population makes it more common as a boys name here? Otherwise, I normally see Angel on girls

I normally see Dakota on boys here so I’m surprised it says it used more on girls though it’s only by about 110 spots.

@Archer27
Btw, you skipped Elisha in your OP. Also, on your blog, it says “#837 for girls” and then say “unranked for girls” in the US. Based on your graph, I think you meant #837 for boys
Karter, Ocean, and Shay also got skipped

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Yes, a couple of names were missed out in the original post compared to the official one. I did it all manually so it was inevitable one or two would fall through the cracks the first time around, haha. By the time I realised, this thread was pretty inactive and I was writing the newer edition, so I decided to just add the names into the later post rather than editing this one. Thanks anyway though!

That’s interesting that you have a more British style. In regards to [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], it’s quite common for males between the ages of about 20-40 in the UK, I think it peaked at #40 in 1996. I don’t think it’s ever been in the top 100 for girls. So definitely polar opposites!

I agree that [name_u]Angel[/name_u] is probably more unisex due to Spanish-speaking influences in the US. Because [name_u]Angel[/name_u] and Ángel are registered as the same name, even though they’re pronounced differently, it skews the results. As for names that are quite evenly split like [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] - maybe they are more popular for boys in your state, but more popular for girls nationally? I obviously didn’t break it down that far but it’s possible.

Thanks for reading!

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I think I just figured it out. Dakota used to be more common for boys in the US (it was even in the top 100) so when I was growing up, there were more boys named Dakota, correctly reflecting my experiences. The girls only took over the name in 2010 and since I’m not around very many kids, I can’t comment on if it’s currently more popular for boys or girls

1 Like