Typically female names for boys

  1. Elisee
    • Elisha
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "God is my salvation"
      • Description:

        Creative name whose only limitation is that it looks like it would be pronounced akin to Alicia and Elissa — although as a Biblical boys’ name, it is traditionally pronounced ee-LIE-shah.
    • Ellender
      • Origin:

        German, English
      • Meaning:

        "foreigner, stranger"
      • Description:

        Rare surname name deriving from an old German word meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". Ellender is actress Blake Lively's middle name.
    • Emerson
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Emery"
      • Description:

        Emerson is a dignified, somewhat serious name associated with transcendental thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson. Much more popular now for girls since Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher used it for her daughter, it is definitely still a viable boys name.
    • Emery
      • Origin:

        English from German
      • Meaning:

        "industrious"
      • Description:

        Emery is one of the newly popular Em- names that has great potential, though right now for girls more than boys: it received a boost in 2009, a year after Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn used it for one of their daughters.
    • Emrys
      • Origin:

        Welsh, variation of Ambrose
      • Meaning:

        "immortal"
      • Description:

        If you're looking for a Welsh name less common than Dylan, Griffin, Evan, or Morgan, you might want to consider this offbeat epithet of the wise wizard Merlin.

        Root name Ambrose is an ancient saints' name derived from the Greek ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods that conferred immortality.
    • Fayette
      • Origin:

        Short form of Lafayette, French
      • Meaning:

        "faith"
      • Description:

        Short form found in historical records, feels a tad feminine for modern times.
    • Fern
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "plant name"
      • Description:

        A fresh, green, rising nature name for girls that would make a cool possibility for a baby boy as well. It has ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys a handful of times since naming records began.
    • Fifer
      • Origin:

        Scottish occupational name
      • Meaning:

        "piper"
      • Description:

        This musical choice fits right in with all the new hard-working Millers and Gardeners. It's also a Scottish demonym, referring to an inhabitant of the historic Scottish county of Fife.
    • Finley
      • Origin:

        Irish and Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "fair-haired hero"
      • Description:

        Finley has been used for both sexes for enough years to become one of the most popular unisex names. Given nearly equally to boys and girls, Finley appeals to contemporary parents as a truly gender neutral choice.

    • Fiore
      • Florence
        • Origin:

          English, French, Latin
        • Meaning:

          "flourishing"
        • Description:

          Florence is historically a unisex name, deriving both from Latin Florentius and Florentia. Although much more commonly feminine in modern times, it appeared in the US Top 1000 for boys until 1914.
      • Fritzi
        • Origin:

          Hungarian variation of Frederick
        • Meaning:

          "peaceful ruler"
        • Description:

          May cut it in Budapest, but not in Boise. Just Fritz would be preferable.
      • Garnet
        • Origin:

          Jewel name, for the French
        • Meaning:

          "pomegranate"
        • Description:

          One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, for both boys and girls, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl. But interestingly, Garnet means pomegranate, the fruit who shares a deep red color with the jewel.
      • Greer
        • Origin:

          Scottish contraction of surname Gregor, Latin
        • Meaning:

          "alert, watchful"
        • Description:

          Greer is typically used as a girl name in the US, particularly in this form. The spelling Grier is gender-neutral, given to boys about 43 percent of the time.
      • Hadley
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "heathery field"
        • Description:

          Hemingway readers will recognize this as the name of Papa's first wife (and, eventually, actress Mariel's grandmother). But in Victorian times, Hadley and Hedley were actually more popular for boys.
      • Haley
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "hay meadow"
        • Description:

          Young actor Haley Joel Osment to the contrary, this name in all its variations has become too popular for girls to survive as a boys' choice. Hailey, Haily Halley, Hallie, Hayley.
      • Harley
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "hare clearing"
        • Description:

          You can ride one, you can use it as a baby name – or, as is often the case, both! Harley is currently trending up for girls and down for boys in the US, although it remains predominantly masculine in the UK. A lesser-used -ley ending choice for boys, Harley has a current sound but an old-school biker appeal.
      • Harlow
        • Origin:

          English surname
        • Meaning:

          "rock hill or army hill"
        • Description:

          A glamorous surname name most famously borne by 1930s icon Jean Harlow (born Harlean Carpenter), Harlow is also the name of a town in the English county of Essex. Outside of the UK, Harlow would fit right in with contemporaries Arlo and Marlow(e).
      • Harper
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "harp player"
        • Description:

          Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have sons called Harper.