Old Lady Names That Sound New Again

This jazzy old name could make a comeback, the way Josephine and Ella have. In England the name was popularized by Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, after whom her governor general of Canada husband named the North American province. Jazz singer Alberta Hunter was a noted bearer.

A name with a surprising amount of history--it was the name of the wife of Ptolemy I of Egypt, occurs in the New Testament, and belonged to a fourth century saint. In the US, it has long been spelled and pronounced Bernice. Nicknames include Bernie, Berry, Binnie and Bunny.

The name of the mother of Aethelred the Unready was once common among the Anglo-Saxon nobility, and was briefly revived during the 19th century, only to be lost once again to history.

Although she declared her independence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth I — Good Queen Bess, Bess now sounds less passé than Beth or Betsy.

Albertina is a dainty, antiquated -- dare we say demure? -- pet name for Alberta, the feminine spin on the once-popular Albert. With Albert one of the classic boys' names due for a comeback, we can imagine more little girls named Albertina than the zero who get the name today.