Names that Peaked in 1959

Bart

Diminutive of Bartholomew, Hebrew

"son of the earth"

Permanent property of that devilish little Simpson kid.

Bret

Spelling variation of Brett

There are 15 times as many baby boys named Brett than Bret, but this sleeker version is used and has some merits, namely, being sleeker.

Stan

Short form of Stanley

"near the stony meadow"

One of the old-school nicknames -- think Ray, Vince, Frank -- that's on the brink of coming back into style. Name him Stanislav or Constantine and he'll have a groovier long form to fall back on.

Dwain

Dwain is a masculine name with Welsh and Celtic origins, emerging as a variant of Duane or Dwayne. These names ultimately derive from the Gaelic name Dubhán, meaning "dark" or "black-haired." Dwain…

Fidel

Latin

"faithful"

The association with the Cuban leader Castro is still strong, but he's by no means the only Fidel. This name was in the Top 1000 for over 80 years, from 1919 to 2005. From the late Latin name…

Flint

English

"born near outcrop of flint"

Flint is one of the new macho names on the rise today, part old-school tough guy, part rebel. You won't find a tougher, steelier-sounding name; it's part of a genre on the rise along with cousins…

Ron

Short form of Ronald, Norse

"ruler's counselor"

Ron is a masculine name that functions both as a standalone name and as a shortened form of longer names like Ronald, Aaron, or Byron. Ronald, its most common source, derives from the Old Norse…

Russ

Variation of Russell, French

"redhead, fox-colored"

Short but substantial, Russ does not need the full-form Russell to go on the birth certificate. Russ strikes a nice balance between familiar, friendly, and underused.

Steve

Diminutive of Stephen or Steven

"garland, crown"

Some parents just use Steve on the birth certificate, but it doesn't have the breezy charm of trendy short forms like Max, Sam, and Jake. Regardless of how much you love Steve as a given name, it…

Tim

Diminutive of Timothy, Greek

"honoring God"

Tim is a boyish short form occasionally given on its own. There were 37 baby boys named Tim in the US last year, versus over 1700 named Timothy.

Timmie

Timmie is primarily a masculine name functioning as a diminutive form of Timothy, though occasionally used for girls. Derived from the Greek Timotheos meaning 'honoring God' or 'God's honor,' Timmie…

Timmy

Timmy is a warm, friendly masculine name that originated as a diminutive form of Timothy. The root name Timothy comes from the Greek "Timotheos," meaning "honoring God" or "honored by God," and…

Wayde

Wayde is a masculine name that represents a variant spelling of Wade, which originated from the Old English word 'wadan' meaning 'to go' or 'to proceed.' Historically, it referred to someone who…

Wally

English, diminutive of Walter or Wallace

A Leave It to Beaver/old comic-strip name, vacationing for years with the Griswolds in WallyWorld, but now back as WALL-E?

Walt

German, diminutive of Walter

A straightforward, down-to-earth nickname many Walters, from Whitman to Disney, have chosen to go by.

Yancy

American variation of Jansen, Dutch, Native American

"son of Jan; yankee"

Yancy has two separate American origins — first as the Native American term for "Yankee," and second as the Americanized variation of the common Dutch surname Jansen. Jan being the Dutch form of…

Nicky

Diminutive of Nicholas or Nicole

Nicky is a forever-cute short form of Nicholas once used as a full name but now relegated to nickname (no pun intended) status.