Unisex name

A unisex name, also known as an epicene name, is a given name that is often given to either a boy or a girl. Some countries, however, require that a given name be gender-specific (see German name). This list does not cover names in cultures where the names are often not gender specific, which is common in many cultures. For example, some African tribes have unisex names, and so do cultures which use names which are derived from properties, such as the Amish or many cultures in India.

Unisex names are often nicknames that are also used as given names, such as Alex and Chris. Alex can be considered a shortening of Alexander (a masculine name) or of Alexandra/Alexa (a feminine name); Chris can be considered a shortening of Christopher or Christian (both masculine names), or of Christina or Christine (feminine names).

However, Chris is masculine when used in more formal circumstances (i.e. in legal papers, or when quoted together with the last name, etc).dubious This means a distinction must be made between "nicknames" and formal names "derived from nicknames". Consequently, "Chris" is best described as "unisex as a nickname, masculine as a full name". This situation applies to most nicknames which have started to be alternatively used as formal names and should be reflected in the table below.

Some names that were once predominantly used as masculine given names are now primarily feminine given names, including Alexis, Ashley, Beverly, Carol, Evelyn, Hilary, Jocelyn, Meredith, Shirley, Shannon, Sharon, and Vivian. Sometimes the modern adoption of a predominantly masculine given name follows the use by an actress (e.g. Drew Barrymore, Daryl Hannah) or fictional character (e.g. Tracy, Blake). Soap operas, in particular, give names to their strong female characters that are either unisex or predominantly masculine names. There will then be an increase in the use of that name for females.

Some unisex names are homophones, pronounced the same for both genders but spelled differently. One common example of this is a final "y" for the masculine form and an "i" or "ie" for the feminine. (e.g. Terry and Teri, Jerry and Jeri, Tony and Toni, Johnny and Johnnie, Billy and Billie). Others have less regular spelling variations (Francis and Frances, Robin and Robyn, Sidney and Sydney, Lee and Leigh, etc.). In many cases, the spelling of what used to be a predominantly masculine name was altered to create a feminine variation. If the feminine variation becomes sufficiently popular, the use of the masculine variation may dwindle, and ultimately the name may be deemed feminine under any spelling.

Some names vary their gender from country to country or language to language. For example, Anne, which is feminine in English, is normally masculine in some Dutch provinces, but normally feminine in the rest of the country; or Jean, which is normally feminine in English and Scottish, is masculine in French. Laurence, which is normally masculine in English and Scottish, is feminine in French.

Surnames (e.g. Bailey, Courtney, Darcy, Elliot) and place names (e.g. Dakota, Devon, Montana) have become fashionable sources for names for boys and girls in English-speaking countries. These are not inherently gender-specific, but most surnames (Bruce, Gordon, Stanley, Harvey) are traditionally considered masculine and place names (Kimberly, Tiffany, Paris, Chelsea) feminine.

Different parents may adopt the same unusual name for children of opposite gender.

Unisex names can be the source of humor, such as Julia Sweeney's sexually ambiguous character "Pat" on "Saturday Night Live". A running joke on the TV show "Scrubs" is that almost every woman J.D. sleeps with has a unisex name: Jordan, Alex, Danni, Elliot, Jamie, etc. Similarly, the sex of the baby Jamie in "Malcolm in the Middle" was purposely kept ambiguous when first introduced at the end of the show's fourth season leading to speculation that it would remain unknown. However, the character's sex was revealed at the end of the first episode of season five.

Many Indian names become unisex when written with Latin characters because of the limitations of transliteration. 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"s of these names are different letters with different pronunciations, so there is no ambiguity. However, when they are seen (and usually, spoken) by a Western audience, they become gender 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. Many unisex names in India are obvious and are never ridiculed. For instance Nehal is used commonly to name baby boys or girls in western state of India namely Gujarat. Most Sikh first names such as Harpreet, Gurpreet, Sukhjinder and Harjeet are unisex names and equally commonly given to either sex [ [http://www.sikhnames.com/ Sikh Names (SikhNames.com) Sikh Names, Meanings & Pronunciation ] ] .

U.S. statistical data

Within the United States, by analyzing data released from the 1990 census by the Census Bureau, the given name Kris was statistically the most likely to be used for either gender. Among the other names that were the closest to being gender neutral include the following (in order from slightly more feminine to slightly more masculine): Dominique, Gale, Leslie, Pat, Jody, Jesse, Morgan, Robbie, Kris, Frankie, Kerry, Johnnie, Carey, Tommie, Casey, Merle, Taylor, and Jamie. Note that the data is based on a large national sampling and excludes very rare names, as well as not considering minor alternative spellings. See the references for the data gathering methodology.

List of names that can be unisex

For inclusion on this list, a name must either:
*have originated as a unisex name (e.g., Abijah).
*have multiple origins as both a masculine and feminine name (e.g., Alva).
*have been used significantly at some point in the past or present as a name for both males and females (e.g., Tristan).
*be used as a nickname for both masculine and feminine names (e.g., Chris).
*be otherwise significant in a historical context as a unisex name (e.g., Zooey).

A

*Abby (used as a nickname for Abigail (feminine) or Abraham or Abbott (masculine), the latter as in Abbie Hoffman); also Abbie, Abbey, Abi
*Adair; also Adaire
*Addie; also Addy or Adi
*Addison (surname used as a given name for males and females)
*Adrian/Adriane
*Afton (name given for the River Afton, used for both sexes)
*Ailin (Asian female name A-leen; Gaelic Male name I-lin or A-lin); see also Allen
*Ainsley
*Akira (can be masculine or feminine, as it has multiple origins)
*Al (nickname for Alexander, Alexandra, Alan, Albert, Alfred, Alison, Alphonse)
*Alex (nickname for Alexander (masculine) or Alexandra (feminine)); also Alix.
*Alexis, Alexus.
*Ali (masculine in Arabic, or short for Alistair or Alexander (masculine) or Alicia and it's variants or Alison or Alexandra (feminine)); also Allie, Ally
*Alice (both originally feminine and chiefly feminine in usage, but has been used in the past for males; it was the 701st most popular name for boys born in the United States from 1900-1909 [http://behindthename.com/top/lists/1000us1900s.php] ; see also Alice Cooper, né Vincent Furnier)
*Alpha
*Alva (both masculine and feminine, as it has two separate origins)
*Amal (Arabic)
*Amit (Hebrew name)
*An (Vietnamese unisex name)
*Anah (biblical unisex name)
*Anan (Akan unisex name)
*Ananda (masculine in India)
*Anath; also Anat
*Andrea (masculine in some languages and feminine in others); also Andria
*Andy (often short for Andrew (masculine) or Andrea (see above)); also Andi, Andie
*Angel (generally considered masculine in Spanish-speaking regions and feminine in English-speaking regions (pronounced differently))
*Ani (masculine Japanese name, or nickname for various masculine or feminine names containing "an"); also Annie
*Ann/Anne (can be masculine in some regions of the Netherlands, especially Friesland, also formerly masculine in France)(more common for females)
*Arden (surname used as a given name on both sexes)
*Ari; also Arie
*Ariel/Arielle (more common for females)
*Arlie; also Arly
*Artemis (female: Artemis; male: Artemis Fowl); also Artemus
*Asa
*Ash (Ash tree/nature name or nickname for various names beginning with "Ash-")
*Ashley; also Ashly, Ashlee, Ashleigh (in the United states it was predominantly masculine until the 1960's and is now usually feminine, but can be masculine in the United Kingdom [http://www.behindthename.com/name/ashley Behind the Name - Ashley] ] )
*Ashton; also Ashtyn
* Asia; also Aja, Eja (male:Eja Lange)
*Asuka (Japanese name)
*Aubrey
*Audie (nickname for Audrey (feminine) or other masculine and feminine names beginning with "Aud-"; also used as a given name, as per Audie Murphy); also Aude
*August
*Augustine (Anglicized masculine form of the Roman name Augustinus, and the feminine form of the French name Augustin)
*Autumn (more common for females)
*Averill (surname used as a given name for both sexes)
*Avery

B

* Barbu a Romanian masculine name.
* Barry or Berry; also Beary, Berrie, Barrie
* Benny or Bennie (often a nickname for Benjamin (masculine) or Benjamina or Benjamine (feminine))
* Bo (female: Bo Derek, born Mary Cathleen Collins, Little Bo Peep), always masculine in Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Norwegian
* Brandon (surname used as a given name for both sexes, generally males)
* Brittany (surname used as a given name for both sexes; generally considered feminine in current times); also Brittney, Britney
* Brody (surname, generally masculine as a given name); also Brodie
* Buddhi
* Bobby or Bobbie; also Bobbi
* Billy or Billie (the latter more common in females, eg. Billie Jean King, Billie Piper, Billie Holiday)
* Bailey (surname used as a given name for both sexes)
* Bay
* Bela (Hungarian masculine name (eg. Bela Lugosi or Béla Károlyi) or nickname for the Spanish and Portuguese Isabela (feminine))
* Bernie (often a nickname for Bernard (masculine) or Bernadette (feminine))
* Bertie (often a nickname for Robert or Roberta; can also be a nickname for Bartholomew, as in Bertie Ahern); also Berty, Bert (variant)
* Beverly (surname used as a given name for both sexes); also Beverley
* Bevin or Bevan (respectively feminine and masculine names used interchangeably on both sexes)
* Blaine (surname used as a given name for both sexes; more common for males)
* Blair (surname used as a given name for both sexes) (Male Example: Blair Underwood, actor), (Female Example: Blair Flannigan, fictional character on "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" ); also Blaire
* Blake (female:Blake Lively)(male:Blake Lewis, "American Idol" finalist) (more common for males)
* Blue or Bleu; also Blu
* Blythe (surname used as a given name for both sexes)
* Bora (masculine in Turkish and feminine in Albanian; also masculine in several Slavic languages as a diminutive for names such as Velibor and Borislav, as in Bora Milutinović, first name Velibor)
* Bradley (surname used as a given name for both sexes, generally males; female: Bradley Taylor); also Brad (nickname)
* Brett (generally considered male today, but formerly a female first name: Lady Brett Ashley in Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises", or Brett Somers)
* Briar; also Bryar, Brier, Bryer
* Brice or Bryce (female: Bryce Dallas Howard)
* Britt or Brit
* Britton (surname used as a given name for both sexes); also Briton
* Brook, Brooke
* Brynne (female) or Brin (male)

C

* Caden, Cayden, Kayden
* Calen, Kaylen, Kalen (generally a girl name)
* Camden (sometimes spelled Camdyn, Kamdyn)
* Cameron (Generally masculine, often spelled Camryn or Kamryn for females. Female: Cameron Diaz)
* Camille (unisex in French)
* Carey or Cary
* Carol (now usually feminine, masculine forms Caroll/Carroll or Karol (Polish))
* Carmen (or Carman)
* Casey (or Kaci, Kasey, Kacie)
* Cassidy or Kassidy
* Ceceil
* Chanda (Unisex in India)
* Chandler
* Chandra (In India, it is masculine if the final "a" is pronounced one way and feminine if the final "a" is pronounced another way)
* Charlie (short for Charles (masculine), or Charlotte (feminine))
* Chase (more common for males)
* Chris (unisex as an informal diminutive for Christopher, Christian, Christina or Christine; masculine as a formal name)
* Christian also Kristian, Cristian
* Christin or Kristin, Kristen, Kristan, Krysten, Krystyn, Krystan, Krystin, etc.
* Christy (short for Christopher and Christian (masculine) or Christina and Christine (feminine)) (male example: Christy Moore)
* Claire/Clare (more common for females)
* Claude (unisex in French)
* Cody/Codie/Codee (the spelling "Cody" is more common for males)
* Connie (Female—most often a diminutive of Constance; male—usually a diminutive of Conrad, as in Connie Kalitta, but can also be a diminutive of Cornelius, as in Connie Mack and Connie Hawkins)
* Cory/Corey(asian spelling)/Cori (male: Cory Doctorow, Corey Nakatani, and Corey Hart; female: Cory Kahaney)
* Courtney (or Courteney), also Kortney, Cortney, Kourtnie, Kourtney, Kourtnay etc. (more common for females) (male examples: Courtney B. Vance, Courtney Walsh, Courtney Metcalf)

D

* Dagmar (Swedish)
* Dakota/Dakotah
* Dale/Dayle (spelling with the "y" generally feminine - female:Dale Evans; male: Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr.)
* Dallas
* Dana (male: Dana White, Dana Carvey) (more common for females)
* Danny/Danni/Dani (abbreviated versions of Daniel (masculine) and Danielle (feminine) — "Danny" still largely unisex, spellings with "i" generally feminine)
* Dara (Irish, original spelling Darragh always masculine, also spelled Darrah)
* Darby
* Darcy
* Daryl, Darrell, Darryl (female: Daryl Hannah; male: Daryl Hall)
* Delaney
* Deniz (meaning Sea in Turkish, presumably the most popular unisex name)
* Destiny (rarely used as masculine) also spelled Destinee
* Devon/Devin/Devyn/Devone
* Diana (rarely masculine)
* Dimuthu (given name: Sri Lankan; Sinhalese)
* Dominique (more common for females; male: Dominique Wilkins)
* Dorien (usually male), Dorian (both male and female; male: Dorian Gray)
* Doron (Hebrew for "Present, Gift" - Became unisex during the 1980s)
* Drew (originally masculine; became unisex primarily because of the fame of Drew Barrymore; however, it is more common for males)
* Dylan

E

* Edem ( probably the most common name among the Ewe of Ghana)
* Effie
* Eirian (Welsh, common name for both sexes)
*Elisha (a Biblical Hebrew masculine name—e.g., the full first name of Eli Manning; for females, a short form of Elizabeth or variant spelling of Alicia—e.g. Elisha Cuthbert)
* Eli
* Emerson (originally used as a male given name, but since 2003 rapidly becoming common for girls in the USA, on the analogy of Madison)
* Enda (Irish. Many famous examples of both sexes)
* Eryl
* Evelyn (occasionally masculine e.g. Evelyn Waugh)
* Eddie

F

* Fran (short for Francis (male: Fran Tarkenton) or Frances/Francine/Francesca/Fannie (feminine))
* Francis/Frances
* Frankie (female: Frankie Foster from the animated show Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, male: Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle fame.
* Fred (short for Frederick (masculine), or Winnifred or Frederica (feminine)), masculine given (Freddie)
* Froseen (Greek origin)meaning Joy, light.

G

* Gabi / Gaby (short for Hungarian Gábor (masculine), Gabriel (masculine),Gabrielle (feminine), or Gabriella (feminine))
* Gal (Hebrew)
* Gale/Gail/Gayle/Gael
* Gene (short for Eugene (masculine) or Eugenia (feminine))
* George (female: George Sand; rarely feminine)
* Georgie (female: Georgie Henley)
* Gerd (short for the masculine name Gerhard in German—e.g., Gerd Müller; feminine in Nordic languages)
* Gerry (short for Gerald (masculine) or Geraldine (feminine))
* Glen or Glenn (female: Glenn Close; male: Glenn Beck and Glen Campbell)
* Graham (Female uses on rare occasions)
* Gökhan (Turkish name Gökhan (masculine) or Gökhane(feminine)pronounced the same way as(masculine))
* Guguli (Georgian)

H

* Haley/Halley/Hayley/Hailey/Hallie, male: Haley Joel Osment; female: Hayley Mills, and Hayley Williams of Paramore (rarely masculine)
* Harper
* Harley, male:Harley Earl; female:Harley Quinn, a fictional character from the Batman comic books and television series, whose name is a play on the word, "Harlequin".
* Harry, nicknames: male, Henry, female Harriet male: Harry Potter, female: Harriet Tubman
* Haru, Japanese name, male: Haruo; female: Harue, both shortened to Haru usually
* Haruka, Japanese name; male: Haruka Takachiho, female: Haruka Shimotsuki
* Hauke, German name
* Hayden, male: Hayden Christensen; female: Hayden Panettiere
* Hester
* Hilary/Hillary, male: Hilary Benn; female: Hillary Rodham Clinton
* Hunter (male:Hunter S. Thompson; female: Hunter Tylo)

I

* Iman (feminine in Arabic speaking countries, masculine in Persian Language)
* Inge (feminine in German, masculine in Swedish)
* Ira (Hebrew)
* Izumi
* Izzy (Short for Feminine names Isabel, Isabella, or Isadora, masculine for Isador, Isambard, or Ishmael, or short a person's last name beginning with Iz- or Is-. The St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen and current WFAA anchor/reporter Cynthia Izaguirre are often known by this nickname.)

J

* Jackie (nickname for Jack or Jacqueline)
* Jade (more common for females)
* James (can be feminine as is the case of James LeBeau, but masculine in most cases)(can be short for Jameson)
* Jamie/Jaimie/Jayme/ (short for James (masculine) or Jamesina (feminine). Jamie is generally used to mean "Young James" but may also used be independently as a feminine form of James. The variant spellings Jayme, Jaime and Jamey are usually feminine in the U.S., but Jaime (pronounced differently from any of the above) is a popular masculine form in Latin America.)
* Jan (unisex in English, masculine in German, Polish, Czech, Dutch and other languages and pronounced "yan")
* Jana (feminine in Czech)
* Jane (feminine in English, masculine in Macedonian; pronounced differently in the two languages)
* Janne (masculine in Finnish, Dutch and Swedish, feminine in Norwegian and Danish as Jeanne)
* Jasmin (feminine in Germanic languages, masculine in Slavic languages)
* Jay
* Jayden/Jaydon (usually masculine)
* Jean (masculine in French, feminine in English and Scots; pronounced differently in French than in English or Scots)
* Jelle (more common for males)
* Jem, short for Jeremy or James (masculine) or Jemima (feminine)
* Jerry, variant spelling Jeri is usually feminine, one exception is Jerry Hall
* Jess (short for Jesse (masculine) or Jessica (feminine))
* Jesse (Biblical Hebrew (father of King David) (masculine), Jessie (feminine), or short for Jessica (feminine))
* Jo/Joe/Joey (short for Joseph or Josiah (masculine), Josephine, Joanne, Joanna, or Joelle (feminine); the first spelling is unisex, but the last two spellings are masculine)
* Joan (masculine in Catalan and pronounced with two syllables, feminine in English and pronounced as one syllable)
* Jody/Jodie/Jodi (short for Joseph (masculine) or Judith (feminine)and Joanne, Johannah, Josephine) (e.g. Jody Powell, Jodie Foster)
* Jomcy
* Jordan/Jordin (unisex name coming from an original surname) (a place name, e.g.: Jordan River, or the country Jordan) female: Jordin Sparks, Jordan Pruitt (nowadays is usually feminine)
* Joyce (occasionally masculine; e.g. Joyce Kilmer and Joyce Hall)
* Jude (derived from Judas or Judah (masculine), or short for Judith (feminine); most common on males (e.g. Jude Law))
* Judy (more common for females, but can be masculine on occasion (e.g. Judy Johnson)
* Jules (male:Jules Verne; female:Jules Asner)
* Jun

K

* Kai (mainly masculine in Scandinavia, Germany and Finland; mainly feminine in Estonia)
* Kaiden
* Kaoru (Japanese name— can be masculine or feminine; variant Kaori is feminine only)
* Karan (feminine in the United States, mainly masculine in India)
* Kari (masculine in Finnish, feminine in many European languages)
* Kasey or Kacey
* Kay (masculine in Germany)
* Kasuni (Sri Lankan name)
* Kasumi
* Katsumi (masculine name in Japan, but made popular for little girls by the French-Vietnamese anal queen Katsumi)
* Kazumi
* Kellen, Kellyn
* Kelly, Kelley, Kelli, Kellie (may be masculine or feminine with the first two spellings, but spellings including "i" are more likely to be feminine)
* Kelsey, Kelsie
* Kendal or Kendall
* Kent (Male: Kent Brockman; Female: Kent King)
* Kenya
* Kenzie/Kinsie (usually feminine)
* Kerry/Kerrie (The first spelling is masculine; variations such as Kerri or Keri are usually feminine;), can be spelled with a C as well
* Keshet (Hebrew)
* Kim (Used for both males and females in Scandinavia and Australia. Also short for Kimberly/Kimberley/Kimberlee or Kimball)
* Kimberly, Kimberlee, Kimberlie
* Kirby (mainly masculine)
* Kit (short for Christopher in males)
* Kris, Krys (male:Kris Kristofferson)
* Kishor (Indian)
* Kyle (the spelling "Kyle" is usually masculine; feminine on rare occasions)
* Kamal

L

* Lane
* Lauren- usually feminine, often spelled Loren for males, as in Loren Roberts
* Laurence - Masculine in English, feminine in French
* Laurie- Males:Laurie Taylor, Laurie Anderson; more common for females
* Lavern- with Laverne a more common feminine spelling
* Lee- in the US, usually masculine with Leigh a more common spelling for feminine; in Australia, Leigh is a more common masculine spelling, and Lee is more common as a feminine spelling
* Leni (Finnish)
* Les- short for Leslie or Lester for males, and Lesley for feminine
* Leslie/Lesley (traditionally a masculine name (e.g. Leslie Howard, Leslie Nielsen), but now more often used for females)
* Lindsay/Lindsey- More common in females, famous males with this name include, Lindsey Buckingham, Lindsay Weir, Lindsey Nelson
*Lex or Lexy or Lexi(short form of Alexander or Alexandra/Alexandria/Alexa); the first is more likely male, the others female
* Lior
*Logan (most often used for males but sometimes females)
* Lou (Short for Louis for males, and Louise for females)
* Louis for males, Louie or Loui for females (Males: Louis Armstrong Females: Loui Batley)
*Lonnie (nickname for various masculine and feminine names, used as a given name for both sexes) [http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi]
* Lovie (male: Lovie Smith)
* Luka
* Lynn (male: Lynn Swann, Lynn Nance, and the first name of Nolan Ryan; female: Lynn Redgrave, Lynn Anderson)

M

* Mackenzie
* Madison (originally always male; now usually female)
* Mallory (rarely masculine)
* Mandy (feminine if short for Amanda (Mandy Moore), masculine if short for Armand, Emmanuel or Mandel(Mandy Patinkin)
* Maria (e.g. Alphonse Maria Mucha, Czechoslovakian artist) (more common for females)
* Marion- male: Marion Morrison, birth name of John Wayne, and Marion Barber III; female: Marion Davies and Marion Jones
* Marlow- Occasionally spelled Marlo for females or Marlowe for males.
* Masami
* Max (usually short for Maximilian or Maxwell with males, and Maxine with females)
* Mavis
* Mel- short for Melvin (masculine) or Melanie/Melissa (feminine)
* Meredith (more common for females); Meredith Kline, theologian.
* Merle
* Mickey or Micky (Micki for females)
* Michael-unisex due to Michael Learned and Michael Steele among others, but rarely feminine.
* Mica/Mika (Male: Mika (singer))
* Mischa (diminutive of the Russian Mikhail for males)
* Michelle (Spelled Michel for males and Michelle for females in French. )
* Mo/Moe- In females, short for Maureen (Moe Tucker); In males usually short for Maurice (Mo Rocca) or Moses (Moe Howard).
* Montana
* Morgan (female: Morgan le Fay, Morgan Fairchild; male: Morgan Freeman, Morgan Hamm)
* Matt, Mat, Matty, or Mattie (The spelling "Matt" is generally masculine, but the spellings "Mat", "Mattie", and "Matty" are unisex pet forms of Matthew and Matilda although the spelling "Matty" is more common for males)

N

* Naseem (unisex in Urdu)
* Nicky, Nikkie, Nicki, or Nikki (short for Nicolas(masculine),Nikolay(masculine) or Nicole(feminine))
* Nicola, Nicolas -masculine in Italian and French, feminine in English
* Nidhi
* Nihad (Arabic)
* Nikita (masculine in Russian and Finnish, feminine in French) (Nakita is an alternate spelling for the name but is typically common amongst females)
* Nino (masculine in Italian, feminine in Georgian)
*Noah(male), Noa (like Noa Gafni, founder of Queen-Bees)
* Noël or Noëlle - French, the English variant of the name Noel is often masculine eg. Noel Coward, Noel Gallagher, but the variant spelling "Noelle" is more common for females.
* Nour or Noor - unisex in Arabic
* Nozomi (Japanese, more frequently feminine but widely used for both)
*Nehal/Nahal -unisex in Gujarati
* Nukri (Georgian)

O

*Olive - meaning ether Olivia or Oliver

P

* Page/Paige (surname used as a given name for both sexes—male: Page Falkinburg, aka Diamond Dallas Page; female: Paige Davis)
* Paris (Male:The Prince of Troy; Paris Latsis, Female:Paris Hilton, Paris Katerine Jackson, the daughter of Michael Jackson.)
* Parker(Male:Parker Stevenson, Female:Parker Posey)
* Pat (masculine or feminine) is both short for Patrick (masculine) or Patricia (feminine). The gender-ambiguous androgynous nickname was popularized for being unisex in the United States on the television show "Saturday Night Live" as a character with an undetermined gender. In American pronunciation, the name Patty (feminine), is also a near-homophone of the dimunitive Paddy (masculine). However, in Australia, Patty can be a diminutive for Patrick (see Patrick Mills).
* Payton, Peyton (the former tends to be preferred with boys and the latter girls; however, either could be used for either gender, such as Peyton Manning (male); also Paityn for girls)(Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill)
* Pearl (very common in females,formerly used for males, as in the original first name of American novelist Zane Grey.)
* Petya/Petja (masculine in Russian and Finnish, feminine in Bulgarian)
* Perry/Peri
* Phoenix (more common for females)
*Piper
* Praxedes (feminine in origin, as in Saint Praxedes, but not in the case of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta)
* Pubudu (Sri Lankan given name)

Q

* Quinn (surname used as a given name for both sexes)
* Qudrat

R

* Randy (Randi is feminine in Norwegian and Danish Randolph (masculine))
* Ray, Rae, or Raye (short for Raymond (masculine) or short feminine form of Raymond) also Rea or Rey
* Reagan/Regan/Ragen (Male:Regan Harrison, Female:Regan MacNeil, a fictional character from The Exorcist.)
* Regis (masculine: form of Remigius; feminine: form of Regina/Regine)
* Regy/Regie (masculine: Reginald; feminine: Regina/Regine)
* Renée/René (Renée is feminine; René is masculine; both of French origin)
* Reza (masculine Iranian name; feminine nickname for Theresa)
* Rhys/Reese/Rees/Reece (Rhys is masculine; Reese has become a generally feminine respelling because of Reese Witherspoon)
* Ricky/Ricki/Rikki (short for Richard or Eric (masculine), Erika, Richelle, or Frederika (feminine))
* Riley, Reilly
* Robin (variant spelling Robyn is usually feminine, but sometimes masculine, e.g. Robin Gibb, Robyn Hitchcock, Robin Williams)
* Roni or Ronni ( Hebrew name—can be masculine or feminine )
* Ronnie or Ronny (short for Ronald (masculine) or Veronica (feminine) female:Ronnie Spector))male: Ronald Weasley
* Rocky (masculine) or (feminine)
* Rory ("red king" in Scots/Irish Gaelic ("Ruadhrí" in Irish, "Ruadhridh" in Scottish gaelic) (masculine) or short for Lorelai or Aurora (feminine)) or Rori
* Rosie/Rosey ( In males usually short for Roosevelt (Rosey Grier), but more common in females and short for names such as Roseanne, Rosalyn, or Rosemary.)
* Rowan (masculine form Irish "Ruadhán"; the feminine Rowan is a botanical name, with a separate etymology from the masculine name derived from Ruadhán)
* Ryan
* Ryou (Japanese name. Written in kanji as 涼)

* Sally (short for Salvatore/Salvador (masculine) or Sarah (feminine)) female: Sally Ride male: Salvador Dali
* Sam/Sammy/Sammie (shortened versions are unisex, ie. for Samuel (masculine), Samson (masculine) or Samantha (feminine); -ie generally feminine)
* Sami (feminine nickname for Samantha in English usage, masculine in Finland)
* Sandy (masculine: nickname for Sandford, Sanford (Sandy Koufax), or Alexander (Sandy Lyle); feminine: nickname for Sandra, as in Sandy Duncan)
* Sascha/Sacha/Sasha/Saša (Саша in Cyrillic alphabet), in most languages short for Alexander (masculine) or Alexandra/Alexandria (feminine). In Serbian and Croatian languages it can, in addition, also be a unisex full legal first name.
* Satish (India)
* Sava (unisex in Finland)
* Sawyer
* Sean (e. g. female: Sean Young; male: Sean Bean)
* Shai (unisex in Hebrew)
* Shannon/Shanon/Shannen (derived from a surname, mostly feminine, male: Shannon Hoon, Shannon Sharpe)
* Sharon (unisex in Hebrew)
* Shawn (rarely feminine)
* Shea/Shae/Shay
* Shell or Shel (e.g. Shel Silverstein)
* Shelby (now primarily feminine; male: Shelby Whitfield, sportscaster and Shelby Steele, author and academic)
* Shelley (cf. Shelley Berman, Shelley Winters)
* Shinobu
* Shirley (now usually feminine; male: Shirley Povich)
* Sidney/Sydney (in the U.S., "Sidney" is usually masculine and "Sydney" is usually feminine, but exceptions exist, such as Sidney Spencer (female))
* Simcha (Hebrew name)
* Simone (masculine in Italian, feminine in German - both pronounced see-maw-ne -, feminine in English and French - pronounced see-mon)
* Skyler, Skylar, or Schuyler
* Sky or Skye
* Spencer (rarely feminine)
* Stacy, Stacey, Staci, Staceigh, or Stacie (more common for females, male: Stacy Keach, Stacey King)
* Stevie (short for Stephen/Steven (masculine) or Stephanie/Stefanie (feminine), female: Stevie Nicks) and Stevie Lake from the show Saddle Club
* Sue (more common for females)

T

* Tai, masculine and feminine in Chinese
* Tal, unisex in Hebrew
* Tanner
* Tarin/Taran/Taryn
* Tate
* Taylor
* Teagan
* Terry, short for Terence/Terrence or Terrell (masculine) or Teresa/Theresa (feminine)) Terri, Teri, Tari
* Timmy, short for Timothy (masculine) or Timberly (feminine)
* Tintin, the popular male comic/cartoon character, has hundreds of namesakes in Sweden - more than half of them women. The 1960s television show Thunderbirds and it's supsequent movie adaptations, featured a female character with this name.
* Toby or Tobi, the "Toby" spelling is usually masculine, but "Tobi" is often feminine
* Tomomi, can be masculine (pro wrestler Tomomi "Jumbo" Tsuruta) or feminine (singer Tomomi Kahala
* Tony, variant spelling Toni is usually feminine, (can also be short for Antonia) - but in Finland Toni is masculine.
* Tory or Tori or Torrey, short for Victor or Torrance (masculine) or Victoria (feminine) — female, Tori Spelling and Tori Amos; male, Torii Hunter
* Tracy or Tracey, form of Thracius (masculine) or short for Teresa/Theresa (feminine)) also Traci, Tracie
* Tsukasa, Japanese name; typically written 司. When used as a female name, it's usually written only in hiragana
* Tristan, traditionally masculine, sometimes used by girls in U.S.
* Tyler, mostly used by boys; however, girls sometimes have it too. e.g. Tyler Collins

V

* Val (Valentine [masculine eg.Val Kilmer (Unisex in Finland)] or Valerie, Valentina, Valli [feminine] )
* Valery or Valerie (rarely masculine except in France as in Valéry Giscard d'Estaing)
* Vanja is a unisex full legal first name in Serbia and Croatia, and presumably also in Montenegro and Bosnia. It is pronounced roughly "vah nya" with the stress on the first syllable; here "nj" is a single letter of Croatian latin alphabet representing the voiced nasal palatal consonant IPA|/ɲ/, corresponding to the nje (њ) in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (where the name is spelled as Вања). Feminine example: [http://www.rtl.hr/voditelji/vanja_halilovic/ Vanja Halilović] , the TV talk-show host; masculine example: Vanja Radauš, the sculptor. In Russian, it is a nickname for the masculine name Ivan (See Uncle Vanya), while in Sweden it has become a feminine name due to the -a ending.
* Vivian (Vivien, Vivienne, Vyvyan) commonly considered female, male examples include Vivian Stanshall; a character on the 1980s British comedy television program The Young Ones and Vivian Darkbloom, Vladimir Nabokov's acronym alter-ego..
* Vic (Victor [masculine] or Victoria [feminine] )

W

*Whitney (cf. Whitney Young, Whitney Houston)
*Willie
*Wylie
*Wando
*Wendy (can be nickname for Wendell in males)
*Whi

Y

* Yuki (Japanese name; "Yuuki" is a different name but can also be unisex.)
* Yuri (masculine in Russian, Portuguese and Swahili, feminine in Japanese, Korean, and Spanish)

Z

* Zara (rarely masculine)
* Zion
* Zooey (masculine in J.D. Salinger's "Franny and Zooey", feminine in the case of actress Zooey Deschanel)

ee also

*Epicene
*Unisex

References

* [http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/freqnames.html 1990 Census Name Files]
* [http://www.behindthename.com Behind the Name]