User-created list
Obscure (At the time) 1880's names
Across 6 pages
of 6
Sydney
Variation of Sidney, English from French
"Saint Denis"
The Sydney spelling most popular for girls: it's in the Top 50 on the female side. Cool for a girl, still nerdy for a guy.
Tabitha
Aramaic
"gazelle"
Though never as popular as the name of her Bewitched mother, Samantha, Tabitha has its own quirky, magical charm. The name of a charitable woman who was restored to life by Saint Peter in the Bible,…
Theodosia
Greek
"gift of God"
This feminine form of Theodosius has long been buried deep in the attic, but might be a good discovery for the parent who wants to move beyond Theodora. Vice President Aaron Burr named a daughter…
Theron
Greek
"hunter"
Theron is best known these days as the surname of actress Charlize, but it does have a long history as a first name, ranking in the Top 500 in the early part of the 20th century and only dropping out…
Vance
English and Irish
"someone who lives near marshland"
Short and sharp with a nature related meaning, Vance was trending upwards in recent years thanks to the musicians Foy Vance and Vance Joy. 2024 saw it take a downwards dip however, likely due to its…
Vella
Vella is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins. It has roots in Latin, meaning "beautiful" or "lovely," and also exists as a surname derived from locations in Italy and Spain. In some…
Vester
Vester is an uncommon masculine name with Germanic roots, possibly derived from the Latin 'vestis' meaning 'clothing' or as a variant of Sylvester, meaning 'from the forest.' In American usage,…
Vira
Vira is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins. In Slavic languages, particularly Ukrainian, it means "faith" and functions as a counterpart to the Russian Vera. In Sanskrit, Vira means…
Volney
German
"spirit of the people"
Has a rather heavy surname feel.
Weldon
Weldon is a masculine name of English origin, derived from an Old English surname meaning 'hill near a spring' or 'well on a hill.' This place-name became a given name and gained modest popularity in…
Whit
English
"white"
Whit is an uplifting short form of any number of surname-y full names, for Whitman to Whitaker to Whitney. But Whit stands perfectly well on its own and makes for a witty spin on modern virtue names .
Zadie
English variation of Sadie, from Sarah, Hebrew
"princess"
When aspiring British writer Sadie Smith decided to change her name to the more distinctive and zippy Zadie at the age of fourteen, this attention-magnet name was born. But though it might sound like…
Zilpha
Variant of Zilpah
A highly unusual Old Testament name that had a burst of popularity in the States in the 19th Century.