Historic and Vintage Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 17 pages
of 17
Anglo-Saxon
"elf power"
Properly written Ælfric, this Anglo-Saxon name derives from Old English name elements meaning "elf" and "power". It belonged to several notable medieval churchmen, and is thought to be the origin of…
French
"famous wealth"
A medieval French name which belonged to the mother of Eleanor of Aquitaine (incidentally, Aenor is thought to be an older form of the name Eleanor). Its etymology is uncertain, but it may derive…
Hungarian
"old wise ruler or old and famous"
Aladár is believed to be of Germanic origin, as a Hungarian form of Aldric, meaning old, wise ruler, or Aldemar, meaning old and famous. This Hungarian variant comes from medieval Hungarian legend,…
German
"noble, steadfast"
Alard looks and sounds like the name of a romantic, medieval knight. It's dashing and unusual; but still easy to pronounce and spell. Cognate Adelard might also appeal if you are considering this…
Variation of Aldous, English from German
"old"
The name Aldus gained some recognition through Aldus Manutius, a renowned 15th-century Italian printer and publisher who founded the Aldine Press. The name might be more familiar in its Aldous form,…
Lithuanian
"every rumor, all the news"
Derived from the components al , meaning "each" or "every," and gandas , "rumor" or "news." Algirdas is best known as the name of a medieval Lithuanian ruler, son of Gediminas.
Variation of Alois or Aloysius, Latin
"famous warrior"
Aloys derives from Alois, a form of the Latin Aloysius which is a relative of the German and French Louis. Aloys has been particularly popular in German-speaking countries, especially Austria,…
Latin
"lovable"
Amabel is an older name than Annabel and a lot more distinctive. Amabel was a very common name in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, then was revived during the nineteenth century British fad for…
Welsh
"farming"
A name from Welsh legend. Amaethon son of Dôn is mentioned in several medieval Welsh texts. In Culhwch and Olwen he is the only person who can plow a certain field, and in the poem The Battle of the…
English from Latin
"friend"
Amice is a name that was used in the Middle Ages but has fallen out of use now. It seems completely suited for modern life, though, with a pronunciation that's like Alice wth an m.
Welsh, meaning unknown
A name from medieval romance. Amlyn ac Amig is the Welsh version of Amis et Amiles , a French moral tale of friends in Charlemagne's court. The name itself is gentle and straightforward, although the…
English from Welsh
A medieval Anglicization of the Welsh name Angharad, meaning "more love". A possible variant form is Ingaret.
"much loved"
This name dates back to Arthurian legend, in which Angharad was the lover of Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table, and was used more recently for the name of the favorite wife of the…
Variation of Agnes
"pure, virginal"
Anice and Annis are variations of Agnes that have fallen from use, perhaps because of pronunciation issues. Neither spelling was used for any baby girls in the US in the most recent year counted,…
Medieval English
"grace"
A medieval English diminutive form of Ann, also recorded as a given name.
Hebrew, variation of Aphrah
"dust"
Aphra would make an interesting choice-- especially since it's the name of the first professional female writer in English, the seventeenth century's Aphra Behn. Born in 1640, she was a prolific…
"silvery"
More modern and alluring than Silver, Argenta is one of the few mineral/metal-related names.
"silver wheel"
Fleetwood Mac introduced the world to Rhiannon, but Arianrhod is a lesser-known woman of Welsh legend. Strap in, this is a name story! In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, a medieval tale, she gives…
English diminutive of Adam, Hebrew
"son of the red earth"
Atkin is a short form of Adam that originated in Medieval England. It's now obsolete, but traces remain in surnames such as Atkins and Atkinson. Medieval nicknames that followed a similar formula…
Aragonese
"from the lower golden land"
Aurembiaix was an impressive medieval countess, whose father Ermengol fought for her to inherit his lands, title and estate. Aurembiaix later fought for her right to succeed her father, and being a…
