A unisex name (also known as an epicene name, a gender-neutral name or an androgynous name) is a
given name that is not gender-specific. Unisex names are common in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States. By contrast, some countries have
laws
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
preventing unisex names, requiring parents to give their children sex-specific names. In other countries or cultures, social norms oppose such names and transgressions may result in
discrimination, ridicule, and
psychological abuse
Psychological abuse, often called emotional abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-trauma ...
.
Names may have different gender connotations from country to country or language to language. For example, the Italian
male name ''
Andrea'' (derived from Greek ''Andreas'') is understood as a
female name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...
in many languages, such as English, German, Hungarian, Czech, and Spanish.
Parents may name their child in honor of a person of another sex, which – if done widely – can result in the name becoming unisex. For example, Christians, particularly
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, may give a child a second/middle name of the opposite sex, e.g. name a son Marie or Maria in honor of the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
or formerly
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
for
Saint Anne
According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim co ...
; or name a daughter José in honor of
Saint Joseph
Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...
or Jean in honor of
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
. This practice is rare in English-speaking countries.
Some masculine and feminine names are
homophone
A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (pa ...
s, pronounced the same for both sexes but spelled differently. These names are not strictly unisex names.
African
Unisex names of African origin include:
East Africa
*
Alemayehu
*
Berhane
*
Makena
South Africa
*
Kagiso
Kagiso is a township situated in Krugersdorp west of Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The word ''kagiso'' means peace in Tswana. Kagiso's administration comprises five wards, each headed by a councillor.
History
Kagiso was esta ...
*Karabo
*Tshepiso (promise)
*Lerato (love)
*Puleng
*Mogau/Magao
*Lebogang
*Mpho
*Lesedi
*Kabelo
*Nonkululeko
Zimbabwe
Shona, a Bantu group in Zimbabwe, have unisex names which may indicate the circumstances of the baby or the family during the time of the birth. All Shona names have a meaning, some also celebrate virtue or worship God.
West Africa
*
Abimbola
Abimbola (diminutive form as ''"Bimbo"'') is both a Yoruba surname and a unisex given name meaning: "born with wealth"
Notable people with the name include:
* Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi (1910–1971), Nigerian physician,
* Victor Abimbola Olaiya ...
*
Ade
Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to:
Aeronautics
*Ada Air's ICAO code
*Aden International Airport's IATA code
*Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India
Medical
* Adverse Drug Event
*Antibody-dependent enhancement
* AD ...
*
Anan Anan or ANAN may refer to:
People
* Anan (name)
Places
* Anan, Haute-Garonne, a commune in the Haute-Garonne ''département'', France
* Anan, Nagano, a town in Nagano, Japan
* Anan, Tokushima, a city in Tokushima, Japan
Other uses
* ''Anan'' ( ...
* Ayo
* Chidi
* Chike
* Dayo
* Efe
* Tolu
*
Nana
Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name
* Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname
* Nana ( ...
* Imani
* Ekei
* Bassey
* Offiong
* Obo
Asian
Arabic
Armenian
*Arshaluys (Արշալույս)
*Artsvik (Արծվիկ)
*
Nairi
Nairi ( classical hy, Նայիրի, ''Nayiri'', reformed: Նաիրի, ''Nairi''; , also ''Na-'i-ru'') was the Akkadian name for a region inhabited by a particular group (possibly a confederation or league) of tribal principalities in the Armeni ...
/ Nayiri (Նաիրի, Նայիրի)
*Hayastan (Հայաստան)
Chinese
Chinese given names are composed of 1–3
Chinese character
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as '' kan ...
s, with the exception of
non-Han ethnic groups who sometimes choose to use their native naming traditions instead and transliterate their names to Chinese for legal registration, often ending up in very long Chinese full names. Some characters have masculine connotations tied to them, some have feminine connotations, and some can be fully gender-neutral or will only gain a masculine/feminine leaning when paired with another character that has a specific leaning. Some Chinese given names may have the same pronunciation, but use different characters associated with different genders to give the name a gender association.
Hebrew
Many of the
modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...
names have become unisex, that suitable for both boys and girls. Some popular examples are:
Indian languages
Many
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
names become unisex when written with Latin characters because of the limitations of
transliteration
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
. The spellings ''Chandra'' and ''Krishna'', for example, are transliterations of both the masculine and feminine versions of those names. In Indian languages, the final ''a'' in each of these names are different letters with different pronunciations, so there is no ambiguity. However, when they are seen (and usually, spoken) by someone unfamiliar with Indian languages, they become sexually ambiguous. Other Indian names, such as ''Ananda'', are exclusively or nearly exclusively masculine in India, but because of their ''a'' ending, are assumed to be feminine in Anglophone societies.
Nehal
Nehal (Persian: نهال, pronounced næhāl, नेहल) is a Middle Eastern name. It has a variety of meanings in different languages, such as; rainy, loving, intelligent, genius, spring, or beautiful.
The name 'Nehal' is derived from Persian ...
, Sonal, Sonu, Snehal, Niral, Pranjal and Anmol are used commonly to name baby boys or girls in western states of
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
such as
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
. Similarly, names like Kajal, Sujal, Viral, Harshal, Deepal, Bobby, Mrinal, Jyoti, Shakti,
Nilam,
Kiran,
Lucky
Lucky may refer to:
*An adjective of luck
Lucky may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty
* ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Avi ...
, Ashwini, Shashi, Malhar, Umang, Shubham and Anupam are also very common sex-neutral names or unisex names in India. Most
Punjabi Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ' ...
first names such as "Sandeep, Gurdeep, Kuldeep, Mandeep", "Surjeet, Gurjeet, Kuljeet, Harjeet, Manjeet", "Harpreet, Gurpreet, Jaspreet, Kulpreet, Manpreet", "Prabhjot, Harjot, Gurjot, Jasjot" and "Sukhjinder, Bhupinder, Jasbinder, Parminder, Kulvinder, Harjinder, Ranjodh, Sheeraz, Hardeep, Kirandeep, Sukhdeep, Govindpal, Encarl, Rajan" are unisex names and equally commonly given to either sex. Also, names derived from Dari Persian and Arabic, but not used among native speakers of those languages, are common among South Asian Muslims. Since Persian does not assign genders to inanimate nouns, some of these names are gender-neutral, for example Roshan, Hitesh, Sudesh, Parveen, and Insaaf.
Indonesian
*
Dian Dian may refer to:
Places
* Dian Kingdom, ancient kingdom in modern Yunnan province, China
* ''Diān'' (滇), an official abbreviation for Yunnan province
* Lake Dian, a lake in Yunnan
* Dian, Armenia, a village
*
People
* Dian (given name), a ...
: lamp
*
Eka
Eka or EKA may refer to:
People
* Eka Budianta (born 1956), Indonesian poet
* Eka Darville (born 1989), Australian actor
* Eka Gigauri (born 1978), Georgian activist
* Eka Gurtskaia (born ), Georgian beauty pageant titleholder
* Eka Kurniawan ...
: first born
*
Nana
Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name
* Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname
* Nana ( ...
Japanese
Despite there being only a small number of Japanese unisex names in use, unisex names are widely popular. Many high-profile Japanese celebrities such as
Hikaru Utada
, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan.
Born in the United States to Japanese paren ...
,
Jun Matsumoto
Jun or JUN may refer to:
People and anthroponymy
* Jun (given name), a common Japanese given name
* Jun (singer), a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS
* Tomáš Jun, Czech footballer
* A spelling of common Korean family name Jeon (Korean ...
,
Ryo Nishikido
is a Japanese singer and actor. He was formerly under the management of Johnny & Associates as a member of Japanese boy bands Kanjani Eight and News. His first solo album was released in December 2019.
Biography
Ryo Nishikido was born in Hyo ...
, and
Izumi Sakai
, known professionally as , was a female Japanese pop singer, songwriter, and member of the group Zard. As Sakai was the only member who stayed in the group while others joined and left regularly, Zard and Sakai may be referred to interchangeably. ...
have unisex names.
Many of the entries in the following list, in Roman characters, each represent more than one name, with different meanings, which are often distinguished by the use of different kanji characters.
Nicknames
Unisex names may also be used as nicknames. For example, a man named Ryounosuke and a woman named Ryouko may both use the unisex name Ryou as a nickname.
Korean
All Korean names are unisex (ungendered), but some names are more commonly given to boys and other more commonly to girls.
Persian
*
Arya
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ...
*
Azar
Azar ( fa, آذر, ) is the ninth month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran and Afghanistan. Azar has thirty days. It begins in November and ends in December by the Gregorian calendar. Azar corresponds to the Tropical Astro ...
*
Dana
Dana may refer to:
People Given name
* Dana (given name)
Surname
* Dana (surname)
* Dana family of Cambridge, Massachusetts
** James Dwight Dana (1813–1895), scientist, zoological author abbreviation Dana
Nickname or stage name
* Dan ...
* Nikan
*
Nima
*
Raha Raha may refer to:
* Raha (Vidhan Sabha constituency), an assembly constituency of Assam, India
*Raha, Assam, a village in India
*Raha, Indonesia
*Raha, Nepal
Raha is a village development committee and municipality in Dolpa District in the Karn ...
*
Tiam
Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam (; April 1, 1952 – March 15, 2007) was a Malaysian politician, businessman and community leader of Chinese descent. Poh was born in Kampung Belimbing, near Durian Tunggal, Malacca. He and his family moved to nearby ...
*
Yara Yara may refer to:
People
* YARA (girl group), a Filipino girl group
* Yara (given name)
* Yara (surname), a Japanese surname
* Yara (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese pop singer
* Yara (footballer) (born 1964), Brazilian footballer
Locations ...
Turkish
There are many
Turkish name
A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While there is only one ''soyadı'' (surname) in the full na ...
s which are unisex. These names are almost always pure Turkish names (i.e. not
Turkified
Turkification, Turkization, or Turkicization ( tr, Türkleştirme) describes a shift whereby populations or places received or adopted Turkic attributes such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity. However, often this term is more narrowly a ...
Arabic name
Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/middle/ family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughout ...
s that have an
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or ''Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the main ...
connotation) that derive from Turkish words. These names may either be modern names or be derived from
Turkic mythology
Turkic mythology refers to myths and legends told by the Turkic people. It features Tengrist and Shamanist strata of belief along with many other social and cultural constructs related to the nomadic and warrior way of life of Turkic and Mongo ...
. Some
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
-derived Turkish names, like
Can and
Cihan Cihan () Turkish given name of Persian origin meaning universe.
Given name
* Cihan Alptekin (1947–1972), Turkish revolutionary and militant
*Cihan Can, Turkish footballer
* Cihan Haspolatlı, Turkish footballer
* Cihan Kaptan, Turkish footballer
...
, are also unisex, as are even a few Arabic-derived names, like
İhsan and
Nur
Nur may refer to:
In Islam
* An-Nur, one of the names of God in Islam, meaning "The Light".
* Nūr (Islam), a concept, literally meaning "light"
* An-Nur (The Light), the 24th chapter of the Qur'an
* ''Risale-i Nur Collection'', a collection of ...
.
Among the common examples of the many unisex names in Turkey are:
Vietnamese
Among modern Vietnamese names, unisex names are very popular. Vietnamese people may distinguish unisex names by middle names. For example Quốc Khánh may be a male name (Quốc is a male name) and Ngân Khánh may be a female name (Ngân is a female name), and sex-specific middle names such as ''Văn'' for males and ''Thị'' for females also help. In many cases, a male could have a female name and vice versa. Popular examples of unisex names in Vietnamese are:
* Anh (beautiful, outstanding, hero)
* An (safe and sound)
*
Châu Chu ( or Châu () is a Vietnamese surname. It is transliterated as Zhou (for ''Chu'') and Zhu (for ''Châu'') in Chinese, and Ju in Korean.
Chau is the anglicized variation of Châu.
Notable people with the surname Chu/Châu
*Chu Văn An
* ...
(pearl)
* Dương (light, sun)
*
Giang (big river)
* Hà (river)
* Hải (sea)
* Khánh (joyful celebration, bell)
*
Linh Linh is a Vietnamese name that means "soul" or "spirit". It is the Vietnamese pronunciation of the Chinese character (líng), which is not used as a surname in China.
Surname
* Linh Quang Viên (1918-2013), Vietnamese soldier who rose to the rank ...
(divinity, essence, spirit, soul)
* Nhân (kindness, humanity)
* Thanh (clear, pure, distinct, youth, young, cyan)
* Tú (elegant, talented person)
* Tường (wise, luck)
European
Basque
Euskaltzaindia
Euskaltzaindia (; often translated Royal Academy of the Basque Language) is the official academic language regulatory institution which watches over the Basque language. It conducts research, seeks to protect the language, and establishes stand ...
has a list of unisex names. Some of them are:
*Amaiur
* Amets
* Aran
*Bidatz
*Ekai
*Eraitz
*Ibiur
*Joar
*Sahats
*Udabe
Serbo-Croatian
*
Matija Matija is a South Slavic masculine and feminine given name, a variant of Matthew. Notable people with the name include:
* Matija Ahacel (1779–1845), Carinthian Slovene philologist, publicist, and collector of folk songs
* Matija Antun Relković ( ...
(generally male, but female in the Neretva region)
*
Saša Saša is a South Slavic given name. It is a diminutive of Aleksandar (see Sasha), but in the South Slavic countries it is often a formal name as well. It may refer to:
*Saša Antunović (born 1974), Serbian footballer
* Saša Bjelanović (born 1979 ...
(a nickname of Aleksandar/Aleksandra)
*
Vanja
Vanja is a given name. It was originally a nickname for Ivan.
People with this name include:
*Vanja Blomberg (born 1929), Swedish gymnast and Olympic champion
*Vanja Džaferović (born 1983), Bosnian and Croatian footballer
*Vanja Drach (1932–2 ...
*
Minja
*
Borna
Czech
The Czech Registry Act forbids giving male names or surnames to females or female names or surnames to males, but does not restrict neutral names and surnames. For the period of
transitioning, the Act explicitly allows the use of gender-neutral given names and surnames.
A Czech trans people web enumerates given names which are most popular as gender-neutral names. Most of them are originally
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...
s, or
loanword
A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because t ...
s. The most natural of them are names ending with -a, falling under
male
Male (Mars symbol, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization.
A male organism cannot sexual reproduction, repro ...
inflectional paradigm
In linguistic morphology, inflection (or inflexion) is a process of word formation in which a word is modified to express different grammatical categories such as tense, case, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, mood, animacy, and definit ...
"předseda" and/or
female paradigm "žena". Generally,
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...
s are not allowed to be used in official registers, but in case of trans people, they are tolerated.
The most popular neutral names are
Saša Saša is a South Slavic given name. It is a diminutive of Aleksandar (see Sasha), but in the South Slavic countries it is often a formal name as well. It may refer to:
*Saša Antunović (born 1974), Serbian footballer
* Saša Bjelanović (born 1979 ...
and
Nikola
Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek '' Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries ( Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Mo ...
, both with a slight Russian (or East-Slavic) connotation. Other names of that paradigm are Áda, Jarka, Jára, Jindra, Jirča, Jirka, Kája, Mára, Míla, Mira, Míša, Míťa, Nikola, Péťa, Saša, Stáňa, Sváťa, Štěpa, Vlasta, Zbyňa, Zdena. They are unisex
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...
s of complementary male and female names, e.g. Péťa belong to male "Petr" as well as female "Petra". Ilja, Issa, Bronia or Andrea are felt as original foreign names. Maria is felt as a female name (this form is reserved for mother of Jesus, the common Czech female form is Marie, the male form is Marián), but some historical men are known under that name (
Klement Maria Hofbauer,
Jan Maria Vianney,
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recog ...
).
Other mentioned names are mostly considered to be foreign names:
* Alex, Aliz, Janis, Jannis
* Dan, Jean, Kim, Robin, Vivian
* Andy, Deny, Lenny, Romy, Viky, Marti, Riki, Niki, Robbie
* Ivo
* René
* Martine, Michele.
* Nikol
The page indicates some other names which can be usable as unisex but are not tried by that community yet.
Dutch
* Adrie
* Alde
*Alex
* Anne (to be exact: a boy's name in the
West Frisian language
West Frisian, or simply Frisian ( fy, link=no, Frysk or ; nl, Fries , also ), is a West Germanic language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland () in the north of the Netherlands, mostly by those of Frisian ancestry. It is the most wi ...
, a girl's name in Dutch)
* Brune
* Conny
* Cox
* Daan
* Dallas
* Demy
* Didi
* Dien
* Gerdi, Gerdie, Gerdy
* Han
* Henny
* Jopie, Jo
* Koos
* Marijn
* Rinke
Finnish
Finnish law forbids giving a female name to a male child and a male name to a female child among other restrictions. Some names do exist that have been given to children of both genders. Such unisex names were more common in the first half of the 20th century. This is an incomplete list:
Many of these names are rare, foreign or neologisms; established names tend to be strongly sex-specific. Notably, a class of names that are derived from nature can be often used for either sex, for example: Aalto (wave), Halla (frost), Lumi (snow), Paju (willow), Ruska (fall colors), and Valo (light). Similarly, there are some (sometimes archaic) adjectives which carry no strong gender connotations, like Kaino (timid), Vieno (calm) or Lahja (a gift). Certain names can have unisex diminutives, such as Alex, which can be short for Aleksandra or Aleksanteri (or variants thereof).
French
Popular unisex names of French origin include:
There are also pairs of masculine and feminine names that have slightly different spellings but identical pronunciation, such as André / Andrée, Frédéric / Frédérique, René / Renée and Gabriel / Gabrielle. In
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
and French-speaking countries, it can happen for people to have a combination of both masculine and feminine given names, but most of these include "Marie", such as Jean-Marie, Marie-Jean, Marie-Pierre.
Marie was a unisex name in medieval times; it is nowadays only female except for its presence in compound names. Notable examples of people with a combination of masculine and feminine given names are
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015.
Le Pen graduated from ...
(male),
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles (, 20 September 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French judge, freemason and politician who took part in the French Revolution.
Origins and early career
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles was born in Paris int ...
(male),
Marie-Pierre Kœnig
Marie Joseph Pierre François Kœnig or Koenig (10 October 1898 – 2 September 1970) was a French general during World War II during which he commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942. He started a polit ...
(male), and
Marie-Pierre Leray
Marie-Pierre Leray (born 17 February 1975) is a French former competitive figure skater. In ladies' singles, she placed seventh at the 1994 World Championships and 14th at the 1994 Winter Olympics. As a pair skater, she won the 1993 French nat ...
(female). In the past, it was not unusual to give a child that was assigned male at birth the middle name Marie as a sign of religious devotion; the most notable example is that of
François Maurice Marie Mitterrand.
European royals often bear the name Marie, the French form of
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, in their names.
Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus d'Aviano; born 21 February 1986) is a grandson of King Albert II of Belgium, and thus a member of the Belgian royal family. He is also he ...
(Amedeo Marie Joseph Carl Pierre Philippe Paola Marcus),
Prince Jean of Luxembourg
Prince Jean of Luxembourg (given names: ''Jean Félix Marie Guillaume''; born 15 May 1957 at Betzdorf Castle), the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He is the twin brother of Princess M ...
(Jean Félix Marie Guillaume), and
Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Jean (Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano; 5 January 1921 – 23 April 2019) was the Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1964 until his abdication in 2000. He was the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg of French agnat ...
(Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc) are examples of male royals who bear Marie in their names.
German
In the past,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
law required parents to give their child a sex-specific name. This is no longer the case, since the
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its inc ...
held in 2008 that there is no obligation for a name to be sex-specific, even if the child has only one given name. The custom of adding a second name which matches the child's legal sex is no longer required. Still, unisex names of German origin are rare, most of them being nicknames rather than formal names (such as
Alex
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
* Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple p ...
).
Examples of unisex names include:
* Eike
* Gustl (the male variant is a shortening of ''August'' or ''Gustav'', the female for ''Augusta'')
*
Kai
*
Kim
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese ...
* Lennox
* Luca
*
Micha
Micah (; ) is a given name.
Micah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), and means "Who is like God?" The name is sometimes found with theophoric extensions. Suffix theophory in ''Yah'' and in '' Yahweh'' results in ...
* Michi
* Mika
*
Niko Niko may refer to:
People
The given name is sometimes a short form of Nikola, Nikolas, Nikolaos or others.
* Nikō (1253–1314), Japanese Buddhist disciple of Nichiren
* Niko (musician), American musician active from 2002
* NiKo (born 1997), ...
* Sascha
*
Sigi
In the Völsung cycle, Sigi is the ancestor of the Völsung lineage. In the ''Völsunga saga'', he is said to be one of the sons of Odin. He is also listed among Odin's sons in the '' Nafnaþulur''. He has a son called Rerir.
He was outlawed for ...
*
Toni
Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name.
In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni.
In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwe ...
* Ulli
* Willy
Greek
*
Bronte
*
Cyril
Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος ('' kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various vari ...
*
Dorian
Dorian may refer to:
Ancient Greece
* Dorians, one of the main ethnic divisions of ancient Greeks
* Doric Greek, or Dorian, the dialect spoken by the Dorians
Art and entertainment Films
* ''Dorian'' (film), the Canadian title of the 2004 film ' ...
*
Eris
*
Haris
*
Kyrie
Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of ('' Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ).
In the Bible
The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives f ...
*
Nyx
Nyx (; , , "Night") is the Greek goddess and personification of night. A shadowy figure, Nyx stood at or near the beginning of creation and mothered other personified deities, such as Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), with Erebus (Darkn ...
*
Orion
*
Paris (given name)
Icelandic
In June, 2019, Iceland's Parliament, the
Althing
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (" thing fields" or "assem ...
, passed a new gender autonomy act which will recognize all approved Icelandic names as unisex.
Previously, unisex names were in generally illegal in Iceland. The
Icelandic Naming Committee
The Icelandic Naming Committee ( is, Mannanafnanefnd; pronounced )—also known in English as the Personal Names Committee—maintains an official register of approved Icelandic given names and governs the introduction of new given names into Ice ...
(Icelandic: ''Mannanafnanefnd'') maintained preapproved lists of male and female names, with names not on the list - or on a different gender's list - typically denied. Earlier court cases had carved out exceptions, such as the names ''Blær'' (approved for women after a 2013 court case),
''Auður'' (approved for men later in 2013), and ''Alex'' (denied for women in 2013 but approved in 2018).
Additionally, the new gender autonomy act makes changes to the traditional patronymics/matronymics used as
Icelandic surnames. Before the bill,
Icelandic last names (by law) could not be unisex: the suffix ''-dóttir'' ("daughter") was attached to a parent's name for women and the suffix ''-son'' ("son") was used for men. The new law will allow adults who have officially changed their gender marker to "X", a
non-binary gender
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typica ...
marker, to also change their patronymic/matronymic suffix to ''-bur'' ("child").
Newborns cannot be assigned a non-binary gender marker at this time, and will continue to receive a patronymic/matronymic suffix in keeping with their assigned sex at birth.
Irish
*
Ailbhe
*
Aran
Aran m
Places Azerbaijan
Villages and municipalities:
* Aran, Aghjabadi
* Aran, Lerik
* Aran, Shaki
* Aran, Tovuz
* Aran, Yevlakh
Iran
* Aran, Alborz, a village in Alborz Province
* Aran, Nain, a village in Isfahan Province
* Aran, Kermansh ...
*
Brogan
Brogan or O'Brogan, is a surname originating in Ireland, anglicized from the original Ó Brógáin. The form McBrogan, is also present sharing the meaning of O'Brogan, essentially "son of Brogan." The name can be traced back to ancient King Breo ...
*
Carey
*
Carling
*
Casey
Casey may refer to:
Places Antarctica
*Casey Station
*Casey Range
Australia
* Casey, Australian Capital Territory
* City of Casey, Melbourne
* Division of Casey, electoral district for the House of Representatives
Canada
* Casey, Ontario
* Ca ...
* Finley (name), Finley
* Flann
* Flannery
* Kerry
* Naoise
* Nollaig
* O'Reilly, Riley/Reilly
* Ryan (given name), Ryan
* Shannon (given name), Shannon
* Shea (disambiguation), Shea
* Sláine
* Teagan (disambiguation), Teagan
* Tierney
Among Irish Catholics in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was not unusual to give a child that was assigned male at birth a feminine middle name, particularly "Mary", as a sign of religious devotion. Joseph Mary Plunkett was a signatory of the Irish Declaration of Independence in 1916, and was later executed as one of the leaders of the Easter Rising.
Italian
In Italy, unisex names (''nomi ambigenere'') are very rare. There are names that are primarily male, like
Andrea (which is female, e.g., in English, Spanish, German, and French) or Felice, that can also be given to females. Names like Celeste, Amabile, Fiore (disambiguation), Fiore, Loreto (disambiguation), Loreto, or Diamante are, as opposite, female names that occasionally can be given to males.
Sometimes "Maria" is used as a middle male name (such as Antonio Maria).
"Rosario" (feminine: "Rosaria") is a male name in Italian whereas in Spanish it is female.
There are also unisex nicknames, for example:
* Giusi or Giusy can stand either for Giuseppe ("Joseph") or Giuseppina ("Josephine").
* Dani or Dany can stand for Daniele (male) or Daniela (female).
* Ale can stand for Alessandro (male) or Alessandra (female).
* Fede can stand either for Federico or Federica.
Portuguese
* Carmo
* Cruz
*Duda (disambiguation), Duda
Brazilian
Names that end with an ''i'' are considered unisex in Brazil. They tend to be Native Brazilian Tupi people, Indigenous names in origin, such as Araci, Jaci, Darci, Ubirani, but names from other cultures are now being absorbed, such as Remy, Wendy, and Eddy. Names that end with ''ir'' and ''mar'' tend to be unisex also, such as Nadir, Aldenir, Dagmar and Niomar – though in these cases there are some exceptions.
Russian
Diminutive forms of names in Russian language can be unisex, such as Sasha (given name), Sasha/Shura (disambiguation), Shura (Alexandr or Alexandra), Zhenya (Yevgeniy or Yevgeniya), Valya (Valentin or Valentina), Valera (given name), Valera (Valeriy or Valeriya), Slava (given name), Slava (for names ending with -slav or -slava), Vitalya (Vitaly or Vitalia).
Slovene
* Fran (given name), Fran (diminutive of Frančiška)
* Ivica (diminutive of ''Ivan'' (John) or ''Ivana'' (Joanne))
*
Saša Saša is a South Slavic given name. It is a diminutive of Aleksandar (see Sasha), but in the South Slavic countries it is often a formal name as well. It may refer to:
*Saša Antunović (born 1974), Serbian footballer
* Saša Bjelanović (born 1979 ...
(diminutive of ''Aleksander'' (Alexander))
* Slava (given name), Slava (diminutive of Slavko)
*
Vanja
Vanja is a given name. It was originally a nickname for Ivan.
People with this name include:
*Vanja Blomberg (born 1929), Swedish gymnast and Olympic champion
*Vanja Džaferović (born 1983), Bosnian and Croatian footballer
*Vanja Drach (1932–2 ...
(diminutive of Ivan or Ivana)
Spanish
In Spain, unisex names are extremely rare. María, an originally feminine name is used in Spanish for males as second name, very commonly after José (e.g., José María). José is used for females preceded by María (María José). Also, Guadalupe (name), Guadalupe, a feminine name, is sometimes used as masculine after José (José Guadalupe). More names given to both genders include Carmen (given name), Carmen, Inés, Reno (given name), Reno, Trinidad (disambiguation), Trinidad, Nazaret, Reyes (disambiguation), Reyes, and Celes (disambiguation), Celes.
Like in English, some common nicknames are unisex such as Álex (Alejandro, Alejandra), Cris (Cristina (disambiguation), Cristina, Cristiano (given name), Cristian, Cristóbal (disambiguation), Cristóbal), Dani (Daniel, Daniela).
nny
* Cox
* Daan
* Dallas
* Demy
* Didi
* Dien
* Gerdi, Gerdie, Gerdy
* Han
* Henny
* Jopie, Jo
* Koos
* Marijn
* Rinke
English speaking world
Unisex names have been enjoying some popularity in English-speaking countries in the past several decades. Masculine names have become increasingly popular among females in the past century but originally feminine names remain extremely rare among males.
Unisex names include:
In the United States, most of the male names are now largely female, while in Britain, some (notably Charlie, Hilary, Sidney, and Robin) remain largely male. Sometimes different spellings have different sex distributions (Francis is less likely female than Frances), but these are rarely definitive.
[National Institute for Genealogical Studies, "England Given Name Considerations]
/ref> For example, in the US, as of 2016, both Skylar and Skyler are more common for females, but Skylar is most strongly associated with females (the 42nd most common name for females and the 761 most common for males born in 2016) than Skyler (the 359 most common name for females and the 414 most common for males born in 2016).
Origin
Modern unisex names may derive from:
* Nature (Lake (disambiguation), Lake, Rain (disambiguation), Rain/Raine, Sky (disambiguation), Sky/Skye (name), Skye, Willow, Terra (disambiguation), Terra, River (disambiguation), River, Ocean (disambiguation), Ocean, Juniper (given name), Juniper, Ash, Darnel, Aspen (name), Aspen, Linden (given name), Linden, Winter (disambiguation), Winter, Cloud, Snow, Cedar, Sequoia, Lightning (disambiguation), Lightning, Sorrel (disambiguation), Sorrel, Aderyn, Barkley)
* Colors (Blue (name), Blue, Grey (disambiguation), Gray/Grey, Indigo (disambiguation), Indigo, Emerald (disambiguation), Emerald, Cyan (disambiguation), Cyan, Navy, Crimson (disambiguation), Crimson, Onyx (color), Onyx, Azure, Teal (name), Teal, Alba, Umber, Garnet (name), Garnet, Jade (given name), Jade)
* Places (Dakota (given name), Dakota, India, Indiana, Montana, London (name), London, Brooklyn (given name), Brooklyn, Ireland (disambiguation), Ireland, Rio (disambiguation), Rio, Egypt, Windsor, Texas (disambiguation), Texas, Sydney)
* Metals (Silver, Gold/Goldie, Bronze, Platinum)
* Surnames (Parker, Mackenzie, Madison, Kennedy (given name), Kennedy, Oakley, McKenna (name), McKenna, Ashton (given name), Ashton, Lincoln (name), Lincoln, Maxwell (surname), Maxwell, Easton (surname), Easton, Daley (disambiguation), Daley/Daly (disambiguation), Daly, Marin (name), Marin, Keegan, Aniston, Shaw (name), Shaw, Sinclair, Adair)
* Animals (Fox (disambiguation), Fox, Fennec, Robin (name), Robin, Phoenix, Wren (name), Wren, Raven (given name), Raven, Sparrow (disambiguation), Sparrow, Leo, Roan (name), Roan, Dove, Lark)
* Months (January, March (disambiguation), March, April (given name), April, May (given name), May, June (given name), June, August (name), August, September, October)
* Directions (North, West)
* Food (Apple (name), Apple, Kale (name), Kale, Saffron, Clove)
* Pop culture:
** Books (Esme, Logan (given name), Logan, Pepper (name), Pepper, Rey (given name), Rey, Rogue)
** Film and television (Harley Quinn, Ivy, Onix)
** Video games (Luca (given name), Luca, Marluxia, Riku/Rikku, Ryu, Sora, Wynne (given name), Wynne)
* Words (Haven, Justice (disambiguation), Justice, Journey, Gentry, Honor (given name), Honor, Sunny (name), Sunny, Happy, Heaven (disambiguation), Heaven, Rebel (given name), Rebel, Wisdom (disambiguation), Wisdom, Lyric)
* Astronomy and mythology (Altair (disambiguation), Altair, Leo, Orion, Juno (disambiguation), Juno)
* Jewels (Diamond (given name), Diamond, Jade (given name), Jade, Emerald (given name), Emerald, Pearl (given name), Pearl)
Examples of unisex names among celebrities and their children are:
* Ashton (Ashton Kutcher and Ashton Shepherd)
* Brooklyn (David Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham and Brooklyn Decker)
* Bryce (Bryce Papenbrook and Bryce Dallas Howard)
* Cameron (Cameron Crowe and Cameron Diaz)
* Devon (Devon Bostick and Devon Aoki)
* Drew (Drew Seeley and Drew Barrymore)
* Dylan (Dylan Walsh and Dylan Penn)
* Evan (Evan Peters and Evan Rachel Wood)
* Genesis (Genesis Servania and Genesis Rodriguez)
* Hayden (Hayden Christensen and Hayden Panettiere)
* Jamie (Jamie Bell and Jamie Lee Curtis)
* Jordan (Jordan Knight and Jordan Pruitt)
* Kirby (Kirby Morrow and Kirby Bliss Blanton)
* Leighton (Leighton Baines and Leighton Meester)
* Mel (Mel Gibson and Mel B)
* Michael (Michael Keaton and Michael Learned)
* Morgan (Morgan Freeman and Morgan Fairchild)
* Noah (Noah Hathaway and Noah Lindsey Cyrus)
* Peyton (Peyton Manning and Peyton List (actress, born 1986), Peyton List)
* Rebel (Rebel Rodriguez and Rebel Wilson)
* Remy (Remy Hii and Remy Ryan)
* Ryan (Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Simpkins)
* Robin (Robin Williams and Robin Wright)
* Rowan (Rowan Atkinson and Rowan Blanchard)
* Sidney (Sidney Crosby and Sydney Leroux)
* Spencer (Spencer Tracy and Spencer Grammer)
* Taylor (Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift)
* Tracy (Tracy Morgan and Tracy Chapman)
According to the Social Security Administration, Jayden has been the most popular unisex name for boys since 2008 and Madison (name), Madison has been the most popular unisex name for girls since 2000 in the United States.
Prior to Jayden, Logan was the most popular unisex name for boys and prior to Madison, Alexis was the most popular unisex name for girls.
Nicknames
Many popular nicknames are unisex. Some nicknames, such as Alex
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
* Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple p ...
and Pat (disambiguation), Pat, have become popular as given names in their own right.
The following list of unisex nicknames are most commonly seen in English-speaking countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
* Addie, Adi (name), Adi, Addi, Addy (disambiguation), Addy – Adam (given name), Adam, Adelaide (given name), Adelaide, Adele (given name), Adele, Adrian, Adrien, Addison (name), Addison
* Adri – Adrian, Adriana, Adrienne
* Alec, Alec, Aleck, Alex
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
* Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple p ...
, Alexi – Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis (given name), Alexis, Alexandria (given name), Alexandria, Alexa (name), Alexa, Alexius, Alexia (given name), Alexia
* Al, Ali, Allie, Aly – Albert (given name), Albert, Alberta (given name), Alberta, Alexander, Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexis, Alexa (name), Alexa, Alexius, Alexia, Alfred (name), Alfred, Alice (given name), Alice, Alison (name), Alison, Almira, Alastair, Alistair, Alister, Alpha, Alyssa
* Andi, Andie, Andy – Andrea, André, Andre, Andrew
* Angie (given name), Angie – Angelo, Angela (given name), Angela, Angelina (given name), Angelina, Angelica (given name), Angelica, Angel (given name), Angel, Angus (given name), Angus
* Annie (given name), Annie – Anna (given name), Anna, Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, Annette (disambiguation), Annette, Andrea, Angela (given name), Angela, André, Andre, Andrew, Angelo, Angelina (given name), Angelina, Angelica (given name), Angelica, Angus (given name), Angus
* Ari (name), Ari – Aria (name), Aria, Ariana (name), Ariana, Ariane, Arianna, Ariano, Ariel (name), Ariel, Ariela, Ariella
* Arlie – Arleen, Arleen, Arlene, Arline, Arlington
* Ash (name), Ash, Ashe (name), Ashe – Ashelia, Asher (name), Asher, Ashford, Ashley (given name), Ashley, Ashlyn (name), Ashlyn, Ashton
* Audry – Audric, Audria, Audrea, Audrey (given name), Audrey
* Avie – Ava (given name), Ava, Avanel, Avery, Avis (name), Avis
* Benny, Bennie, Benny, Bernie (given name), Bernie, Berny – Benedict (given name), Benedict, Bennett (name), Bennett, Benjamin (name), Benjamin, Bernadette (disambiguation), Bernadette, Bernard, Bernice (given name), Bernice, Ebenezer (given name), Ebenezer
* Bert, Berti, Bertie, Berty – Albert (given name), Albert, Alberta (given name), Alberta, Hubert, Gilbert (given name), Gilbert, Herbert (given name), Herbert, Alberto, Wilbert (disambiguation), Wilbert, Robert, Roberta (given name), Roberta, Roberto
* Bill, Billie, Billy – Belinda, William, Willard (name), Willard, Wilma (given name), Wilma, Wilhelmina (given name), Wilhelmina, Willow (disambiguation)#People, Willow
* Bo (given name), Bo – Beaufort, Beauregard (disambiguation), Beauregard, Bonita (name), Bonita, Bonnie (name), Bonnie, Robert
* Bob, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bobby (given name), Bobby – Robert, Roberta (given name), Roberta, Roberto
* Cade, Caed, Kade – Caden, Cadence (given name), Cadence
* Cam (name), Cam, Cammy (name), Cammie, Cammy, Kam (name), Kam, Kammy – Cameron, Camilla (given name), Camilla, Camille
* Car, Kar – Carmen, Carolina, Caroline, Carsen, Carson, Cary, Caryss, Karolina (disambiguation), Karolina, Karoline, Kary (name), Kary, Karyss
* Cass (given name), Cass, Cassi, Cassie, Cassy – Caspar, Casper (given name), Casper, Cassandra (name), Cassandra, Cassian (disambiguation), Cassian, Cassidy (given name), Cassidy, Cassius (disambiguation), Cassius
* Charli, Charlie, Charley – Charlene (given name), Charlene, Charles, Charlotte (given name), Charlotte, Charlize
* Chris, Chrissy, Christi, Christie, Christy – Christian (given name), Christian, Christina (given name), Christina, Christianna, Christianne, Christine (name), Christine, Christoph, Christophe (given name), Christophe, Christopher (given name), Christopher
* Cid, Cyd, Sid (given name), Sid, Syd (name), Syd – Cidney, Cydney, Sidney, Sidra (name), Sidra, Sydelle, Sydney, Sydra
* Clem (name), Clem – Clement, Clementine, Clementina, Clemency
* Cleo – Cleon (disambiguation), Cleon, Cleopatra (disambiguation), Cleopatra
* Cobie, Coby (disambiguation), Coby, Koby – Cobalt, Coburn, Jacob (name), Jacob, Jacoba
* Connie – Connor (given name), Conner, Conrad (name), Conrad, Constance (name), Constance, Cornelia (name), Cornelia, Cornelius (name), Cornelius, Cornell (disambiguation), Cornell
* Cor (given name), Cor, Corie, Corrie, Corry, Cory, Kori, Korie, Kory – Cornelia, Cornelius, Coriander, Corin, Corina, Corina (disambiguation), Corrina, Corwin (given name), Corwin, Koriander, Korina, Korrina, Korwin
* Dale – Daley, Daly
* Dan, Dani, Danni, Dannie, Danny – Daniel, Danielle, Daniela
* Dash (disambiguation), Dash – Dashiell, Dasha (disambiguation), Dasha
* D, Dee (disambiguation), Dee – David, Deanna, Deanne, Dee Dee
* Del (disambiguation), Del, Dell – Delano (disambiguation), Delano, Delbert, Delita, Della (disambiguation), Della, Delta (disambiguation), Delta, Delvon, Derek, Odell
* Dom (given name), Dom – Domenic, Domenica, Dominic, Dominica, Dominique (name), Dominique
* Don (given name), Don, Donnie, Donnie, Donny – Donald, Donatella (disambiguation), Donatella, Donatello (disambiguation), Donatello, Donna (given name), Donna
* Dusty (nickname), Dusty – Dustin (name), Dustin
* Ed, Edd, Eddi, Eddie, Eddy – Edgar, Edmund, Edward, Edwin, Edwina
* El, Ell, Ellie – Elle, Ellia, Elliot, Ellis
* Em – Emery, Emil (given name), Emil, Emma (given name), Emma, Emmett (name), Emmett, Emmy (given name), Emmie, Emmy
* Ev (given name), Ev, Evie (given name), Evie – Eva (name), Eva, Evan, Evanne, Eve (name), Eve, Evelyn, Everett
* Fran (given name), Fran – Frances, Francis (given name), Francis, Francesca, Francesco, Francisco, Francisca (given name), Francisca, Francine
* Frank, Franki, Frankie (disambiguation), Frankie, Franky – Frances, Francis (given name), Francis, Francesca, Francesco, Francine, Franklin (given name), Franklin
* Franni, Frannie, Franny – Frances (disambiguation), Frances, Francis (given name), Francis, Francesca, Francesco, Francine
* Fred, Freddi, Freddie, Freddy – Frida (given name), Freda, Frederick (given name), Frederick, Frederica (given name), Frederica, Alfred (name), Alfred, Manfred (disambiguation), Manfred, Frida (given name), Freida
* Gab, Gabbi, Gabbie, Gabby, Gabi – Gabriel (given name), Gabriel, Gabriella (given name), Gabriella, Gabrielle (given name), Gabrielle
* Gay (given name), Gay – Gabriel, Gaylen, Gaylene, Gaylord (given name), Gaylord, Gaynell, Gaynor
* Gem (disambiguation), Gem, Jem (given name), Jem – Gema, Gemara, Gemarah, Gemma (given name), Gemma, James (given name), James, Jeremiah, Jemma (given name), Jemma, Jemima, Jemina (disambiguation), Jemina, Jeremy (name), Jeremy
* Gene – Eugene (given name), Eugene, Eugenia (given name), Eugenia, Eugenie, Geena (disambiguation), Geena
* Georgie – George (given name), George, Georges (name), Georges, Georgiana, Georgette (disambiguation), Georgette, Georgia (name), Georgia, Georgina (name), Georgina
* Geri, Gerrie, Gerry, Jeri, Jerry – Gerald, Geraldine (name), Geraldine, Gerard, Jeremiah, Jeremy, Jerome (given name), Jerome
* Gert – Gerta, Gerti, Gertie (disambiguation), Gertie, Gertrud, Gertruda, Gertrude (given name), Gertrude, Gerty (disambiguation), Gerty
* Gill – Gilbert, Gillian, Gilly (disambiguation), Gilly
* Hal – Hala (given name), Hala, Halbert (disambiguation), Halbert, Hallie, Harold (given name), Harold
* Harry (given name), Harry, Harri – Harold, Harrison, Harriet
* Hay (given name), Hay – Hannah (name), Hannah, Hayden, Hayley
* Hennie – Hendrik (given name), Hendrik, Hendrika, Hendrikus
* Iggy, Iggie, Iggy – Ignacio, Ignatius
* Indy – Indiana (disambiguation), Indiana, Indigo
* Issy, Iz, Izzi, Izzie, Izzy – Isaac (name), Isaac, Isabel, Isabella (given name), Isabella, Isabelle, Isadora, Isidore, Isolde, Elizabeth (given name), Elizabeth
* Jacki, Jackie (given name), Jackie, Jacky – Jack (given name), Jack, Jackson (name), Jackson, Jacqueline (given name), Jacqueline, John (given name), John
* Jan – Janet (given name), Janet, Janice (given name), Janice, Janis (disambiguation), Janis, John
* Jazz (disambiguation), Jazz – Jasmin (given name), Jasmin, Jasmine (given name), Jasmine, Jasper (given name), Jasper
* Jay (disambiguation), Jay – Jacob, James (given name), James, Jamie, Jason (given name), Jason, Jade (given name), Jade, Jayde, Jane (given name), Jane, Jayden
* Jer (disambiguation), Jer – Jeremy (name), Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jerome, Jerry
* Jess – Jessabelle, Jessalyn, Jessamyn, Jesse (given name), Jesse, Jessi, Jessica (name), Jessica, Jessie (given name), Jessie
*Jo (given name), Jo, Joey, Jojo – Joan (given name), Joan, Joanna, Joanne (given name), Joanne, Joby, Joely, Johannes, Joseph (given name), Joseph, José, Josephine (given name), Josephine, Josephina (disambiguation), Josephina, Josepha
*Josey, Josie (name), Josie – Joseph, Josephine (disambiguation), Josephine, Josephina (disambiguation), Josephina, Josepha
* Joss – Jocelyn, Joseph (given name), Joseph, Jose, Josiah (given name), Josiah
* Jools, Jules – Julia, Julian (given name), Julian, Juliana, Julianne, Julie (given name), Julie, Julius (name), Julius
* Kel – Kelly (given name), Kelly, Kelsey (given name), Kelsey
* Ken (given name), Ken – Kenneth, Kendall (given name), Kendall, Kennedy, Kendrick (name), Kendrick, Kendra, Mackenzie
* Kenzie – Mackenzie
* Kit – Christopher, Katherine (given name), Katherine, Kathleen (given name), Kathleen
* Kris (name), Kris – Krista, Kristen (given name), Kristen, Kristian, Kristina (disambiguation), Kristina, Kristin (name), Kristin, Kristine (given name), Kristine, Kristoff (disambiguation), Kristoff, Kristopher
* Laurie, Lorrie – Laurence, Lawrence (given name), Lawrence, Lawrencine, Loretta, Lorraine (given name), Lorraine
* Len, Lenne (disambiguation), Lenne, Lenny (given name), Lennie, Lenny – Lennox, Leonard, Leonardo
* Leo (given name), Leo – Leon (given name), Leon, Leona (disambiguation), Leona, Leonard, Leonora (given name), Leonora, Leopold (given name), Leopold
* Les (given name), Les – Leslie (name), Leslie, Lesley (disambiguation), Lesley, Lester
* Lex (given name), Lex – Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis, Alexandria, Alexa, Alexius, Alexia, Lexington (disambiguation), Lexington
* Lin, Lyn, Lynn – Linda, Lindsay, Lindy, Lyndon, Marilyn
*Lyss - Melissa
* Liv – Livia (given name), Livia, Olive (disambiguation), Olive, Oliver (given name), Oliver, Olivia (name), Olivia
* Loren – Lorenzo
* Lou (given name), Lou, Louie – Lewis (given name), Lewis, Louis (given name), Louis, Louisa (disambiguation), Louisa, Louise (given name), Louise, Lucas (given name), Lucas, Lucy, Lucilla, Lucille (disambiguation), Lucille, Lucinda (given name), Lucinda
* Louie – Louis (given name), Louis, Louise (given name), Louise
* Mac (nickname), Mac, Mack (given name), Mack – Mackenzie, Mackey (name), Mackey
* Maddi, Maddie, Maddy – Madeleine (name), Madeleine, Madeline (name), Madeline, Madison (name), Madison, Maddox, Madox
* Mal – Malachi (given name), Malachi, Malcolm (given name), Malcolm, Mallory
* Manda (name), Manda – Amanda, Miranda
* Mandi, Mandie, Mandy (name), Mandy – Amanda, Amandus, Armand (name), Armand, Mandel
* Marl – Marlee, Marlene (given name), Marlene, Marley, Marlon
* Marti, Martie, Marty – Martin (name), Martin, Martina (given name), Martina, Martha (given name), Martha
* Matt, Matti, Mattie, Matty – Matilda (name), Mathilda, Matilda, Matthew (given name), Matthew, Martha
* Max, Maxie – Maximilian, Maximus (disambiguation), Maximus, Maxine (disambiguation), Maxine, Maxwell (disambiguation), Maxwell
* Mel – Melanie, Melinda, Melissa, Melody (disambiguation), Melody, Melrose (name), Melrose, Melvin, Melina (name), Melina
* Mic (name), Mic, Micki, Mickie, Mickey, Micky- Michael (name), Michael, Michaela, Michelle (given name), Michelle
* Mitchie – Michelle, Mitchell (given name), Mitchel, Mitchell
* Mo (given name), Mo, Moe (given name), Moe – Maureen, Maurice (given name), Maurice, Muhammad (name), Mohamed, Morris (given name), Morris
* Mont, Monti (disambiguation), Monti, Montie, Monty – Monta, Montae, Montague (given name), Montague, Montana (disambiguation), Montana, Montgomery (name), Montgomery
* Nat, Natty – Nathanael, Natalia (given name), Natalia, Nathalie, Natasha, Nathan (given name), Nathan, Nathaniel, Natalie (given name), Natalie
* Nick, Nicki, Nicky, Nik, Nikki – Nicholas, Nicola (name), Nicola, Nicole (given name), Nicole, Nicolette (disambiguation), Nicolette, Nikita (given name), Nikita, Nico (given name), Nico
* Norrie (disambiguation), Norrie – Nora (name), Nora, Norah, Norman (name), Norman, Norris
* Oli, Olie, Olli, Ollie, Olly – Olive, Oliver, Olivia
* Pat, Patsy, Patti, Pattie, Patty (given name), Patty – Patricia, Patrick (given name), Patrick, Patrice
* Pay, Pey – Payton (given name), Payton, Peyton (name), Peyton
* Pip (nickname), Pip – Philip (name), Philip, Philippa, Pipkin (disambiguation), Pipkin, Pippa (given name), Pippa, Pippin
* Rae (given name), Rae, Raine, Ray (given name), Ray, Rey (given name), Rey – Lorraine (given name), Lorraine, Rachel (given name), Rachel, Ramona, Raymond, Reymond, Raven, Raphael (given name), Raphael, Raquel, Racquel, Raquel
* Raf, Raffi, Raffy, Raph – Rafael, Raffaela, Raffaella, Raffaello, Raphael (given name), Raphael
* Randy – Andrew, Bertrand (name), Bertrand, Miranda (given name), Miranda, Randall (given name), Randall, Randolf (given name), Randolf, Randolph (given name), Randolph, Veronica (name), Veronica
* Reggie – Regina (name), Regina, Reginald
* Remy – Remington
* Ren, Rennie – Irene (given name), Irene, Rene, Renée, Rennard, Serenity (disambiguation), Serenity, Warren (name), Warren
* Rob (given name), Rob, Robi, Robbie, Robby – Robert, Roberta (given name), Roberta, Roberto, Robin (name), Robin, Robyn (name), Robyn
* Romi, Romy (disambiguation), Romy – Roman, Romeo, Rosemary, Rosemarie
* Ron, Roni, Ronni, Ronnie (name), Ronnie, Ronny – Ronald, Ronalda, Ronette, Veronica
* Roz (disambiguation), Roz – Rosa (given name), Rosa, Rosalie (given name), Rosalie, Rosalind (disambiguation), Rosalind, Rosalyn (disambiguation), Rosalyn, Roswell (disambiguation), Roswell
* Ruby (given name), Ruby – Reuben (given name), Reuben, Ruben, Rubin, Rubina (disambiguation), Rubina
* Russi, Russy – Russell
* Sacha, Sascha, Sasha – Alexander, Alexandra
* Sal – Sally (name), Sally, Salvador (name), Salvador, Sarah (given name), Sarah
* Sam (given name), Sam, Sammi, Sammie, Sammy – Samson (name), Samson, Samuel (name), Samuel, Samantha, Samara (given name), Samara, Samira, Samsara
* Sandi, Sandie, Sandy – Alexander, Alexandra, Lysander (given name), Lysander, Sandra (given name), Sandra, Cassandra (name), Cassandra
* Shelley, Shelli, Shellie, Shelly – Michelle (name), Michelle, Sheldon (name), Sheldon, Shelton (disambiguation), Shelton
* Shirl – Shirley
* Stace – Eustace, Stacey, Staci, Stacy
* Stef, Steff, Steph, Steve, Stevie (given name), Stevie – Stefan (given name), Stefan, Stephan (given name), Stephan, Stephanie, Stefanie, Stephanie, Stephen, Steven
* Sy – Simon (given name), Simon, Seymour (given name), Seymour, Sylvester
* Tay (nickname), Tay – Tayshaun, Taylor (given name), Taylor
* Tee – Teagan, Teal, Teala, Teale, Teegan, Teela, Teelah, Teena (disambiguation), Teena
* Teddy – Edward, Thaddeus, Theodora (given name), Theodora, Theodore (name), Theodore
* Terri, Terry – Terence (given name), Terence, Teresa, Theresa
* Teo (name), Teo, Theo – Theobald, Theodora, Theodore, Theodore (name), Theodoros
* Tibby – Tabitha, Theobald
* Tobey, Toby – Tobias
* Toni, Tonie, Tony – Anthony (given name), Anthony, Antonio, Antonia (name), Antonia, Antoinette
* Tor (given name), Tor, Tori, Torrey, Torry, Tory – Torrance, Torrence, Victor (name), Victor, Victoria (name), Victoria
* Ty – Taryn, Tyler (name), Tyler, Tyrone, Tyson
* Val – Valentina (given name), Valentina, Valentine (name), Valentine, Valentino (disambiguation), Valentino, Valerie (given name), Valerie
* Vern – Lavern, Laverne, Vernon (given name), Vernon
* Vic (name), Vic, Vickie, Vicki, Vicky – Victor (name), Victor, Victoria (name), Victoria
* Viv (given name), Viv, Vivi (disambiguation), Vivi – Vivian (personal name), Vivian, Viviana, Vivien, Vivienne
* Whit (given name), Whit – Whitney, Whitfield (disambiguation), Whitfield, Whitman (disambiguation), Whitman, Whittier
* Wil, Will – Wilkie (disambiguation), Wilkie, Wilhelm (name), Wilhelm, Wilhelmina (given name), Wilhelmina, William, Willa, Willow (disambiguation)#People, Willow, Wilma (given name), Wilma
* Xan – Alexander, Alexandra, Alexandria, Xander, Xanthe (disambiguation), Xanthe
* Zan (disambiguation), Zan – Susanna (given name), Suzanna, Suzanne (given name), Suzanne, Zander (disambiguation), Zander
* Zell (disambiguation), Zell – Zelda (given name), Zelda, Zella, Zelle, Zelly, Zelma (disambiguation), Zelma
Cross-cultural
Some names are masculine in one culture and feminine in another, so that when these cultures mix in a third location, the same name appears unisex.
See also
* Epicene
* Unisex
* Gender equality
References
External links
1990 Census Name Files
Behind the Name
Names.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unisex Name
Given name types,
Gender in language
Sociolinguistics