Colonial Names for Girls

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

In the Old Testament, Asenath was the wife of Joseph and mother of Manesseh and Ephraim.

Asenath

A name with various origins, Elmira combines the sounds of multicultural Mira with the popular El- beginning. Despite this, the name is rarely heard in the US, though it does rank in the Top 100 names in Azerbaijan. 
 
On one hand, Elmira has Turkish and Persian origins, and is likely made up of the elements el, meaning "homeland, nation, country" and amir meaning "prince" or "commander". Put together, the name begins to feel bold and powerful, with a meaning that has been translated as "ruler of the people".
 
Alternatively, it has Spanish and Germanic roots, and is a contracted form OF Edelmira, meaning "noble and famous", or perhaps "noble peace". 
 
As a Russian name, it is made up from the phrase elektrifikatsiya mira meaning "electrification of the world". This was created by communist parents which may explain why it hasn't remained popular today.
 
Elmira is also the name of multiple places in the US and Canada, including Elmira, New York, where Mark Twain was buried in 1910. The name did rank in the US Top 1000 until the 1930s, but more recently, it has only been given to around 10 girls each year.

Elmira

Parthenia may be a bit unwieldy, but does conjure up majestic images of the Parthenon. It was briefly in the US charts in the late 19th century. 

Parthenia

Feminization of the Greek place name Delphi (of oracle fame), Delphia could also be used as a nod to American city Philadelphia. Delphine and Delphinia are similar names.

Delphia

Abiah is a Biblical name that appears for both female and male figures. It may be considered the same as the name Abijah in the Bible; one female Abijah was a queen and ancestor of Christ. Abiah may also be considered a relative of the Arabic name Abia. However you spell or pronounce it -- a - BY -a or a - BEE - a -- this name can be an original way to the nickname Abi.

Abiah

Edwina may still be taking tea in the parlor, but we can see her joining friends like Matilda and Josephine for a comeback, especially if pronounced like Edwin rather than Edween. 
 She had a very non-vintage-mauve image in the Coen brothers' cult favorite, Raising Arizona, in which Holly Hunter played a police officer named Edwina who was usually called Ed.
 Edwina was on the Social Security list every year through 1969, reaching a high of 378 in 1943.

Edwina

A pretty and plausible Latin name that's gotten a bad rap through the years via a link to Lucrezia Borgia, who, though long considered a demon poisoner, was actually a patron of learning and the arts.
 Lucretia is a U.S. First Lady name, borne by the wife of President James A. Garfield; a worthy namesake is Lucretia Mott, a Quaker abolitionist, and peace and women's rights advocate.
 In the Harry Potter saga, Lucretia Black Prewett is a pure-blood witch.

Lucretia

An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the list in 1958, enough time to be reconsidered as a Margaret alternative. The name Margery Daw is familiar via the seesaw nursery rhyme and Margery Williams wrote the children's classic The Velveteen Rabbit..

Margery

Stately and elegant, but with the familiar sounds of Sophia and Sophie, Sophronia was a familiar choice back in the 19th century but has since fallen into obscurity. Derived from the Greek sophron, it means "sensible, self-restrained".
 
Some people might have first encountered the name in the old children's book series The Five Little Peppers, in which Sophronia, the youngest of the Peppers is nicknamed Phronsie.`It was also used by Dickens in two of his novels: The Old Curiosity Shop and Our Mutual Friend.
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Given to a very small handful of girls most years, it makes a familiar but alternative option.

Sophronia

Donia is a name with many possible origins. Besides a short female form of Donald, it may also be a form of the Italian Donna meaning lady, a variation on the Arabic Donya meaning world, or a Celtic name of the Don family, which all have meanings related to dark or darkness.

Donia

The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an eccentric aristocrat, much more accepted in the U.K. than she has been here.
 Hester's beyond-Hawthorne's literary appearances include as characters in Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy, in Oscar Wilde's play A Woman of No Importance, in John Irving's novel A Prayer for Owen Meaney, and as Niles and Frasier Crane's mom on Frasier.
 Hetty is Hester's usual nickname, sometimes used independently.

Hester

Replaced Patsy as the midcentury's popular, peppy babysitter. 

Patty

Hatty is an old school nickname for Harriet, itself an old-fashioned choice. The more usual spelling historically is Hattie, with was given to more than 750 baby girls last year in the US, three times as many as were named Harriet. Hatty, by contrast, was used for fewer than five babies -- quite a contrast!

Hatty

Nonie

It may have been used by the Puritans, but any modern child would chafe under this name. 

Obedience

Queen Hecuba was the legendary queen of King Priam of Troy, mother of Hector, Paris, Cassandra and others. Euripedes' tragedy Hecuba depicts Hecuba's grief over the death of her daughter Polyxena, and the revenge she takes for the murder of her youngest son Polydorus.

Hecuba

Gussie fits the growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls - alongside Charlie and Frankie. But Gussie is a bit fussy — try Gus.

Gussie

This Puritan virtue name may be unstylish, but it is also sympathetic and appealing in these largely uncomfortable times.

Comfort

A sweet and rare nickname for Charlotte. Lollie would also work as a short form of other names with a strong L sound, such as Laura, Lauren, Dolores, Lola, Lorelei, Louisa, Elodie, Lois, Ottilie, Olive, Ololade, and beyond. Also spelled as Lolly, it featured in the US Top 1000 back in the late 19th century, and when combined with its alternative spelling, more than 60 girls have received it as a stand-alone since the 2000s. 
 
Associated with lollypops, ice lollies, and Australia candy, Lollie may appeal to those who like Dolly, Birdie, Coco, Millie, and Dulcie.

Lollie

 have fallen out of favor for long enough now to sound fresh and even cool again. Early Americans used names from a variety of styles, including obscure 

 such as Silence and Obedience, and extravagant 

most common girl name during colonial times

 was Elizabeth, followed by Mary, Sarah, Anne, and Frances. Colonial names can be considered 

, while girl names from the 1800s can also be called 

 still popular today include Abigail, Amy, Caroline, Charlotte, Hannah, Katherine, Molly, and Sabrina. 

 include Cleda, Hitty, Nonie, Thirza, and Winnet.

 but want to move beyond the Victorian names and biblical names we've heard so much of in recent years, consider these names culled from Revolutionary War rolls and eighteenth-century town histories.

Colonial names from the 1700s for baby girls, historical girl names, old fashioned girl names, with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 7)