Old-Fashioned, Vintage, Retro, Classic, Eclectic, Unusual and Uncommon Names for Girls

  1. Doreen
    • Origin:

      Variation of Dora; also Anglicized variation of Irish Doireann
    • Meaning:

      "sullen"
    • Description:

      Much fresher Irish imports available for colleens now.
  2. Doretta
    • Origin:

      Variation of Dorothy
    • Description:

      Frilly, feminissima, unstylish Dor name.
  3. Dorian
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "from Doris"
    • Description:

      A male name occasionally borrowed by the girls, as in Dorian Cramer, a long-running female character on the soap One Life to Live and famous midcentury model Dorian Leigh.
  4. Dorinda
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "bountiful gift"
    • Description:

      Cinderella stepsister type Victorian-valentine name.
  5. Doris
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "gift of the ocean"
    • Description:

      Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the revivals of Dorothy and Dorothea.
  6. Dorothea
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      Dorothea is a flowing and romantic Victorian-sounding name which was popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, but has been off the charts since 1970. Definitely on the brink of a revival!
  7. Dorothee
    • Dorothy
      • Origin:

        English variation of Greek Dorothea
      • Meaning:

        "gift of God"
      • Description:

        In the 1930s, Dorothy left Kansas and landed in the Land of Oz; by the '80s she had become a Golden Girl, living in Miami with roommates Blanche and Rose, giving her a decidedly older image. But parents today seeking a quiet classic are bringing Dorothy back—she reentered the Top 1000 in 2011 after almost completely disappearing.
    • Dosha
      • Doshie
        • Dot
          • Origin:

            English, diminutive of Dorothy
          • Description:

            Old-fangled nickname could make dot.com era short form or middle name.
        • Dottie
          • Origin:

            English, diminutive of Dorothy
          • Meaning:

            "gift of God"
          • Description:

            Dottie and Dot are old Dorothy nicknames that some cutting-edge Brits are bringing back to fashion. It's been half a century since Dottie ranked on its own in this country, one of those nickname names that flourished in the 1890's.
        • Dotty
          • Dovie
            • Origin:

              Short form of Dove or Deborah, nature name or Hebrew
            • Meaning:

              "bee"
            • Description:

              Dovie was a fairly popular nickname name a century or more ago, dropping off the Top 1000 in the 1940s only to be heading straight back uphill now.
          • Drusilla
            • Origin:

              Latin
            • Meaning:

              "fruitful"
            • Description:

              Drusilla is an ancient Roman name, (probably) borne by descendants of Antony and Cleopatra, and is one of the 'illa' names that are ready for a comeback, especially with its cute short form Dru.
          • Dulcia
            • Origin:

              Latin
            • Meaning:

              "sweet"
            • Description:

              Has a sweetness via its relation to such words as dulcet; other similar possibilities are DULCE, DULCINA, and the down-home DULCIE. Though this Latin names for girls is rarely heard in contemporary times in this form, Dulcie is found.
          • Dulcibella
            • Origin:

              Latin
            • Meaning:

              "sweet and pretty"
            • Description:

              Dulcibella is an old name that's fallen into disuse but may rise again with the new wave of fashionable names that end in -bel, -belle, and -bella. Behind the Name says that the medieval form of the name was the Dowsabel, which we definitely do not see making a comeback. But Dulcibel or Dulcibelle could work.
          • Dulcie
            • Origin:

              Latin, diminutive of Dulcibella
            • Meaning:

              "sweet"
            • Description:

              A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia.
          • Dulcina
            • Dulcinea
              • Origin:

                Spanish
              • Meaning:

                "sweetness"
              • Description:

                Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional world of the book, though, Dulcinea is not the woman's real name; Aldonza is. And because she never appears in person in the text, it's unclear whether she is as beautiful and saintly as the protagonist believes her to be. Probably not, given Don Quixote's track record.