Name Image · Historic and Vintage Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
English
"dweller near the beaver stream"
The remarkable success of the girls' name Everly makes a revival of the name Beverly seem possible. More commonly a masculine name in the 19th century, it began to be used for girls in the early…
English variation of Helen
"torch; shining light"
An medieval English form of Helen, the sensitive but clear-eyed Ellen has swung in and out of style for centuries, often alternating with the parent name. Ellen was the more common in medieval…
English, diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
Cute kid with freckles, bouncing a Spalding ball. Cool couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton put the name Billy Burton on their son's birth certificate. While the classic William, name of the…
"spearman"
When Gary cracked the Top 10 in 1950, it was one of the first nonclassic boys’ names to do so, largely due to Gary (born Frank) Cooper, who was renamed after Gary, Indiana, his agent's hometown. Now,…
Latin
"merry, joyous"
Joyce was once a boy name , but took off for girls during the mid-twentieth century, when it spent 1930 to 1947 in the Top 20. Now, Joyce is one of the girls' names starting with J least likely to…
Diminutive of Lawrence, English from Latin
"from Laurentium or bay laurel"
Your friendly next-door neighbor...not your baby. Although Larry was once one of the most popular boys' names starting with L , that title now belongs to Liam.
English feminine variation of John, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men , being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the…
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.
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…
"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…
Diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Bobby is the quintessential mid-century nickname, the name of the son on Mad Men and overused to the point of cliche. Though Robert is still a highly popular choice, most Roberts today are called by…
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…
German variation of Charles
"free man"
This no-nonsense German variation of Charles is strong and sturdy. A top choice throughout the 20th century, Carl is now verging on falling off the charts.
Anglicized form of Irish Caitlin
"pure"
Kathleen is the early Irish import version that came between Katherine and Kaitlin, and which hasn't been used in so long it's almost beginning to sound fresh again. It was a surprise pick by one of…
English and Irish from German
"ruler with the spear"
Both a saint's name and a presidential one via Gerald Ford—who was born Leslie—Gerald is a quintessential 1930s-40s name, when it ranked as high as Number 19. Hence all those nice middle-aged and…
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,…
English variation of Caroline, French
The phonetic Carolyn spelling, which was very popular from the 1920s to the '60s, has been steadily on the wane while Caroline herself has stayed strong. Carolyn Keene was the pseudonymous author of…
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.
Danish variation of Katherine, Japanese
"pure; lotus flower"
Karen, a once sweet Danish import, was so popular during the baby boom (Karen was Number 3 in 1960) that it's become a mem in recent years, representing a hostile white woman—one who usually wants to…
"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…
