The unisex takeover

Casey, Riley, Jordan, Taylor, Cameron... These names used to be "girl names" (or "boy names"), and now they're used for everyone. Welcome to the unisex takeover.

It started in the 1970s, when parents started questioning why a name had to be "for boys" or "for girls". Why can't a boy be called Casey? Why can't a girl be called Jordan? The answer was: they could. And so they did.

The funny thing is, the trend usually goes one way: girl names become boy names, but boy names rarely become girl names. Taylor was originally a boy's name (as in, someone who tailors clothes), then it became a girl's name (thanks to Taylor Swift), and now it's used for everyone. Riley was originally a boy's name, then it became a girl's name, and now it's... everyone's name.

Some people love it. Some people hate it. But the trend isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's accelerating. More and more parents are choosing names that don't have a gender at all. River, Sage, Sky — nature names that could be anyone's. The future is unisex, and we're all just living in it.