Names That Mean Old

This courtly old Southern name has several cool male bearers: NFL player Courtney Brown, British jazz musician Courtney Pine, and Barbados-born economist Courtney Blackman, to name but a few.

A cultural crossover with multiple roots. Ashwin is an English surname from the Anglo-Saxon male name Æscwine, meaning "ash tree + friend". It's also a popular Hindi name: in Hindu mythology, the Ashvins or Ashwini are twin Hindu gods of the sunrise and sunset. Either way, it has a soft, strong sound and great nickname potential in Ash or Win

Sounds just like its cognate Estelle, but with a more streamlined spelling.

Historically, this name derives from Aldric, the name of an early medieval saint. Today, parents are more likely to see it as a blend of elements from Aidan and Patrick, Frederick, etc.

The Old Norse god Óthinn was also known by the epithet Grímr — translated into Middle English as Grim.

Scandinavian names are fashionable these days, and Torsten is one that is used only occasionally: About 20 baby boys were named Torsten in the US last year.

Milo, Miles and even Myles are all well-known in the US, but the spelling Mylo is not widely used here though it ranks among the British Top 1000 names for boys. However you spell it, a friendly, jaunty name with authentic roots.

Alcott evokes shades of nineteenth-century New England, and memories of the author of the books Little Women and Little Men. Louisa May Alcott was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, noted educator, writer and philosopher, and colleague of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

The Dutch equivalent of Walt makes the Top 100 in Belgium, where Flemish parents love short, sweet names.

Nope, not Goldie. Oldie, as in, "an oldie but a goody" or "oldies music". Despite these neutral-to-positive associations, Oldie still has a musty, fusty quality.

Senator is a unique occupational name that appeared on the charts in 1989, 2006, and 2009. It was ultimately derived from the Latin word senex, meaning "old man."

Unlike many other western city names, Tulsa has not proved attractive to parents. The name derives from Tallasi, meaning "old town" in the Creek language. Elvis Presley played a character named Tulsa in the 1960 musical comedy G. I. Blues.

Alda's brother name Aldo has been a mainstay of the U.S. popularity chart for decades now, and the related Alden is soaring up as well. This version has never really caught on. (Maybe it's the association with Alan Alda: great actor, unlikely namesake for a little girl.) However, there is possible hope now that Alba and Alma are on the rise. Aida and Arden are more familiar alternatives.

Orm was a common name in the Viking Age, when children were often given names of animals. Animal names were thought to provide protection to those who had them.

A biblical name -- he was the father of Abraham -- but the father's name is much less appealing than the son's, in both sound and meaning.

Casca was a Roman cognomen — a proto-surname — that derived from a word meaning "old." It was seen in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, and more recently, in The Hunger Games.

The surname of influential French fashion designer Marc Bohan could make a modern-sounding two-syllable boy's name, though it might be confused with Bowen.

Auður is the Icelandic form of Auðr, a unisex name found in the Prose Edda. It shares a root with names including Odette, Otto, Ottilie, and Odile.

Emmelina, which can rhyme with "keener" or "liner", is a frillier and much less common version of Emmeline. While Emmeline was in the US Top 1000 girl names in 2022, Emmelina was given to fewer than 5 girls, so it didn't even make it into the extended baby name charts.