Q&A: Can you suggest some boys' names that (probably) won't become girls' names?

I doubt that any of the parents who named their sons Addison in the late 1980s could have foreseen the rise of 11,823 baby girls named Addison in 2007 due to the popularity of a strong female character on the television drama, Grey's Anatomy. It was only a matter of time before parents reached for Addison for their little gals.

A look at masculine names that have become feminine over the years include Ashley, Shirley, Kimberly, Lindsey, Britney, Madison, Jocelyn, Aubrey, and Taylor. You'll notice that many of these names share a –y, or –ee sound for the ending, similar to Kaylee, Miley, or Lacey. That means any surnames with a –y or –ee ending (such as Mackenzie, Riley, Marley, and Bailey) will tend to sound more feminine to our ears, too.

For boys, Biblical names rock, especially those ending in –ah (Noah, Jonah, Josiah, Jedidiah, and Jeremiah) and –as (Jonas and Elias). Masculine occupational names and surnames such as Tanner, Hunter, Carver, Carter, Carson, and Mason may seem too macho for girls. Another hot trend: names that end in x or –ox, such as Ajax, Dax, Jax, Maddox, Pax, and Knox are super boyish. (Thank you, Angelina Jolie!)

Of course, as soon as a boy's name starts representing strength, adventure, independence, and character, you can bet more than a few parents will want to give their daughters that name as well. What's an enterprising parent to do? Well, you could just follow Charlie Sheen's example and name your sons Bob and Max!