1960s Girl Names - Common AND Rare Names

  1. Dora
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Theodora and Isidora, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "gift"
    • Description:

      Dora is poised for a comeback, right behind Laura, Nora, Cora, and Flora. First-time parents who haven't watched cartoons in a couple of decades should be aware of the Dora the Explorer connection, which has its pluses and minuses.
  2. Yolanda
    • Origin:

      Spanish from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "violet flower"
    • Description:

      Bold and distinctive, Yolanda is a floral name that doesn't sound frilly or delicate. Ultimately deriving from the Greek words ioles meaning "violet" and anthos meaning "flower", it appears in a variety of forms internationally, including Jolanda, Jolanta, Iolanthe, Iolanta, Iolanda, and Jolana.
  3. Eugenia
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Eugene, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "wellborn, noble"
    • Description:

      Eugenia, a name scarcely used at all since the 1980's, is another that flourished a century ago and could be due for a revival.
  4. Gretchen
    • Origin:

      German, diminutive of Margarethe
    • Meaning:

      "pearl"
    • Description:

      Like Greta, Gretchen is a German Margaret diminutive that has become an American quasi-classic, though not much used today, having dropped off the list in 2009. She was at her high point in the 1970s, making it into the top 200.
  5. Sheila
    • Origin:

      Irish variation of Cecilia
    • Meaning:

      "blind"
    • Description:

      Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to Shea.
  6. Jana
    • Origin:

      International feminine variation of Jan
    • Description:

      A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.
  7. Wanda
    • Origin:

      Slavic or German
    • Meaning:

      "shepherdess; wanderer"
    • Description:

      Rarely heard, and when it is, usually attached to a witch. Historically, though, Wanda was a legendary eighth century queen of Poland, and in literature it is the central character of Ouida's eponymous novel Wanda. A musical namesake is the great Polish harpsichordist Wanda Landowska.
  8. Joanne
    • Origin:

      French variation of Joanna, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      A Top 100 name from the 1930s all the way through the 1950s, it's now firmly in Mom -- or Grandma -- land and supplanted for babies by Joanna.....or even great-grandmother Josephine. In its heyday, it had a host of variations, including JoAnn and Jo-Anne.
  9. Beth
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      The sweetest and most sensitive of the pet names for Elizabeth, now also one of the most dated.
  10. Ocie
    • Origin:

      Short form of Ocean, nature name
    • Description:

      Ocie is antiquated ie-ending nickname that was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s and has seen a slight uptake in interest in recent years.
  11. Linda
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese and Italian
    • Meaning:

      "pretty"
    • Description:

      Linda will live forever in baby name history for toppling Mary from its four hundred year reign as Number 1. Queen of Names in 1947, Linda has fallen even further in favor than Mary today.
  12. Paula
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Paul, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "small"
    • Description:

      Paula still seems somewhat stuck in the era of duo Paul and Paula bopping out the song "Hey, Paula." Two pronunciations are possible—the English "PAW-la" and the Portuguese "POW-la."
  13. Laurie
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Laura
    • Meaning:

      "from Laurentum or bay laurel"
    • Description:

      Laurie morphed into the more streamlined Lori in the sixties but now feels dated for a girl in either spelling. Update Lauren has been renovated as Laurel or Laura itself.
  14. Jo
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Joanna or Josephine, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah increases"
    • Description:

      The name Jo still evokes the spunky image of the character in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Its literary status makes Jo one of the OG boyish nicknames for girls, ala Frankie, Billie, and Stevie. If you like that form, you can lengthen it to Joey.
  15. Cheryl
    • Origin:

      Modern invented name, variation of Cherie, French
    • Meaning:

      "darling"
    • Description:

      As frozen in the pre-Beatles era as short white gloves.
  16. Anita
    • Origin:

      Spanish diminutive of Ana; Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "grace; unguided"
    • Description:

      Once a Top 100 name, this Spanish diminutive of Ana still retains some of her Latin flair. A notable namesake is noted attorney Anita Hill, another is the great jazz singer Anita O'Day. Plus there's Disney cred via the lead human character in 101 Dalmatians.
  17. Blanche
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "white"
    • Description:

      Blanche, which originated as a nickname for a pale blonde and then became associated with the notion of purity, was in style a century ago, ranking in the double digits until 1920. She then had to fight the stereotype of faded Southern belle, a la Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and Blanche Devereaux in TV's Golden Girls. Now all three of the Golden Girls--Blanche, Rose and Dorothy--could be ready for revival, with Blanche sounding like a stronger, simpler alternative to Bianca.
  18. Carol
    • Origin:

      English, feminine variation of Charles
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

      A Caroline abbreviation that was wildly popular with Mom's generation...or Grandma's. At one time it was a name for baby girls born at Christmas. because of its association with Christmas carols.
  19. Denise
    • Origin:

      French, feminine variation of Denis
    • Meaning:

      "god of Nysa"
    • Description:

      Denise was a French favorite of the fifties and sixties but is less chic now. In 2020 it broke back into the Top 1000 after a five-year hiatus, catapulted into style by reality TV star Denisse Novoa — but it dropped out again the following year.
  20. Alison
    • Origin:

      Norman French, diminutive of Alice
    • Meaning:

      "noble"
    • Description:

      Alison has been long popular in Scotland and widely used here since the fifties. This more feminine medieval elaboration of Alice had long surpassed the original in popularity, but now sounds a tad dated in the U.S., with Alice having leapfrogged back over Alison, Allison, Alicia and other variations.

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