Gender Neutral Middle Names

This Old Testament name is traditionally masculine, but with its lyrical Ls, sounds just as nice on a baby girl.

Overly trendy western place-name, as stated in the title of our book Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana.

An attractive North Carolina unisex place name, Raleigh's soft sound is particularly appropriate for a girl.

Santana was most recently heard on a female character on hit television show Glee. Nonetheless, this name ranks higher for boys, which can be credited to Grammy Award-winning musician Carlos Santana.

Names of classy places -- Aspen, Paris, and yes, Hampton -- are in favor with aspiring parents, though they don't always have the intended effect.

With its gentle sound but edgy vibe, Tru ticks the boxes for several modern trends: one syllable boy names (see Brooks), alternatively spelled word names (see Chozen), word names with spiritual undertones (see Shepherd), and nickname style choices (see Bo). Currently in the Top 1000 for girls and boys, it is joined in the rankings by Truett and True

Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think Carlisle (or Carlyle) has the potential to be the next Carter.

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.

This rare spiritual word name could see a boost now that Josh Brolin used it for his daughter, born in December of 2020. Like many of the new additions to this category, Chapel is appropriate for a baby of either sex.

Lovers of the name Carter and the Kardashians method of baby naming have popularized this choice, one of many boys' names starting with K that began life as boys' names starting with C. Karter has been in the charts since 2005, riding on the success of the original Carter. Since 2014, Karter has been just inside the Top 200.

Among the first wave of word names used in the hippie era, it actually is a legitimate girl's name with a lot of luster.

A commonly used name in Māori culture, Amiri refers to the wind that blows from east to west. A 2011 New Zealand film titled Amiri & Aroha is a modern Māori interpretation of Romeo & Juliet.

Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola.

Athens is one of the newer place names, used for both baby boys and girls. The Greek city got its name from Athena, goddess of wisdom and courage.

True has become an accepted first and middle name; Truth makes an even stronger statement. And with nearly 150 baby boys named Truth in the US in the most recent year counted, as many as were named Ross, the word name is edging up on the Top 1000.

Most things Jul-related – from the month of July to popular modern names Julia and Julian – originate with Roman emperor Julius Caesar, and the month name July is no exception. Fifteen girls and seven boys were named July in 2013, putting this month name into the class of gender neutral names.

About 40 baby boys were named Artist -- not Picasso, not Art -- in the US in one recent year. But not so odd, when you consider all the occupational names, from Sawyer to Sergeant, stylish today. The name Artist is also starting to register on the girls' side of the ledger, making Artist a name as gender-neutral as the occupation.

Lovers of the languid South Carolina city might be attracted to this rich-sounding name. Could make an interesting update on Charles -- and can certainly work for a girl too. Actor Joey Lawrence used it for his daughter.

Ellington's popularity may be inspired by jazz great Duke, but the name is used slightly more often for girls today, perhaps because of its trendy El- beginning. Like a host of other El- names, from the familiar Ella to Eleanor to the more niche Elodie and Elula, Ellington carries the popular Ellie nickname.