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

  1. Isabeline
    • Isabellina
      • Isalina
        • Ischia
          • Jaclyn
            • Jacobina
              • Origin:

                English, Scottish, and Dutch feminization of Jacob, Hebrew
              • Meaning:

                "supplanter"
              • Description:

                Another, more feminine, female form of Jacob sometimes heard in Scotland.
            • Jacobine
              • Origin:

                Feminine variation of Jacob, Hebrew
              • Meaning:

                "supplanter"
              • Description:

                Jacobine is a rare -- no baby girls received the name in the US last year -- feminine form of the popular Jacob. But Jacobine has a quirky appeal. The Jacobins were a radical political club formed during the French revolution as well as an order of Dominican friars.
            • Jacqueline
              • Origin:

                French, feminine diminutive of Jacques
              • Meaning:

                "supplanter"
              • Description:

                Jacqueline originated as a feminine form of Jacques, the French variation of James, and therefore Jacob. Jacob was ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Ya’aqov, and gets its meaning, "supplanter" from the story of Jacob supplanting his brother Esau as the first-born son in the Bible. Jacqueline was first used in France in the Middle Ages.
            • Jacquelyn
              • Jadwiga
                • Origin:

                  Polish variation of Hedvig, German
                • Meaning:

                  "war"
              • Jakoba
                • Jakobe
                  • Jamesina
                    • Origin:

                      Feminine variation of James
                    • Meaning:

                      "supplanter"
                    • Description:

                      More grown up than Jamie, but never given to more than 13 baby girls in the US per year (and that back in 1968). Modern parents prefer Jamie, Jameson or even James itself, as Blake and Ryan Reynolds chose in 2014.
                  • Jan
                    • Origin:

                      Feminine variation of John
                    • Description:

                      Very Brady Bunch.
                  • Jane
                    • Origin:

                      English
                    • Meaning:

                      "God is gracious"
                    • Description:

                      No, we don't consider Jane too plain. In fact, for a venerable and short one-syllable name, we think it packs a surprising amount of punch, as compared to the related Jean and Joan.
                  • Janet
                    • Origin:

                      Diminutive of Jane
                    • Meaning:

                      "God's gracious gift"
                    • Description:

                      Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of Jeannette, a derivative of Joan and another feminization of the name John.
                  • Janice
                    • Origin:

                      Variation of Jane
                    • Meaning:

                      "God's gracious gift"
                    • Description:

                      For a minute or two this sounded more modern than Janet, now equally outmoded.
                  • Janie
                    • Origin:

                      Diminutive of Jane, English
                    • Meaning:

                      "God is gracious"
                    • Description:

                      Will this old-fashioned nickname make a comeback, now that Jane has shed her "plain" image? Janie is cute and approachable, and would stand as well on the birth certificate as Josie and Jessie do now.
                  • Janine
                    • Origin:

                      French variation of Jane
                    • Description:

                      Has lost all trace of its French accent.
                  • Janis
                    • Origin:

                      Variation of Jane
                    • Description:

                      Last moment of glory was in the Janis Joplin sixties.