Historic and Vintage Names · Popular Names and Name Trends
Endangered Baby Names
Across 11 pages
of 11
Gertrude
German
"strength of a spear"
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…
Marietta
Italian diminutive of Maria
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Marietta would make for a classy and uncommon long form for cool nickname Etta. The meaning of Maria is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea");…
Suzette
French diminutive of Susannah, Hebrew
"lily"
Suzette has a kind of clunky retro charm – so kitsch it's almost cool again.
Debra
Spelling variation of Deborah
"bee"
When Deborah seemed too formal in the laid-back sixties, Debra stepped in as a pared-down alternative, but the pendulum is about to swing back.
Joely
Feminine variation of Joel, spelling variation of Jolie
Sounding both tomboyish and feminine at the same time, this name is mostly associated with actresses Joely Richardson and Joely Fisher.
Marcy
Diminutive of Marcia
"Mars, god of war"
Marcy is about as hip as bobby sox and saddle shoes – which is to say, it's probably due a revival in the not-too-distant future! It was a typical Peanuts character name, which peaked in the…
Rochelle
French
"little rock"
While Rochelle may sound like a twist on Rachel, it has a different origin entirely. Rather than having Biblical and Hebrew ties, it comes from the name of a city on the west coast of France, La…
Marylou
English, combination of Mary and Lou
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + famous battle"
Truncated form of Marylouise. As two separate words, Mary Lou has popped up a number of times, as the title, for example, of two early feature films. There's also a Nickelodeon actress named Mary Lou…
Merle
French
"blackbird"
Originally a nickname for someone who loved to sing or whistle, Merle is sleek but gentle, with a hint of great grandpa about it..
Misty
English
"mist"
The Play Misty for Me jokes will get old really fast.
Noreen
English, diminutive of Nora
Noreen's in limbo, especially now that Nora has made a comeback.
Rich
Rich is a masculine name that functions both as a standalone name and as a diminutive of Richard, which derives from Germanic elements meaning "powerful" and "brave ruler." As an independent name,…
Rick
Diminutive of Richard, Frederick
Last cool when Bogie roamed Casablanca.
Ricki
Feminization of Ricky, English, or English diminutive of Frederica, German
"dominant ruler; peaceful ruler"
One of the earliest of the relaxed, unisex names, now relegated to oldies rock stations. Ricki is a spirited, retro nickname traditionally short for Frederica but now stands strong on its own.…
Robby
Diminutive of Robert, English
"bright fame"
This classic Robert nickname is starting to sound sweet again, along with ultra-retro Bobby.
Ron
Short form of Ronald, Norse
"ruler's counselor"
Ron is a masculine name that functions both as a standalone name and as a shortened form of longer names like Ronald, Aaron, or Byron. Ronald, its most common source, derives from the Old Norse…
Russ
Variation of Russell, French
"redhead, fox-colored"
Short but substantial, Russ does not need the full-form Russell to go on the birth certificate. Russ strikes a nice balance between familiar, friendly, and underused.
Rusty
Short form of Russell
Though as a formal name Rusty is a little, well, rusty, it spent half a century among the Top 1000, departing only in 1995. Only 45 baby boys received the name in the US in one recent year and it's…
Scotty
Scotty is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive form of Scott, which itself began as a surname referring to a person from Scotland. This friendly, approachable nickname has occasionally…
Shelly
Shelly is a feminine name that originated as a diminutive of Michelle or as a reference to seashells, giving it both personal and nature-inspired origins. Popular during the 1960s and 1970s in…