Gender Benders

One of the most evenly divided unisex names these days; strong and energetic, if overused, for both genders.

Ashley substitute with a slightly more unisex feel; it was picked for her daughter by TV host Nancy O'Dell.

Hot star Ashton Kutcher is pushing this unisex choice toward the boys' camp, but its variation Ashtyn is on the rise.

Almost like a fusion between vintage Audrey, bubbly Ruby, and unisex Avery, Aubrey has been a popular choice for girls since the mid 2000’s.

Bellamy is emerging as an up-and-coming girls' name, an Irish surname-y riff on the super-popular Bella series of names. While the Bella connection makes Bellamy sound a little trendier and more popular than it really is, we see the name possibly rising through the ranks for both genders in the coming years.

She's the bff of Blair, Blake, and Brooke who shop at Bergdorf's, Bonwits and Bendel's.

The unisex Blake, which indeed has two conflicting meanings, has a briskly efficient image when used for a girl.

Blakely, along with Blakeley, Blakelee and Blakeleigh, is one of the post-Ashley surname names that end with the lee sound so stylish today. Reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter named their daughter Blakesley. These surname-names are among the most stylish English names for girls.

Bobby is a nickname-name that's long been used on its own for both girls and boys, though the Bobby spelling is more usually masculine while the girls' version is usually Bobbie. There were just over 50 baby girls named Bobbie in one recent year and only five named Bobby, compared with nearly 300 baby boys named Bobby. Robert F. Kennedy III and Amaryllis Fox named their daughter Bobby, continuing the family tradition across genders. And Millie Bobby Brown is a hot young actress.

Has the energetic-Irish-slightly-boyish image that many modern parents love.

This one's cutting right to the chase, but with such names as Justice and Peace on the rise, why not? And we guarantee your seven-year-old son will love it, though your 17-year-old, maybe not so much. Could be used as a middle name, as Talisa Soto and Benjamin Bratt did.

Poised for popularity, Brennan is an Irish last name soft enough to borrow from the boys.

Veering toward Brittany.