The Newest Boy Name Trend

It's not what you think!

Surprise! Celebrity baby name champions Chrissy Teigen and John Legend welcomed their fourth child via surrogate. Naturally, he has an ahead-of-the-curve name: Wren Alexander.

Wren is a unisex name — by our definition, one that is given to the minority sex at least 10% of the time — but was 88% feminine in 2022. This falls in line with the rising trend of using unisex names and gender-neutral names for baby boys.

We ran the numbers and found 42 unisex names — including Wren! — that lean feminine but are on the rise for boys.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The names below were between 65 and 90% female in 2022

• Each name was given to at least 50 baby boys in 2022

• Each name rose by at least 10 male births between 2021 and 2022

• The percentages next to the names indicate the percent rise in popularity among boys between 2021 and 2022

• The names are listed from most feminine (Emery, almost 90% feminine) to least feminine (Rain, about 65% feminine in 2022).

Will any of these names become more popular for boys than girls?

81-90% Feminine Names Rising for Boys

Emery ⬆ 8.9%

Noa ⬆ 45.4%

Wren ⬆ 15.8%

Harlow ⬆ 93%

Aspen ⬆ 6.4%

Tatum ⬆ 25.6%

Noor ⬆ 28.6%

Oaklee ⬆ 20.2%

Halo ⬆ 48.9%

Jream ⬆ 67.5%

Kendall ⬆ 11.9%

Whitley ⬆ 26%

London ⬆ 5.2%

Holland ⬆ 27.6%

71-80% Feminine Names Rising for Boys

Henley ⬆ 28.4%

Reese ⬆ 13.9%

Jaycee ⬆ 22.6%

Sky ⬆ 11%

Indy ⬆ 20.7%

Sunny ⬆ 17.8%

Egypt ⬆ 35.5%

Riley ⬆ 10.3%

Austyn ⬆ 36.1%

Leighton ⬆ 7.1%

Amaris ⬆ 88.1%

Morgan ⬆ 20.7%

Ariel ⬆ 2%

Sage ⬆ 11.8%

Sutton ⬆ 3.9%

Jersey ⬆ 42.9%

Indigo ⬆ 39.3%

Oakley ⬆ 4.1%

65-70% Feminine Names Rising for Boys

Echo ⬆ 44.7%

Scout ⬆ 26.8%

Jovi ⬆ 44.8%

Namari ⬆ 158.3%

Sol ⬆ 22.5%

Marion ⬆ 52.5%

Jessie ⬆ 26.6%

Yuri ⬆ 24.3%

Ripley ⬆ 40.8%

Rain ⬆ 45%

How I Named My Baby: Cleo Cruize

Nameberry | Baby Names

Nameberry | Baby Names on Instagram: “Introducing, Cleo Cruize! He joins mom Brittany and dad Tyrice. They initially had Cleo on their list for a girl, but after reading about the name’s global history and use within the African American community as a male name, they fell in love with Cleo for their son. Brittany told us, “Tyrice and I had a lot of talks about African American naming, and it felt like reclaiming a part of that history.” Congratulations to @brittanynandi and family! Read the rest of Cleo’s name story at the link in bio #berrybabynames”

June 28, 2023

Speaking of feminine-leaning names on boys, meet Cleo Cruize! (This was a total coincidence, I swear).

I spoke to his lovely mother Brittany, who shared the story behind Cleo’s name. It’s a name ripe with meaning, cultural history, honor, and prophecy.

More fun things

• Big trend alert: Spanish nature names 🌞

• What’s a classic name, anyways? We have the definitive answer, here 🏛

• Happy birthday, Cancer Berries! Here’s why you’re the most thoughtful namers 🦀

• What would you do if your child’s name was way more popular in your new state? Give this Berry some advice! 🌸

• Controversial favorite names, Berry-style 🙈

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Pregnancy 101: read our essential guide to everything from conception to the fourth trimester, including (but not limited to!) baby names.