User-created list
Old fashioned
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The names
Scarlett
English
"scarlet, red"
Scarlett Johansson is doing more for this sparky southern name than Scarlett O'Hara ever did. Since the turn of the 21st century, Scarlett has gone from an obscure literary name to one of the most…
Josephine
French feminine variation of Joseph, Hebrew
"Jehovah increases"
Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing…
Aurelia
Latin
"the golden one"
Aurelia is an ancient Roman name that's become a surprise hit in the contemporary world. A top favorite on Nameberry, it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2014 after a 70-year absence and continues to…
Matilda
German
"battle-mighty"
Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its…
Clementine
French feminine version of Clement, Latin
"mild, merciful"
Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list. A female variation of the more-unusual Clement, Clementine's meaning…
Lenora
English, contracted form of Leonora
"light"
A lovely (and uncommon) longer form for Nora, one of the most fashionable international nickname names around. Lenora fell off the US charts in the 70s, but just re-entered in 2022 as parents' love…
Mavis
French
"songbird"
Mavis, another word for the song thrush, is also a relative of the Welsh word for strawberries, mefus . Mavis has something of a British World War II feel, a friend of Beryl and Doris, but it was…
Louisa
Latinate feminine variation of Louis
"renowned warrior"
Louisa, a quaint but strong vintage name, might feel fresher in English speaking countries than old favorite Louise, just as Diana and Julia have more energy than Diane and Julie at the moment. Part…
Adele
French diminutive of Adelaide
"noble, nobility"
Credit the award-winning single-named British singer for taking the girls’ name Adele from a quiet semi-retirement back into currency. Adele reentered the US Top 1000 popular baby names in 2011 and…
Darla
English
"darling"
Borrowed from the term of endearment darling , Darla (and the related Darlene) have been in use long enough that they now sound more name-y than cutesy and twee. It might help too that it rhymes with…
Agatha
Greek
"good woman"
Agatha until recently summoned up visions of martyred saints, mauve silk dresses, and high lace collars, but now that some dauntless excavators have begun to resurrect it, we're sure more will follow…
Anita
Spanish diminutive of Ana; Sanskrit
"grace; unguided"
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…
Antonina
Slavic, Italian and Nordic from Latin
"priceless"
Despite the popularity of Anthony and its masculine variants, female derivatives of its source – the Roman family name Antonius , of unknown meaning – have never caught on in the same way. Sister…
Carmelita
Diminutive of Carmel, Hebrew
"garden"
Carmelita is an obscure short form of an obscure name that may rise to new prominence during the 2012 Olympics, via runner Carmelita Jeter aka "The World's Fastest Woman." Carmelita has a…
Constance
English version of Latin Constantia
"steadfastness"
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…
Elinor
Spelling variation of Eleanor, English, French
A sleek, literary alternative to Eleanor, this stripped back form of Eleanor is a well-established spelling. It notably appears in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility , borne by Elinor Dashwood,…
Enid
Welsh
"life, spirit"
This Celtic goddess and Arthurian name may sound terminally old-ladyish to many ears--but so did names like Ella and Etta not so long ago. So Enid is yet another forgotten four-letter E-possibility:…
Ethel
English
"noble maiden"
Ethel is a name we once declared as 'So Far Out They'll Probably Always Be Out,' but with the return of other names on that list and with its new starbaby cred via Lily Allen, its soft sound and…
Lavinia
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Maureen
Irish variation of Mary, Hebrew or Egyptian
"drop of the sea; bitter; beloved; love"
Almost as popular in the 1950s among the Irish in Boston as it was with those back in Bray, Maureen was once among the most prominent Irish names for girls in the US but has fallen from favor along…