Naming a beautiful baby is HARD. Naming a gender surprise baby is HARDER. And naming a gender surprise bilingual baby is HARDEST.
You want the name to be beautiful and easy to pronounce in both English and Spanish and fit well whether it’s a boy or a girl, but that really limits your options.
As the mom of a Mexican American baby, I really wanted to make sure that no matter which country E grew up in (US or Mexico), he would never be that kid who corrects the teacher during roll call.
SO I’ve done all the hard work for you. Here’s a list of over 150 gender neutral names with meanings, cute variations, and alternative spellings to help you find a gender neutral name for your sweet little surprise baby that sounds beautiful in both English and Spanish!
A
Adrian – Person From Hadria (Northern Italy)
Adriel – Congregation of God
Adonis – Lord
Agustin/ Agostina – The Exalted One
Alberto/ Alberta – Noble and Bright
Alex/ Alexa – Protector of Humanity
Ali – Noble, Exalted
Amari – Strength, Eternal
Amen – So Be It
Amir – Prince, Rich, Cultivated
Anderson – Son of Andrew
Angel – Messenger of God
Antonio/ Antonia – Of Unknown Meaning
Armani – Son Or Kin Of Armand
Ari – Lion
Asia – Resurrection
Astrid – Divine Beauty
Atlas – Support, Prop
Augusto/ Augusta – Exalted
Austin – Great
Avis – Like a Bird
Azaria – God Has Helped
B
Bel – Sacred Wood
Benitez – Son of Benito
Bernardo/ Bernarda – Bold as a Bear
C
Cairo/ Kairo – Victorious One
Cameron – Bent Nose
Carlo/ Carla – Man
Caspian – From Qazvin, Iran
Cruz – The Cross of Christ
D
Dakota – Friendly Companion
Dalton – From the Valley Town
Daniel/ Daniela – Only God is my Judge
Dario/ Daria – Upholder of the Good
Delta – Delta Letter
Demetri/ Demetria/ Demi/ Dimitri – Mother of Land
Devi – Goddess of All
Devin/ Devon – Of A Little Deer
Domingo/ Dominga – Lord’s Child
Dominique – Of God
Drew – Manly
E
Eduardo/ Eduarda – Wealthy Guardian
Edwin/ Edwina – Wealthy Companion
Eric/ Erica – Ruling Forever
Ester – Star-like
Eliot – The Lord Is My God
Elvira – True Stranger
Emerson – Home Power
Emile/ Emilio/ Emilia – To Strive or Excel or Rival
Emiliano/ Emiliana – Rival
Ezra – Help
F
Fernando/ Fernanda – Daring, Adventurous
Francisco/ Francisca – Free
Federico/ Federica – Calm Monarch
G
Gabriel/ Gabriela – God Is My Strength
Genesis – Beginning, Birth
Gianni/ Gianna – God is Merciful
Giovanni/ Giovanna – God is Gracious
H
Hazel – Hazel Tree
I
Idris – Righeous
India – From the River Indus
Indigo – Person from India
Ines – Sacred, Chaste
Iris – Colors of Rainbow
Israel – Wrestled With God
Itzel – Rainbow Goddess
Ivan/ Ivanna – God Is Gracious
J
Jael – Wild Mountain Goat
Jaime – Supplanter
Jensen – Son of Jens
Jose/ Josefina – God raises
Julio/ Julia – Soft-haired
Julian – Youthful, Downy
K
Kenya – From Mount Kenya
Kendall – Valley Of The River Kent
Kai – Ocean
Kiano/ Kiana – Old
Kova – Strength
L
Lennon – Dear One
Leo/ Lea – Lion Woman
Leonardo/ Leonarda – Lion Brave
Linden – Made from Linwood or Lime-wood
Logan – From A Small Hill
London – From The Great River
Lorenzo/ Lorenza – Woman from Lorraine
Luciano/ Luciana – Light
Luis/ Luisa – Famous Warrior
M
Malik/ Malika – King
Manuel/ Manuela – God Accompanies Us
Marion – From the Sea, Bitter, Beloved
Maren – From The Shore
Marlo – Descendent of Mary
Mateo/ Matea – Gift of God
Mavis – Song Thrush
Micah – Who Is Like God?
Milo/ Mila – Soldier
Morgan – Traveling The Sea
Muriel – Shiny Sea
N
Nalo – Lovable
Nico/ Niko – People’s Triumph
Nikita – Unconquerable
Nirvana – Transcendent State
Noah – Rest, Peace
Noel – Born On Christmas Day
Nolan – Descendant of the Famous One
Nori – Belief
O
Octavio/ Octavia – The Eighth
Oliver – Olive Tree
Onyx/ Onix – Black Gemstone
Oriel – Golden
Orion – Mountain Dweller
P
Paolo/ Paula – Tiny, Petite
Paris – Crafty
Paxton/ Pax – Peace Town
Peyton (Payton) – Fighting Man’s Estate
Q
Qiano/ Quiana – Soft, Silky
R
Rafael/ Rafaela – God Has Healed
Ramiro/ Ramira – Supreme Judge, Famous Advice
Ramon/ Ramona – Protective Advice
Raven – Dark Bird
Reyes – Royalty
Ricardo – Brave Ruler, Form of Richard
Roberto/ Roberta – Of Shining Fame
Rodrigo/ Rodriga – Famous Ruler, Form of Roderick
Ronaldo/ Ronalda – Wise Ruler
Rowan – Ruadhan’s Descendent
S
Sam/ Samuel/ Samuela – His Name Is God
Santano/ Santana – Follower Of St. Anna
Santino/ Santina – Little Saint
Sasha – Defending Men, Diminutive Form Of Alexander
T
Tai – Talented One
Tallis – Woodland
Tavin – Royal Staff
Tigan/ Tegan – Little Poet or Fair
Tristan – Tumult
Tomi – Rich
Torres – Lives Near A Tower
V
Valar – Created Name
Valentino/ Valentina – Strength, Health
Victor/ Victoria – Woman of Victory
Virgo – The Virgin
Y
Yael – Mountain Goat
How To Pick A Beautiful Bilingual Baby Name
Even with a list of options, naming a bilingual baby is still hard! Here are a few tips I used to finalize my decision.
Say It Out Loud
It sounds simple, but saying your baby’s FULL name out loud does a few things to quickly weed out bad options.
First, you’ll make sure the name has a nice “ring” to it- that it’s not a mouthful (which can happen pretty easily if your baby has two last names plus a middle name, like my son!)
Think Evander Alexander or Veronica Nicoletta Martinez Johnson.
Saying the name out loud also helps you check that you’re not unintentionally giving your baby a funny name. Some common names can suddenly turn into a joke when combined. Think April Schauer.
Have Spanish & English Speakers Say It Out Loud
Okay, I totally understand not wanting to hear everyone’s annoying opinions about your favorite names. (“Oh, I went to high school with someone named that and they were such a bully!”) Seriously, that’s never helpful.
BUT in your case, it does help narrow down your options a LOT if you can run potential names by a few people close to you, that speak English or Spanish natively.
The trick is to find someone you can trust not to be negative. Maybe even explain to them that you just want some help hearing the pronunciation- no feedback on the name itself.
If you’re in a multicultural or bilingual family, I suggest having a few people on each side of the family pronounce your baby’s name so you can hear both the English and Spanish pronunciation.
I personally used my mom and sister on the English-speaking side of the family and my husband and mother-in-law on the Spanish-speaking side.
It was actually really easy to do this little pronunciation test using WhatsApp. I would text them the name and ask them to read it back to me through a voice message.
If they pronounced it differently than I had intended or if they were having any trouble sounding it out, I just scratched it off the list. (For me, it was really important that my son wouldn’t have to be pronouncing his name for people his whole life.)
Consider The Nicknames
Again, you don’t have to tell everyone what names you’re considering, but if you have a few people close to you who aren’t too judgy to bounce your ideas off of, it can be helpful feedback.
Funny story: A friend of mine wanted to name her son Curtis Joseph because she thought the nickname “Cujo” sounded cute. And it did sound cute… until she found out about the Stephen King novel where the star, Cujo is a rabid dog. Some things are just good to know before you commit!
Consider The Initials (In Both Languages)
No one wants embarrassing initials. Think F.L.U. and W.T.F. in English.
But because you’re naming a bilingual baby, don’t forget to check what the initials sound like in Spanish too!
If your baby has two last names, as is typical in Latin culture, think S.I.D.A. for example. Yikes.
Consider Any Dual Meanings
Again, this is a bilingual baby, so you might want to make sure the name doesn’t unintentionally have another meaning in Spanish.
You might want to run the name through SpanishDict.com or BabyNames.com if you want the root meaning of the names you’re considering.
Consider The Celebrities (In Both Countries)
An American parent choosing the name Belinda might not realize that this name belongs to a very famous Mexican singer. Likewise, a Mexican parent choosing the name William Howard might not realize that this name belonged to a US president.
Now, if you like the name, it might not matter to you, but I think it’s always good to just be aware of celebrities who share the name. Running a quick Google search can clear that up for you before you finalize a name. (It can also stop you from accidentally naming your son Cujo!)
Make It Sentimental
If you find yourself getting stuck, why not take a look back at your family tree? Maybe you have a great-great-grandparent with a name you love. It will feel all the more sentimental to use a family name too!
Choose a Middle Name
And finally, because you’re naming a gender surprise baby and their first name will be gender neutral, you may want to consider selecting one boy-specific and one girl-specific name to have on hand for the middle name.
If you need help coming up with boy and girl names that sound good in both Spanish and English, check out my lists of 120 Baby Girl Names and over 100 Baby Boy Names here!
Congratulations! (Felicidades!)
Well, there you have it! I hope this list of gender neutral baby names helped you and your family come up with something that sounds beautiful in both English and in Spanish.
Good luck with your name search mama and Congratulations!
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