Names that Peaked in 1966
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- Vincent
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"conquering"Description:
Vincent is a name with a complex image. After being quietly used for centuries, it is suddenly seeming stylish, along wih other V names. Even the nickname Vince has been given a reprieve via actor Vince Vaughn and country singer Vince Gill. Vin Diesel was born with the more prosaic name Mark Vincent.
- Colette
Origin:
French, short form of Nicole, feminine variation of Nicholas, GreekMeaning:
"people of victory"Description:
Like the French author with whom the name is most closely associated, Colette is a chic and charming name, sharp, stylish, and feminine but without the frills of Nicolette. After disappearing from the charts for 30 years, Colette rejoined the US Top 1000 back in 2012 and is still on the rise.
- Michael
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"who is like God?"Description:
Michael was the Number 1 American boys' name for almost half a century. While Michael has moved out of the Top 10 baby boy names, it's still widely used.
- Lisa
Origin:
English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, ItalianMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Elvis naming his daughter Lisa Marie and Nat King Cole's hit song "Mona Lisa" conspired to catapult one of Elizabeth's many offshoots to a high of #4 in 1970.
- Jeffrey
Origin:
Spelling variation of GeoffreyMeaning:
"pledge of peace"Description:
The mostly Americanized version of Geoffrey was a trendy mid-century hit, with nickname Jeff the epitome of cool. Jeffrey entered the pop list in 1934 and was a Top 20 name from the mid-fifties to 1978.
- Keith
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"wood"Description:
Strong but gentle, Keith is one of the Scottish surnames that, along with Douglas, Craig and Bruce, were considered the epitome of cool in the 1960s and early 1970s, when it was a Top 40 choice.
- Sunday
Origin:
Day name, English from LatinMeaning:
"day of the Sun"Description:
Sunday is among the most usable of the day names with its sunny first syllable, its sweet sound, and its potential to be both a sassy or a spiritual choice. The name initially made headlines in 2008 when Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban chose it for their daughter, Sunday Rose. Although it had been widely written that Kidman and Urban named their baby after art patron Sunday Reed, Kidman says this was a myth, they just liked the name.
- Kimberly
Origin:
English surname and place nameMeaning:
"Cyneburga's meadow"Description:
Kimberly's heyday was in the 1960s and 70s, when it ranked among the Top 10. While it hasn't been stylish for decades, it's evidenced more staying power than some former hot girl names, remaining among the Top 300 girl names in the US, where it's stood for 70 years.
- Wade
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"at the river crossing"Description:
Wade has never been outside the US Top 1000 for boys - there's a reason for that. It has a clean spelling, fresh sound and is neither too trendy (unlike Kade or Cade) or too old-school (like Richard or Albert). We think Wade is a winning name.
- Andreas
Origin:
Original New Testament Greek variation of AndrewMeaning:
"strong and manly"Description:
Andreas is a beautiful name, with the patina of an Old Master painting, one that could make a dashing namesake for an Uncle Andrew.
- Timothy
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"honoring God"Description:
A second-tier classic, the New Testament Timothy moves in and out of fashion more than John and James. But though it peaked in the 1960s, many modern parents still appreciate its familiarity and lively rhythm. And the short form Tim feels eternally boyish.
- Beth
Origin:
English diminutive of Elizabeth, HebrewMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
The sweetest and most sensitive of the pet names for Elizabeth, now also one of the most dated.
- Cary
Origin:
English, IrishMeaning:
"black, dark"Description:
Cary Grant's debonair image has stood the test of time: he is still rated as one of the most handsome and admired men in Hollywood. Charming, succinct, and witty, Cary (also spelled Carey) was a familiar choice throughout most of the 20th-century, peaking in the 50s and 60s when it made the Top 300. Out of favor since the 90s, could Cary be ready for reconsideration, now that Kerry and Carrie aren't as popular for girls?
- Barron
Origin:
English, variation of BaronMeaning:
"rank of nobility"Description:
Names of royal ranks -- King, Prince, and yes, Baron -- have become more widely used in recent years, though they're outlawed in several countries. This spelling, the same as that of the financial publication Barrons, was used by Donald and Melania Trump for their son.
- Tammy
Origin:
English, diminutive of TamaraDescription:
Made famous in fifties movies as a wholesome backwoods gal, Tammy was a Top 10 choice from the mid-60s to early-70s, but is now given to fewer than 100 babies per year in the US.
- Joelle
Origin:
Feminine variation of Joel, HebrewMeaning:
"Jehovah is his God"Description:
Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's inevitable that its female form Joelle would gain visibility too, and indeed Joelle was used most widely during Joel's reign in the Top 100, from the late 1960s through the early 1990s.
- Lourdes
Origin:
Spanish, Portuguese, from French, meaning unknownDescription:
This name of the French town where a young peasant girl had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1858 vaulted into the spotlight when Madonna chose it for her daughter, but few other families except for devout Roman Catholics have followed her lead (any more than they've used Rocco for their sons).
- Caprice
Origin:
French from ItalianMeaning:
"impulsive change of mind; lively music"Description:
Caprice is a word name with an appealing sound and a light-hearted meaning that may well put parents off. While it was given to just 10 girls in a recent year, the name did have a moment back in the late 60s and then again in the 90s. In England and Wales, it even made the Top 400 in 1997.
- Risa
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"laughing"
- Leanne
Origin:
English combination of Lee and AnneMeaning:
"meadow grace"Description:
One of the quintessential midcentury combination names, Leanne was spelled any number of ways: Lianne, LeeAnn, Leigh-Anne, and so on. Like many similar combo names -- Joanne, Maryann -- they're all dated now.
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