Historic and Vintage Names · Classic Baby Names
Colonial Names from the 1700s
Across 17 pages
of 17
Eleazar
Hebrew
"God helps"
Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names. Eleazar is also a Twilight name,…
Lafayette
French
"faith"
Foppish name with a distinguished forebear, French general Marquis de Lafayette, who fought in the American Revolution. It accounts for the L in L. Ron Hubbard. Old-time short form: Fayette or Fate.
Kit
English, diminutive of Christopher
"bearer of Christ"
Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones , has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son back in the 2000s, while actor…
Kiah
Short form of Hezekiah, Hebrew
"God gives strength"
Drawn from old record books, Kiah is an antiquated nickname that feels perfectly appropriate for modern times -- maybe more so than father name Hezekiah.
Elbridge
English
"old bridge"
Elbridge is an uncommon last name used as first. It sounds rather forbidding, but Bridge would be a cute, modern nickname.
Barnabas
Aramaic
"son of consolation"
Barnabas, whose birth name was Joseph, was one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem, who undertook missionary journeys with Paul the Apostle, His name is a bit Old World compared to the…
Jothan
Hebrew
"God is upright"
Jothan or Jotham was both a son of Gideon and a king of Judah in the Bible. One of the biblical boys' names that's still obscure -- though like so many others in this class, it could be rediscovered.
Ebenezer
Hebrew
"stone of help"
Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then…
Dobbin
Diminutive of Robert, English from German
"bright fame"
Ancient nickname that sounds cuter than its modern alternatives -- but be aware that in the days of the horse and buggy, it was most often used for the horse.
Dob
Diminutive of Robert, English
"bright fame"
Along with Dobbin, Dob was medieval nickname for Robert.
Balthasar
Greek
"God protects the king"
Balthasar was one of the biblical Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus, also used by Shakespeare and in the oil-rich Getty family; offbeat and intriguing. Balthazar is another, equally…
Abijah
Hebrew
"God is my father"
Abijah is a truly unusual, truly unisex, truly appealing biblical name. There were several male Abijahs in the Bible, one of them, known as Abijah of Judah, was the fourth king of the House of David,…
Jehu
Hebrew
"God is he"
A rare Old Testament name that, although short, is resoundingly biblical. It belonged to name the tenth king of Israel, who seized power violently and reigned from about 841 to 814 BCE. Jehu Mountain…
Jed
Diminutive of Jedidiah, Hebrew
"beloved of the Lord"
Cowboyish short form that's both macho and cool. Got prime time exposure on The West Wing .
Dirch
Diminutive of Derrick, English
"the people's ruler"
An old-timey nickname for Derrick that has since been forgotten.
Isham
English
"from the Iron One's estate"
A noble surname from northern England that has occasionally been used as a first name.
Cuthbert
English
"famous, brilliant"
Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from…
Increase
Word name
One Puritan virtue name unlikely to thrive in the 21st century.
Cuddy
Diminutive of Cuthbert
"famous, brilliant"
Cuthbert is unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon, so Cuddy too may be lost to history.
Hosea
Hebrew
"salvation"
Since so many of the biblical prophet names -- Daniel, Jonah, Nathan, Samuel -- are overused, you might want to consider this distinctive alternative. Hosea was the author of the book of prophesies…