Nameberry's Favorite Vintage Names

Isabel, Theodore, and Isadora are back: could it now be time for a more widespread revival of Isidore? Yet to see any big moves up the charts, Isidore was given to more than 30 boys in a recent year: twice the number it was given to a decade ago.

 A common ancient Greek name belonging to several saints--including Saint Isidore the Ploughman, patron saint of Madrid and the great encyclopedist St. Isidore of Seville, whose work formed the basis of much medieval knowledge, it also appears in 19th century novel Villette by Charlotte Brontë, applied to a character to conceal his true, homely identity.
 
Historically common among Jewish communities, though Isaac, Isaiah, and Israel are now preferred, Isidore may make a rare yet approachable choice. Friendly nickname Izzy could be cool, while Dory and Sid are other options.

Isidore

Rupert is a charming-yet-manly name long more popular in Britain (where it's attached to a beloved cartoon bear) than in the U.S. Yet we can see Rupert as a more stylish, modern way to honor an ancestral Robert.
 Rupert has been more visible in this country of late via Rupert Grint, portrayer of Harry Potter's Ron Weasley and the character Rupert Giles, mentor of Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as actors Rupert Everett and Rupert Graves--not to mention media mogul Rupert Murdoch. 
 Off the US popularity lists since the early fifties, Rupert ranks high on Nameberry--at Number 170.

Rupert

Wilfred is one of those Old Man Names that still sounds fusty in the US but is fashionable in the UK. It comes with readymade short forms Will, Wilf, or Fred and might make an adventurous alternative to the ubiquitous William. The central character of Walter Scott's Ivanhoe is the knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe while Wilfred Owen is a well-known British poet, noteworthy for his war poetry.

Wilfred

Rufus is a rumpled, redheaded (it was the nickname for red-haired King William) ancient Roman name popular with saints and singers (e.g. Rufus Wainwright); now, Rufus is on the cutting edge of cool.
 Fellow singer James Taylor named one of his twins Rufus, and Rufus Humphrey is a Gossip Girl character. Rufus Sewell is a commanding, intense English actor.
 Rufus is mentioned in the New Testament as the name of a son of Simon the Cytherian, and there are several St. Rufuses. He's also a major figure in the George Eliot novel Felix Holt: The Radical, an honest and passionate preacher and politician.

Rufus

Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last truly popular more than a century ago. A recent year saw it given to 42 boys. 
 
Wilbur, the loveable pig who Charlotte of the Web called Some Pig might be considered an inspirational hero and an appealing literary connection, while for others, its left the name far too associated with pigs. 
 
The etymology of the name is somewhat disputed, but one theory is that it derived from the Old English nickname Wildbor (meaning "wild boar"), though other possibilities are that it comes from the Germanic Wilbert ("bright will") or the Old English Wilburg ("wished for fortress").
 
Notable Wilburs include Wilbur Wright, an early aviationist, musician and YouTuber Wilbur Soot and writer Wilbur Smith.

Wilbur

Gentle and friendly, but also full of energy and spark, Albie is a bubbly diminutive, usually of Albert, but also of Alban, Albus, Albie has become a big favorite in England and Wales in recent years. The name has been in the charts there since 1996, but it rose quickly throughout the 2010s, and recently featured in the Top 30. 
 
 If you consider Albie a relation of Albert, it means "noble and bright", while if it is short for Alban and Albus, it would mean "white, bright, light". Also popular in Northern Ireland and Scotland, Albie is sometimes used as an anglicization of Ailbhe, a unisex Irish name meaning "world, light, white" or "rock". 
 
Alternative spelling Alby peaked back in 2016 when it ranked at #387 in England and Wales, though it has since fallen to just within the Top 900. 
 
Albie has never appeared in the US Top 1000 and was given to just 26 boys (and 6 girls) in a recent year.

Albie

Ethel is a name we once declared as 'So Far Out They'll Probably Always Be Out,' but with the return of other names on that list and with its new starbaby cred via Lily Allen, its soft sound and admirable meaning, we're not so sure.
 At the turn of the last century, when Ethel Barrymore was the belle of Broadway, her first name was wildly popular, a Top 10 name for sixteen years and in the Top 100 until 1939. Other well-known bearers have been musical stars Ethel Merman and Ethel Waters and Robert Kennedy's widow. Not so distinguished: Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy".
 Ethel fell away from such Old English appellations as Ethelberta, Ethelreda and Ethelinda. Now THOSE, we think we can safely say, are so far out they'll always be out.

Ethel

A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of one of the Hogwarts houses, Rowena is a retro feeling choice with literary charm.
 
While the exact origin of the name is unknown, it is mentioned by the 12th-century chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth, who suggests it was the name of a Saxon chief. As such, it may combine the Old English elements hroð meaning "fame", with either wynn or wine meaning "joy" and "friend" respectively. An alternative possibility is that is blends the Welsh gwen ("white, fair, blessed") with ron ("spear"). 

While it might be perceived today as a spin-off of Rowan and Rowen, the pronunciation, however, is not like the popular nature name with an a at the end, but with a long e and an emphasis on the middle syllable. She was on the popularity list in the US until 1963 and spent several years in the Top 500 in the early 20th century, while in the UK, she ranked until the 2000s.
 
The Welsh variation Rhonwen is used in Welsh literature as a personification of the English people, while Rowina and Rowenna are spelling alternatives, the latter likely to give you the ro-WEHN-uh sound.

Rowena

This Celtic goddess and Arthurian name may sound terminally old-ladyish to many ears--but so did names like Ella and Etta not so long ago. So Enid is yet another forgotten four-letter E-possibility: she's has been M.I.A since 1954. 
 You might not know it to look at her, but Enid is Welsh, from the word meaning 'life' or 'soul.' Back in the Age of Chivalry, to call a woman 'a second Enid' was the greatest of compliments, as she was a legendary romantic figure, revived in Tennyson's Idyll of the Kings. In more modern times, Enid is the title of a Bare Naked Ladies song and a quirky character in the quirky film Ghost World.

Enid

Eudora is the name of five minor goddesses of Greek mythology and a major goddess (in the person of Pulitzer Prize-winning Eudora Welty) of modern American literature. Eudora is pleasant and euphoneous and a possibility for rejuvenation.
 In Greek myth, Eudora was one of the Hyades, a set of sisters transformed into the star cluster that bears their name. 
 In Disney's The Princess and the Frog, Eudora was the name of Princess Tiana's mother, who was voiced by Oprah Winfrey, and of Mia Farrow's character in Zelig. Eudora is also a character in Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom, and was chosen by actress Marcia Gay Hardin for her daughter back in 1998.

Eudora

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T., revive the long shunned Gertrude?
 It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked Out Forever, except that its long and honorable pedigree--as a goddess in Norse mythology, as the gentle and mystical Saint Gertrude the Great, and another St. Gertrude who is the patron of cats, and its use by Shakespeare for Hamlet's (not exactly exemplary) mother--earns it a place on the permanent roster. It has also been borne by such varied figures as writer Gertrude Stein, swimming champ Gertrude Ederle, British stage star Gertrude Lawrence, and arts patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
 The pinnacle of fashion a century ago, Gertrude reached as high as Number 23 in 1900, but dropped off the list completely in 1966.

Gertrude

Blanche, which originated as a nickname for a pale blonde and then became associated with the notion of purity, was in style a century ago, ranking in the double digits until 1920. She then had to fight the stereotype of faded Southern belle, a la Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and Blanche Devereaux in TV's Golden Girls. Now all three of the Golden Girls--Blanche, Rose and Dorothy--could be ready for revival, with Blanche sounding like a stronger, simpler alternative to Bianca.
A saint's name, Blanche was a royal name in France by the twelfth century, then was brought to England by the French wife of Henry I. One possible powerful namesake is Blanche Scott, one of the original daredevil aviatrixes. You might also take its meaning to relate to snow, making it one of the perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">winter baby names</a>.

Blanche

Araminta is a poetic and enchanting eighteenth-century invention with plenty of elegance and a touch of old-fashioned clunkiness. It first appeared in William Congreve's 17th century comedy The Old Bachelor and then again in 1705 when it was used by architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh in his play The Confederacy.
 
There are several theories on where Araminta came from, one possibility being that it is a compound name, blending Arabella with Aminta. Arabella is considered a variant of Anabella or derived from the Latin orabilis and means "loveable" or "unyielding". Aminta is itself a literary invention, meaning "defender". Together then, they form a strong name, connected to love and strength.
 
An alternative suggestion is that it was developed from the plant name Amaranth, meaning "unfading" from the Greek amarantos. Poet Richard Lovelace had used to altered form Aramantha forty years before Araminta appeared on stage and could have been the inspiration.
 
Other theories suggest that Araminta is: a form of Aminata, itself a variant of the Arabic Amina, meaning "safe and secure" or "trustful"; inspired by the Greek element anthos meaning "flower"; or a spin on the Germanic Arminius, meaning "whole, universal" or army man".
 
Moving away from the tangled etymology, Araminta was notably the birth name of abolitionist, Harriet Tubman. It is also borne by photographer Araminta de Clermont, and by actress Araminta "Minta" Durfee.
 
More familiar in Britain than the US, but rare there too, it has however proved popular in fiction. In the Enid Bagnold novel National Velvet, Araminta is the name of the central character's mother, while Araminta Lee is a character in Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians.It had also appeared in the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn and in Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi.
 
Just 11 girls were named Araminta in 2024 in the US.

Araminta

Honora and Honoria are two ways of softening the severity of Honor, while retaining its righteous meaning. They were predominant until the Reformation, when the Puritans adopted the abstract virtue names, and were introduced to Britain by the Normans.
 Honoria Blake is a character in the Dickens novel Bleak House.
 The Irish form of the name is Onora. A variant spelling is Honorah.

Honora

Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men, with intriguing mid-century characters with names like Joan and Betty--and Peggy, causing a bit of a re-think. MM's proto-feminist Peggy Olson was followed by Amy Adams's strong Oscar-nominated Peggy Dodd character in The Master.
 Peggy has been used independently since the eighteenth century, later combined with other names such as Peggy Sue, made famous by the Buddy Holly song and the film Peggy Sue Got Married.
 Some notable namesakes who have gone by Peggy include jazz singer Peggy Lee (born Norma), art patron Guggenheim (born Marguerite), skater Fleming, and author/speechwriter Noonan (born Margaret).
 It's not likely that Peggy will ever regain the 31st position it held in 1937, but we can see it coming into somewhat wider use.

Peggy

An appealing Irish placename with a unisex feel, Ennis would be a fresh alternative to Dennis and Ellis. It's little-used for boys and even rarer for girls, but since Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons used it for their son, it could be one to watch.

Ennis

Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance.
 Usage of Ned in literature goes back to a Ben Johnson character in 1614, and it is also the name of the protagonist in James Fenimore Cooper's Ned Myers. In Australia, Ned Kelly is famous as a larger-than-life legendary outlaw figure. In this country, Ned Rorem is a respected modern composer.
 There was a 1990s sitcom called Ned and Stacey, and other Neds have appeared in The Simpsons (neighbor Flanders), Groundhog Day and School of Rock. Ned Stark is a prominent, and unusually heroic, character in Game of Thrones, giving the name some new cultural cache, though we can't recommend using his proper name, Eddard.

Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it is. A sweet-spot name that's a real winner.
 Barnaby is a version of Barnabas, the name of an Apostle companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. Barnaby has NEVER ranked on the US Top 1000, though it is on the charts in the UK and is well-liked by Nameberry visitors.
 The name of the good-natured hero of Dickens's novel Barnaby Rudge, it became more familiar to the modern American public through the TV series Barnaby Jones. Barnaby has been a character in Hello, Dolly!, a doctor played by Cary Grant in the movie Monkey Business, a comic strip character, and has starred in a number of children's books.

Barnaby

Humphrey is an old name that might have faded completely were it not for that Bogie flair. A royal name in Britain, where it's used somewhat more frequently, Humphrey might just have some life beyond Bogart here, especially with the recent interest in the names of Golden Age Hollywood stars. His first name was the maiden name of his mother, Maud Humphrey, a well-known illustrator who used baby H. as a model.
 Humphrey was brought to England by the Normans and was made famous by Duke Humphrey, the fifteenth century Duke of Gloucester and youngest son of Henry IV, a noted patron of literature, who appears in Shakespeare's Henry IV. In other literature, Humphrey Wasp is a character in Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, and the eponymous hero of Tobias Smollett's early novel Humphrey Clinker. In James Joyce's Finnegans Wake Humphrey Climpden Earwicker represents the everyman.
 Bottom line: An interesting name with a noirish edge.

Humphrey

This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related names, Kitty is sounding cute and cuddly again&mdash;she's already jumped back onto the U.K. list, at number 199.
 Kitty was one of the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice and was a character in Dickens's Bleak House; Ginger Rogers won an Oscar for her performance in Kitty Foyle, and vintage TV fans might remember the alluring Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke. Since then there have been pop culture Kittys galore, including Calista Flockhart's character on Brothers and Sisters, a mom on That 70's Show and Kitty Pryde, one of the X-Men.
 Singer Kitty Carlisle was born Catherine, country singer Kitty Wells grew up as Muriel, and Presidential candidate's wife Kitty Dukakis was born Katharine.
 A historical reference is Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers performed their aeronautical experiments. 
 Short form Kit has been used in recent years for several strong-willed movie heroines and may prove a lively alternative to Kate.

Kitty

As much as we love old-fashioned names like Eleanor and Harvey, you won't find them on our list of Nameberry's favorite vintage names.

Why? For this list, we isolating names that rank inside the Nameberry Top 1000, yet outside the US Top 1000, resulting in a collection of 

vintage names currently fashionable abroad

Vintage names that rank in the Nameberry Top 1000 but outside of the US Top 1000 — including Agnes and Orson — with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 6)