Names that Peaked in 1961
Across 2 pages
of 2
Les
Les is a masculine name that functions both as a standalone name and a familiar shortening of longer names like Lester, Leslie, or Leszek. Compact and straightforward, it carries a no-nonsense…
Mitch
Mitch is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive of Mitchell, which itself began as a surname derived from the name Michael, meaning "who is like God?" in Hebrew. Mitch emerged as a…
Monty
Diminutive of Montague or Montgomery, variation of Monte, English, Spanish
"mountain"
Monty, a name with a World War II feel, is rarely used on its own in the US. But we're hearing rumblings of a comeback and think that Monty, whatever it's short for, is an adorable vintage nickname…
Rusty
Short form of Russell
Though as a formal name Rusty is a little, well, rusty, it spent half a century among the Top 1000, departing only in 1995. Only 45 baby boys received the name in the US in one recent year and it's…
Velvet
English word name
"a fabric characterized by a short soft dense warp pile"
Velvet is a name that couldn't possibly be softer or more luxuriant. Many people have fond memories of it via the character of Velvet Brown, played by the young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet ,…
Brook
English nature name
"small stream"
Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.
Chuck
Diminutive of Charles
So far out it's almost ready to be let back in.
Greg
Greg is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive of Gregory, which comes from the Greek name Gregorios, meaning 'watchful' or 'alert.' While Gregory has been used since early Christian times,…
Mike
English, diminutive of Michael
Unlike Jake or Sam, few parents put Mike on the birth certificate.
Babette
French diminutive of Barbara, Greek
"stranger"
A less common relic of the Claudette-Paulette-Annette era. Babette's Feast is a 1987 Danish film based on a Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) story about a cook who wins the lottery and prepares an…
Loria
Basque
"glory"
While Aintza is perhaps a more accurate and modern Basque alternative to Gloria, Loria has long been considered a possibility too. It comes from loriatsua or loria meaning "glorious" or simply…
Belinda
Spanish or German
"pretty one, or, serpent"
Belinda, cousin of Linda and Melinda, enjoyed a brief return to the Top 1000 from 2005 through 2013, only to fall off again in 2014. A name that some may consider a modern spin on the midcentury…
Benita
Latin
"blessed"
In fashion limbo with Anita and Juanita.
Beth
English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
"pledged to God"
The sweetest and most sensitive of the pet names for Elizabeth, now also one of the most dated.
Brenda
Scottish
"blade of a sword"
First the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's 1822 novel The Pirate , then a glamorous 1940s debutante, then the troubled twin on Beverly Hills 90210, and now fading in favor of more modern Brenna, Briana,…
Cherri
Cherri is a feminine variant of the name Cherry, derived from the English word for the fruit. It's a sweet, playful name that gained modest popularity in the mid-20th century as a nickname or…
Chris
English diminutive of Christina, Greek
"a Christian"
Chris is one of the longest-running and still most appealing unisex short forms, still used nearly equally for boys and girls. Though no longer fashionable, Chris still feels crisp and appropriate…