Vintage Girl Names: How To Find A Cool Old Name

Vintage girl names are back in style, which choices such as Emma, Olivia, and Adeline ranking high on the popularity lists. But maybe you want a vintage name for your daughter and are hoping to uncover a hidden treasure from the past. 

We’ve written a lot about the 1910s baby names that are coming back, thanks to the Hundred Year Rule: Alice and Florence, Lillian and Hazel and Ruby.

But what about the names in the Top 1000 of 1910 that are virtually unknown now? A hundred years ago, Helen was the number 2 name for girls, right behind Mary. Mildred was number 8, Ethel number 13, and the dubious Gladys hot on her heels at 15. You don’t meet many Ethels and Gladyses (Gladysi?) anymore outside the nursing home.

And I’ve never heard of a Ceola, Ozella, or Exie, yet those names and dozens of others now lost were in the 1910 Top 1000.

Several months ago we looked at the Lost Names of 1880, and were surprised by how many there were. We declare ourselves surprised anew by how many lost names we’ve located on the 1910 roster that are different from those we listed in the 1880 story.

Girl Names Popular in 1910

The first group are not lost, exactly, as they’re still heard from time to time. A few — Blanche, Lula, Viola — may even make a comeback. But most of these names, popular in 1910, have been in mothballs for decades now and may never make it out.

1. Aline

2. Alma

3. Avis

4. Beulah

5. Bernice

6. Bertha

7. Blanche

8. Clarice

9. Doris

10. Elnora

11. Ernestine

12. Eunice

13. Fern

14. Hilda

15. Inez

16. Iola

17. Iona

18. Leona

19. Lois

20. Lorena

21. Lula

22. Melba

23. Merle

24. Myrtle

25. Opal

26. Pansy

27. Rosetta

28. Thelma

29. Veda or Vida

30. Velma

31. Verna

32. Viola

33. Wilma

34. Zelma

Obscure Names of 1910

The second group are names that have already slipped under the surface. While I’m certain that some of you knowledgeable berries will protest about the visibility or viability of a handful of these names, most seem to me to no longer be part of the basic American name lexicon. Your opinions on exceptions welcome.

I want to note that several of these names seem like quasi-names, a group we singled out in the 1880 story. We include here choices not included there — Alta, Elva, Lera, Rilla — and there are enough of these name snippets to assume it was still a trend in 1910….though it is not today.

1. Albina

2. Alida

3. Almeda

4. Alpha

5. Alta

6. Altha

7. Alva

8. Alvina

9. Arvilla

10. Ceola

11. Della

12. Delma

13. Delphia

14. Dona

15. Elda

16. Elna

17. Elva

18. Emmer

19. Erma

20. Ethelyn

21. Eula

22. Florine

23. Floy

24. Glenna

25. Hulda

26. Idell or Idella

27. Ira

28. Leatha or Letha

29. Lela

30. Leola

31. Leora

32. Lera

33. Louvenia

34. Lue

35. Lura

36. Marvel

37. Meta

38. Mozelle

39. Myrtice or Myrtis

40. Nedra

41. Neva

42. Nona

43. Novella

44. Odell

45. Oleta

46. Ozella

47. Palma

48. Reatha or Retha

49. Reva

50. Rilla

51. Rosina

52. Treva

53. Trula

54. Vada

55. Velva

56. Verda

57. Verla

58. Vesta

59. Zada

60. Zella

61. Zola

62. Zula

Nicknames of 1910

And then there are the lost nickname-names, epidemic in 1880 and still raging in 1910. We listed a lot of those names in the 1880 story and didn’t want to repeat, but here are several nicknames that were hot in 1910 and are rarely heard now.

1. Arie

2. Arlie

3. Bennie

4. Bertie

5. Callie

6. Claudie

7. Exie

8. Flossie

9. Gussie

10. Jannie

11. Kattie

12. Linnie

13. Lonnie

14. Lossie

15. Macie

16. Maudie

17. Mazie

18. Mossie

19. Myrtie

20. Nannie

21. Ollie

22. Ossie

23. Ressie

24. Tennie

25. Tressie

26. Vergie or Virgie

27. Verlie

28. Versie