The Best Gender-Neutral Baby Names for 2025
25 truly unisex names with real usage data — plus which gendered names are going neutral right now.
Parents used to pick "boy names" and "girl names" from separate lists. That wall is crumbling. In the SSA's most recent data, over 5,300 names have been used for both boys and girls — and the most popular unisex names aren't fringe picks anymore. Riley sits at #42 for girls. Rowan is #71 for boys. Avery ranks #31 for girls while simultaneously holding #259 for boys.
We pulled real numbers from our database of 104,819 names to find the ones that are genuinely used for both genders — not just technically unisex because three boys were named Isabella one year. These are names with serious cross-gender usage, real popularity, and origins worth knowing.
What Makes a Name Truly Gender-Neutral?
A name showing up on both the boys' and girls' SSA lists doesn't make it gender-neutral in practice. Ashley appears for both genders, but 98% of Ashleys are female. That's not unisex — that's a girl's name with a handful of male outliers.
We define "truly gender-neutral" as names where at least 40% of total births fall on each side. That 40-60% range is where a name genuinely belongs to everyone. And when you apply that filter, the list gets a lot shorter — and a lot more interesting.
Here are some names that hit that sweet spot almost perfectly:
- Emerson — 50.3% male, 49.7% female. About as perfectly split as it gets.
- Kerry — 50.6% male, 49.4% female. A true coin flip.
- Robbie — 48.7% male, 51.4% female. Almost dead center.
- Justice — 51.4% male, 48.6% female. Balanced and bold.
- Elisha — 51.7% male, 48.3% female. Biblical, elegant, and split right down the middle.
So when you see gender-neutral name lists filled with names that are 90% one gender, take them with a grain of salt. The names below have actual cross-gender credentials.
What Are the Top 25 Gender-Neutral Baby Names?
These are the 25 most popular unisex names in the United States by total births, ranked from our database. Every number here comes from real SSA data.
| # | Name | % Male | % Female | Total Births | Origin | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan | 74.7% | 25.3% | 533,499 | Hebrew | Falling |
| 2 | Taylor | 25.6% | 74.4% | 442,493 | English | Falling |
| 3 | Jamie | 24.6% | 75.4% | 358,757 | Hebrew | Stable |
| 4 | Robin | 13.8% | 86.2% | 338,120 | Germanic | Rising |
| 5 | Lee | 78.9% | 21.1% | 295,534 | English | Stable |
| 6 | Jessie | 39.6% | 60.4% | 280,906 | Hebrew | Falling |
| 7 | Morgan | 16.9% | 83.2% | 267,755 | Welsh | Falling |
| 8 | Riley | 42.9% | 57.1% | 240,821 | Irish | Stable |
| 9 | Avery | 28.5% | 71.5% | 230,393 | English | Falling |
| 10 | Charlie | 82.6% | 17.4% | 219,996 | Germanic | Stable |
| 11 | Casey | 59.8% | 40.3% | 193,458 | Irish | Rising |
| 12 | Jackie | 46.4% | 53.6% | 170,003 | Hebrew | Falling |
| 13 | Parker | 80.8% | 19.2% | 157,784 | English | Stable |
| 14 | Billie | 23.5% | 76.6% | 134,876 | Germanic | Rising |
| 15 | Jaime | 58.7% | 41.3% | 121,099 | Spanish | Stable |
| 16 | Kerry | 50.6% | 49.4% | 98,563 | Irish | Falling |
| 17 | Quinn | 42.2% | 57.9% | 86,174 | Irish | Stable |
| 18 | Frankie | 53.4% | 46.6% | 78,614 | Germanic | Rising |
| 19 | Kai | 89.0% | 11.0% | 74,652 | Hawaiian | Rising |
| 20 | Harley | 57.1% | 42.9% | 70,909 | English | Falling |
| 21 | Rowan | 68.4% | 31.6% | 66,362 | Irish | Rising |
| 22 | Emerson | 50.3% | 49.7% | 63,935 | Germanic | Stable |
| 23 | Eden | 17.5% | 82.5% | 59,437 | Hebrew | Rising |
| 24 | River | 66.7% | 33.3% | 54,754 | English | Rising |
| 25 | Amari | 59.4% | 40.6% | 50,446 | African | Rising |
A few things jump out. First, Irish origin dominates — Riley, Casey, Kerry, Quinn, Rowan. There's something about Irish surname-names that reads as inherently genderless.
Second, notice how many of the rising names are nature or word names: River, Eden, Sage, Rowan. Nature doesn't have a gender, and parents seem to get that intuitively.
And third — the split matters. Emerson at 50/50 feels different from Jordan at 75/25, even though both are technically unisex. If you want a name that truly won't signal gender on a resume or a college application, aim for the ones in that 40-60% band.
Want to browse all 5,351 unisex names yourself? Filter by gender-neutral on NamesWithLove.
Which Names Used to Be Gendered But Are Now Unisex?
Some of the most popular "gender-neutral" names weren't always neutral. They started on one side and migrated. That pattern tells us something about how naming culture actually works.
Ashley is the textbook case. In the 1970s and early 1980s, it was a boys' name — peaking at about 746 male births in 1980. Then it exploded for girls, and by 1990 it was the #1 girls' name in America. Today, 98.2% of Ashleys are female. The name didn't become unisex — it switched teams entirely. Only 15,837 male Ashleys were ever born, against hundreds of thousands of female ones.
Avery is following a similar path but hasn't completed the flip. It's 71.5% female right now, ranking #31 for girls and #259 for boys. Twenty years ago, Avery was primarily masculine. It's drifting, and the data suggests it'll continue.
Riley is the most balanced of the bunch at 43% male and 57% female. It ranks #42 for girls and #229 for boys — both solidly within the top 250. If any name on this list earns "truly gender-neutral" status, Riley does.
Morgan started as a Welsh boys' name — literally meaning "sea-born" — and has tilted heavily female, now sitting at 83% girls. It's #276 for girls and #530 for boys. The trend line says this one's headed the same direction as Ashley, just more slowly.
Jordan bucked the trend. It's 74.7% male and has held that ratio relatively steady. Both genders still use it actively — #104 for boys, #539 for girls — but Jordan never completed the female takeover the way Ashley did. Michael Jordan might have something to do with that.
The pattern is consistent: surnames become first names, they start masculine, women adopt them, and then men often abandon them. Linguists call this the "unisex name paradox" — once a name crosses over to girls, boys rarely come back to it. Taylor, Kelly, Shannon, and Leslie all followed this exact trajectory.
Why Are Unisex Names Getting More Popular?
Two forces are driving this, and they're reinforcing each other.
The surname-as-first-name trend. Parker means "park keeper." Taylor means "cloth cutter." Emerson means "son of Emery." These were originally occupational surnames, and surnames have no inherent gender. When parents started pulling them forward as first names — a trend that accelerated in the 1990s — they brought that gender ambiguity with them. Quinn, Blair, Harley, and Finley all fit this pattern.
Cultural shift away from rigid gender signaling. This isn't a political statement — it's a measurable change in naming behavior. Parents are increasingly choosing names that won't box their kids in. The number of names classified as unisex in the SSA data has grown steadily for decades. Our database contains 5,351 names with recorded births for both genders. That number was much smaller fifty years ago.
But there's also a practical angle nobody talks about enough: resume bias. Studies have shown that hiring managers make unconscious assumptions based on the perceived gender of a name. A name like Emerson or Quinn sidesteps that entirely. Some parents choose gender-neutral names specifically because they don't want their child's resume pre-sorted before anyone reads it.
Which Gender-Neutral Names Are Rising Right Now?
If you want a unisex name that's gaining momentum — not yesterday's pick — these are the ones trending upward in the most recent SSA data.
Rowan — An Irish name meaning "little red one," tied to the rowan tree believed to ward off evil. It's #71 for boys and #266 for girls, and climbing on both sides. The nature connection and the Celtic roots are hitting all the right notes with modern parents.
River — #112 for boys, #214 for girls. One of the purest nature names, with no cultural baggage and instant visual imagery. River Phoenix put it on the map, but it's taken on a life far beyond that association.
Sage — The Latin root means "healthy" or "wise," and the herb association gives it an earthy, grounded feel. Currently #146 for girls and #413 for boys, with strong upward movement. At 34.5% male and 65.5% female, it's tilting feminine but still well within unisex territory.
Kai — Means "sea" in Hawaiian, "shell" in Japanese, and has Scandinavian roots too. It's #76 for boys and rising fast on the girls' side. Short, punchy, multicultural — everything trending names tend to be.
Amari — With roots in Hebrew ("promised by God") and Igbo ("strength"), Amari bridges multiple cultures beautifully. At 59.4% male and 40.6% female, it's one of the most balanced rising names. Currently #172 for boys and #296 for girls.
Blair — A Scottish Gaelic name meaning "plain" or "field." It's been surging for girls (#218) while holding steady for boys. At 41% male and 59% female, it's approaching that perfect balance zone.
Eden — The garden. The paradise. It's a powerhouse image, and it's #72 for girls right now. The boys' side is growing too, at #466. Hebrew origin, one-word impact, rising trajectory — Eden checks every box.
Frankie — The vintage nickname revival is real, and Frankie is leading it. At 53.4% male and 46.6% female, it's almost perfectly split. #591 for girls, #1,112 for boys, and climbing. Think Billie Eilish energy — old-school cool with modern edge.
Rory — Irish for "red king," currently #226 for boys and #286 for girls. It's rare to see a name rank almost identically for both genders, but Rory is pulling it off. The Gilmore Girls connection doesn't hurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are gender-neutral names harder for kids socially?
Research doesn't support this. A 2023 study published in Names: A Journal of Onomastics found no significant social disadvantage for children with unisex names. What matters more is how the family talks about the name. Kids named Quinn or Riley don't report more confusion or teasing than kids named John or Sarah. The occasional "Oh, I expected a boy!" comment fades fast.
What's the most truly balanced unisex name?
By the numbers, it's Emerson — 50.3% male, 49.7% female. That's as close to a perfect 50/50 split as you'll find in a name with nearly 64,000 total births. Kerry (50.6/49.4) and Justice (51.4/48.6) come close too.
Can I tell if a unisex name is trending toward one gender?
Yes — look at the current rank gap. Avery ranks #31 for girls but #259 for boys. That spread tells you it's drifting female. Rowan ranks #71 for boys and #266 for girls — drifting male, but girls are closing the gap. Names where both ranks are close together, like Rory (#226 boys, #286 girls) or Finley (#290 boys, #365 girls), are the most stable.
Do unisex names affect career prospects?
They might help. A widely cited study from the Wharton School found that resumes with gender-ambiguous names received more equitable callback rates across industries. Names like Casey, Quinn, and Emerson don't trigger the same unconscious bias that strongly gendered names can. It's not the main reason to choose a name, but it's worth knowing.
Where can I find all the unisex names with data?
Our database tracks 5,351 gender-neutral names with full birth counts, gender ratios, rankings, and trend data going back to 1880. You can browse every unisex name with filters here — sort by popularity, trend direction, origin, or starting letter.
Gender-neutral naming isn't a fad. It's a shift that's been building for decades, backed by real numbers. Whether you're drawn to the Celtic warmth of Rowan and Quinn, the nature simplicity of River and Sage, or the classic solidity of Jordan and Casey — there's a unisex name that fits your family.
Explore all 5,351 gender-neutral names on NamesWithLove — with full data on every one.