Clunky yet sweet old names

  1. Ursula
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "little female bear"
    • Description:

      A saint's name with a noteworthy literary background, including uses by Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing, by Ben Johnson, Walter Scott, Longfellow, D. H. Lawrence and Neil Gaiman. In real life, her two most well known representatives are writer Ursula Le Guin and actress Ursula Andress. In literature, there is also Ursula Iguaran, a key, long-lived character in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's major work, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
  2. Leonard
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "brave lion"
    • Description:

      Leonard is the name of several saints, including one who is the patron saint of childhood, and another medieval saint who's the patron of prisoners--known for freeing prisoners he deemed worthy of God. Popular from 1900 to 1930, Leonard is perhaps more notable for those who dropped the name when they entered show biz than those who kept it: former Leonards include Roy Rogers and Tony Randall. Two musical Leonards did keep their names though--composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein and poet-singer Leonard Cohen. Leonard Woolf was the husband and publisher of great English novellist Virginia Woolf. These days, modern parents tend to prefer Leo or the romantic Italian Leonardo, especially since Leonard does not get pronounced with the trendy "Leo" sound.
  3. Augusta
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Augustus, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "great, magnificent"
    • Description:

      Augusta is a dignified name reminiscent of wealthy great-aunts and stately homes, but with the fashion for both August and Gus for boys, and the renewed interest in clunky classics like Gwendolyn and Winifred for girls, Augusta might just appeal to contemporary parents.
  4. Oswald
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "divine power"
    • Description:

      Despite the success of so many O-starting boys names--Oliver, Owen, Otis, Oscar--Oswald has not yet shown any signs of resurrection, though he does have the animating nicknames Ozzie/Ozzy and Oz. The name has some literary cred--in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's King Lear and a novel by H. G.Wells--and there was early cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
  5. Dorothea
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      Dorothea is a romantic Victorian-sounding name that blends elegance, gravitas and a hint of clunkiness too. Popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, it has been off the charts since 1970, however it's definitely on the brink of a revival! In fact, it has already been making its way back into the UK Top 1000, and a recent year saw it given to 90 girls in the US — three times the number it was given to a decade prior.
  6. Cornelia
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Cornelius, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "horn"
    • Description:

      In ancient Rome, Cornelia was considered the paragon of womanly virtue, making it a handsome name with an excellent pedigree. It's rare today, so if you want a name no one else is using, somewhat reminiscent of Amelia and the Shakespearean Cordelia, Cornelia should be on your list. Cornelia's short forms might include Cora, Nelia or Nell--anything but Corny.
  7. Reginald
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "counsel power"
    • Description:

      Now seen as the chap in the smoking jacket in a 1930s drawing-room comedy, Reginald has actually been on the US popularity list every year since 1880.
  8. Amadeus
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lover of God"
    • Description:

      Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's middle name could make an interesting pick for music-loving parents--if only in middle place. Amadeus is the title of a Peter Shaffer play which became an award-winning film in 1984.
  9. Henrietta
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Henry, German
    • Meaning:

      "estate ruler"
    • Description:

      Despite a return to such feminizations of male names as Josephine, Clementine, and Theodora, starchy Henrietta has not made it into that group. Still, if you look hard enough, you'll see that Henrietta has the same vintage charm.
  10. Rosamund
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "horse protection"
    • Description:

      This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation.
  11. Philomena
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "lover of strength"
    • Description:

      Philomena is an earthy Greek name now used in various Latin countries. While it has felt simply clunky for many years, it's starting -- along with such sister names as Wilhelmina and Frederica -- to sound so clunky it's cool.
  12. Morris
    • Origin:

      English variation of Maurice
    • Meaning:

      "dark-skinned"
    • Description:

      Morris is as quiet and comfortable as a Morris chair, and has the same vintage feel. Once a Top 100 name in the early 1900s, Morris fell completely off the roster in 1995, probably due to lingering fallout from his identification with Morris the cat's ("the world's most finicky cat") 9 Lives cat food commercials.
  13. Ephraim
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "fruitful, fertile, productive"
    • Description:

      Ephraim is an Old Testament name we would place high on the list of neglected Biblical possibilities, solid but not solemn.
  14. Mildred
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "gentle strength"
    • Description:

      Is it clunky cute, strong and vintage, or dreadful and mildewy? Like Gertrude and Bertha, Mildred is one that divides the crowds, but with popular nickname Mildred and renewed interest in Winifred, Deborah, Millicent, and Gwendolen, it's not entirely out of the question that Mildred might make a return in coming years
  15. Humphrey
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "peaceful warrior"
    • Description:

      Humphrey is an old name that might have faded completely were it not for that Bogie flair. A royal name in Britain, where it's used somewhat more frequently, Humphrey might just have some life beyond Bogart here, especially with the recent interest in the names of Golden Age Hollywood stars. His first name was the maiden name of his mother, Maud Humphrey, a well-known illustrator who used baby H. as a model.
  16. Frida
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "peace"
    • Description:

      The dynamic personality and paintings of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo have inspired growing numbers of parents to resurrect this form of the name. It does much better in certain European countries, especially in Denmark and Norway. The Frieda and Freida spellings were more popular in the US until the middle of the 20th century.
  17. Mortimer
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dead sea"
    • Description:

      Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice for the name of his mouse, until his wife talked him out of it.
  18. Montague
    • Origin:

      Literature, French
    • Meaning:

      "pointy hill"
    • Description:

      The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo, Montague has a touch of old-fashioned grandeur about it. With clunky-cute nickname Monty and similar sounds to Montgomery, it has been used as a given name since at least the 18th century, with a number of English earls and baronets receiving the name, along with film director, Montague "Monty" Banks, journalist and radio host Montague Modlyn, and cricketer Montague Noble.
  19. Ferdinand
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "bold voyager"
    • Description:

      Ferdinand is a traditional name among Spanish royal families and also appears in Shakespeare's The Tempest, borne by the handsome young prince shipwrecked on Prospero's island. Bold, daring, and poetic, it was a popular choice in the US in the 19th and early 20th century, but the 1938 movie Ferdinand the Bull has left it with a lingering clunkiness and it has been out of style since the 80s.
  20. Clifford
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "lives near the ford by the cliff"
    • Description:

      Clifford is beginning to overcome a slightly stodgy intellectual image and showing signs of possible revival. Kids might or might not like the association with the big red dog. In England, the Clifford family was a powerful family in the Middle Ages. In this country, it was well used for most of the twentieth century, peaking at Number 57 in 1909, but a Top 100 name through 1950. Most prominent American bearers: playwright Clifford Odets and jazz trumpet great Clifford Brown.

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