Names that change gender by country
Across official name registers in seven countries, 12,637 given names appear in at least two countries with 100 or more records each. 399 of them flip: at least 70% girls in one country and at least 70% boys in another. The full table is free to download under CC BY 4.0.
Eleven names, two genders
Jean
The French form of John, and a boys' name in France, Canada and Norway. In the United States and Ireland it is recorded almost entirely for girls.
United States: 95% girls (n=483,198) Ireland: 98% girls (n=2,479) France: 100% boys (n=1,910,805) Canada: 88% boys (n=3,295) Norway: 100% boys (n=394)
Andrea
Most children registered as Andrea in France are boys, in line with the Italian and Catalan masculine use of the name. In the other countries here it is overwhelmingly a girls' name.
United States: 99% girls (n=450,034) England and Wales: 87% girls (n=2,145) Canada: 96% girls (n=8,813) Ireland: 100% girls (n=3,277) Spain: 97% girls (n=113,054) Norway: 100% girls (n=8,136) France: 79% boys (n=10,855)
Kim
Traditionally a boys' name in Norway. In English-speaking countries and in France it is mostly given to girls.
United States: 84% girls (n=214,713) England and Wales: 84% girls (n=702) France: 81% girls (n=6,610) Canada: 94% girls (n=4,691) Ireland: 99% girls (n=2,138) Norway: 93% boys (n=9,000)
Joan
In Spain this is Joan, the Catalan form of John, and it is also mostly boys in France. In English-speaking countries and Norway it is a girls' name.
United States: 98% girls (n=488,465) England and Wales: 99% girls (n=325) Canada: 94% girls (n=378) Ireland: 100% girls (n=3,080) Norway: 100% girls (n=131) France: 86% boys (n=8,370) Spain: 99% boys (n=53,377)
Toni
A short form of Antonio in Spain and of Anton in Norway, so a boys' name there and in France; a girls' name in the English-speaking registers.
United States: 98% girls (n=101,661) England and Wales: 99% girls (n=2,615) Canada: 98% girls (n=701) Ireland: 100% girls (n=250) France: 97% boys (n=2,620) Spain: 100% boys (n=3,281) Norway: 100% boys (n=155)
Riadh
Two different names that meet once the accent is removed: Ríadh, an Irish girls' name that entered Ireland's top 100 in 2025, and Riadh, an Arabic boys' name registered in France.
Ireland: 100% girls (n=218) France: 100% boys (n=435)
Valentine
A girls' name in France and Canada; in the United States and Ireland it is recorded for boys.
France: 100% girls (n=52,060) Canada: 100% girls (n=115) United States: 75% boys (n=8,783) Ireland: 100% boys (n=216)
Laurence
A girls' name in France and Quebec, and the English boys' name elsewhere.
France: 100% girls (n=181,700) Canada: 96% girls (n=11,343) United States: 99% boys (n=40,108) England and Wales: 100% boys (n=3,493) Ireland: 100% boys (n=2,625)
Ola
A Norwegian boys' name, related to Olav. In the United States and England and Wales it is a girls' name.
United States: 98% girls (n=30,261) England and Wales: 100% girls (n=336) Norway: 100% boys (n=9,420)
Eli
A Norwegian and Spanish girls' name (a short form of Elisabeth); a boys' name in every English-speaking register and in France.
Spain: 100% girls (n=179) Norway: 100% girls (n=7,256) United States: 99% boys (n=150,620) England and Wales: 98% boys (n=8,640) France: 95% boys (n=2,225) Canada: 100% boys (n=9,557) Ireland: 100% boys (n=897)
Ashley
A girls' name in North America, Ireland, France and Spain. In England and Wales, where these records start in 1996, most children named Ashley are boys.
United States: 98% girls (n=873,769) France: 95% girls (n=5,840) Canada: 99% girls (n=25,246) Ireland: 81% girls (n=1,239) Spain: 100% girls (n=1,614) England and Wales: 81% boys (n=15,186)
The most common names that flip
Ordered by how widely the name is used on both sides: a name recorded tens of thousands of times as a girls' name in one country and as a boys' name in another ranks above one that flips on a hundred records.
| Name | Mostly girls | Mostly boys |
|---|---|---|
| Jean | United States: 95% girls, Ireland: 98% girls | France: 100% boys, Canada: 88% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Alexis | United States: 84% girls, England and Wales: 91% girls, Ireland: 91% girls | France: 100% boys, Spain: 100% boys |
| Robin | United States: 86% girls | England and Wales: 80% boys, France: 100% boys, Spain: 100% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Joan | United States: 98% girls, England and Wales: 99% girls, Canada: 94% girls, Ireland: 100% girls, Norway: 100% girls | France: 86% boys, Spain: 99% boys |
| Jan | United States: 71% girls | England and Wales: 99% boys, France: 100% boys, Canada: 97% boys, Ireland: 95% boys, Spain: 100% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Jamie | United States: 75% girls | England and Wales: 94% boys, France: 82% boys, Ireland: 93% boys |
| Eden | United States: 82% girls, England and Wales: 75% girls, Canada: 77% girls, Ireland: 71% girls, Norway: 100% girls | France: 71% boys |
| Noa | United States: 83% girls, England and Wales: 72% girls, Spain: 100% girls | France: 83% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Laurence | France: 100% girls, Canada: 96% girls | United States: 99% boys, England and Wales: 100% boys, Ireland: 100% boys |
| Patrice | United States: 98% girls, England and Wales: 84% girls, Ireland: 100% girls | France: 100% boys, Canada: 94% boys |
| Morgan | United States: 83% girls, Canada: 72% girls | France: 93% boys, Ireland: 87% boys, Spain: 100% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Lilian | United States: 100% girls, England and Wales: 100% girls, Canada: 99% girls, Ireland: 100% girls, Spain: 100% girls, Norway: 100% girls | France: 99% boys |
| Augustine | France: 100% girls | United States: 80% boys, England and Wales: 97% boys, Ireland: 100% boys |
| Bailey | United States: 84% girls, Canada: 73% girls | England and Wales: 88% boys |
| Ashley | United States: 98% girls, France: 95% girls, Canada: 99% girls, Ireland: 81% girls, Spain: 100% girls | England and Wales: 81% boys |
| Ollie | United States: 70% girls | England and Wales: 100% boys, Ireland: 100% boys |
| Jocelyn | United States: 100% girls, England and Wales: 96% girls, Canada: 95% girls, Spain: 100% girls | France: 100% boys |
| Andrea | United States: 99% girls, England and Wales: 87% girls, Canada: 96% girls, Ireland: 100% girls, Spain: 97% girls, Norway: 100% girls | France: 79% boys |
| Marley | United States: 86% girls, Canada: 87% girls | England and Wales: 79% boys, France: 80% boys |
| Ola | United States: 98% girls, England and Wales: 100% girls | Norway: 100% boys |
| Kim | United States: 84% girls, England and Wales: 84% girls, France: 81% girls, Canada: 94% girls, Ireland: 99% girls | Norway: 93% boys |
| Valentine | France: 100% girls, Canada: 100% girls | United States: 75% boys, Ireland: 100% boys |
| Angel | England and Wales: 95% girls, Canada: 78% girls, Ireland: 98% girls | United States: 72% boys, France: 89% boys, Spain: 100% boys |
| Vivien | United States: 100% girls, England and Wales: 100% girls, Canada: 100% girls, Ireland: 98% girls | France: 100% boys |
| Eli | Spain: 100% girls, Norway: 100% girls | United States: 99% boys, England and Wales: 98% boys, France: 95% boys, Canada: 100% boys, Ireland: 100% boys |
| Manel | France: 97% girls, Canada: 100% girls | Spain: 100% boys |
| Marin | United States: 86% girls, Canada: 79% girls | France: 100% boys, Spain: 100% boys |
| Reyes | Spain: 80% girls | United States: 89% boys |
| Adria | United States: 100% girls, France: 99% girls, Canada: 100% girls | Spain: 100% boys |
| Mackenzie | United States: 95% girls, France: 97% girls, Canada: 80% girls, Ireland: 98% girls | England and Wales: 74% boys |
| Valery | United States: 99% girls, Canada: 100% girls, Spain: 100% girls | France: 88% boys |
| Mckenzie | United States: 97% girls, Canada: 88% girls | England and Wales: 84% boys |
| Remi | United States: 84% girls, Ireland: 87% girls | France: 100% boys, Canada: 74% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Regan | United States: 81% girls | England and Wales: 82% boys |
| Marti | United States: 95% girls | France: 100% boys, Spain: 100% boys |
| Vinnie | United States: 80% girls | England and Wales: 100% boys |
| Dara | United States: 94% girls, Canada: 76% girls, Spain: 100% girls | Ireland: 83% boys |
| Kenzie | United States: 98% girls, France: 100% girls, Canada: 95% girls, Ireland: 78% girls | England and Wales: 76% boys |
| Toni | United States: 98% girls, England and Wales: 99% girls, Canada: 98% girls, Ireland: 100% girls | France: 97% boys, Spain: 100% boys, Norway: 100% boys |
| Ariel | United States: 78% girls, Canada: 85% girls, Norway: 100% girls | France: 82% boys, Spain: 89% boys |
Which countries disagree most
Number of flipping names for each pair of countries. France and the United States disagree most often, largely through French masculine names that are feminine in American use.
- France – United States 223
- England and Wales – United States 89
- France – England and Wales 74
- Spain – United States 63
- Canada – France 57
- Canada – England and Wales 39
- France – Ireland 31
- Spain – England and Wales 31
- Canada – United States 30
- Spain – France 28
Why it matters for name-based gender inference
A lookup that ignores country gives Jean, Andrea or Kim a single answer, and that answer is wrong for a large share of the people who carry the name in at least one country. Any system that infers gender from names should take a country hint when one is available and should report how much evidence sits behind each answer.
The NameGender API accepts a country parameter for this reason and returns sample_size and confidence with every result. See the API documentation.
Method
- Only sources that publish counts are used. Lists that state a gender without counting people are excluded, which is why the table covers seven countries rather than more.
- A country is included for a name when that country records it at least 100 times. A name enters the table when at least two countries qualify.
- A name flips when it is at least 70% female in one country and at least 70% male in another.
- Counts are totals over each source's full published series, not a single year.
- These thresholds are deliberately inclusive so the CSV is useful for filtering. A stricter cut, at least 1,000 records and 80% on each side among names given to 500+ US babies, leaves 47 names; they are listed with their counts in Male in one country, female in another.
- Names are matched after removing accents and case, so Ríadh and Riadh share one row. This is how most software sees names, and it is also a limitation (below).
Limitations
The sources count different things over different periods. Six count births; Spain counts people currently resident. The United States series runs from 1880 and France's from 1900, while England and Wales starts in 1996, so a name whose use changed over time can look different for that reason alone.
"England and Wales" is not the whole United Kingdom. Israel's register is counted but written in Hebrew script, so it does not match these Latin-script names and is left out.
A share describes how a name is recorded in a population. It does not tell you the gender of any individual, and it should not be used for decisions about a person.
Download, licence and citation
names-gender-by-country.csv has one row per name. For each country there are three columns: xx_female, xx_male and xx_female_pct, empty where the country does not qualify. flips, female_dominant_in, male_dominant_in and spread_pct summarise the row.
SHA-256 be28596a94be01adcb07a1cb5dfeebe722de9facc9b5aa6ec1aa6269324bdf08
The compiled table is released under CC BY 4.0. Please credit NameGender and the underlying sources:
- United States: Social Security Administration, national baby names (public domain).
- England and Wales: Office for National Statistics, baby names (Open Government Licence v3.0).
- France: Insee, Fichier des prénoms (Licence Ouverte 2.0).
- Canada: Statistics Canada, table 17-10-0147-01 (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
- Ireland: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names (CC BY 4.0).
- Spain: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, frequent names.
- Norway: Statistics Norway, table 10467 (CC BY 4.0).
NameGender (2026). Names that change gender by country [Data set]. https://namegender.com/research/names-that-change-gender-by-countryCopy failed. Select and copy the text.