Typically female names for boys

  1. Haven
    • Origin:

      Word name, English
    • Meaning:

      "a place of safety"
    • Description:

      Like Harbor, one of the new generation of word names with appealing meanings, though (female) memoirist Haven Kimmel has tipped it decidedly toward the girls' side.
  2. Hazel
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "the hazelnut tree"
    • Description:

      The charming vintage nature and color name Hazel has become popular for girls, but more than 30 baby boys were named Hazel in the US last year. In the olden days, Hazel was much more common for boys. It could shorten to cool nickname Haze or Hayes. The hero of Richard Adams' Watership Down series is a buck rabbit named Hazel.
  3. Hilary
    • Origin:

      Latin from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "cheerful, happy"
    • Description:

      The only version that works for boys anymore is the Latinate Hilario or Ilario. Better to look to Felix for a happy-meaning name.
  4. Holly
    • Origin:

      English nature name
    • Description:

      Jolly Holly has always been among the favorite names for Christmas babies, evoking the symbolic shrub with dark green leaves and bright red berries. And Holly is the flower for the month of December, so it's also among the perfect names for December babies. Holly is scarcely heard on baby boys, but Robin Tunney and Nicky Marmet used it as the middle name for their son Oscar.
  5. Hummingbird
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      Sure it makes a big statement, but if you can call your child Wren, Robin or Falcon, why not also Hummingbird. This pint-sized jewel of a bird is a lovely connotation for the baby that's full of energy and spirit.
  6. Indigo
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "Indian dye"
    • Description:

      Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from plants native to India, is particularly striking for both girls and boys. Although most people don't think of it like this, Indigo might also be considered among the most stylish Greek baby names in use today. Some cultural references: The Indigo Girls are a folk duo, 'Mood Indigo' is a classic Duke Ellington jazz composition, and there is a 1970's New Age theory that Indigo children possess special, sometimes supernatural abilities. Indigo is the name of a character in the Ntozake Shange novel Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and was used for his daughter by Lou Diamond Phillips.
  7. Io
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "rely on + emperor, rely on + hero"
    • Description:

      Io is most familiar to English speakers as a female name from Greek mythology, but in Japan it's used for both sexes.
  8. Irie
    • Origin:

      Jamaican
    • Meaning:

      "positive and powerful"
    • Description:

      Irie is an upbeat and modern name that originated as a Rastafarian term for "positive and powerful."
  9. Izzy
    • Origin:

      Nickname
    • Description:

      Multipurpose pet name serving Isidore, Isaac, Israel, and -- increasingly -- Isabel.
  10. Jade
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "gemstone"
    • Description:

      When Jade first took off as a given name back in the 1970's, it was in fact considered unisex. It ranked in the US Top 1000 first for boys, then for girls, 7 years later. By the 80's however, Jade was more familiar as a girls' name and by the 2000's, it was gone from the charts for boys.
  11. Jean
    • Origin:

      French variation of John
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      In Paris, it's charming, but in America, it's still Jean, as in blue jean. Or Aunt Jean.
  12. Joan
    • Origin:

      Catalan, Occitan variation of John, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      There are now more boys than girls given the name Joan each year in the US, although the two are distinct names. The masculine version, pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, is among the top names in Spain.
  13. Jodie
    • Julie
      • June
        • Juniper
          • Origin:

            English from Latin tree name
          • Meaning:

            "young"
          • Description:

            Juniper is a nature name that we really like. While it's trendiest for girls -- about 2500 baby girls were named Juniper in 2022 versus 34 baby boys -- the most notable Juniper in history was the saint Brother Juniper, a follower of Saint Francis renowned for his generosity. Blessed Junipero Serra, who founded the first of the California Missions, took his name from the earlier Saint Juniper.
        • Juno
          • Jupiter
            • Origin:

              Latin
            • Meaning:

              "godfather"
            • Description:

              Jupiter's partner Juno has entered the mainstream, so it's possible that her divine mate could follow. But not necessarily for boys — Jupiter is currently mostly female in the US, thanks to its similarity to Juniper. Stars including Ed Sheeran and Ashley Tisdale recently welcomed daughters named Jupiter, which could shift the balance even more towards the girls.
          • Kadri
            • Origin:

              Turkish
            • Meaning:

              "value"
            • Description:

              A strong and energetic Turkish name with a positive meaning. Written with a dotted I in Turkish.
          • Kelley