Unfairly dismissed

Fun fact: Marion was the birth name of movie star John Wayne. Although commonly thought of as a female name today, it was actually more popular for boys until the late 19th century, and was given to roughly equal numbers of boys and girls throughout the 1970s-2000s.

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.

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.

This spelling, which came to the attention of readers of the best-selling Angela's Ashes as the name of author Frank McCourt's father and brother, the latter of whom wrote a bestseller of his own, lends the biblical name a more expansive, almost boisterous image. Malachy is one of the Irish baby names that manages to strike the golden mean between familiarity and distinctiveness.

Deriving from the Roman cognomen Vivianus, Vivian was originally a masculine name, with Vivien being a feminine soundalike coined by Alfred Lord Tennyson for the Lady of the Lake in his famous poetic adaptation of the legend of King Arthur. It has since become a much more popular choice for girls in the US, but retains a refined British charm which sees it cropping up occasionally for boys in the Telegraph birth announcements.

Almost always a girl's name now.

A classic variation of the name Isidore, both Isadore and Isidore were equally popular at their peak in the 1910s. They were historically used among Jewish families — Isidore and Isadore were often used as Americanizations of Jewish names such as Israel and Isaac.

In Nabokov's notorious novel, Lolita is the pet name given by the pedophilic narrator, Humbert Humbert, to his victim: a young girl called Dolores and nicknamed Lola or Lo by her mother. Still, it seems that a few parents are prepared to look past this problematic association, seeing this as a offbeat option for those who defy convention. We would recommend thinking seriously about the background of this name before bestowing it on your daughter.

To those who remember, Rhoda is still reminiscent of the brassy Bronx 1970s sitcom Rhoda Morgenstern. But Rhoda has a much longer history--it is a name that can be found in the New Testament as a servant girl in the house of Mary, mother of John. Later, Rhoda appeared in the novel Vanity Fair and the Shaw play Man and Superman.

Permanent property of that devilish little Simpson kid.

Perhaps best associated today with the character from The Legend of Zelda game franchise, Link also has ties to the retro crime drama, The Mod Squad, to the presidential surname Lincoln, and of course, to links on the internet. Part fantastical, part retro cool, part futuristic, Link was chosen for 200 boys in 2022, and 144 in 2023.

Much-used midcentury diminutive, now fallen far from favor even as a middle name.

Hipsters might consider reviving this old German name, though we're not so sure their sons wouldn't have preferred the classic Fred name Frederick. Manfred B. Lee (born Manford) was half of the team of detective story writers who used the pseudonym Ellery Queen; Manfred Mann was a British pop group of the 1960's, with Manfred Mann (born Michael Liebowitz) at the keyboard. There's also a wooly mammoth named Manfred, and nicknamed Manny, in the film Ice Age.

Gretel originated as a nickname for Margarete, the German form of Margaret. It’s a charming name, but most American parents prefer Greta, as Gretel is strongly tied to the fairy tale heroine.

More commonly spelled as Sylvester in English speaking countries, Silvester is closer to its Latin origins silva .

Alard looks and sounds like the name of a romantic, medieval knight. It's dashing and unusual; but still easy to pronounce and spell. Cognate Adelard might also appeal if you are considering this name.