The 2013 New Unisex Names - Chikamso, Harbour & Khymani

The Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up at dusk

It's an exciting time of the year for name enthusiasts - the time when the SSA releases the name data for the previous year. Sure, I'm an Australian, not an American, but the SSA lists still hold an immense attraction for me. So many more names, so much new data to get me pondering.....

Which then leads the name blogger to a massive conundrum - what to do with the new wealth of information at hand. And how to look at it in a way that hasn't already been done by my fellow bloggers? Abby at Appellation Mountain has given a great "highlights" overview, NameFreak has covered names new to the top 100, Name Candy the fastest rising names new to the top 1000, and Nancy's Baby Names the biggest debuts for both boys and girls in 2013. Names For Real has even managed to compile a top 10 list when you combine spellings - which is no easy task! All are interesting reads, and I'm sure we'll see many more over the next few weeks.

One of the posts I did last year that I really enjoyed was The New Unisex Names - a list of those names special enough to simultaneously debut for both girls and boys in 2012. There were just five, and it was interesting to learn about names from cultures I am largely unfamiliar with, plus word names, celebrity names, and spelling variations I hadn't considered. So I wanted to do the same for the 2013 names. And the three contenders for 2013 manage to deliver on all of those aspects.

CHIKAMSO - Given to 5 girls and 8 boys in 2013

Showing how much I still have to learn about the world of names, when I first saw Chikamso I thought it might be of Asian origin. I learnt however that Chikamso is a Nigerian name from the Igbo (or Ibo) people. For people looking for a strong Igbo name that honours God this could be a good choice, as it means 'God I follow' or 'I am following God'. Possible nicknames include Chi - which is also an Igbo name reportedly meaning 'God' or 'spiritual guardian' - or the more commonly suggested Kamso. Or dare I suggest Kamzo?Kamso itself has never charted, but seems like it would be a cool and spunky nickname for either gender.

HARBOUR - Given to 7 girls and 5 boys in 2013

At first I was surprised that this hadn't charted before. After all, I was sure I'd seen it in birth announcements. Then I realised what I had missed. Seeing Harbour on the U.S charts is a little strange because this is the British spelling (also used in Australia) of Harbor. Is it possible that these were all bestowed by parents from countries where Harbour is the accepted spelling? Possibly. Or maybe it's just a personal preference. For example, here in Australia we use the spelling Honour. But if I were using it as a name, I'd hands down choose the spelling Honor. For some reason I just think it looks more attractive. Like Harbor and now Harbour, both Honor and Honour have charted in the U.S, although Valour is yet to chart alongside Valor. Maybe next year.

Spelling intricacies aside, Harbour is of course a word name. Conceptually though, it can also be seen as something of a virtue name. It's a haven, a place to find protection from stormy weather. It's also a viable option if you want a name associated with water, or perhaps sailing. Or maybe there is a particular harbour location that holds a special meaning for you. While online it seems that many feel it is better suited for a boy, it's strong yet soft sound makes it an appealing option for either gender.

KHYMANI - Given to 5 girls and 5 boys in 2013

At one point last year I started making a list of the many names with a similar sound to this - and there are quite a few. Kymani is the most popular spelling, given to 58 girls and 253 boys in 2013. Others already charting are Kimani, Kamani, Kemani, Khamani, Keymani, Keimani, Camani, Kaimani, and Kmani; so it seems that this is simply a new variant. 

So, where did this name come from, assuming that Kymani as the most popular spelling is the "original" form? Well, the interesting thing about the SSA records it that punctuation such as hyphens are usually omitted from the records, so it's very possible that many Kymanis are actually Ky-Manis. As in Ky-Mani Marley, son of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley and successful reggae musician in his own right. Ky-Mani (and hence Kymani and Khymani) is said to be an East African name meaning 'adventurous traveler'. At which point I must admit I personally didn't see the attraction of the name until learning what a cool meaning it has. I love it - it strikes me as a modern day aspirational name, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one.

Kymani first charted for girls in 1995 and for boys in 1997, while Ky-Mani Marley released his first album 'Like Father Like Son' in 1996. I can't say I love this new Khymani variant, which feels as if parents may have been influenced by the 'Game of Thrones' nouveau title-come-name Khaleesi for the "KH" spelling. As they say though variety is the spice of life, and the additional "H" does seem to lend some additional exoticism to the name.

There we have it - three new worthy names to receive the honour of entering the charts for both genders in the same year. So how did the 2012 unisex entrants perform in 2013? 

• Ireoluwa climbed 733 places for girls in 2013 and 1972 places for boys 
• Kentlee fell 1583 places for boys, but climbed 2615 places for girls
• Mathai didn't chart at all for girls, and fell 3914 places for boys 
• Music is a one hit wonder to date, as it didn't chart for boys or girls in 2013; and
• Zikora also fell off the both charts (which I'm surprised by as I thought this one would be going places - it has such a great sound!)

Hopefully this years unisex entrants fare better in 2014 - do you think they have staying power?

The New Unisex Names

Both Mathai (pictured above) and Music entered the charts in 2012

Every year names move up and down, on and off the US Social Security Administration (SSA) charts of popular names. A name will appear on the charts if it has been given to more than five babies of one gender in that year. Usually when a name enters the lists, it enters for one gender first and takes some time to chart for the other gender (if it ever does). 

Take the now unisex name Cameo for example. Cameo first entered the girls charts in 1957. But it wasn't until 1979 – more than 20 years later - that it started to chart for boys too. It also charts much more irregularly for boys than it does for girls.

So it's fair to say that it takes quite a special name to simultaneously enter both the boys and the girls charts for the first time in the same year. There is something about it that has captured the imagination of parents, who think it has a sound and feel that could work for either gender.

In 2012 there were five such names to enter the charts, which are:

IREOLUWA - Given to 11 girls and 8 boys in 2012

Also written IreOluwa, apparently it is pronounced ee-ray-o-LOO-wah. I've never actually heard it in person though, so if this is wrong feel free to correct me in the comments below!

Ireolewa comes from the Nigerian language of the Yoruba people, consisting of Ire, meaning a 'blessing or positive thing' and Oluwa meaning 'God', hence this name most likely means 'blessing from God'. Many Yoruba names contain the element Oluwa, and Ireoluwa is quite similar to Oreoluwa, which means 'gift of God'.

This is quite an appealing sounding name with a beautiful meaning – but may seem disrespectful if your family/child is not of Nigerian or even African descent. A great option if you are though.

KENTLEE - Given to 5 girls and 6 boys in 2012

In recent years we've seen almost every spelling of Kinley, Kinsley, Kenley, and Kensley imaginable. Then came Kentley and Kentleigh. I guess it was only a matter of time before people branched out a little more and came up with Kentlee. Another smoosh, Kent means 'edge' and 'Lee' means 'meadow', so Kentlee would mean 'meadow's edge'.

As a name, this is not quite as soft sounding as it's predecessors. It does however have quite a modern, surname-y feel to it that is quite popular at the moment. However it is likely to get slightly lost in this group of similar sounding names. Interestingly, Kentley has also charted for the both genders in the last couple of years, but the Kentleigh spelling has so far been reserved for girls only.

MATHAI - Given to 10 girls and 8 boys in 2012

If you missed the second season of 'The Voice' in America, you may not know where the inspiration for the name Mathai comes from. Sharon Mathai – known only as Mathai – is a singer from Texas who was born in Queens to Indian parents. She made it to the top ten on 'The Voice' as a member of Adam Levine's team after a strong performance of Adele's 'Rumour Has It' in the blind auditions , and has recently released her debut single 'Once Again'.

Mathai is pronounced mah-TIE, and it's easy to see why parents are attracted to it for both boys and girls. Nickname Matty is popular for both genders, as is the name Tye/Ty/Thai. It's quite an attractive sounding name. If Mathai's career takes off the way the judges on 'The Voice' think it will, we could be seeing a lot more of this name.

MUSIC - Given to 6 girls and 6 boys in 2012

I find it fairly amusing that with all the time I've spent pondering about musically related names, I missed the most obvious one – Music. It's fabulous in it's simplicity, and I'm surprised it hasn't appeared on the charts before now considering the popularity of word names. Could be a very cool name to have.

ZIKORA - Given to 6 girls and 10 boys in 2012

The last name on this list is also a Nigerian name, this time from the Igbo people. Zikora is actually an abbreviated form (or nickname) for the longer names Zikoranachidimma, Zikoranachukwudimma or Zikoranaudodimma. The first two of these mean 'show the world that God is great', while the third means 'show the world that peace is great', so Zikora would have both of these meanings.

I'm not sure how this one is pronounced, although it's likely zi-KOR-ah, which is quite spunky sounding. Especially with that Z sound. Since it's more of a nickname than a “traditional” African name, it's one that could possibly also work well for people without an African background.

Overall it's a pretty cool list of new entrants – I can see why they appealed to parents of both boys and girls. Now only time will tell if these name will be a flash in the pan or will have real staying power.