Boy Names for Girls

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.

As a boy's name, Shane is related more directly to the 50s movie cowboy and the Irish name Sean; for a girl, it might be a variation on Shannon, Shana, or Shawn. Parenthood star Erika Christensen named her daughter Shane. Another spin, used by Eddie Murphy, is Shayne.

Yes, Timothy has been given to baby girls before — although how many were the result of a clerical error, we can’t be sure.

Aidan is an ancient Irish saint's name with a fire meaning that's mega popular for boys, most often spelled as Aiden. The name is occasionally used for girls, sometimes as Aidyn or Ayden, as well. Aidan was the name of a famous seventh-century Irish saint, and is related to the Irish word for fire.

Stylish surname way to go if you want to name a girl after a James, and is more substantial than the passé Jamie; it was chosen for their daughter by Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin.

Not as popular for girls as Kylie or Kyla, but we prefer its simplicity.

Stylish and boyish but could work for a girl -- especially one with brown eyes -- and Sully is a quirky and jaunty nickname.

Davis may seem an unlikely choice for a girl, but over 50 baby girls received the name in the US last year, perhaps in honor of an ancestral David. Viola Davis is a notable female namesake.

Androgynous nickname for Veronica, Rhonda or Rona.

A feminine form in France, this boyish choice could make a fresh alternative to Lauren or Laura -- or be an inventive way to honor Grandpa Larry.

A male name occasionally borrowed by the girls, as in Dorian Cramer, a long-running female character on the soap One Life to Live and famous midcentury model Dorian Leigh.

Fading boys' name making fresh start for girls, aided by -ley ending.

Walker is an outdoorsy, Old Western-style name that leapt into the US Top 100 for boys back in 2022. Now, like a number of occupational names before it (think Sawyer, Palmer, and Parker), Walker is being used for an increasing number of girls.

One of the first reality show-inspired names (he was a Texas hunk on an early season of "Survivor"); hugely trendy for boys but just starting for girls.

Thomas Edison’s surname is an inventive take on Addison when used for girls. It's an English surname deriving from either Adam or Eda, a medieval diminutive of Edith.

The number one surname in Denmark could make a sophisticated and stylish girl's name. Jensen Huang is the (male) cofounder of AI giant Nvidia.

Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.

Wylie is one Celtic surname with as much appeal for girls as for boys. Wylie is ripe for spelling variations: Wiley is as appropriate as Wylie but when you spell it Wylei, as Corey Parker did for his son, you're getting into yooneek naming territory.

It’s unlikely Madden will be the next Madison, but we do love hearing this famous football surname on baby girls. Madden is on the rise now, having been given to 108 baby girls in 2022, compared to just 88 in 2021.