Historic and Vintage Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Latin
"all-knowing"
Cato conjures up images of ancient Roman statesmen and southern antebellum retainers; it could have revival potential, with its 'O' ending and the current interest in the names of Greek and Roman…
"cut"
Caesar, the name of the greatest Roman of them all, is rarely used outside Latino families, where the Cesar spelling is preferred —as in activist Chavez and Dog Whisperer Millan. Its original meaning…
"godfather"
Jupiter's partner Juno has entered the mainstream, so it's possible that her divine mate could follow. But not necessarily for boys — Jupiter is currently mostly female in the US, thanks to its…
Hebrew
"dove; daytime"
Jemima, the name of a strong and beautiful Biblical daughter of Job, has long been among the chicest choices of aristocratic Brits, and has since shifted to be used more generally too, replacing…
French; English
"of the Passover; Easter"
The French-accented Pascal was historically used for sons born at Easter, and can make an interesting choice for a boy with Gallic roots arriving around that holiday. Pascal has a number of notable…
Word name or surname name, English
"free man"
Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.
"God will judge"
Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume. In the Old Testament, Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah and while some conflate her with…
Scandinavian, feminine variation of Tyr, an ancient Indo-European god
High profile supermodel/entrepreneur Tyra Banks has put this name in the spotlight, endowing it with her confident, superattractive image.
"stern"
The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. Nero was born Lucius Domitius…
Dutch and German variation of Casper and Jasper, Persian
"keeper of the treasure"
After half a century, this otherwise feasible name has at last started to lose its link to the friendly ghost; it certainly didn't scare model Claudia Schiffer, who chose it for her son, as did…
"golden, blond"
An ancient Roman clan name, Flavia is one choice that's unusual but historic. Now a Top 60 name in Italy, Flavia has been a rarity in the US, but with the upswing in F names for girls, this could…
Place name, various meanings
Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for…
"flight, forsaken"
Hagar is an Old Testament name with an unfortunate association with comic strip character "Hagar the Horrible."
Variation of Pearl, Latin gem name
"pearl"
While we would think of Pearlie as a girlish pet form of Pearl today, it was a unisex name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among males, it was disproportionately used among African…
African
"born on Monday"
Juba, a strong and resonant unisex name, belonged to an ancient African king, is a city and river name, and is traditionally given to Ashanti (of Ghana) girls born on Monday.
Perlie, along with Pearlie and Purlie, was one of the 21 names identified by Lisa D. Cook and colleagues in their landmark study on distinctively Black names from history .
Spelling variation of Phyllis, Greek
"green bough"
The Phillis spelling of this once-popular name lives on thanks to Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American to publish a book of poetry, in the 18th century.
Native American place name
"rich in springs"
Among the least gimmicky, most appealing and colorful of all the names found in the atlas, Jamaica almost sings out the rhythms of the West Indies. Part of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean,…
"five"
Roman statesman and Caesar rival whose name, like other classical choices, was occasionally used for enslaved people. The Pompeo version could rise again.
Presly is a modern masculine name that emerged as a variation of Presley, which itself began as an English surname meaning 'priest's meadow' or 'priest's clearing.' The name gained significant…
