Names that end in y

Gone with Richard and Rick, Ricky has been falling since the turn of the 21st century. Probably still suffering from overuse in the 1990s.

The cruelly-macho character of Ramsey Bolton on Game of Thrones would seem to mitigate against this name being seen as the least bit girlish, but in 2021 there were 120 female Ramseys born to 134 male, placing it among the most popular of the truly unisex baby names.

This name of the glamorous mean girl in "High School Musical" is a euphonic spin on the dog breed Shar Pei, a brilliant name joke skewering the practice of picking a name for its sound without considering what it means. Other examples: Cliche, Hooker.

Naming a child Cornelius or Nelson feels increasingly ahead of the curve in today's vintage name-loving climate. But keep Nelly for a nickname (even the rap star was christened Cornell).

Sóley is the Icelandic word for the buttercup flower, derived from the words meaning "sun" and "island." It is also used on the Faroe Islands as a short form of Sólja.

Grey is the more common spelling in Britain and Australia. This color name has a softness and ambiguity which makes it equally lovely for a boy or a girl.

Transferred use of the surname Vianney, in reference French saint Jean-Marie Vianney. It is generally masculine in France, Belgium and French-speaking Africa, but in Latin America it is mainly feminine and sometimes spelt Vianey.

Somewhat light and silly on its own.

The Shirley of the 1950s. Shelley Winters was born a Shirley.

This color name, spelled either Gray or Grey is rapidly catching on. Actress Jenny von Oy recently called her daughter Gray Audrey.

Montgomery is an increasingly popular name for boys, especially in the UK, and now it's being used for girls as well in the US, where more than 50 baby girls were named Montgomery last year.

This variation adds a second n to the more popular Finley, presumably to provide a more direct link to nickname Finn. Both spellings create a distinctly unisex name. The Finnley version, however, entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 2014, and it remains unranked for girls.

Nickname name in the era of Grease. Sandy fits well in the era of boyish nicknames for girls - a la Scottie and Stevie - or as an alternative to the rapidly rising Goldie. While it peaked in 1960, Sandy is still given to about 60 baby girls each year.

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.

Alvie is the spelling parents tend to prefer, and may rise along with Archie, Alfie, and Albie. The Alvy variation is strongly associated with Alvy Singer, Woody Allen's character in Annie Hall.

It's difficult to imagine anyone using the first name Jonesy -- and in fact, in the most recent US tally, there were nearly 100 babies named Jones but none named Jonesy. Still, this is a name that many people with Jones for a name, last or first, end up being known by, and as a nickname, it's sorta cute in a Skip, Chip, Bitsy kind of way.

Valery was in the Top 1000 from 2005 to 2009, and reemerged in 2018. This spelling is often used among Hispanic families in the US.

A bit too bad-boy (think bars, beer, Harley) for us, as well as being the name of a grain.