Unisex Names Across the Atlantic

Updated Fri Jun 28 2024

Unisex baby names are increasingly appealing to parents. But which names are considered unisex, and which names are not, is a very subjective matter — one that is influenced by factors like a person’s past experience, age or location.

If you live in the United States of America, you can be pretty sure that Addison, Aubrey, Harlow, Noa and Remi are girls. Across the pond in the UK, however, there’s a greater chance they might be boys.

And if you flip the situation, the list becomes even longer. Cameron, Dylan, Elliott, Hayden, Jamie, Lennox, Parker and Rory are all among the names that rank in the Top 1000 only for boys in England and Wales, but are widely used for both genders in the US.

Today, we compare the gender balance of the most popular unisex names on both sides of the Atlantic. There are some big differences!

Female in the US, Male in the UK

The names listed above are unisex in the US, but still more common for boys. But there are also many names where the gender usage is completely flipped across the two countries.

Which side of the road you drive on is going to affect whether Bailey, Brooklyn, Charlie, Dara, Emery, Frankie, Harley, Laurie, Leighton, Lennon, Marley, Morgan, Murphy, Oakley, Reagan, Reign, Riley, Robin, Salem, and Taylor are more likely to be boys or girls. Those names are all more common for boys in England and Wales, but more common for girls in the US.

At the extreme end of the scale are the names that rank in the Top 1000 only for girls in the US, and only for boys in England and Wales. Emerson, Hadley, Henley, McKenzie, Sol, Presley, Reagan, and Shay are all overwhelmingly male in the UK, but overwhelmingly female in the US.

Male in the US, Female in the UK

Most gender-neutral names sit on the more masculine end of the spectrum in the UK than they do in the US. However, that isn’t applicable to every name. For example, names that are masculine in Spanish — like Alexis, Angel, and Ariel — tend to lean more masculine in the US than they do in England and Wales.

Other names that defy the trend include Beau, Elisha, Sunny, Dallas, Ocean, Dusty, Harlo, and Armani. These all lean more feminine in England and Wales compared to the United States.

So, if you happen to have one of those names — prepare for some transatlantic confusion!

Top Unisex Names Across the Atlantic

Time to take a closer look at the stats!

To be included below, a name must rank in the Top 1000 for each sex in both nations.

There are many unisex names which rank in the Top 1000 in one country, but not the other, so they don’t make the cut. Apologies to Emery, Blair, and Anderson! Similarly, some names that are used in a unisex fashion occasionally, such as James, only ever rank for one gender, so they don't appear here either.

Names are given together with their rankings for each gender in each country, plus a chart showing their gender balance for the last year on record.