Victorian Names from the 1800s
Victorian Names and Names from the 1800s are virtually the same category, given that Queen Victoria ruled from 1837 until 1901, most of the 19th century. 1800s baby names were heavily influenced by the queen, who had nine children, all of whom had the very definition of Victorian names.
Popular 19th century baby names include many classic names still widely used today. Mary, Elizabeth, and Emma for girls were popular names in the US in 1880, the first year American name popularity statistics were recorded. Classic boy names John, William, and James held the top three spots for boys.
Some 1800s Victorian baby names are coming back in a big way today. In this group we'd put Ida, Alice, Clara, Florence, and Mabel for girls; Arthur, Ezra, Louis, and Oscar for boys. More unique 1800s baby names that feel new and cool today include Lula, Etta, and Alma for girls: Clyde, Otto, and Homer for boys.
But other popular 1800s names are considered old-fashioned names today, not destined for a comeback any time soon. Among the 19th century names still stuck in the 19th century are Bertha, Gertrude, and Myrtle for girls; Clarence, Herbert, and Elmer for boys.
One quirky fashion of 19th century names are nicknames that end in ie, especially for girls. Minnie, Annie, Nellie, Carrie, Bessie, and Hattie among the most popular 19th century girl names.
Popular 19th century nicknames for boys used directly on the birth certificate include Fred, Joe, Charlie, Sam, Will, and Willie. Gender neutral names included nicknames like Mattie, Ollie, and Jimmie used for both girls and boys. Marion was a Top 100 boys' name in 1880.
Browse our full list of Victorian baby names from the 1800s here, including names still used today as well as more old-fashioned 19th century baby names.
RELATED: Victorian Girl Names and Victorian Boy Names.
- Theodore
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"gift of God"Description:
As unlikely as it may seem, Theodore is a hot new hit name, vaulting into the Top 10 in 2021 for the first time ever. Friendly nickname Theo may be responsible for some of that, though there are plenty of baby boys given Theo as their full name too. Add their numbers together, and the two names jump to Number 6.
- Felix
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"happy, fortunate"Description:
Felix was originally a Roman surname but was adopted as a nickname by the ancient Roman Sulla, who believed that he was especially blessed with luck by the gods. It is the name of four popes and sixty-seven saints; in the Bible, Felix is a Roman procurator of Judea.
- Alice
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"noble"Description:
Alice was derived from the Old French name Aalis, a diminutive of Adelais that itself came from the Germanic name Adalhaidis. Adalhaidis, from which the name Adelaide is also derived, is composed of the Proto-Germanic elements aþala, meaning "noble," and haidu, "kind, appearance, type." Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland popularized the name in modern times.
- Silas
Origin:
Aramaic, Latin, GreekMeaning:
"of the forest; or prayed for"Description:
Silas is a Biblical name of debated – or possibly multiple – origins. It may be a simplified form of the Latin Silvanus, meaning "of the forest", or alternatively may be a Greek form of the Aramaic Seila or Hebrew Saul, meaning "asked for, prayed for".
- Oliver
Origin:
GermanicMeaning:
"olive tree"Description:
Oliver derives from Olivier, the Norman French variation of the Ancient Germanic name Alfihar ("elf army") or the Old Norse Áleifr ("ancestor's relic"), from which comes Olaf. Olivier emerged as the dominant spelling for its associations with the Latin word oliva, meaning "olive tree." Oliver was used as a given name in medieval England after the spread of the French epic poem ‘La Chanson de Roland,’ which features a character named Olivier.
- Oscar
Origin:
English or IrishMeaning:
"God spear, or deer-lover or champion warrior"Description:
Oscar has Irish and Norse roots—Norse Oscar comes from the Old English Osgar, a variation of the Old Norse name Ásgeirr. The Irish form was derived from the Gaelic elements os, meaning “deer,” and car, “loving.” In Irish legend, Oscar was one of the mightiest warriors of his generation, the son of Ossian and the grandson of Finn Mac Cumhaill (MacCool).
- Violet
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"purple"Description:
Violet is soft and sweet but far from shrinking. The Victorian Violet, one of the prettiest of the color and flower names, was chosen by high-profile parents Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, definitely a factor in its rapid climb to popularity. Violet cracked into the Top 50 for the first time ever in 2015.
- Cora
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"maiden"Description:
In classical mythology, Cora—or Kore—was a euphemistic name of Persephone, goddess of fertility and the underworld. Kore was the name used when referencing her identity as the goddess of Spring, while Persephone referred to her role as queen of the Underworld. Cora gained popularity as a given name after James Fenimore Cooper used it as the name of his heroine, Cora Munro, in his 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans.
- Otto
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"wealthy"Description:
Cutting-edge parents have revived this German name a la Oscar.
- August
Origin:
German form of Latin AugustusMeaning:
"great, magnificent"Description:
August is THE celebrity baby name of the moment, chosen by both Princess Eugenie and Mandy Moore for their baby boys in early 2021. Before that, August had been heating up in Hollywood – used by Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, Lena Olin, Dave Matthews and Jeanne Tripplehorn for their sons, and is rapidly becoming the preferred month of the year for boys' names. The month of August was named after the Emperor Augustus.
- Clara
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"bright, clear"Description:
Long relegated to an Olde World backwater, the European-flavored Clara has been speeding up the charts on sleeker sister Claire's coattails for the past few decades. Now, many would say the vintage chic Clara is the more stylish of the two names. Actor Ewan McGregor was an early celebrity adopter of the name for one of his daughters.
- Eleanor
Origin:
English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknownDescription:
While some think Eleanor is a variation of Helen via Ellen, it actually derives from the Provencal name Aliénor, of highly-debated meaning. It may come from the Germanic name Adenorde, meaning "ancient north" or "noble north". Another theory is that it derives from the Latin phrase alia Aenor, meaning "other Aenor," used to distinguish some original Eleanor, who was named after her mother Aenor. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine brought it from France to England in the twelfth century. Other spellings include Elinor and Eleanore.
- Phoebe
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"radiant, shining one"Description:
Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from phoibos, meaning “bright.” In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting. The masculine version of Phoebe is Phoebus.
- Josephine
Origin:
French feminine variation of JosephMeaning:
"Jehovah increases"Description:
Josephine is the feminine form of Joseph, a name ultimately derived from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning "Jehovah increases." In French it has an accent over the first E, which was omitted in the English, German, and Dutch translations of the name. Empress Joséphine du Beauharnais was born Marie-Josephe-Rose, but called Josephine by her husband, Napolean Bonaparte.
- Charlotte
Origin:
French, feminine diminutive of CharlesMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Charlotte is the feminine form of the male given name Charles. It derived from Charlot, a French diminutive of Charles meaning "little Charles," and the name of Charlemagne’s son in French literature and legend. The name was popularized by England's Queen Charlotte Sophia, wife of King George III.
- Ezra
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"help"Description:
Ezra is potentially an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase Azaryahu, meaning “Yah helps.” In the Bible, Ezra led a group of fifteen hundred Israelites out of slavery in Babylon and back to Jerusalem. The Latin name Esdras derives from Ezra.
- Miles
Origin:
English form of MiloMeaning:
"soldier or merciful"Description:
Miles, which took on a permanent veneer of cool thanks to jazz great Miles Davis, is a confident and polished boy name starting with M that has been appreciated in particular by celebrity baby namers, including Elisabeth Shue, Mayim Bialik, Larenz Tate, Joan Cusack and Lionel Ritchie.
- Lucy
Origin:
English variation of Lucia, LatinMeaning:
"light"Description:
Lucy is the English form of the Roman Lucia, which derives from the Latin word "lux" meaning "light." Lucy and Lucia were at one time given to girls born at dawn. Lucy can alternatively be spelled Luci or Lucie.
- Beatrice
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"she who brings happiness; blessed"Description:
Beatrice is derived from Beatrix, a Latin name meaning "she who brings happiness." In the earliest sources it is also recorded as Viatrix, meaning "voyager", so there is some weight in both meanings.
- Amelia
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"work"Description:
Amelia is derived from the German name Amalia, which in turn is a variation of Amalberga. The root, amal, is a Germanic word meaning "work," and in the context of female given names suggests themes of fertility as well as productivity. Aemilia, the name from which Emily is derived, is unrelated to Amelia.