Gender-Neutral Baby Names Becoming More Popular

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- When picking out names, more parents than ever are choosing gender-neutral options.

Names such as Riley, Justice, Charlie, and Avery have spiked in popularity recently.

Some parents say they're more willing to embrace the possibility their children might not identify with the gender they were born with. The idea is to make the transition a little easier for a child if they identify with a different gender later on. Others say they chose the unisex name in an effort to stave off sexism.

Several unisex names are in the US Top 100 for both males and females. Many double as places (Dakota), are word names (Justice), invented names, or spelling variations.

According to the Social Security Administration, in Maryland, Riley was the 16th most popular female name in 2016 and Carter was the 20th most popular male name.

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