Jesus has a group of 12 men in the New Testament, but also named as disciples (and benefactors) are a fair number of women. Including a lot of Marys, as Mary was apparently the female equivalent of Dave back in the day. Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary the mother of James, Mary of Magdala/the Magdalen/Magdalene. Also a Susanna, I think.
The book of Romans is a letter to the church in Rome and includes 'Greet Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae' most likely because she is the person carrying the letter to them.
There's also Prisca/Priscilla in Romans 16, as well as Junia who along with Andronicus is 'outstanding among the apostles'.
Oh, and Lydia of Thyatira, who is a businesswoman, hears the Gospel, gets herself baptised and sets up a church in her household. She's in...the Book of Acts and also the letter to the Philippians I think. She's the first named convert to Christianity in Europe.
There are more, but that's all I've got off the top of my head right now!
There had to be male and female deacons because one of the jobs of deacons was to baptise new converts. Which at the time often had the new converts immersed in water while buck naked. Which obviously you don't really want to be doing with the opposite sex around.