Unnamed List

A versatile classic, Lucy is both sweet and solid, a saint's name, and the heroine of several great novels. First fashionable in England and Wales, Lucy is now a popular choice in the US, The Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.

Part of the vogue for French-sounding names in the 1920s and 30s, Nadine has been replaced by the Russian sound of Nadia and Natasha.

Constance is one of the more subtle of the virtue baby names, but still has quite a prim and proper image. One impediment to its revival has been the decidedly dated nickname Connie, though modern parents might well opt for using the strong and dignified name in full.

Parents who have tired of Sean are now contemplating Seamus, the Irish form of James, which has a lot more substance and verve.

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.

Considered ultra debonair in the silent-movie era, Gilbert then went through a nerdy phase, a la Gilbert Gottfried. Now though, like Albert and Alfred and Walter and Frank, it could be in for a style revival.

Alois and Aloysius are variation of Louis. Alois ranked in the US Top 1000 until the 1930s, and still ranks in the Top 1000 in Germany. Last year in the US, only seven baby boys were named Alois.

Thanks to Elmer Fudd, Elmer the Cow, Elmer the elephant, Elmer's glue and the similar Elmo, this name might, to some feel like a jokey choice: the quintessential so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out name. And yet, the US statistics don't quite support that perception.

Part of the next generation of preppy H-beginning surnames. Once Harrison, Hudson, and Holden are no longer fresh, expect to hear more little boys being called Hughes, Hutch, and Henderson on the playground.

Variant of Evelyn or Aveline

An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.

As this word is less often used to mean derriere, it becomes more possible to view Fanny as the kind of appealingly quaint nickname name, like Josie and Nellie, that many parents are favoring now.

Though Collins makes the Top 1000 for girls, it sounds strong and handsome for boys too, kind of like the newly-stylish Brooks. The final s updates it from the 80s-ish Colin or the Twilightish Cullen. Might make an innovative honorific for a grandpa Nick.

Family name best used in the middle, especially since it was seen as the portly postman in Seinfeld.

Mama's boy.

Carlisle is more popular than Carlyle for both genders, and in both spellings more widely used for boys than for girls. It's a name we see on the rise in either spelling.

Could join such up-and-comers as Miller and Gardener, though the "potty" and Harry Potter associations are strong and potentially unappealing these days.

Randal is a masculine name with Germanic roots, originating as a variant of Randall, which comes from the Old Norse elements 'rand' (shield) and 'varr' (warrior). This 'shield warrior' meaning conveys strength and protection. Randal peaked in popularity in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s but has since declined. It offers a slightly softer alternative to the more common Randall spelling while maintaining the same traditional feel. Often shortened to Randy, the name carries a friendly, approachable quality. Randal appeals to parents seeking a classic masculine name with historical depth that isn't overly common in contemporary use.

Hesperus or Hesperos is a figure in Greek mythology who is the personification of the Evening Star or Venus, the son of the dawn goddess Eos. There's a Longfellow poem about a tragic shipping voyage called The Wreck of the Hesperus. An archaic name that with the revival of many old mythological names might just have a chance at revival.