New on the App StoreSwipe baby names with your partner — match on names you both love.

Get the iPhone appDownload on the App Store
Nameberry Logo

Victorian Girl Names from the 1800s

  1. Lucretia
    • Origin:

      Latin, female form of Lucretius
    • Meaning:

      "profit, wealth"
    • Description:

      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.
  2. Temperance
    • Origin:

      Virtue name
    • Description:

      Not too long ago, Temperance was found only on lists of Puritan baby names.
  3. Rhoda
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "rose"
    • Description:

      To those who remember, Rhoda is still reminiscent of the brassy Bronx 1970s sitcom Rhoda Morgenstern. But Rhoda has a much longer history--it is a name that can be found in the New Testament as a servant girl in the house of Mary, mother of John. Later, Rhoda appeared in the novel Vanity Fair and the Shaw play Man and Superman.
  4. Cicely
    • Origin:

      English variation of Cecilia
    • Meaning:

      "blind"
    • Description:

      This frilly Victorian name is a variant of Cecilia and Cecily, with which it might well be confused. Cicely was a surprise choice for comedienne Sandra Bernhard.
  5. Rosamond
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "horse protection"
    • Description:

      The kind of serious old-school name that sounds appealing again; perfect for the intrepid baby namer. More commonly spelled Rosamund but highly unusual these days in either version, with fewer than 20 baby girls named Rosamund in the US last year while Rosamond didn't even register with five.
  6. Georgiana
    • Origin:

      English, feminine variation of George
    • Meaning:

      "farmer"
    • Description:

      Long a popular upper-crust form in England, where it's pronounced George-ee-AH-na, Georgiana has been been neglected here. But with Georgia growing more popular and the general fashion for elaborate feminine names, Georgiana might have room to grow.
  7. Zillah
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "shade"
    • Description:

      A light, bohemian-sounding biblical name, mentioned in the bible as a wife of Lamech, one of the first men.
  8. Rosanna
    • Origin:

      Combination of Rose and Anna
    • Description:

      Rose lovers today would probably prefer Rosemary, Rosamund, or even Rose itself, all more stylish variations of the name. Some may associate this form of the name with actress Rosanna Arquette and your mom may think of SNL's Rosanne Rosanna-Danna, though that reference is lost on millennials.
  9. Hilda
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "battle woman"
    • Description:

      Short for Brunhilda, the operatic Valkyrie of Teutonic legend, Hilda still has not quite shaken off that image that image. Though with the resurgence of Matilda, she might just have a bit of a comeback.
  10. Eugenie
    • Origin:

      French form of Eugenia, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "wellborn, noble"
    • Description:

      Eugenie enjoyed a major dusting off when Fergie and Prince Andrew chose it for their daughter, restoring a patina of royal sheen it hadn't had since the time of Napoleon III's glamorous empress--who spent much of her life in England. It was also borne by Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, after whom Prince Andrew's younger daughter was named.
  11. Mahala
    • Origin:

      Hebrew and Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "tender"
    • Description:

      An interesting and rhythmic name often heard in the Native American community; in fact,in the Gold Rush era in California and Nevada, it was so common that it became a generic English term for a Native American woman.
  12. Eveline
    • Origin:

      English or French
    • Meaning:

      "desired; or water, island"
    • Description:

      Variant of Evelyn or Aveline
  13. Alix
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "noble type"
    • Description:

      A chic and sassy French choice, popular in France but likely to be confused with the more prosaic Alex in English-speaking countries. Although sometimes used in the US as a variant spelling of Alex, the French name Alix actually derives from a medieval French form of the name Alice or Adelaide.
  14. Euphemia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "fair speech"
    • Description:

      Ancient martyr's name that, though not especially appealing, might still be mildly possible, especially for Anglophiles. It was widely used in early Scotland, but was overtaken by its nickname, Effie.
  15. Thomasin
    • Origin:

      English, feminine variation of Thomas, Aramaic
    • Meaning:

      "twin"
    • Description:

      Pre-Thomasina female form of Thomas, now seen as more literary and upscale British. In Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native, a leading character is Thomasin Yeobright.
  16. Tamar
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "date palm tree"
    • Description:

      Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars, including a daughter of King David and also Absalom's daughter, who is praised for her "fair countenance".
  17. Hetty
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Henrietta, English, or Mehetabel, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "estate ruler; God makes happy"
    • Description:

      A classic short form of Henrietta, also seen as a nickname for Mehetabel.
  18. Bessie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      After a century of association with horses and cows, this name just could be ready for revival by a fearless baby namer -- after all, it did happen to Jessie and Becky.
  19. Thomasina
    • Origin:

      English, feminine variation of Thomas, Aramaic
    • Meaning:

      "twin"
    • Description:

      Though rarely used now that many parents would rather appropriate men's names than sweeten them with feminine endings, Thomasina does have some vintage appeal.
  20. Bertha
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "bright, glorious"
    • Description:

      Ever since the enormous German cannon was dubbed by Allied soldiers "Big Bertha" in World War I, this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to imagine now, Bertha was a Top 100 name until the 1930s, and in the 1880s was the seventh most popular name in the land--the equal of Joseph.

The Nameberry App Is Live

Nameberry app screenshot
Find your perfect baby name together in our iPhone app, now available on the App Store.
  • Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
  • Names you match on are saved to your shared list
  • Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
  • Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
  • Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
Download on the App Store
Nameberry app screenshot