Names that Peaked in 1889

Clarence

Latin

"bright"

The name of the guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life is rarely heard the rest of the year because of its studious, near-nerdy image, but this could change in the current naming climate. An English…

Clem

, English, diminutive of Clement

Laid-back and humble, with a distinctive down-home charm.

Ferd

Ferd is a short form of Ferdinand, a Germanic name combining 'fardi' meaning journey or travel, and 'nanth' meaning daring or brave. The name suggests a sense of adventure and courage. Ferd gained…

Franz

German variation of Francis, Latin

"Frenchman or free man"

Franz is the German equivalent to Francis, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a Franz outside of countries with Germanic origins. In America the name is often associated with celebrated author Franz…

Freeman

Word name or surname name, English

"free man"

Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.

Gray

Color name, also diminutive of Grayson

The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Gray (or Grey), is one exception, which could make for a soft and…

Harris

English

"son of Harry"

When Harrison is too much, but Harry isn't enough, try this stylish surname name with a touch of British flair. It briefly reentered the US Top 1000 for the first time since 1988 in 2016, but has…

Hubbard

Hubbard is a masculine name of English origin that began as a surname derived from ancient Germanic elements, possibly meaning "bright heart" or "bright spirit." The name carries historical gravitas…

Lennie

Diminutive of Leonard

"brave lion"

A nickname of yesteryear that like alongside Reggie, Alby, Archie, and Bertie, is back in consideration in England and Wales. It is currently in the Top 300 there, however, it has yet to make the…

Linton

English

"flax settlement"

In Wuthering Heights, Cathy's milquetoast husband; Heath is so much more appealing.

Lonie

Lonie is a masculine name that likely originated as a diminutive form of names like Alonso, Leon, or Lionel. It may also function as an independent shortening of longer names with Germanic or Romance…

Mattie

Diminutive of Matthew, Hebrew

"gift of God"

Mattie ranked among the Top 1000 for boys a century ago, in the heyday of the nickname-name. Today, few parents would dream of putting it on the birth certificate, preferring it as a short form for…

Redmond

Irish variation of Raymond

"wise protector"

We love this partly for purely personal reasons, since it is one of our surnames. We used it as the middle name of a son –and it can make a good first choice too. Redmond – also found as Reamann or…

Ross

English and Scottish

"upland, peninsula"

Like Friends , Ross is off the air and into syndication as a baby name, having plummeted from its zenith in the late 80s to fall off the US Top 1000 in 2013. Today, Ross is more likely to be a dad…

Sylvester

Latin

"wood, forest"

This name of three early popes has been associated in recent years with a cocky cartoon cat ("Thufferin' thuccatash!") and the Italian Stallion hero of the Rocky and Rambo movies (who was born…

Branch

Word name

Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds. Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color…

Ballard

Ballard is a masculine name of English origin functioning primarily as a surname before its adoption as a given name. Derived from the Old English 'bal' (ball) and 'heard' (hard), it historically…