You're a Star, pt. 3

I've already done a post on named stars, as well as one on names that mean 'star'. However, that overlooks one very narrow category of stellar names: those referring to one specific star--in this case, the morning and evening star (both are actually Venus, but let's not get too semantic). ;)

Danica and Lucifer are probably the only ones familiar in the US, but there are a quite a few others....
(surprisingly, most of the names I found are commonly used on people; the few that are mainly mythological/literary are marked with an *. Also, almost all the names refer to the morning star--or Venus in general--the ones referring to only the evening star are noted as such)

Feminine:

• Arusiak (ah-ROOS-yak, Armenian)--also transliterated as Arusyak. 
• Aušrinė (oh-SHREEN-ay [trilled/rolled R], Lithuanian)
• Ayelet (ah-YEH-let, Hebrew)--lit. "gazelle". 'Ayelet hashachar ("gazelle of dawn") is the Hebrew name for the morning star.
• Berlewen (behr-LEOO-en ['EOO' roughly sounds like the short 'e' of English "let" and the short 'oo' of "took" smashed together], Cornish)--a modern revival Cornish name. Another form is Borlowen* (bor-LOO-en). 
• Danica (DAN-ik-ah, English; DAH-neets-ah, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovenian)
• Jitřenka (yih-TRZHENK-ah [no close English equivalent for the ř, sort of a buzzy rolled R], Czech)
• Lucero (loo-SEH-roh, Spanish)--lit. "light-giver, brilliance". Lucero del alba ("light-giver of dawn") is the Spanish name for the morning star. 
• Quetzalli (ket-SAHL-lee, Nahuatl)--lit. "feather". Quetzalcoatl is the god of the morning star in Aztec mythology. Modern Spanish spelling is Quetzali.
• Sagal (sah-GAL, Somali)
• Vakarinė* (vah-kah-REE-nay [trilled/rolled R], Lithuanian) [evening]
• Zornitsa (zor-NEET-sah, Bulgarian)
• Zorya* (ZOHR-yah, Russian, Ukrainian)--lit. "dawn". Zorya Vechernyaya and Zorya Utrennyaya are the goddesses of the evening star and morning star, respectively, in Slavic mythology.
  [related names Zora/Zoran/Zorana are common in the Slavic languages]

Masculine:

• Ēarendel* (AYR-en-del, Old English)--Old Norse form is Aurvandil* (AWR-vahn-dil). Orentil*, Orendel*, and Erentil* are related names found in medieval German literature.
  [Tolkien fans might notice the similarity between Ēarendel and Eärendil--well, Tolkien was an Old English scholar. ;) ]
• Lucifer* (LOO-sif-er, [anglicized] Latin)--lit. "bringer of light"
• Tariq (TAH-rik, Arabic)--lit. "knocker, striker"
• Tāwera (TAH-weh-rah, Maori)
• Vesper* (VES-per, [anglicized] Latin)--Original Greek form is Hesperos*. [evening]

Unisex:

• Khwezi (KWEH-zee, Zulu)
• Tsolmon (TSAHL-mun, Mongolian)

Unisex Names---SSA (2017)

Oh, I know it won't have changed much from last year, but I can't resist.
While they're definitely not my personal style, it is fascinating to see what names are now considered gender-benders.

Here are the most popular names given to both genders last year (all spellings were considered, however, only the most common spelling for each gender is listed):

1. Jackson, ≈219 boys per girl
2. Aiden / Ayden, ≈120 boys per girl
3. Liam, ≈503 boys per girl
4. Noah / Noa, ≈31 boys per girl
5. Logan, ≈11 boys per girl
6. Grayson / Gracyn, ≈24 boys per girl
7. Mason / Maisyn, ≈29 boys per girl
8. Kayden, ≈28 boys per girl
9. Riley, ≈7 girls per boy
10. James, ≈157 boys per girl
11. Elijah / Alijah, ≈126 boys per girl
12. Jayden, ≈19 boys per girl
13. Michael, ≈284 boys per girl
14. Carter, ≈12 boys per girl
15. Evelyn, ≈1182 girls per boy
16. Avery, ≈4 girls per boy
17. Dylan, ≈9 boys per girl
18. Cameron / Kamryn, ≈3 boys per girl
19. Harper, ≈39 girls per boy
20. Aubrey, ≈71 girls per boy

Yay, people are still naming their boys Aubrey and Avery!
It's interesting how a name apparently can't be both popular and equally unisex. The most common names with a fairly even split are Finley, Jaylen/Jaelyn, and Rhys/Reese, and none of those rank in the SSA's Top 150 for either gender. 

On that note, here are the names given to about an equal % of boys and girls (from the Top 2000 only):

1. Armani
2. Britton
3. Brighton
4. Jaylen / Jaelyn
5. Jackie
6. Jelani / Jalani
7. Yuri
8. Briar
9. Murphy
10. Justice
11. Ocean
12. Ridley
13. Brylan / Brilynn
14. Conley
15. Denver
16. Sonny / Sunny
17. Harlan / Harlyn
18. Huntley
19. Wrigley
20. Layton / Leighton

Most of the these names are still pretty uncommon, though (Brighton, for instance, was given to 171 boys and 165 girls last year), so here're the most unisex names from both genders' Top 1000:

1. Armani
2. Jaylen / Jaelyn
3. Briar
4. Justice
5. Denver
6. Sonny / Sunny
7. Harlan / Harlyn
8. Layton / Leighton
9. Rory
10. Seven / Sevyn
11. Rylan
12. Francis / Frances
13. Royal
14. Campbell
15. Finley
16. Frankie
17. Khari
18. Salem
19. Dakota
20. Rhys / Reese

Because I know you want more lists and numbers, here are all the "unisex" names from both Top 1000s, from most boyish to most girlish:

• Noah / Noa, ≈31 boys per girl
• Lincoln, ≈30 boys per girl
• Mason / Maisyn, ≈29 boys per girl
• Kayden, ≈28 boys per girl
• Grayson / Gracyn, ≈24 boys per girl
• Ezra, ≈19 boys per girl
• Jayden, ≈19 boys per girl
• Hunter, ≈17 boys per girl
• Bentley, ≈15 boys per girl
• Adrian / Adrienne, ≈12 boys per girl
• Carter, ≈12 boys per girl
• Austin / Austyn, ≈11 boys per girl
• Logan, ≈11 boys per girl
• Alex, ≈10 boys per girl
• Camden, ≈9 boys per girl
• Dylan, ≈9 boys per girl
• Dawson / Dawsyn, ≈9 boys per girl
• Kai, ≈9 boys per girl
• August, ≈8 boys per girl
• Ashton, ≈8 boys per girl
• Zion, ≈7 boys per girl
• Cody / Kodi, ≈7 boys per girl
• Ryan, ≈6 boys per girl
• Aaron / Erin, ≈6 boys per girl
• Lane / Layne, ≈6 boys per girl
• Carson / Karsyn, ≈6 boys per girl
• Angel, ≈5 boys per girl
• Micah, ≈5 boys per girl
• Joel / Joelle, ≈5 boys per girl
• Spencer, ≈4 boys per girl
• Kyrie / Kairi, ≈4 boys per girl
• Devin / Devyn, ≈4 boys per girl
• Elliott, ≈4 boys per girl
• Cameron / Kamryn, ≈3 boys per girl
• Jesse / Jessie, ≈3 boys per girl
• Drew, ≈3 boys per girl
• Sawyer, ≈3 boys per girl
• Parker, ≈3 boys per girl
• Ellis, ≈3 boys per girl
• Azaiah / Aziah, ≈3 boys per girl
• Dallas, ≈2 boys per girl
• Chandler, ≈2 boys per girl
• Quincy, ≈2 boys per girl
• Colby / Colbie, ≈2 boys per girl
• Rowan, ≈2 boys per girl
• Remington, ≈2 boys per girl
• Blake, ≈2 boys per girl
• Danny / Dani, ≈2 boys per girl
• Daylen / Dailyn, ≈2 boys per girl
• Jordan / Jordyn, ≈2 boys per girl
• Kamari, ≈2 boys per girl
• Milan, ≈2 boys per girl
• River, ≈2 boys per girl
• Andy / Andi, ≈2 boys per girl
• Hayden, ≈2 boys per girl
• Phoenix, ≈1 boy per girl
• Lennox, ≈1 boy per girl
• Amari, ≈1 boy per girl
• Kymani / Kimani, ≈1 boy per girl
• Corey / Kori, ≈1 boy per girl
• Royal, ≈1 boy per girl
• Rylan, ≈1 boy per girl
• Rory, ≈1 boy per girl
• Denver, ≈1 boy per girl
• Armani, ≈1 girl per boy
• Jaylen / Jaelyn, ≈1 girl per boy
• Briar, ≈1 girl per boy
• Justice, ≈1 girl per boy
• Sonny / Sunny, ≈1 girl per boy
• Harlan / Harlyn, ≈1 girl per boy
• Layton / Leighton, ≈1 girl per boy
• Seven / Sevyn, ≈1 girl per boy
• Francis / Frances, ≈1 girl per boy
• Campbell, ≈1 girl per boy
• Finley, ≈1 girl per boy
• Frankie, ≈1 girl per boy
• Khari, ≈1 girl per boy
• Salem, ≈1 girl per boy
• Dakota, ≈1 girl per boy
• Rhys / Reese, ≈1 girl per boy
• Palmer, ≈1 girl per boy
• Jael, ≈1 girl per boy
• Taron / Taryn, ≈2 girls per boy
• Lennon, ≈2 girls per boy
• Shea, ≈2 girls per boy
• Oakley, ≈2 girls per boy
• Tatum, ≈2 girls per boy
• Arden, ≈2 girls per boy
• Noel / Noelle, ≈2 girls per boy
• Casey, ≈2 girls per boy
• Sutton, ≈2 girls per boy
• Azariah, ≈2 girls per boy
• Landry, ≈2 girls per boy
• Shiloh, ≈2 girls per boy
• Remy / Remi, ≈2 girls per boy
• Jamie, ≈2 girls per boy
• Bellamy, ≈2 girls per boy
• Taylen / Taelyn, ≈2 girls per boy
• Sage, ≈2 girls per boy
• Robin, ≈2 girls per boy
• Renly / Wrenley, ≈3 girls per boy
• Emerson, ≈3 girls per boy
• Charlie, ≈3 girls per boy
• Alexis, ≈3 girls per boy
• Kerry / Carrie, ≈3 girls per boy
• Legacy, ≈3 girls per boy
• Reign, ≈3 girls per boy
• Eden, ≈3 girls per boy
• Monroe, ≈3 girls per boy
• Aris / Eris, ≈3 girls per boy
• Scout, ≈4 girls per boy
• Laken / Laikyn, ≈4 girls per boy
• Ellison, ≈4 girls per boy
• Quinn, ≈4 girls per boy
• Lyric, ≈4 girls per boy
• Marion / Marian, ≈4 girls per boy
• Peyton, ≈4 girls per boy
• Avery, ≈4 girls per boy
• Egypt, ≈5 girls per boy
• Tory / Tori, ≈5 girls per boy
• Amani, ≈5 girls per boy
• Taylor, ≈5 girls per boy
• Courtney, ≈5 girls per boy
• Kelly, ≈5 girls per boy
• Indy / Indie, ≈5 girls per boy
• Karas / Karis, ≈6 girls per boy
• Eliyah / Elia, ≈6 girls per boy
• Marlo / Marlowe, ≈6 girls per boy
• Holland, ≈6 girls per boy
• Morgan, ≈6 girls per boy
• Kendall, ≈6 girls per boy
• Juel / Jewel, ≈6 girls per boy
• Ariel, ≈6 girls per boy
• Skyler / Skylar, ≈6 girls per boy
• Teagan, ≈6 girls per boy
• Noor, ≈6 girls per boy
• Oaklen / Oaklyn, ≈6 girls per boy
• Wren, ≈7 girls per boy
• Emery, ≈7 girls per boy
• Riley, ≈7 girls per boy
• Berkley, ≈7 girls per boy
• Sky / Skye, ≈8 girls per boy
• Kadence / Cadence, ≈9 girls per boy
• Henley, ≈10 girls per boy
• Aspen, ≈10 girls per boy
• Haven, ≈10 girls per boy
• Ivory, ≈10 girls per boy
• Jaycee, ≈11 girls per boy
• Sidney / Sydney, ≈12 girls per boy
• Collins, ≈12 girls per boy
• Marley, ≈12 girls per boy
• Blair, ≈12 girls per boy
• Nova, ≈12 girls per boy
• London, ≈13 girls per boy
• Presley, ≈14 girls per boy
• Paris, ≈15 girls per boy
• Kali, ≈15 girls per boy
• Mckinley, ≈15 girls per boy
• Kalani, ≈16 girls per boy
• Reagan, ≈16 girls per boy
• Sailor / Saylor, ≈16 girls per boy
• Sloan / Sloane, ≈20 girls per boy
• Cassidy, ≈21 girls per boy
• Winter, ≈22 girls per boy
• Bailey, ≈28 girls per boy
• Kamil / Camille, ≈28 girls per boy
• Journey / Journee, ≈30 girls per boy
• Harper, ≈39 girls per boy
• Loren / Lauren, ≈40 girls per boy
• Kennedy, ≈41 girls per boy
• Genesis, ≈43 girls per boy
• Addison, ≈45 girls per boy
• Aubrey, ≈71 girls per boy
• Mackenzie, ≈100 girls per boy
• Brooklyn, ≈100 girls per boy
• Madison, ≈205 girls per boy

All the names given to both genders is up here, on Google Sheets (I would wager that at least some are errors, however, like the 6 boys named Penelope or the 5 girls named Abraham).

As for the stats: last year about 59% of boys and 27% of girls got "unisex" names--that is, names that were also given to the opposite gender.
However, if you remove the names most heavily skewed toward one gender, and consider only the middle 80% of names, that drops to 28% of boys and 12% of girls.
This is still a bit counter-intuitive, since when we think "unisex", we tend to think of girls with boys' names, but parents are much more likely to consider popular boys' names for their daughters than the reverse. The result is that statistically, more boys have "unisex" names than girls do--however small the chance is, you're still more likely to run into a girl Jackson than a boy Sophia. 

This does not mean that we are being overrun with girls with super-masculine names, though--only 3.5% of girls were given names that were more common on boys. Conversely, about 2.5% of boys were given names more common for girls (and those stats barely change if you consider all the data instead of the middle 80%).


Some number-free tidbits to finish:
Jordyn is the most popular girls' name that is more common on boys, followed by Kamryn, Rowan, Hayden, and Parker. The most popular boys' names that are more common on girls are Avery, Jaylen, Charlie, Finley, and Riley.
While "creative" spellings abound for both genders, a handful of unisex names were only recorded with one spelling: Royce, Sullivan, Miller, Parker, Channing, Everest, Yael, Ever, Ridley, Campbell, Palmer, Sol, Charleston, Shannon, Indigo, Monroe, Scout, Holland, and Harper. 

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Gus

Gus seems to be a rather polarizing nickname: either you find it adorable, or you find it hopelessly dorky. In the US, it's usually short for the various forms of August, occasionally Gustavo or Constantine, but simply Gus on its own is on the rise as well.
And gosh-darn-it, I think Gussie is adorable for a girl, so let's go ahead and see if we can find a few girl Gus-names, too.

Boys:

• Agus (AG-oos, Indonesian)--prob. "handsome"
• Angus (ANG-gus, Irish, Scottish, English)--poss. from Old Irish "one strength" or "one choice". Also spelled Aengus or Aonghus. 
• Argus (AR-gus, [Latinized] Greek)--"shining"
• Fergus (FUR-gus, English, Irish)--from Old Irish "man-strength"
• Gaius (GYE-us, Latin)--origin uncertain, poss. from Latin "rejoice". Another form was Gaianus (GYE-an-us).
• Galenus (gah-LEEN-us, [Latinized] Greek)--"calm"
• Gentius (GEN-tee-us, [Hellenized] Illyrian)--poss. "beget". [the flower gentian is derived from Gentius]
• Goswin (GAHZ-win, [archaic] English; GOHZ-veen, German)--from Germanic, "Goth-friend"
• Gusten (GOOS-ten, Swedish)--from Old Norse, "god-stone"
• Gustin (goos-AHn, French)--form of Augustine
• Lugus (LOO-gus, Celtic mythology [Latinized])--origin uncertain, poss. "light", "black", or "swear an oath"
• Margus (MAHR-goos, Estonian)--form of Marcus

Girls:

• Angustias (ahn-GOOST-yahs, Spanish)--"anguish" [a Marian name]
• Gusta (GOOS-tah, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian; GUS-tah, English)--short form of Gustava or Augusta.
  Other forms include Gustė (GOOS-tay, Lithuanian), Gustel (GOOS-tel, German), and Gusten (GOOS-ten, Swedish [much more common on boys, however]). 
• Gustava (goos-TAH-vah, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish)--feminine of Gustav (Old Norse, "Goth-staff").
  Another [rather rare] form is Gustavia (goos-TAHV-yah, English, Swedish).