Old Lady Names That Sound New Again
Updated Sat Mar 23 2024
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Old lady names are often cool because of their very disdain for the current fashion. These old school girl's names are connected to history and tradition rather than modernity and gloss.
What gets confusing is whether stylish vintage names like Adeline or Clara really qualify as Old Lady Names anymore, or if a name needs to be a bit dusty and unfashionable to be considered an Old Lady Name.
If it's the vintage style of Adeline and Clara you enjoy, then other old lady names in the US Top 500 include Cora, Elsie, Evelyn, Iris, Mabel, Miriam, and Vera. If you prefer the clunky-cool variety of old lady names, consider adding Cornelia, Dorothea, Geraldine, or Henrietta to your list.
Unique Old Lady Names that might inspire you are Eulalia, Lavinia, and Millicent. Biblical girl names that qualify as Old Lady Names include Ruth, Berenice, and Lois.
We've tried to make this list inclusive, pulling in all types of Old Lady Names. These range from sweet vintage names for girls such as Beatrice and Clara to so-clunky-they're-cool names such as Esther and Olive to old-fashioned names that have not yet made their comeback, such as Myrtle and Phyllis.
As always, the Old Lady Names on this list are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Iris
Origin:
Flower name; GreekMeaning:
"rainbow"Description:
Iris is one of the bouquet of turn-of-the-last-century flower names that is gradually beginning to regain its appeal: it is now at the highest point ever. Iris is also rooted in the trending mythological class of names..
- Clara
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"bright, clear"Description:
Clara is a strong, lovely girls' name that's always ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names but has been climbing since the turn of this century. Now holding steady around Number 100, Clara is a modern classic, neither too popular nor too unusual.
- Eleanor
Origin:
English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknownDescription:
Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.
- Cora
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"maiden"Description:
Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the coronavirus pandemic somewhat weakened its appeal.
- Hazel
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"the hazelnut tree"Description:
Hazel has a pleasantly hazy, brownish-green-eyed, old-fashioned image that more and more parents are choosing to share. Former Old Lady name Hazel reentered the popularity lists in 1998 and now is near the top of the charts.
- Imogen
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"maiden"Description:
Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.
- Elsie
Origin:
Diminutive of Elizabeth via its Scottish variation, ElspethMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Elsie is a sweet vintage nickname-name turned modern star. After a 30-year hiatus, Elsie started climbing the US popularity list 20 years ago and is still headed for the top.
- Cordelia
Origin:
Latin; CelticMeaning:
"heart; daughter of the sea"Description:
Cordelia is exactly the kind of old-fashioned, grown-up name for girls that many parents are seeking for their daughters today. The name of King Lear's one sympathetic daughter, Cordelia has both style and substance along with its Shakespearean pedigree.
- Josephine
Origin:
French feminine variation of JosephMeaning:
"Jehovah increases"Description:
Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing number of vivacious nicknames, from Jo to Josie to Fifi to Posy, Josephine is a Nameberry favorite.
- Beatrice
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"she who brings happiness; blessed"Description:
Beatrice is back. Stored in the attic for almost a century, the lovely Beatrice with its long literary (Shakespeare, Dante) and royal history is being looked at with fresh eyes by parents seeking a classic name with character and lots of upbeat nicknames, like Bea and Bee.
- Adelaide
Origin:
Variant of Adelheidis, GermanMeaning:
"noble, nobility"Description:
Adelaide is now heading straight uphill on the coattails of such newly popular sisters as Ava, Ada, and Audrey, and in the company of Adeline and Amelia. It was chosen by actress Katherine Heigl for the name of her second daughter.
- Mabel
Origin:
Diminutive of Amabel, LatinMeaning:
"lovable"Description:
Mabel is a saucy Victorian favorite rising in popularity in the US over the past decade, after a 50-year nap If you love offbeat old-fashioned names like Violet or Josephine, only sassier, Mabel is one for you to consider.
- Matilda
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"battle-mighty"Description:
Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its rise, along with others of its class like Eloise and Caspian.
- Evelyn
Origin:
English from French and GermanMeaning:
"desired; or water, island"Description:
Evelyn derives from the French feminine given name Aveline, which is from an obscure Germanic root which may mean "desired, wished for" or "water, island". The name Aveline was brought over to England by the Normans, but it first became popular as a masculine name – a transferred use of the surname Evelyn, which comes from the same source. Variations include Evaline, Evalyn, Evelin, and Eveline.
- Ivy
Origin:
Botanical nameDescription:
Ivy is derived from the name of the ivy plant, which got its name from the Old English word ifig. Ancient Greeks presented an ivy wreath to newlyweds as a symbol of fidelity. In the language of flowers, Ivy signifies faithfulness.
- Sadie
Origin:
Diminutive of SarahMeaning:
"princess"Description:
Sadie started as a nickname for Sarah, but their images couldn't be more disparate. Where Sarah is serious and sweet, Sadie is full of sass and fun.
- Ada
Origin:
German or TurkishMeaning:
"noble, nobility, or island"Description:
Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.
- Flora
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"flower"Description:
Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names we think is due for a comeback— alongside cousins Cora and Dora. Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all.
- Adeline
Origin:
French, diminutive of AdeleMeaning:
"noble, nobility"Description:
Adeline has a lovely, old-fashioned "Sweet Adeline" charm, but has become so popular in the US under so many spellings and variations -- with Adalynn and Adalyn also popular -- that considered together it is far more popular than it first seems. Adorable nickname Addie is also pervasive.
- Florence
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"flourishing, prosperous"Description:
Florence is back, returning to the US Top 1000 girl names in 2017 after a nearly 40 year absence. Other English-speaking countries have been quicker to welcome Florence back into fashion.