Some people choose names that are common for both men and women or that are otherwise not clearly assigned to a binary gender. Which of these one can officially adopt and under what conditions depends on the laws of the respective country.

Some unisex names may be only male or only female in different languages. Maybe they are generally only male or only female, but don't sound like that in German or weren't used that way in the past. When choosing a name, it's ultimately not important whether the name is used male or female, but whether you feel comfortable with it.

Nothing is stopping you from using your nickname as a name or just making one up. It's just that if you want to officially adopt such a name, you'll probably have to conjure up sources that show that it exists and is suitable. If your name doesn't exist, the Institute for First Name Research in Leipzig may be able to help you. They will issue a report on your name, which the court may recognize.

There are many names you can think of. A good source for this is our Calculator and Name Generator

https://calculatoracute.com/

In Germany, there are different ways to officially change your name. One way is the „Self-Determination Act“; anyone who wants to change their name using this method must register the name and civil status change with a registry office three months in advance. You can only change your first name using the law if you also change your civil status at the same time. The new first name must match the chosen gender entry; in case of doubt, the registry office decides what exactly this means. ¹⁾

It is also possible to have your name changed without having to change your gender entry through the „Name Change Act“. There must be an important reason for a change; the administrative authority of a district decides when this is the case. In Germany, the hurdles for such a change are very high and sometimes arbitrary. ²⁾

Another option is to have the name entered as a stage name in your ID card and passport. This must be applied for at the residents' registration office. In a stage name, you can also use words that are not legally considered names. The prerequisite for this is that the person has been active as an artist under the name and is well-known beyond the region. The authority can then decide for itself whether to enter the stage name or not. ³⁾

in nonbinary.wiki: Names

In German, names traditionally have a gender, usually male or female. This was probably already the case in prehistoric Indo-European times, before Germany even existed. At that time, names were usually made up of two words, also called name elements; a grammatically masculine word at the end of the name indicates a man's name, a grammatically feminine word indicates a woman's name. This is why names like Siegfried, for example, are masculine but Sieghild, for example, are feminine. Through Christianity, biblical names and later names of saints came into use in the areas we know as Germany today. A strict separation of the sexes was the rule here too, but could be lifted for religious reasons. This was usually the case when the person a name referred to was considered so holy that no one wanted to change the name; for example, Maria, after Saint Mary, became fashionable as a middle name for boys; in the past, for example, Josef was also used for girls.

In the 15th century, Latin names became fashionable, and in the 17th and 18th centuries, French names. After that, English and Slavic names also came into use. Unisex names existed at that time mainly as short and pet forms of gender-ambiguous names (such as Sigi or Friedel). North German pet forms ending in -ke in particular were mostly unisex. Among the East Frisians, there were sometimes more unisex than gender-ambiguous names.

It was only after the Second World War that our naming landscape became more colorful and diverse, and with it more and more names that do not clearly assign a gender entered our culture.

In Germany, we usually intuitively assign names to a gender based on certain characteristics, for example based on the ending of a name.

• Names ending in -o are mostly and names ending in -us or -ius are always masculine
• Names ending in -a and -e are mostly and names ending in -ine/-ina or -ette are always feminine
• The length of a name can also play a role. One-syllable names are usually masculine; the more syllables the name has, the more likely it is that it is a feminine name.

With some names, we simply know what gender it is because that's how we learned it. Names that we have adopted from other cultures can also be unisex, either because they are already unisex there or because that's how we perceive them.

However, as more and more names from other cultures are being used in Germany, it is possible that these rules will become increasingly blurred.

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For some, the process of finding a new name is relatively short, others have to try out many names before they find one they like, and still others may use a name for a long time before they find a new one they like better. A few questions you can ask yourself when looking for a name:

• Do you want a name that fits your cultural or ethnic background?
• Do you want a name that fits your generation? Do you want a vintage name? Maybe you want a name that is rare?
• Is the name a common nickname for another name or can the name be easily shortened? Are you OK with people assuming your name is different or abbreviating your name?
• Do you want a name with a specific meaning?
• Do you want to change your name legally and if so, is the name you have chosen a name you can legally use? Some countries have rules about which names you can and cannot use.

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In Germany, unisex names are usually short or pet forms that are derived from both male and female names. Some are:

Sigi, Toni, Friedel, Maxi, Gustl, Christel, Ludi, Fel, Flo, Uli, Frede, Bascha, Franzis, Zenz, Hänni, Lenel, Bürki, Dietmut, Dolde, Fränzel, Gert, Hermi, Idel, Laure, Lei, Lu, Nandel, Tille, Marti, Reini

In North German and East Frisian, there are the most unisex names in German. Some are:

Tomke, Gerke, Jelke, Tamke, Heinke, Gerrit, Hauke, Tjade, Eike, Tietje, Sunke, Jenken, Fibbe, Enne, Jemke, Didde, Eicke, Enke, Gebke, Gerken, Hemke, Hedde, Hille, Memke, Reinke, Rixt, Simke

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In English, unisex names are often short or pet forms, but even formerly male names have often become unisex names in recent decades. Surnames are also increasingly being used as unisex first names. Some English unisex names are:

Addison, Charlie, Lou, Jamie, Lee, Aubrey, Avery, Bailey, Blake, Brooklyn, Casey, Harper, Marley, Oakley, Quinn, Riley, Robin, Rowan, Logan, Cameron, Emerson, Elliott, Sutton, Layton, Spencer, Karsyn, Lennox, Peyton, Reagan, Scout, Lennon, Taylor

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Camille, Andréa, Louison, Maé, Yaël, Alix, Loïs, Sasha

Jip, Dani, Bobby, Marijn, Sil, Jente, Benja, Jelke

Guadalupe, Reyes, Lucero

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Maybe you don't want to or can't change your name but would like a more neutral nickname. For some names it's easy to find one, for others not at all. Here are a few tips on how to find one:

• Shorten your name to two or three letters. The shorter your nickname is, the more likely it is to sound neutral.
• Use your initials as a nickname. An example is the presenter Jean Pierre Kraemer who is known as JP.
• Do some research on the Internet, maybe there is a traditional nickname for your name in another region or country that you didn't know about

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http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/3841-uni.htm

https://calculatoracute.com/

http://www.firstname.com/unisex-firstname.html

http://www.gofeminin.de/mama/album1161275/junge-oder-madchen-egal-die-schonsten-unisex-namen-fur-beide-geächter-0.html#p1

http://www.babycenter.de/a25004363/unisex-vornamen

http://www.behindthename.com/names/gender/unisex

http://www.babynames.co.uk/unisex-baby-names/

http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-names-that-work-for-boys-and-girls_10309861.bc

https://calculatoracute.com/bow-name-generator/

http://www.babynamewizard.com/forum/gender-neutral-names

https://www.kidpaw.com/names/gender/unisex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_name

https://www.nordicnames.de/namefinder/ - under Gender, select “suiting both Genders” and enter a letter under “Letters: Name starts with”.

https://www.behindthename.com/submit/names/gender/unisex

If you use names from outside your cultural repertoire, you should at least briefly consider cultural appropriation. Your culture may have a privileged relationship with other cultures. This arose during the colonial era, but is still present in the form of various forms of racism.

When choosing a name, you can ask the following questions to avoid cultural appropriation:

• Does the name come from a cultural context that is less privileged than my own? This is the case, for example, if you are white/of European descent and choose a name that is used in countries where there were/are colonies of European countries.
• Is the meaning of the name religious? If you don't belong to the religion, it can be disrespectful to use it.
• Does the meaning of the name relate to other concepts in the culture? Are the concepts ones that also exist in your culture?