Unisex Celtic names are Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish and Irish names given to boys and girls alike, and the ones that genuinely split close to even in the latest birth registers are Quinn, Blair, Murphy, Kenzie, Morgan and Riley. Rowan is the one to watch: 1,398 boys and 96 girls in England and Wales in 2025, but 94 boys and 39 girls in Scotland, according to the ONS and National Records of Scotland. Plenty of names sold online as gender neutral, Logan and Kyle among them, were given to no girls at all.
This guide is part of our Scottish Names collection. Browse the full Scottish Names directory, or start with our guide to Celtic names from all six nations for the wider family these names belong to.
This is for parents who want a name that does not box a child in, and who want to know how a name is really used before they commit, not just how a list says it is used. Every name below has its meaning, its origin, a say-it guide and the actual 2025 count of boys and girls given it in Scotland and in England and Wales. That last part is what most unisex name lists skip.
A wee bit of context. Most Celtic names were firmly one or the other for centuries; Welsh even builds gender into names, with -wen for girls and -wyn for boys. The unisex ones mostly arrived by a back door: surnames turned into first names (Blair, Cameron, Murphy, Quinn), places (Skye, Lennox, Innes) and plain words (Seren, Celyn, Afon). Irish names appear here because the data includes them, but we keep the detail on the Scottish and Welsh side.
Two Scots Abroad · Scottish names
Unisex Celtic name finder
41 Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish and Irish names checked against the 2025 birth registers. Filter by how the name actually splits between boys and girls in Scotland, England and Wales, and by where it comes from.
Nothing matches that. Clear a filter or try a shorter search.
Which Celtic names are really unisex?
Quinn, Blair, Murphy, Kenzie, Mackenzie, Morgan, Riley and Celyn are the Celtic names where girls made up between a quarter and three quarters of all the babies given them in 2025. We combined the National Records of Scotland 2025 baby names full lists with the ONS 2025 baby names for England and Wales. Both only publish a name once three or more babies get it, so a blank here means rare, not never.
| Name | Origin | Scotland boys | Scotland girls | England and Wales boys | England and Wales girls | Girls’ share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinn | Irish | 18 | 53 | 159 | 175 | 56% |
| Blair | Scottish Gaelic | 74 | 28 | 21 | 72 | 51% |
| Murphy | Irish | 3 | 4 | 65 | 52 | 45% |
| Kenzie | Scottish Gaelic | under 3 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 51% |
| Mackenzie | Scottish Gaelic | under 3 | 3 | 27 | 15 | 40% |
| Morgan | Welsh | 5 | 5 | 128 | 65 | 34% |
| Riley | Irish or English | 64 | 37 | 619 | 270 | 31% |
| Celyn | Welsh | under 3 | under 3 | 7 | 14 | 67% |
| Dara | Irish | 5 | under 3 | 30 | 14 | 29% |
| Rowen | Irish | 4 | 4 | 43 | 11 | 24% |
| Rowan | Irish | 94 | 39 | 1,398 | 96 | 8% |
| Casey | Irish | 29 | 10 | 267 | 18 | 9% |
| Skye | Scottish Gaelic | under 3 | 67 | 7 | 214 | 98% |
| Darcy | Norman and Irish | 5 | 44 | 25 | 351 | 93% |
| Kennedy | Irish and Scottish | under 3 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 85% |
| Rory | Scottish and Irish Gaelic | 301 | 5 | 1,760 | 25 | 1% |
| Logan | Scottish Gaelic | 111 | under 3 | 609 | under 3 | 0% |
Two patterns stand out. Surname names split most evenly, because a surname carries no built-in gender: Quinn, Murphy, Blair and Kenzie all sit near the middle. And the big boys’ names that people call unisex mostly are not: Rory had 2,061 boys and 30 girls across both registers, and Logan had 720 boys and no girls at all.
Names that flip across the border
The same name can lean one way in Scotland and the other way in England and Wales. These are the ones where the border makes the biggest difference, so check which register matches where your family lives.
| Name | Scotland 2025 | England and Wales 2025 | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blair | 74 boys, 28 girls | 21 boys, 72 girls | A boy’s name to most Scots, a girl’s name to most English parents |
| Quinn | 18 boys, 53 girls | 159 boys, 175 girls | Leans girl in Scotland, dead even further south |
| Rowan | 94 boys, 39 girls | 1,398 boys, 96 girls | Far more Scottish girls are Rowans, proportionally |
| Ellis | 51 boys, 16 girls | 582 boys, 16 girls | A real minority of Scottish girls; rare for girls elsewhere |
| Morgan | 5 boys, 5 girls | 128 boys, 65 girls | Exactly even in Scotland, two to one boys further south |
Meredith is the history lesson in the set. It began as a Welsh man’s name, from Maredudd, yet every one of the 51 Merediths registered in the UK in 2025 was a girl. Names do cross over, and they rarely cross back.
How Celtic names become unisex
| Route | How it works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Surname to first name | A family name carries no gender, so it can go either way once it becomes a first name | Blair, Cameron, Murphy, Quinn, Kennedy, Mackenzie, Bowen |
| Place name | Islands, districts and towns given as names | Skye, Lennox, Innes, Logan, Kyle |
| Word name | An ordinary word used as a name | Seren (star), Celyn (holly), Afon (river), Deryn (bird) |
| Short form | A clipped version of a longer name | Kenzie from Mackenzie, Ceri from Ceridwen, Jamie from James |
| Traditional unisex | A name used for both for generations | Ceri, Eirian, Morgan |
Welsh shows why the word names work. In Welsh, gwen (white, blessed) is feminine and gwyn masculine, so Anwen is a girl and Arwyn a boy. Names that skip those endings, like Celyn and Seren, are free to go either way. Scottish Gaelic names mostly do not have that flexibility in their original forms; it is the anglicised surnames that cross over.
Unisex Celtic names worth knowing
Quinn
Meaning: son of Conn. Origin: Irish. Say it: KWIN. 2025: Scotland 18 boys and 53 girls; England and Wales 159 boys and 175 girls. Split: close to even.
From the Irish for son of Conn. Wikipedia lists Quinn as a unisex given name, and the registers agree: in 2025 England and Wales gave it to 159 boys and 175 girls, and Scotland to 18 boys and 53 girls. Of the commoner names on this page, none is more genuinely shared.
Blair
Meaning: from blar: plain, meadow or field, often a battlefield. Origin: Scottish Gaelic. Say it: BLAIR. 2025: Scotland 74 boys and 28 girls; England and Wales 21 boys and 72 girls. Split: close to even.
From the Scottish Gaelic blar, a plain or field, and often a battlefield. Wikipedia notes Blair is generally masculine in Scotland but feminine in the United States, and the UK data shows exactly that split: 74 Scottish boys and 28 girls, against 21 boys and 72 girls in England and Wales.
Murphy
Meaning: from Murchadh, sea warrior. Origin: Irish. Say it: MUR-fee. 2025: Scotland 3 boys and 4 girls; England and Wales 65 boys and 52 girls. Split: close to even.
Ireland’s most common surname, from Murchadh, meaning sea warrior. As a first name it was close to even in 2025: 65 boys and 52 girls in England and Wales, 3 and 4 in Scotland. The sound is soft enough for either, and it is easy to spell.
Kenzie
Meaning: short form of Mackenzie. Origin: Scottish Gaelic. Say it: KEN-zee. 2025: Scotland under 3 boys and 3 girls; England and Wales 17 boys and 15 girls. Split: close to even.
The short form of Mackenzie, from the Gaelic MacCoinnich, son of Coinneach or Kenneth. Kenzie was almost exactly even in England and Wales in 2025 with 17 boys and 15 girls; in Scotland only girls cleared the threshold. Mackenzie in full leans slightly to boys.
Morgan
Meaning: from Old Welsh Morcant, possibly linked to mor, sea. Origin: Welsh. Say it: MOR-gan. 2025: Scotland 5 boys and 5 girls; England and Wales 128 boys and 65 girls. Split: close to even.
Welsh, from Old Welsh Morcant. Traditionally a man’s name in Wales, it has become unisex, with Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend often credited for the girls’ side. In Scotland in 2025 it was exactly level at 5 and 5.
Rowan
Meaning: from Ruadhan, red-haired; also read as the rowan tree. Origin: Irish. Say it: ROH-an. 2025: Scotland 94 boys and 39 girls; England and Wales 1,398 boys and 96 girls. Split: leans boy.
From the Irish Ruadhan, red-haired, and traditionally a boy’s name, though girls now get it with the rowan tree in mind. It is the clearest case of a name leaning differently by country: 29 per cent of Scottish Rowans in 2025 were girls, against 6 per cent in England and Wales.
Riley
Meaning: from the Irish surname O’Reilly, or Old English rye clearing. Origin: Irish or English. Say it: RY-lee. 2025: Scotland 64 boys and 37 girls; England and Wales 619 boys and 270 girls. Split: close to even.
Two possible roots: the Irish surname O’Reilly, or an Old English place name meaning a rye clearing. Riley remains mainly a boy’s name in the UK, but 270 girls got it in England and Wales in 2025, so a Riley of either sex will not stand out.
Skye
Meaning: from the Isle of Skye; the island name’s meaning is uncertain, perhaps winged. Origin: Scottish Gaelic. Say it: SKY. 2025: Scotland under 3 boys and 67 girls; England and Wales 7 boys and 214 girls. Split: leans girl.
Named after the island, whose own name is a puzzle: Wikipedia says the Gaelic name may mean winged, but no one is sure. In practice Skye is a girls’ name, with 214 in England and Wales and 67 in Scotland in 2025, and just 7 boys. Treat it as unisex in spirit only.
Cameron
Meaning: crooked nose. Origin: Scottish Gaelic. Say it: KAM-er-on. 2025: Scotland 92 boys and 8 girls; England and Wales 231 boys and 7 girls. Split: leans boy.
From the Gaelic for crooked nose, via the clan surname. Wikipedia lists Cameron as unisex, but the UK registers make it 96 per cent boys. A girl called Cameron will be unusual, which may be the point.
Rory
Meaning: red king (ruadh plus righ). Origin: Scottish and Irish Gaelic. Say it: ROR-ee. 2025: Scotland 301 boys and 5 girls; England and Wales 1,760 boys and 25 girls. Split: leans boy.
The Gaelic Ruairidh or Ruairi, red king, and one of Scotland’s top boys’ names: third in 2025 with 301 boys. Only 5 Scottish girls got it. Wikipedia notes it has been used more for girls in the United States and Canada since the early 2000s, but not here.
Jamie
Meaning: Scottish pet form of James. Origin: Scots. Say it: JAY-mee. 2025: Scotland 66 boys and 3 girls; England and Wales 195 boys and 17 girls. Split: leans boy.
A Scottish pet form of James, traditionally male, with girls’ use growing mainly in the US from the mid-20th century. In 2025 it went to 66 boys and 3 girls in Scotland. Jamie is unisex in the US sense more than the Scottish one.
Darcy
Meaning: from the Norman barony of Arcy; also anglicises Irish O Dorchaidhe. Origin: Norman and Irish. Say it: DAR-see. 2025: Scotland 5 boys and 44 girls; England and Wales 25 boys and 351 girls. Split: leans girl.
From the Norman barony of Arcy, and also an English form of the Irish O Dorchaidhe, according to Wikipedia. As a first name it has swung firmly to girls: 351 in England and Wales in 2025 against 25 boys, plus 131 girls spelled Darcey.
Kennedy
Meaning: Irish Cinneidigh (helmet-headed or ugly head, sources differ); also used for Scottish Gaelic Uarraig. Origin: Irish and Scottish. Say it: KEN-ed-ee. 2025: Scotland under 3 boys and 3 girls; England and Wales 4 boys and 19 girls. Split: leans girl.
Irish Cinneidigh, where sources differ on the meaning: ugly head, or helmet-headed. Scottish families also used Kennedy for the Gaelic Uarraig. Used for both sexes since the 1800s, it now leans to girls: 19 girls and 4 boys in England and Wales in 2025.
Celyn
Meaning: holly. Origin: Welsh. Say it: KEL-in. 2025: Scotland under 3 boys and under 3 girls; England and Wales 7 boys and 14 girls. Split: close to even.
Welsh for holly, and one of the few Welsh-language names used for both. In 2025, 14 girls and 7 boys in England and Wales were given it. It is said KEL-in, with a hard c, which is the only thing an English speaker might trip on.
Ceri
Meaning: a river in Ceredigion; possibly short for Ceridwen. Origin: Welsh. Say it: KERR-ee. 2025: Scotland under 3 boys and under 3 girls; England and Wales under 3 boys and under 3 girls. Split: too rare to call.
The Welsh Government names list gives Ceri for a boy or a girl, as a form of Ceridwen and as the name of a river in Ceredigion and a village in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is too rare to show in the 2025 lists, which makes it a quiet, properly unisex Welsh pick.
Ellis
Meaning: English surname from Elis, the Welsh Elijah; also anglicises Elisedd. Origin: Welsh. Say it: EL-iss. 2025: Scotland 51 boys and 16 girls; England and Wales 582 boys and 16 girls. Split: leans boy.
From Elis, the Welsh form of Elijah, and also an English surname. Ellis is 97 per cent boys in England and Wales, but 16 of the 67 Scottish babies called Ellis in 2025 were girls, which is a bigger share than most lists would guess.
Lowen
Meaning: possibly from the Cornish word lowen, happy; may also be modelled on Owen and Rowan. Origin: Cornish. Say it: LOH-en. 2025: Scotland 5 boys and under 3 girls; England and Wales 115 boys and 13 girls. Split: leans boy.
Possibly from the Cornish word lowen, happy, although Behind the Name suggests it may have been modelled on Owen and Rowan. It ranked 363rd in England and Wales in 2025, with 115 boys and 13 girls. Its girls’ cousin, Lowenna, had 26.
Meredith
Meaning: from Maredudd, possibly greatness plus lord. Origin: Welsh. Say it: me-RED-ith. 2025: Scotland under 3 boys and 3 girls; England and Wales under 3 boys and 48 girls. Split: leans girl.
From the Welsh Maredudd, possibly greatness plus lord, and once a man’s name in Wales. Today it has crossed over entirely: 48 girls in England and Wales and 3 in Scotland in 2025, and no boys. It shows what happens to most unisex names in the end.
How to choose a unisex Celtic name
Decide what you want unisex to mean, because the data gives three very different answers.
- You want a name that is genuinely shared today. Look at Quinn, Murphy, Kenzie, Blair and Morgan. Each was given to a real number of boys and girls in 2025, so none will look like a surprise on a class list.
- You want a name that is traditionally for either. The Welsh Ceri and Eirian have been used for both for generations, and Celyn is heading the same way. They are rare, which suits some parents and not others.
- You like a name that leans one way and want it for the other. Cameron, Rory and Rowan for a girl, or Skye and Darcy for a boy, all have a few takers every year. Expect to be asked about it, and decide in advance how much you mind.
If the split matters a lot to you, check the country you live in: Blair and Quinn tell opposite stories in Scotland and in England. For the Gaelic originals behind several of these names, our Scottish Gaelic names list covers boys, girls and unisex picks, and the Scottish L names page has more gender-neutral options.
Watch out for: names that unisex lists recommend but UK parents only give to boys. Logan (720 boys, no girls in 2025), Kyle (74 boys, no girls), and the island names Arran and Harris were boys only in both registers. They are fine names; they just are not shared ones here, whatever an American list says.
Quick list: all 41 unisex Celtic names
| Name | Meaning | Say it | Origin | How it splits | Scotland boys / girls | England and Wales boys / girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aeron | from the river Aeron, possibly berries | AY-ron | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | 3 / under 3 |
| Afon | river | AV-on | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | 4 / under 3 |
| Blair | from blar: plain, meadow or field, often a battlefield | BLAIR | Scottish Gaelic | Close to even | 74 / 28 | 21 / 72 |
| Bowen | from ab Owen, son of Owen | BOH-en | Welsh | Leans boy | 3 / under 3 | 129 / 3 |
| Bryn | hill | BRIN | Welsh | Leans boy | under 3 / under 3 | 19 / under 3 |
| Cameron | crooked nose | KAM-er-on | Scottish Gaelic | Leans boy | 92 / 8 | 231 / 7 |
| Caron | from place names around Tregaron | KARR-on | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | under 3 / under 3 |
| Casey | vigilant, watchful | KAY-see | Irish | Leans boy | 29 / 10 | 267 / 18 |
| Cassidy | from Caiside, said to mean curly-haired | KASS-id-ee | Irish | Leans girl | under 3 / 6 | 5 / 45 |
| Celyn | holly | KEL-in | Welsh | Close to even | under 3 / under 3 | 7 / 14 |
| Ceri | a river in Ceredigion; possibly short for Ceridwen | KERR-ee | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | under 3 / under 3 |
| Dara | anglicised form of Daire | DAR-a | Irish | Close to even | 5 / under 3 | 30 / 14 |
| Darcy | from the Norman barony of Arcy; also anglicises Irish O Dorchaidhe | DAR-see | Norman and Irish | Leans girl | 5 / 44 | 25 / 351 |
| Deryn | possibly from aderyn, bird | DERR-in | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | under 3 / under 3 |
| Eirian | bright, beautiful | AY-ree-an | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | under 3 / under 3 |
| Elis | Welsh form of Ellis | EL-iss | Welsh | Leans boy | 4 / under 3 | 119 / 9 |
| Ellis | English surname from Elis, the Welsh Elijah; also anglicises Elisedd | EL-iss | Welsh | Leans boy | 51 / 16 | 582 / 16 |
| Gwynedd | the medieval kingdom, now a county | GWIN-eth | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | under 3 / under 3 |
| Innes | from the place Innes in Moray; sometimes short for MacInnes | IN-iss | Scottish Gaelic | Leans boy | 48 / under 3 | 7 / 3 |
| Jamie | Scottish pet form of James | JAY-mee | Scots | Leans boy | 66 / 3 | 195 / 17 |
| Kennedy | Irish Cinneidigh (helmet-headed or ugly head, sources differ); also used for Scottish Gaelic Uarraig | KEN-ed-ee | Irish and Scottish | Leans girl | under 3 / 3 | 4 / 19 |
| Kenzie | short form of Mackenzie | KEN-zee | Scottish Gaelic | Close to even | under 3 / 3 | 17 / 15 |
| Kyle | from caol, narrow: a Scots word for a strait | KYLE | Scottish Gaelic | Leans boy | 19 / under 3 | 55 / under 3 |
| Lennon | from the Irish byname Leannan, lover | LEN-on | Irish | Leans boy | 18 / under 3 | 167 / 19 |
| Lennox | from the district of the Lennox (Gaelic Leamhnachd) | LEN-oks | Scottish Gaelic | Leans boy | 40 / under 3 | 158 / 12 |
| Logan | from lagan, little hollow (a place in Ayrshire) | LOH-gan | Scottish Gaelic | Leans boy | 111 / under 3 | 609 / under 3 |
| Lowen | possibly from the Cornish word lowen, happy; may also be modelled on Owen and Rowan | LOH-en | Cornish | Leans boy | 5 / under 3 | 115 / 13 |
| Mackenzie | MacCoinnich, son of Coinneach (Kenneth) | ma-KEN-zee | Scottish Gaelic | Close to even | under 3 / 3 | 27 / 15 |
| Meredith | from Maredudd, possibly greatness plus lord | me-RED-ith | Welsh | Leans girl | under 3 / 3 | under 3 / 48 |
| Merryn | meaning unknown; the name of an early Cornish saint | MERR-in | Cornish | Leans girl | under 3 / 4 | under 3 / 34 |
| Morgan | from Old Welsh Morcant, possibly linked to mor, sea | MOR-gan | Welsh | Close to even | 5 / 5 | 128 / 65 |
| Murphy | from Murchadh, sea warrior | MUR-fee | Irish | Close to even | 3 / 4 | 65 / 52 |
| Quinn | son of Conn | KWIN | Irish | Close to even | 18 / 53 | 159 / 175 |
| Reese | anglicised form of Rhys | REESE | Welsh | Leans girl | under 3 / 3 | 3 / 15 |
| Rhian | maiden | HREE-an | Welsh | Too rare to call | under 3 / under 3 | under 3 / 4 |
| Riley | from the Irish surname O’Reilly, or Old English rye clearing | RY-lee | Irish or English | Close to even | 64 / 37 | 619 / 270 |
| Rory | red king (ruadh plus righ) | ROR-ee | Scottish and Irish Gaelic | Leans boy | 301 / 5 | 1,760 / 25 |
| Rowan | from Ruadhan, red-haired; also read as the rowan tree | ROH-an | Irish | Leans boy | 94 / 39 | 1,398 / 96 |
| Rowen | spelling variant of Rowan | ROH-en | Irish | Leans boy | 4 / 4 | 43 / 11 |
| Seren | star | SERR-en | Welsh | Leans girl | under 3 / 7 | under 3 / 196 |
| Skye | from the Isle of Skye; the island name’s meaning is uncertain, perhaps winged | SKY | Scottish Gaelic | Leans girl | under 3 / 67 | 7 / 214 |
FAQ about unisex Celtic names
What are gender-neutral Gaelic names?
Blair, Kenzie, Mackenzie and Quinn are the Gaelic-rooted names closest to even in the 2025 UK registers, with Rowan used for a real minority of girls. Rory, Cameron and Logan are often listed as unisex but went overwhelmingly to boys, while Skye went almost entirely to girls. Most come from surnames or places rather than traditional Gaelic first names.
Is Rowan a boy or girl name?
Both, but mostly boys. In 2025, 1,398 boys and 96 girls were named Rowan in England and Wales, and 94 boys and 39 girls in Scotland. The name comes from the Irish Ruadhan, red-haired, and girls’ use draws on the rowan tree. The spelling Rowen is more evenly split.
Is Morgan a Welsh name for a girl or a boy?
Both. Morgan is Welsh, from Old Welsh Morcant, and was traditionally a man’s name in Wales. It became unisex, partly through Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. In 2025 Scotland registered 5 boys and 5 girls called Morgan, and England and Wales 128 boys and 65 girls.
What Welsh names are unisex?
Ceri, Eirian, Celyn and Morgan are the Welsh names used for both boys and girls. Bryn, Aeron, Afon, Deryn and Caron are listed for both by Behind the Name but are rare. Most Welsh names carry gender in their endings, -wen for girls and -wyn for boys, which is why the unisex ones stand out.
What is the most unisex name in Scotland?
Among Celtic names, Morgan split exactly evenly in Scotland in 2025, with 5 boys and 5 girls, but numbers that small swing year to year. Of the more common names, Blair (74 boys, 28 girls) and Quinn (18 boys, 53 girls) show the most real sharing in the National Records of Scotland data.
Final thoughts on unisex Celtic names
If you want a Celtic name that will genuinely sit on either side of a class register, Quinn and Murphy are the safest bets in England and Wales, and Blair is the classic Scottish crossover. If you want something rarer and properly traditional, the Welsh Ceri has done the job for generations.
For the Welsh side in depth, with pronunciation for every name, see our guide to Welsh names and how to say them. And since so many of these began as family names, our Celtic last names guide explains where Mackenzie, Kennedy and Murphy came from in the first place.
Sources
- National Records of Scotland, Babies’ first names 2025 (all names given to babies in 2025)
- Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales: 2025
- ONS, Baby names for girls, 2025 dataset
- ONS, Baby names for boys, 2025 dataset
- Welsh Government, Welsh names for children
- Rowan (name)
- Blair
- Quinn (given name)
- Morgan (given name)
- Mackenzie (given name)
- Logan (given name)
- Kyle (given name)
- Isle of Skye (name origin)
- Behind the Name, Welsh names (used to cross-check meanings)
