Name Image · Historic and Vintage Names
Midcentury Baby Names
Across 5 pages
of 5
Laurie
English, diminutive of Laura
"from Laurentum or bay laurel"
Laurie morphed into the more streamlined Lori in the sixties but now feels dated for a girl in either spelling. Update Lauren has been renovated as Laurel or Laura itself.
Lynn
Diminutive of Linda, English, Welsh
"pretty, soft, tender; lake"
Lynn arrived in the 1940s, spinning off from the wildly popular Linda to become a top mid-century middle (and first) name, ranking at #58 during its 1956 peak. Now, however, Lynn is out of the…
Marcia
Latin, feminine version of Marcius
"warlike"
Marcia is an ancient Roman name which derives from Mars, the god of war. It was used by Dante in the Inferno and later by Thomas Hardy and others. Marcia enjoyed a brief run of popularity in the…
Pamela
English
"all honey"
Pam was a somewhat pampered prom queen of the sixties who was never called by her full name, which is a pity because Pamela is so mellifluous and rich in literary history. A Top 25 name from the late…
Patricia
Latin
"noble, patrician"
Patricia still sounds patrician, though its scores of nicknames definitely don't. Wildly popular from the forties (alternately Number 3 and 4 throughout the decade) to the sixties, Patricia has been…
Peggy
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
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…
Randall
English
"shield-wolf"
Medieval name without much of a future.
Randy
Diminutive of Randall, Randolph
Ever since Austin Powers enlightened Americans that "randy" meant "horny," it's been hard to take this name seriously, and Randy has declined in popularity since.
Rodney
English
"island near the clearing"
Rodney peaked at Number 33 in 1965 and has been on a steady decline ever since. As its popularity history indicates, this name is more fitting for someone born in the mid-twentieth century instead of…
Sandra
Diminutive of Alessandra, Italian from Greek
"defending men"
2012's Hurricane Sandy blew away whatever style currency Sandra retained from its 1960s Sandra Dee heyday. While in recent years it's been associated with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor,…
Sharon
Hebrew
"a plain"
This Old Testament place name was in the Top 10 fifty years ago, but now Sharon, along with sound-alike Karen, have fallen out of favor.
Sheila
Irish variation of Cecilia
"blind"
Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to…
Sherry
Phonetic variation of French Cheri; also a Spanish fortified wine
Peppy cheerleader name of the 1960s and 70s that's sure to evoke the Four Seasons song of that name.
Shirley
English
"bright meadow"
Shirley Temple almost single-handedly lifted the gloom of the Great Depression, and in tribute (and perhaps wishing for a similarly curly-headed, dimpled darling of their own), thousands of parents…
Steve
Diminutive of Stephen or Steven
"garland, crown"
Some parents just use Steve on the birth certificate, but it doesn't have the breezy charm of trendy short forms like Max, Sam, and Jake. Regardless of how much you love Steve as a given name, it…
Susan
English diminutive of Susannah, Hebrew
"lily"
Although Susan had her heyday from the thirties to the sixties, and is now common among moms and new grandmas, and though most modern parents would prefer Susanna/Susannah, we have spotted some…
Terri
English, diminutive of Theresa
See TERRY.
Terry
Diminutive of Terence or Thierry, English
"soft; thresher; ruler of the people"
One of the first breakaway unisex baby names , Terry, used independently since the days of Terry and the Pirates. Popular in the mid-20th-century, it has fallen out of favor in recent years, replaced…
Todd
English
"fox"
A 1970s beach boy surfing buddy of Scott, Brad, and Chad, Todd is given to relatively few babies these days.
Vicki
Vicki is a feminine name that originated as a diminutive form of Victoria, which derives from Latin meaning "victory." This shorter, friendlier version gained significant popularity as an independent…