Historic and Vintage Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Celtic
"chieftain"
Melvina ranked in the Top 1000 for over 65 years in the US, coinciding to a large extent with the years its much more popular masculine counterpart Melvin ranked in the Top 100. Today, Melvin is…
Metro is a masculine name with Greek origins, derived from the name Demetrios or Demetrius, meaning "devoted to Demeter" (the goddess of agriculture and fertility in Greek mythology). Metro can also…
Diminutive of Margaret
"pearl"
Sixties-style nickname which is also the name of a small biting insect, particularly prevalent in Scotland.
Miner is a masculine occupational name derived from the English language, referring to someone who works in mines extracting coal, ore, or other minerals. As a first name, Miner is uncommon and…
English, diminutive of Nancy
Bobbsey Twins-era nickname name that could find new life via Nan, heroine of The Nanny Diaries. Nan was also the nickname of Annabel St George, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel "The…
Nance is a feminine name with roots as both a medieval diminutive of Ann/Anne and as an English surname. The name Anne derives from Hebrew Hannah, meaning 'grace' or 'favor.' As a given name, Nance…
Variation of Nedda, Slavic
"born on Sunday"
Nedra was one of a phalanx of names -- Delma, Verda, Vernice -- popular in the late 19th and early 20th century that dropped out of fashion after World War II and now have disappeared completely.…
Diminutive of Nicola, Nicole, Nicolette
"people of victory"
Once the teenaged babysitter, now more likely to be the mom who hires her. The names many variations include Nickee, Nickie, Nickey, Nicky, Niki, Nikkee, Nikkey, Nikki, Nikkie, Nikky, and Niky.
Nicodem is a masculine name with Greek origins, derived from 'Nikodemos,' which combines 'nike' meaning 'victory' and 'demos' meaning 'people' – thus translating to 'victory of the people.' The…
French variation of Aurelia
Better go to the original Aurelia or Aurelie, if only for its similarity to the ord 'orally.' In pop culture, Oralie is a Pokemon name.
Hebrew
"we shall rise up, we shall rebel"
As a Biblical name, Nimrod appears in the Old Testament as a great-grandson of Noah, a founder of Babylon, and a famous hunter. In popular culture, its image was altered after the dopey Looney Tunes…
Variation of Odie, English or German
"of the valley; wealthy"
We can't get past the odd part of this name.
Variation of Aurelius or Oriol, or English word name
"golden; spoken"
Possibly inspired by golden names, Oriol and Aurelius, or by the word oral, meaning "spoken", Oral is not one that would work in a modern English-speaking context. Too medical and too sexual, it did…
French variation of Aurelia, Latin
"the golden one"
Aurelia may be back in a big way, but Oralee and Oralie definitely are not. Would you really want to name your daughter "orally"?
Fruit and color name
No babies of any gender were named Orange in the US in the most recent year counted. But that doesn't mean, in this era of anything-goes baby names, that it couldn't happen. In fact, Orange did…
Diminutive of Patrick, Irish
"noble, patrician"
Because it's a generic (and often derogatory) term for an Irishman, Paddy fell out of use as a diminutive or given name, though actress Mare Winningham used it not long ago.
Diminutive of Pamela, English
"all honey"
This mild-mannered short form was Queen of the Prom in the fifties and sixties, but today is mostly heard on TV's The Office (and of course as one of the founders of Nameberry). While about 100 baby…
English flower name from French
"thought"
Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.
Diminutive of Patricia
An early and still quintessentially gender-neutral name, now supplanted by thousands of fresher options. Hasn't been recorded as a given name since 1991. Pat was the name of a gardener in Alice's…
Diminutive of Patrick
As seen on SNL, Pat is the ultimate androgynous name . Stick with long form Patrick, and make sure everyone calls him Patrick.
