So, what exactly is a unisex (AKA gender-neutral) name?
It is amazing how clear-cut most names are: 91% of names are either 99% male or 99% female.
We consider any name with less than 95% of one gender to be gender-neutral. Even with such a narrow definition, only 6% of names are considered gender-neutral.
(https://www.names.org/lists/misc/unisex/)
Growing-up in small-town America, there was a Frances, a Shirley, a Riley, and 3 Terry's. All 6 male.
And a Leslie, a Robin, and an Angel. All female.
Plus, a couple Jamie's -- one male & one female.
So, this was an interesting find:
MOST POPULAR UNISEX NAMES OF ALL-TIME
And for just 2023 (including prediction for 2024):
My first thought when looking at this: Dylan and Carter are that high on the list????
My family (going back 3 generations) has stuck with "traditional" gender-specific names. None of those on the 2 lists above are represented on the recent branches of our family tree.
I had to scroll all the way down to #42 to find an entry relevant to our family: Stacey (my cousin).
3 names that will never make the list: Tex, Rex, Lex. 🙂
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt