These Gender-Neutral Names Won't Stay Rare for Long
Number 1 totally shocked me 😱
One of my favorite data projects each year is calculating the names that qualify as unisex — by our definition, those given to the minority sex at least 10% of the time.
Within that there are truly gender-neutral names — names used for one sex at least 35% but no more than 65% of the time in a given year.
These names are the subject of this week’s blog, where we reveal the most popular gender-neutral names (can you guess which one comes out on top?), gender-neutral names on the rise, and those that are changing in gender distribution.
But we hear names like Emerson and Remy all the time. So what’s next? I was curious about the gender-neutral names that are currently super rare but headed for stardom, so I ran the numbers.
To qualify for this dataset, each name had to:
Be currently ranked outside the Top 1000 for both sexes
Have risen in the rankings more than 1000 places for each sex between 2022 and 2023
When I ordered the names by rank change, I was shocked — shocked! — to find that Fendi is the fastest-rising gender-neutral name outside of the Top 1000.
Not because of the name itself — designer baby names like Armani and Dior are some of the most successful gender-neutral names of our era — but because Fendi is the name of my dog. (Before you ask, no, I didn’t name him, but I do love his name!)
In addition to Fendi, I was left with 35 names, used for girls and boys in equal numbers, that are zooming up the charts. They’re currently uncommon, but not for long.
The Fastest-Rising Gender-Neutral Baby Names Outside the Top 1000
1. Fendi
Female Rank Change Between 2022 and 2023: +7187
Male Rank Change Between 2022 and 2023: +5009
2. Evryn
Female Rank Change: +6245
Male Rank Change: +2913
3. Kindred
Female Rank Change: +4959
Male Rank Change: +4039
4. Nike
Female Rank Change: +5636
Male Rank Change: +2555
5. Ilia
Female Rank Change: +2344
Male Rank Change: +5161
6. Arlington
Female Rank Change: +5926
Male Rank Change: +1513
7. Paz
Female Rank Change: +1604
Male Rank Change: +5407
8. Brae
Female Rank Change: +1393
Male Rank Change: +5009
9. Yanni
Female Rank Change: +4582
Male Rank Change: +1053
10. Azayah
Female Rank Change: +2425
Male Rank Change: +3106
11. Rein
Female Rank Change: +3957
Male Rank Change: +1394
12. Aunyx
Female Rank Change: +2413
Male Rank Change: +2555
13. Maddyx
Female Rank Change: +3445
Male Rank Change: +1231
14. Schuyler
Female Rank Change: +3271
Male Rank Change: +1394
15. Zani
Female Rank Change: +1069
Male Rank Change: +3548
16. Kelce
Female Rank Change: +2398
Male Rank Change: +2127
17. Jaelin
Female Rank Change: +3081
Male Rank Change: +1394
18. Jerusalem
Female Rank Change: +2718
Male Rank Change: +1673
19. McCall
Female Rank Change: +1281
Male Rank Change: +2913
20. Yani
Female Rank Change: +1281
Male Rank Change: +2913
21. Noha
Female Rank Change: +1585
Male Rank Change: +2353
22. Zakiah
Female Rank Change: +2732
Male Rank Change: +1053
23. Zaiah
Female Rank Change: +2472
Male Rank Change: +1244
24. Sonnie
Female Rank Change: +1647
Male Rank Change: +2018
25. Jasani
Female Rank Change: +1068
Male Rank Change: +2473
26. Chosyn
Female Rank Change: +2207
Male Rank Change: +1284
27. Domonique
Female Rank Change: +1801
Male Rank Change: +1673
28. Jamesyn
Female Rank Change: +1393
Male Rank Change: +2071
29. Happy
Female Rank Change: +1382
Male Rank Change: +2073
30. Asani
Female Rank Change: +1197
Male Rank Change: +1798
31. Riko
Female Rank Change: +1393
Male Rank Change: +1490
32. Grier
Female Rank Change: +1205
Male Rank Change: +1673
33. Grae
Female Rank Change: +1382
Male Rank Change: +1322
34. Roe
Female Rank Change: +1616
Male Rank Change: +1035
35. Harlo
Female Rank Change: +1520
Male Rank Change: +1059
36. Tully
Female Rank Change: +1060
Male Rank Change: +1353
Vibe Check ✅
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