What "unisex" means in our data
A name is on our unisex names list when the data shows it used for both boys and girls, and nothing in its recorded meaning says it is for one gender only. That puts 931 names on the list. Only 4 of them are typed unisex at the source; the rest qualify because they appear on both sides.
| Rule | Names |
|---|---|
| A source record is typed unisex. | 4 |
| Listed for both boys and girls, and every record carries no religion label (the SSA and Wiktionary side of the dataset). | 272 |
| Listed for both genders in a cultural list, and no meaning says the name is for one gender only. | 655 |
Each name is counted once, under the first rule it meets, in the order shown.
Counts are computed from the dataset; the rules are the ones used for the /names/unisex-names list.
This describes the data, not how any family uses a name. A name can be listed here because a cultural dataset records it for both genders while one gender dominates in practice. The next two tables use SSA birth counts to show how balanced a name actually is.
Names that are close to an even split
These are unisex names that SSA records for both boys and girls in 2024, ordered by how close the two counts are. Only names with a meaningful number of births are shown, so a handful of babies cannot create a false balance.
| Name | Boys | Girls | Share girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie | 2,084 | 2,109 | 50.3% |
| Arden | 242 | 237 | 49.5% |
| Justice | 201 | 206 | 50.6% |
| Akari | 104 | 107 | 50.7% |
| Kit | 182 | 188 | 50.8% |
| Alexis | 636 | 604 | 48.7% |
| Kacey | 211 | 225 | 51.6% |
| Divine | 104 | 97 | 48.3% |
| Jael | 138 | 148 | 51.7% |
| Campbell | 251 | 273 | 52.1% |
| Dakota | 1,053 | 1,155 | 52.3% |
| Hollis | 208 | 188 | 47.5% |
Unisex names with SSA births for both sexes in 2024 and at least 200 births in total, ordered by how close the boys and girls counts are, then by total births.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names (national data, 1880-2024). Counts are Social Security card applications for births in the United States; names with fewer than 5 births in a year are not listed, and spelling variants are counted separately. Baby Name Wizard is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA.
Balance moves over time
A name's split is not fixed. This table compares the share of girls among all births with the name in the vintage window against the last ten years, for names that had enough births in both.
| Name | Share girls 1900-1930 | Share girls 2015-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Addison | 0.0% | 97.9% |
| Collins | 0.0% | 94.1% |
| Bailey | 1.4% | 94.2% |
| Harlow | 0.0% | 92.3% |
| Aubrey | 6.1% | 97.0% |
| Blair | 2.1% | 92.8% |
| Emery | 1.2% | 89.8% |
| Paris | 7.2% | 92.5% |
| Kendall | 0.5% | 85.7% |
| Charley | 2.6% | 85.3% |
Unisex names with at least 500 SSA births in each window, ordered by the size of the change in girls' share. Births are summed over every year of the window.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names (national data, 1880-2024). Counts are Social Security card applications for births in the United States; names with fewer than 5 births in a year are not listed, and spelling variants are counted separately. Baby Name Wizard is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA.
Read it as a snapshot of where each name stands now. A name that is evenly shared today may not be in a generation, and a name that is mostly girls' today may have been mostly boys' before.
Choosing one
- Check the current balance in the first table. If it matters to you that a name reads as neutral, pick one near the middle.
- Say the nickname aloud. Short forms often lean one way even when the full name does not.
- Check forms and records. Think about where the name will appear in writing and whether anything will assume a gender from it.
- Check the meaning. The meaning on a name page is one documented sense. Confirm it with someone who knows the language.
- Pair it deliberately. A middle name can add the lean you want. The middle name guide covers pairing.
Where to look next
Browse the full unisex names list, filter the baby name generator by gender, or use the name combiner to test a pairing.