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50's Gas Station Attendants

susan
By susan
Updated Thu Jan 01 1970
  1. Al

    • Description:

      Al is a masculine name that primarily functions as a shortened form of names beginning with 'Al,' such as Albert (meaning 'noble and bright'), Alfred ('wise counselor'), Alexander ('defender of the people'), or Alvin ('noble friend'). With its single syllable and straightforward pronunciation, Al projects a friendly, approachable quality that has made it enduringly popular as a nickname throughout the 20th century. The name peaked in popularity during the mid-1900s and carries associations with a generation of reliable, hardworking men. Al's simplicity gives it a timeless quality, though in recent decades it has become less common as a standalone given name, with parents more likely to use it as a familiar nickname for longer Al- names.

  2. Bud

    • Origin:

      English nickname

    • Description:

      This is a name you get stuck with, not (we hope) one your parents choose for you.
  3. Cal

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of names including Cal

    • Meaning:

      "dog; the whole of; dove; bald; war-strife; beautiful"

    • Description:

      Cal is a nickname style name that feels as friendly and calm as it does cool and breezy. While its longer forms have proved more popular over the years, Cal as a stand alone has dropped on and off of the US Top 1000 since the 1880s.
  4. Del

    • Origin:

      English, diminutive

    • Meaning:

      "small valley"

    • Description:

      The kind of name last found in northern Wisconsin in the 1950s, and even then it was probably a nickname for Delbert.
  5. Duke

    • Origin:

      English rank of nobility

    • Description:

      While John Wayne and Duke Ellington are worthy role models, the reason Duke is currently enjoying a revival and returned to the Top 1000 in 2013 as one of the year's fastest-rising boys’ names is more likely due to the name given to high-profile TV couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic. Christened Edward Duke, he has always been called by his middle name, just as Edward Duke Ellington was. Duke is just one of several aristocratic titles being increasingly used by ordinary citizens.
  6. Earl

    • Origin:

      English aristocratic title

    • Description:

      Earl is a title name - brought to England by the vikings - that's out of fashion right now, unlike King and Duke. Its peak popularity was in the 1920s, which gives it a dusty great-grandpa feel, but there are also younger Earls in pop culture, like the reformed criminal in "My Name is Earl".
  7. Ed

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Edward et al

    • Meaning:

      "wealthy"

    • Description:

      The most minimalist of names, Ed is decidedly out -- though that usually means it's due to swing back in. More stylish these days: Ned or even Ted.
  8. Fred

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Frederick or Alfred, German or English

    • Meaning:

      "peaceful ruler or wise counselor"

    • Description:

      Where have all the Freds gone? We haven't seen many since the days of Flintstone and Munster. But it could be time for a comeback--if you think more of the sophistication of Fred Astaire, and of other nice guy names like Jack and Charlie and Sam.
  9. Gil

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "happiness"

    • Description:

      Pronounced zheel, it's a dashing conquistador; as gill, it's the nice and slightly boring guy down the street.
  10. Gus

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Augustus, Angus, Gustave, Augustin, Augusten, Augustine, August

    • Description:

      Gus is a homey grandpa nickname name that can work as a short form for any of the above or stand on its own as a cutting-edge replacement for Max and Jake--though it was off the Top 1000 from 1978 until 2016, when it squeaked in at Number 999.
  11. Hal

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Harold and Henry

    • Description:

      Could Hal be the Jack, Max, or Gus of the future? It just might happen in the new nickname environment. Hank Azaria put it on his son's birth certificate.
  12. Ike

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Isaac, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "laughter"

    • Description:

      Ike, once the quirky one-person nickname of President Dwight Eisenhower, has morphed into a cool kid nickname of the early 21st century.
  13. Irv

    • Description:

      Irv is a masculine name primarily used as a diminutive of Irving, which has Old English origins meaning 'green water' or 'sea friend.' This short, punchy name gained modest popularity in the early to mid-20th century, particularly in Jewish-American communities where Irving was more common. Irv carries a vintage, mid-century charm that evokes the era of its peak usage. While rarely used as a formal given name today, it maintains recognition as a nickname. The brevity of Irv gives it a straightforward, unpretentious quality that contrasts with longer, more elaborate naming trends. It represents a connection to earlier generations while offering simplicity.
  14. Jake

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, diminutive of Jacob

    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"

    • Description:

      This unpretentious, accessible, and optimistic ("everything's jake" -- meaning OK) short form of the top name Jacob is itself widely used, though more parents these days are opting for the full name Jacob. Jake (born Jacob) Gyllenhall is its most prominent current bearer.
  15. Joe

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Joseph

    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah increases"

    • Description:

      Joe is still the ultimate good-guy name, not at all diminished by its longevity or popularity or its everyman rep as Regular Joe, Cowboy Joe, G.I. Joe, Joe Exotic, Joe Blow, Joe Millionaire, Average Joe — and now President Joe (Biden).
  16. Lou

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Louis or Lewis, French and German

    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"

    • Description:

      Lou, all by itself, is become fashionable for girls, which usually makes a name LESS fashionable for boys. But Lou, like Bill or Jim, is rarely used on its own for boys anyway. (You wouldn't name a boy Frederick Lou the way that girls are named Mary Lou or, in the case of Keri Russell's new baby, Willa Lou.) Long form Louis is getting cool again and, with the Lewis spelling, is the Number 2 name in Scotland.
  17. Moe

    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Moses

    • Meaning:

      "delivered"

    • Description:

      If Gus and Max have made it, why not Moe? Can it be the lingering Three Stooges effect? We think that Moe, like Joe, is one of the friendliest and most open of regular guy nickname names and should get a little more attention.
  18. Pete

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Peter

    • Meaning:

      "rock"

    • Description:

      Sixties-style short form that sounds cool again -- though the unscrupulous Pete on "Mad Men" is not a character to emulate.
  19. Rocky

    • Origin:

      English, Italian

    • Meaning:

      "rock or rest"

    • Description:

      How many decades will it take for Rocky to triumph over its association with Sylvester Stallone's battered but not beaten boxer? The moment may have come, now that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. have named their son Rocky. It helps, too, that Madonna's son Rocco helped make the name child-appropriate again.
  20. Tex

    • Origin:

      Place-name, nickname for state of Texas resident

    • Description:

      Despite its rakish western charm, still remains a cowboy costume without a real persona inside.