Can the rise of ancient names for babies be credited to the prominence of Amelia, Zoe, Sebastian, and Atticus on international lists of popular names?
Or maybe it’s a reaction against all the new names and trends that have mushroomed over the past few decades, from word names to nature names to place names to invented names.
Or maybe it’s the start of a new millennium that makes us consider the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, or a new interest in mythological names, or TV shows and movies starring hunky gladiators.
All these influences have undoubtedly helped revive ancient Greek names and Roman names for modern girl and boy babies, appearing on birth announcements throughout the Western World.
If you’re looking for a really old name for your new baby, here are some that sound stylish today.
Ancient Names for Girls
Acacia
Aelia
Agatha
Alba
Alice
Ambrosia
Anastasia
Antigone
Antonia
Apollonia
Artemis
Artemisia
Athena
Aurelia
Calista
Calliope
Camilla
Cassandra
Cecilia
Charis
Ancient Names for Boys
Pamela Redmond
Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.
Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.
