Cool Names 2011: How To Be So Uncool You’re Cool

A few of my favorites are on this list: Dorothy, Edith, Vera, Arthur, Bernard, George, Harvey, Otto, Walter..

I favories are:

girls:
Agatha
Augusta
Dorothy
Esther
Faye
Ida
Muriel
Ruth
Vera
Vivian

boys:
Arthur
George
Howard
Ralph
Walter

And think Edgar should be on this list.

Yay my name is Louise! I’ve been waiting 18 yrs for it to come back in style

We’ve found the go-to Simpsons character name list!

According to the Simpsons Wiki…
Agnes Skinner, Judge Constance Harm, Cornelia Hernandez, Dorothé Bouvier, Eugenia Rounds, Ruth Powers, Arthur Crandall, Arthur Bouvier, Arthur Fortune, Barney Gumble, Bernard DeBoeuf, Frank Simpson, Frank Grimes, Frank Grimes Jr., Frank Ormand, Frankie the Squealer, Horace Wilcox, Howard, Humphrey Little Goat, Julius Hibbert, Leon Kompowsky, Leopold, Louis DuLac, Martin Prince, Milton Haas, Monty Burns, Oswald “Old Tut” Simpson, Otto Mann, Ralph Wiggum, Raymond Bird, Stanley Simpson, Victor Bouvier I, Victor Bouvier II

I LOVE Rosamund, but I’m not sure if I should be mad that it’s considered uncool or happy that it’s therefore cool…?
I also have soft spots for Claudia, Harriet, Ida, and Magdalene.

This is definitely my niche right now, but when I say, “I’m really liking the name Agatha right now,” they look at me like I’ve said, “Now, should I put the baby in therapy right after it’s born, or wait a few years?”

As for boys, it’s safer. No one has tried to commit me for loving on Frederick… yet.

Ralph, George, and Walter are my favorites! I named my dog Ralph so that’s out but the other two are still on my list. I’ve been predicting (hoping, really) that George will be the new Henry in 10 years- I’d love to see that!

I love, love, love this trend. I have always loved vintage! Everything vintage is totally me; vintage clothes, vintage cars, vintage music so of course vintage names is on the list as well. Out of your blog the names which i’m totally into on your list consist of…
Girls:
Agatha – this is just so cute, Aggie aw!
Agnes – I think this is going to become sooo cool gotta love
Augusta – this is a very pretty classic I like the connatations of the name and the male variant – August- is one of my favourite boys names.
Claudia – this is pretty similar to Cordelia which I prefer
Dorothy – once again a lovely name really pretty
Edith – this is just so chic and lovely love the nn ‘Edie’
Esther – this to my ears seems poetic and really retro
Faye – oozing simplicity it’s just very attractive
Louise – I like this name even though it’s not as retro as the others it’s still really pretty, a nice classic.
Rosamund – Rose is my favourite name so this variant is obviously going to be my cup of tea
Ruth – simplicity, beauty and biblical connatations love it!
Vera – very glamorous old fashioned retro southern American feel basically lush
Vivian – reminds me of pretty woman what’s not to love?! Also VIvienne is one of my favourite names.

Boys:
Alfred – this is really cute and Alfie is hot in UK so using Alfred would be really unusual and quirky. The same goes for Archibald Archie is hot in the UK however don’t like the original.
Arthur – this is really sweet, lovely classic gotta love Artie
Edmund – I prefer Edward/Edwin however Edmund is rather sweet
Frank – I like Frank even though I wouldn’t use the name because of my ex boyfriend has this name I think it is lush.
Frederick – Freddie; Frederick what is there not to love!
Harvey – once again this is hot in England and it’s cute but associated with trashy people so unsure
Leon – this is cute, as is Leo and Leonard which is handsome
Walter – now this is also lovely it looks cute humble and very honest lovely simple classic.

So basically prefer vintage girls names on the list but vintage names are simpley gorgeous!

I adore Leonora – I think it is a strong, vintage, quirky name. I love the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. Plus, I love the idea of nicknaming a little girl Leo.

However, to my distress, I recently told a friend that I loved the name and he thought it sounded like I was saying “Leah Nora” … which has take the shine off it for me. *sad face*

Great comments, but I gotta say, Jennie, you made me literally LOL. Why not put the baby in therapy before she’s born?? That way she can get a head start on blaming you for everything.

Haha, literally about half of the names on the girls list were girls in my class at school (i only left four years ago) -there was a Blanche, Claudia, Constance (Connie), Faye, Harriet, Louise and Magdalena. There was an Arthur too.

I also know a Dorothy who goes by Rory which i think is cool nickname. Oh, and i LOVE Monty!!

I love how fresh and appealing “vintage” names sound on little ones these days! Names that I think should be included:

GIRLS – Helen/Helena, Florence, Flora, Alice, Hazel, Josephine, Eleanor, Mabel, Marjorie, Margot, Cora, Jane, Loretta, Frieda

BOYS – Everett, Roger, Lawrence, Alistair, Herman (as in Miller), Clyde, Claude, Gordon, Calvin, Bruce, Oswald

Yay Eugenia! I have recently fallen for that name. I also like Agatha, Agnes, Louise, Cordelia, Hester, Ida, Faye, Vera, Vivian ( lots of old Hollywood style with the last bunch.)

Boys: Alfred I adore. Stanley makes me smile. I also like Leopold, Bernard, Walter, Milton, Vincent Humphrey (Bogart!) and Monty.
I like Oswald but wonder if it will ever shake its dire Kennedy associations.

However, I can’t get behind, those ‘Golden Girls’ Dorothy & Blanche.

Ohh… I love this (:

My favourites are definitely Agatha, Cornelia and Edith + Frederick, George and Monty…

I think Wallace should be added to this list, it’s quite cool

For some reason I am digging the girls’ names more than the boys names on this trend. The grandpa names still make me think of stinky old men rather than chubby little baby boys, though I’m sure that will change. I still really like Arthur, Archibald/Archie, and Frederick and LOVE Humphrey! Humphrey would be an easier choice for a celeb for sure, though.

On girls, Augusta is at the top of my list lately as it satisfies my love for royal names and his love of golf. I like a lot of others on here too, like Blanche, Edith/Edie, Harriet/Hattie, Vivienne, and Louisa/Louise. Definitely don’t think I’m ready for potato references with Ida and I think the Scarlet Letter has ruined Hester.

This is absolutely the sweet spot of my taste. Cornelia is my favorite girl’s name right now (wouldn’t the nickname Nell be just utterly adorable?) but my husband laughed me out of the room when I suggested it. I also drool over Agnes, Agatha, Louise, Edith, Faye, Harriet. And Frederick, George, Arthur, and Archibald are also just dreamy. Along with Ambrose–another name that suggestion that sent my husband into paroxysms of laughter.

I like these lists! Love that our 4 month old’s first and middle name is on there: George Frederick. My husband picked George, as his favourite name and I picked Frederick in the middle, as Fred was my top boy name pick. Considered Alfred for a middle name, as it’s a family name and has Fred in it, but I didn’t like “George A”. I also like Arthur a lot and considered Walter (Walt) in 2007. Stanley was another one we talked about for this baby – seeing as it’s rising in the UK into the top 100, but less popular in the US. I like Otto too, but it sounds ‘too foreign” for me to pull off, I think. And Harvey is nice – especially as we like the Jimmy Stewart movie – but it’s not good with our last name.

My favourite on the girls list is Dorothy – which I wanted to use if George had been a girl, with the nickname of Dot, which I thought was extra cute because my husband and I met on the internet (dot com). My husband doesn’t like the name though. Edith is a family name on my side, so Dorothy Edith would be a good combo. Did consider Edith in 2005 – but it wasn’t helped by the fact that my Mum didn’t carry the name onto me, after it was in 3 generations of her family, because she didn’t like the name. Plus “Rose Edith” ran together a bit, like “RosIE Dith”

love that Arthur and Edmund, my top names for future sons, are on this list. also, Enid, which i ADORE and will not accept as unredeemable!

i’m just worried that Arthur is gonna get popular…. when i first started saying i liked it years ago, people said it was superdorky, and now all these people on nameberry love it! oh well, i love it too much to let it go…..

I love so many of these names!

Agnes – I love Agnes but not Aggie
Augusta
Constance – Love Constance but not Connie
Dorothy – family name…thought about using it for a sweet little girl and calling her Dot!
Esther – I love the Biblical connection
Leonora – Love the name Nora so this works for me
Vera – super cute!
Vivian – Absolutely adorable…it brings to mind Vivian Vance and Vivian Leigh. Stunning women!

Arthur – I really like this one
George – to me this is always in fashion
Julius – Love this name!
Leon – family name for me…my grandpa was Cecil Leon
Saul
Van – I LOVE this! I like Sullivan with Van as a nickname
Victor – family name…wish I would have used this on my son for a middle name

This is right up my alley!! So many of these are on my short list. I feel like I need to review them all :

girls

*Agatha- In my top 3 for sure, it would probably end up being very stressful to try to convince some of my family members how great of a name this is.

*Agnes- see Agatha.

Augusta- Pretty, but I prefer Augustus for a boy

Blanche- Sounds too short for my taste, but I do like it

Claudia- Eh, no

Constance-

Cornelia- Prefer Cordelia

Dorothy- I would love to meet a little girl named Dorothy

Edith- or Edie, I would love to use this to honor my s/o grandmother. It would mean a lot to his aunt and father

Enid- Never really considered/heard this name before. I think I like it!

Esther- I have always loved this kid. I’m pretty sure I secretly wanted my name to be Eshter with I was a child

Eugenia- Too old for me

Faye- Too short

Harriet- Absoultely love Harriet. My s/o would never go for this though.

Hester- Reminds me too much of Lester. Way to harsh.

Ida- Ida Mae was my great-grandmother. My mom chose my middle name, Mae, after her so I always keep Ida in mind for a middle name but I haven’t quite found the perfect match for it yet.

Leonora- nn. Nora is appealing

Louise- Prefer Louisa for sure

Magdalene-Hm..

Mildred- My co-worker just said yesterday ” Mildred is one of those names that will never make a comeback”

Muriel
Rosamund

Ruth- 7th Heaven was one of my favorite shows, always like the name Ruthie

Ursula- Oh I wish that mean lady from The Little Mermaid had a different name.

Vera- I think Vera Wang has made this name seem so pretty and classy

Vivian- Love this name, my sister always says is sounds so snobby though

boys

Alfred-

Archibald- This is probably my favorite boy name right now, sounds so sophisticated to me

Arthur-I had a friend name Arthur who went by Artie, I always liked it a lot.

Barney- The only Barney I’ve ever known in person went by the nn Barnyard so I just can’t take the name seriously

Bernard- All I can think of is the face on the card from Guess Who?- anyone know what I’m talking about?

Edmund-

Frank- I always thought I loved this name until recently I met a toddler named Frank and I just can’t get over how weird it sounded when his mom was calling his name

Frederick- LOVE. I wish -c endings didn’t blend in with my future last name since it also starts with a C.

George-

Harvey- This has never been clunky imo!

Horace- Everyone I know named Horace is older of course but none of them actually go by that name!

Howard-

Humphrey- Oh the teasing that would happen for this poor child, but I love the name so much

Julius- Better than Julian

Leon- Never considered it before, but I have a major thing for L names

Leopold- My favorite L name

Louis

Martin

Milton

Monty- o0o0 first time seeing this name, swooning

Oswald- Another one that I love but would have lots of trouble convincing others to hop aboard for this name

Otto- There’s a good chance I will have a little boy name Otto or Oslo one day

Ralph

Raymond

Saul- Yikes, I think this name sounds like a villan

Stanley

Van- I knew a Van once he was super suave and funny, I think it goes well for a middle name

Victor

Vincent- Love it, doesn’t seem clunky to me at all!

Walter- Love nn Walt

girls

Agatha –have always loved it; also like Agathe
Agnes — again, have always loved it
Augusta — have loved it ever since I ad’d the opera Baby Doe
Blanche — prefer Blanca or Bianca
Claudia — love Claudia
Constance — prefer Constant
Cornelia — love Cornelia
Dorothy — prefer Dorothea but love Dorothy too because of friendss
Edith — had a cousin Edith; love the name
Enid — again, another favourite
Esther — another favourite
Eugenia — like Eugenie and Evgenia too
Faye — one of my mom’s closest friends is Faye; love the name now
Harriet — have to say no to this one
Hester — no; never liked Hester Prynne
Ida — met a 7 yr old named Ida once; prefer ee-da to eye-da
Leonora– love Leonora; heard Leontyne Price sing that role and love Leontyne too
Louise — Louisa is a family name; I used it for my daughter; don’t like Louise
Magdalene — prefer Magdalen
Mildred — I love Mildred; it’s a family name
Muriel — no
Rosamund — my favourite of all the Roses
Ruth — I have always loved Ruth
Ursula — no; I knew a Sister Ursula once; ’nuff said
Vera — yes; loved Vera Brittain’s books
Vivian — yes to this as a boy’s name too
boys

Alfred — yes; family name; love Alfie
Archibald — this one grew on me; like it now
Arthur — always loved this one
Barney — great nn for Barnaby
Bernard — yes; Bernd is a family name
Edmund — one of my favourite names
Frank — prefer Francis
Frederick — love this name
George — my number one favourite name; my daughter would have been George; family name on all sides
Harvey — great name
Horace — prefer Horacio or Orazio
Howard — dated a Howard; have to say no
Humphrey — yes; love this name
Julius — prefer Julian or Julio
Leon — no; Leo or Lion or Lionel
Leopold — no; can’t get away from mad Leopold
Louis — yes; family name prn Lou-ee
Martin — yes, love Marty
Milton — no
Monty — no
Oswald — no; he was a fascist
Otto — prefer Ottar, a family name
Ralph — prefer Ralf; prn Rafe
Raymond — no
Saul — yes; Solomon too
Stanley — no
Van — no, but love Vaughan
Victor — yes; family name
Vincent — yes, love Vinny; also Vincenzo
Walter — never liked this name

You’ve forgotten: Helen, Martha, Berte, Frances; Bertram, Waldo, Hubert, Wilfred.

What makes Matilda so cool and normal? A lot of the names on this list far outrank Matilda on the SSA popularity list, and a lot of these names carry pop-culture references. Is it only because of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams daughter Matilda? Please help me understand your rationale for this list.

On another note, I think Marvin could be included on this list!

I have to add Paul to the list…I read somewhere that it is so far “out” that it might be “in” again.

This list is very Harry Potter-ific. I think JK Rowling has helped our cause immensely among the name Muggles.

I have recently met babies Otis and Arlo recently, both born to quite hip parents. Definately stinky old man names that are so fresh on little babies. I love it!

Here’s my fear with these names. That one day little baby Mildred, or Blanche, or Enid will one day be an old woman and she will have, what is once again, an “old persons” name.

Would it bother them? Maybe, maybe not, but I know I will be happy to be seventy and be Gabrielle, youthful, pretty and a bit of an ingenue, even if I am not anymore.

Maybe my fears are unfounded, but what may look chic on a baby will not look the same on an elderly person.

I’ve known two babies born in the last little while, and both of their names appear on this list! Esther & Ruth!

OMG – There are other’s out there who love Humphrey!! I find myself so drawn to this name… but my hubby won’t even consider it for a pet!

I love love love Agatha and it was my top girl name pick (also a cute French jewellery brand), but I had a boy so went with Sutherland instead, with Frederick as a middle name. Oddly a name that is nowhere on the Nameberry website, but is a family name. I was tempted to go with Oswald but maybe that will have to wait for the next one…

Agnes is my middle name and I’ve always loved it. I’ve met only two Agneses in my life and one of them is my cousin. I think Maude should also be on this list, long with Edna. Maybe they’re on another list.

As for boys, I don’t know what’s clunky about either Martin or Vincent. I think they are wonderful names.

Shhh.. don’t mention Walter. I’ll be really upset if it starts to get popular before I get a chance to use it.

As the mother of a Stanley, named after my husband Constantine, you can bet he’s my favorite on the list!

I like a lot of these Agnes is a name that while I can’t like it enough to use it, I am happy to see on other people’s babies.

Augusta is a great choice, too bad it’s a family friend’s surname.

Constance is dancing around the edges of my short list, along with Patience.

Cornelia is the name of one of my daughter’s dolls… I like but wouldn’t use.

I like Dorothy but am not quite there… Doris or Dorotea may be possibilities.

Esther is my cat, and might have made the short list were in not for an -er ending last name.

The world needs more Eugenias….

Faye is classy, definitely ready for revival. I prefer Faith, so Faye is out for me.

Love Hester!

Leonora is very pretty. I don’t think anyone would think twice about this.

Magdalene Like this so much better than Madeleine!

Ruth is lovely. I know one around 10. I had considered Rebecca Ruth until DH’s aunt said it was her middle name and she hated it… I still like it though.

Vivian is gorgeous and I’ve always loved it. It’s a b-list name but I could totally see myself with a daughter named Vivian.

Alfred Jr. was DH’s grandfather and I want to use it in the middle… first name is pretty out because another branch of the family has an Alfred III, IV, and V. I like the idea of Alfred nn Red though.

Archibald-like Archie. Like Archibald Asparagus. Can’t get past bald (and it’s not quite in my style).

Barney is out because of the purple dinosaur. I do like Barnabas or Barnaby.

Frederick is handsome. Is it really that out? Feels pretty fresh to me.

George was DH’s other grandpa… it’s grown on me. Then I hit on the idea of calling him Geordi, and now I love it.

Julius, Milton, Monty, Raymond, Saul, and Victor are handsome; Saul and Victor don’t seem out/geeky to me. And Julius is certainly ripe for comeback.

Vincent is my grandfather’s mn. I find it very handsome, especially with the nn Vin.

A couple of comments. On Wallace, Marvin: absolutely! I’m adding them! Also, Marshall, which I’ve been hearing.

Spotlightstarlit: I think the perception of a name as “old lady” changes with time. We only see these names as Old Lady and Old Man names because they were popular 70 or 80 or 100 years ago. It’s the names that sound MOST young and modern now that will sound old ladyish in 70 years because they’ll be tied to this time.

still looks like i’m safe with Dewey. and not afraid to mention it since i’m pretty sure it will never become popular – so uncool that it will probably still be uncool by the time i have a baby. but my Dewey will be super cool. ha.

also love Buddy and Ike. glad they’re not mentioned here either!

I think uncool-cool is our naming style a surprising amount on this list is on our list! Plus with our clunky last name, you need a clunky first name otherwise it’s like wearing a pair of clogs with a frilly dress.
Girls
Agatha- my first thought is “witch”, my second is Aggie from that British house-cleaning show
Agnes- one of those names that I find equally easy to picture on a baby as I do a grown woman
Augusta- Can be as girly or tomboyish as she likes! I can picture a sunburned girl in torn overalls called “Gus” and I can picture “Gussie” having a tea-party to a bunch of dolls
Edith- Love Edie, love Edith. It just says Edwardian big hats and Gibson Girls to me.
Esther- What Jewish girl doesn’t want to be Queen Esther? Plus Hebrew name Hadassah is to die for.
Faye- More of a middle name to me
Gertrude- my grandma’s name! I think that if this style continues to hit I can use this and she won’t seem so weird in a sea of Agnes, Matilda, and Hazel. Plus both Gertie and Trudy make this very wearable
Gladys- Another way to honor grandma while not being so literal. Plus my husband likes it more than Gertrude
Hazel- Hazy Baby can grow into anyone.
Hester- Very close to Esther, but with a little more anonymity. Sometimes it’s hard when your name proclaims your ethnicity.
Ruth- another admirable woman from the Torah with a wearable name.
Vivian- I just like the way it sounds with our last name. Plus Vivi is an adorable nickname.

Boys
Archibald- Archie is cute, Archibald is dignified. It combines to something that works personally and professionally
Arthur- Very wearable full names and Art and Artie make for attractive short forms.
Edmund- Ned! Familiar and not used much a winning combo!
Frederick- Fritz, Fred, Rick, I prefer Friedrich, but I’m crazy.
George- My husband’s grandfather’s name, he just died recently so this is at the top of the list.
Leon- I like, husband doesn’t
Leopold- Husband loves, I like
Martin- Questionable Content has made this name for me
Oswald- It’s cute and bad ass!
Walter- Walt is cute and works just was well on a grownup

AGNES FTW! I really like these sort of names because they seem so earnest and grown-up, even to the point of being stuffy- but somehow charming when worn by young people. Sort of like a muddied, broken in suit and tie.

I also liked Edith, Ruth, Vera, Saul, and Julius off this list. Though I consider those to be pretty despite being ‘uncool’.

My favorite uncool name didn’t make the list – Henrietta.
I also love Agatha, Esther and Harriet.

For the boys, Julius is one of my top 3 choices. I also adore Arthur, Frederick, and Walter.

I hope these names don’t end up too popular though. I love that they are such undiscovered gems.

This list has so many of my favorite names! Including, of course, my own little Vinny! So in love with my handsome 1 year old Vincent. I think it’s a fantastic name for a little boy. I’m also loving Walter–hoping hubby will agree to name Vince’s some-day sibling Walt! Dorothy Faye is my favorite girl’s name right now…working on hubby with Dorothy–so many fantastic nicknames! Also love Louisa, Leonora, and Agnes. I’m really hoping not too many people catch on to this fantastic vintage trend–I’d hate for some of these names to become super popular!

I love alot of these names. We are having a third child and already have:
Arabella Minnie and Clementine Harriet.

Unsure if anyone has any recommendations boy or girl to go with a third. What about (and it doesnt appear on this list but is of the same ilk)

Wilhelmenia
Camilla
Violet
Ophelia

Boys very stick but like at the moment:
Frederick
Theodore (does this go with current girls names?)
William (an oldies, common but a goodie)
Louis

Help!

Vivian, Claudia, and Louise are perfectly acceptable. Edith is okay as a middle name, as is Ruth and perhaps Enid–I actually really like Enid, in a way. Augusta and Leonora–they’re okay. You could call Leonora Nora. And Esther–I kind of wonder why this name hasn’t caught on more with the hipster set, since names like Pearl and Olive have, and I think of those three names in the same category.

The rest of the names are old fashioned in a bad way and need to be retired!

It’s funny to see Edmund on the list. It’s my father and brother’s name. I never realized it was seen as an old man name.

Lately I’ve been crushing on the name Harvey after an awesome character on a television show I love. I like Howard as well, but my favorite H boy’s name is and will always be Harry.

I love Augusta. I would add Louisa and Beatrix to the list as well.

“the naming muggles”!!!!!! LOL, I love that so much! Perfect comparison!!!

Agatha, Dorothy and Faye are my favorites for girls. Beatrix and Margo are my top 2 and people seem to think of both of those as old fashioned. My husband’s favorite is Fable and I’m constantly trying to convince him that we should use Faye instead!

I think the boys are more my style. I almost named my son Alfred, my family could have killed me! I WOULD have named him Frederick in a second if hubby would agree to it. I beyond love Frederick! George nn Dodge is one of my favorites but he says it’s way too much of a stretch! I think Julius and Harvey are really cool and I wouldn’t be too nervous to tell people I liked those names. Montgomery nn Monty is just spectacular to me. Otto is a family name on his side, I’ve thought about it, but, hmm, I dunno. Love Van, and Vaughn/Von. Walter is still pretty old manish in real life, but I do love it in theory, and I’d love to meet a little one! Vincent doesn’t seem old to me at all, and Vince is dang sexy!

I completely disagree with what Pam said in response to spotlightstarlit. I think the old names will always be tied to the nostalgia era and sound old ladyish. Of course all the names that are popular now will ALSO sound old ladyish. I think the only way to get around it, is to discover new names, rather then recycling names.

My mom is named Agnes and complains about it all the time, so it would be great if the name came into fashion again. Then she would stop whining about it. Hallelujah!

[...] Is there a trend of geek-chic baby names? – Nameberry [...]

My husband adores the name Agatha so when we have our first daughter her name will be Agatha Sedona. I was surprised how many family members loved the choice, my mom can’t wait to have a granddaughter named Aggie.
We’re hoping that Agatha doesn’t come back into style very soon, so she’ll have a one of a kind name.

[...] loved this list at Nameberry of clunky cool names: Agatha, Ruth, Otto, Leon.  I’m hearing these in metro Washington DC, [...]

I love the name Monty! I’ve loved it ever since I watched Stuart Little when I was a little kid. I tend to like feline names.:)

It’s not here, but I really love Ethel. *sigh* definitely using it on my future daughter! I LOVE old names <3

I like these:

Edith (mostly because of nn Edie)
Ida
Leonora
Louise
Magdalene
Vera
Vivian

Frank it’s my dad’s name
George
Leon
Louis
Vincent

Howard don’t like but it’s my grandfather’s name

Walter – don’t like but there is one at my son’s high school