SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A new study shows that more Louisiana babies are given gender-fluid names than babies in any other state in the nation.

The study released by names.org shows that 91% of American babies are named either a boy name or a girl name, but rarely a boy and girl name.

In 1880 only a small percentage of babies born in the U.S. were given names considered both masculine and feminine. Most American babies in that time period were given names that were more suitable for societal constructs.

But in Louisiana in 2024, a staggering 17.5% of babies in Louisiana are given names that are fluid. Compare this to only 9.1% of babies in Rhode Island that are given gender-neutral names.

Part of the rationale behind baby girls in Louisiana being given boy names could be that Louisiana has one of the largest pay gaps between males and females in the United States. Louisiana women from the boot-shaped state bring in approximately 77% of the pay their male counterparts earn in the workforce. That's a pay gap of more than $14000 each year.

During the 1900s, Mississippi was the  U.S. state with the highest percentage of gender-fluid names (10.9%) while the state with the least gender-fluid names was Rhode Island (3.2%).

It is more common for a baby girl to be given a unisex name than for a baby boy to be given a unisex name. But gender-specific names can switch genders, such as the name Charlie which was perceived as a boy name until the early 2000s. Now more girls in the United States are named Charlie than boys.

The name Leslie was a boy name until around 1940, when an uptick in girls being given the name turned into a sharp and steady climb up the chart. Now the name Leslie is associated with females more than males.

The name Whitney, which began as a surname, has long been considered a gender-neutral name in both the U.S. and Great Britain.

Other names once considered masculine that are now considered feminine are Blair, Emery, Quinn, Harley, and Kendall.

Names once considered feminine that are now thought of as masculine are Ashton, Jaime, Kerry, and Carey.

Charlie, Terry, Jamies, Eddie, Bobbie, and Jackie are popular gender-fluid names today.

The most popular gender-fluid names in the past decade are Logan, Avery, Carter, Dylan, Riley, Ryan, Cameron, Parker, Hunter, Angel, Jordan, Sawyer, Skylar, Rowan, Kai, Nova, Quinn, Peyton, Micah, Charlie, Blake, River, Hayden, Emery, and Emerson.

The most popular unisex names of all time are Willie, Kelly, Jordan, Terry, Jean, Tayor, Alexis, Logan, Leslie, Jamie, Angel, Shannon, Shawn, Robin, Cameron, Francis, Tracy, Dale, Lee, Courtney, Jessie, Adrian, Hunter, Morgan, Jayden, Marion, Dana, Lynn, Riley, Eddie, Avery, Charlie, Kim, Blake Casey, Stacy, Syndney, Devil, Jackie, Chris, Shelby, Stacey, Aubrey, Carmen, Addison, Parker, Johnnie, Mackenzie, Hayden, Peyton, Jimmie, Carson, Billie, Gene, Harper, Dakota, Bailey, Tristan, Patsy, and Micah.

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