50+ Great Nonbinary Name Ideas
Looking for great nonbinary name ideas? You may find other sites sorting names by male and female, but don’t worry, we don’t do that here. Before we dive in, I want to emphasize that a lot of nonbinary people do not change their name and appreciate their birth name. I personally decided to change my name as part of coming out as nonbinary, because I was uncomfortable with people perceiving my old name as very feminine. If I didn’t feel discomfort or gender dysphoria from my old name, I would not have changed it.
I made quite a few lists of names while trying to choose a new one for myself. Some names I liked were “too cool” for me. I selected a name, Rey, that would be easy to pronounce for speakers from different backgrounds, is not from a culture other than mine, and was “good enough.” Using it felt a lot better than my previous name, so I decided to make the switch.
If you’re looking for a new name, here are lists of single-syllable names, nature-inspired names, unisex names, and feminine and masculine names.
Let’s dive into a post all about nonbinary name ideas.
Single syllable name ideas
It’s not just a stereotype for trans and nonbinary people to pick a single sylable name, if it works! I did, and then realized just how many of my community have done the same! One time I hung out with Ray, Rey (me), Gray, and Jay. This can be based on the first letter of your old name, or just a name you appreciate.
Ash
Bay
Dee
Fay
Jay
Kay
Lee
Elle
May
Ray
Vee
Xi
Zee
Beautiful nature name ideas
Some of the coolest, knock-your-socks-off names come from natural phenomena. They have the side benefit of not being strongly associated with a human gender.
Obsidian
Phoenix
River
Brook
Ocean
Forest
Laurel
Hazel
Rowan
Aurora
Lily
Juniper
Sage
Rosemary
Fox
Willow
Amethyst
Aspen
Jade
Heron
Nova
Robin
Tiger
Sky
Gender-neutral or unisex name ideas
A selection of great unisex names for your perusal:
Casey
Riley
Jessie
Jackie
Jaime
Pat
Chris
Jody
Tracy
Jan
Kim
Noel
Jordan
Emory
Sam
Dana
Feminine or masculine names
Nonbinary does not equal androgenous. Many, many nonbinary people have and appreciate traditionally masculine or feminine names. Some examples:
Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye and founder of JVN Hair
Meg-John Barker, author of Queer: A Graphic History and Rewriting the Rules
Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw
Judith Butler, philosopher, author, gender theorist
Demi Lovato, singer
Jacob Tobia, writer, producer, actor, author of Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story
Jeffrey Marsh, author and activist
Elliot Page, actor
ND (Nate) Stevenson, creator and executive producer of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Steven Tyler, Aerosmith, “I've been misquoted as saying that I'm more female than male. Let me set the record straight -- it's more half and half, and I love the fact that my feelings are akin to puella eternis (Latin for 'the eternal girl').”
Your name represents you
Whether you choose to keep your given birth name throughout your life or change your name multiple times, you are the only person who knows what’s right for you and your current situation. You don’t have to love your name. Hopefully you don’t hate your name (that’s a good indication it might be time for a change).
If you’re looking through lists of nonbinary names, the next step might be to ask a trusted friend (or an online community) to try out a new name for you that you are considering. It’s okay to change your mind, even many times. It may take some time for you to get used to your own name change, even if it feels like the exact right thing to do.
Good luck on your name exploration process, whether you decide to change your name or not!
For more gender neutral names, unisex names, and nonbinary name inspiration, please check out my other name lists!