Don’t get us wrong: We’re definitely fans of modern, trendy baby names — especially the weird and wonderful monikers celebrities somehow keep coming up with these days. But there’s also definitely a place in the baby-name world for the old-fashioned gems. We don’t mean old-fashioned ie archaic; going too old-school can lead you to some very, um, interesting choices (hats off to the Zebediahs of the world, though, respect). Time-tested doesn’t have to mean out-of-date. There are plenty of old-fashioned baby names that work great in our postmodern era, too.
So we thumbed through the history books and gathered up the best classics from the Victorian era to the Roaring ’20s to the Rockin’ ’50s. Elegant and timeless, these are names you’re not going to forget anytime soon.
Pre-20th-century names
According to the Social Security Administration, these were the most popular classic baby names of the 1880s.
Top baby boy names of the 1880s
- John
- William
- James
- George
- Charles
- Frank
- Joseph
- Henry
- Robert
- Thomas
- Edward
- Harry
- Walter
- Arthur
- Fred
- Albert
- Samuel
- Clarence
- Louis
- David
Top girl names of the 1880s
- Mary
- Anna
- Emma
- Elizabeth
- Margaret
- Minnie
- Ida
- Bertha
- Clara
- Alice
- Annie
- Florence
- Bessie
- Grace
- Ethel
- Sarah
- Ella
- Martha
- Nellie
- Mabel
A version of this article was originally published in February 2016.
Next page: Baby names of the ’20s.
Need more inspo? Here are our favorite names inspired by this year’s Oscars.
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