Gender Neutral Middle Names

This creative spelling variation of Landon is widely used but still lags far behind the original.

Alternative to Princess or Queenie.

Norwegian city name heard much more often as a last name than a first.

Wisdom is a rare modern virtue name that might increase in use as this whole category becomes more mainstream. Wisdom is one of the gender-neutral names now on the table for both boys and girls.

With Arley, Remington, Kensigton, Arlo, and Arla on the rise, Arlington might just be heard a little more often in coming years. The surname style name could make a patriotic choice for those in the US, with its connections to Arlington National Cemetery. Given to 14 girls and 24 boys in 2023, it is making moves up the charts, albeit small ones.

Tenzin (sometimes also written as Tenzing or Stanzin) is a unisex Tibetan name which is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. A notable female bearer is Tenzin Palmo, a Buddhist nun of high regard.

Loyalty is one of the Modern Virtue Names rising precipitously for babies in recent years, used last year for nearly 200 children, about 85 percent of them girls. Loyalty may also owe some of its popularity to trendy sister name Royalty.

Has not caught on as much as other Golden State place-names -- Sierra, Marin, West, or even Francisco -- probably because of its length.

Legacy is proof that any attractive-sounding word can be turned into a name, and this one has the added attractions of an inspirational meaning and a cool creative namesake -- hot young artist Legacy Russell.

Legacy is proof that any attractive-sounding word can be turned into a name, and this one has the added attractions of an inspirational meaning and a cool creative namesake -- hot young artist Legacy Russell.

Usain Bolt chose Lightning as the middle name for his daughter — Olympia Lightning Bolt. Mainstream parents have taken a liking to Lightning as a boy name — it debuted on the charts in 2021, and was given to five baby boys in 2022.

Halen is a surname-name that will appeal to Van Halen fans, or simply those looking for an unusual yet simple surname name.

If this name makes you think of Victorian novels, it's because Fairfax was part of Mr Rochester's name in Jane Eyre, and the surname of a minor character in Jane Austen's Emma. It has a distinctly aristocratic feel, despite its straightforward meaning. Fairfax is also a city in Virginia.

Bardou is a bright-as-a-button name that despite its zippy, modern feel is actually as old as the earth.

A rare geographical option which has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, but is familiar to everyone. The actual meaning of the state's name, which comes from that of a local tribe, is unknown, but it has often been said to mean "people of the west wind".

This name of the North Dakota city has been used for at least one female (we know, because she wrote to us) but it doesn't meet the Social Security's five-baby threshold to ever make it onto the official records for either sex. But it certainly can work as a first name as well as or even better than many place-names. After all, it rhymes with Margo!

One of the unisex western names that rode in with Dakota and Montana.

Place-name with character.