Forgotten vintage names for your baby
Autumn Fashion
Written by cjhammon in Life in Yesterday's Clothes
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My grandmother is the only Gertrude I’ve ever known. Friends called her Gertie. I’m sure there are other Gertrudes out there, but it says something about the name’s demise that I’ve not run across one in five decades. There must dozens of old family names that are almost forgotten, just like my grandmother’s.
Considering the renewed interest in vintage clothes and lifestyles, old names are enjoying a comeback. Here’s a shortlist of rare, distinctive names (for girls and boys) to help expectant parents choose something with a vintage vibe. If you know of anyone in that category, please share this link.
Mine the buried treasure by sharing your family’s forgotten names! The list can only grow with your comments. What’s the most interesting vintage name you’ve heard lately?
Life is short. Wear the good stuff.
Girls
Ada • Adelaide • Ava • Bernice • Bertha • Bess • Clara • Claudia • Clementine • Cora • Cordelia • Dinah • Doris • Eleanor • Ella • Eloise • Elvira • Emelyn • Esther • Etta • Ethel • Eunice • Evelyn • Florence • Frances • Genevieve • Georgia • Geraldine • Gertrude • Grace • Gladys • Guinevere • Gwendolyn • Harriet • Hazel • Hester • Helene • Hildagarde • Ida • Imogene • Irene • Ivy • Isabel • Josephine • Lillian • Lucille • Louise • Mabel • Marcella • Marlena • Matilda • Maude • Maxine • May • Mildred • Minerva • Miriam • Muriel • Myrtle • Naomi • Olive • Opal • Pansy • Pearl • Penelope • Phoebe • Ramona • Rosaline • Rosalind • Rose • Ruby • Sadie • Stella • Thelma • Ursula • Violet • Vivian • Wilma • Winifred
Boys
Alver • Alastair • Ambrose • Atticus • August • Baxter • Booker • Cedric • Cary • Cecil • Chester • Clark • Claude • Clem • Dallas • Dorian • Drake • Earl • Ellis • Everett • Fitvhugh • Gavin • Gideon • Grady • Gregor • Heath • Holden • Hoke • Ike • Jed • Jerome • Josiah • Julian • Lane • Leland • Lendall • Lennox • Leo • Lloyd • Loren • Marvin • Maxwell • Miles • Lyle • Nigel • Nolan • Oliver • Orion • Oscar • Owen • Quinn • Rhett • Roman • Sabin • Seymour (Sea) • Silas • Simon• Thaddeus (Thad) • Theo • Tobias • Tristan • Truman (Tru) • Vale • Varian • Virgil • Walter • Wendall • Whitman • Winfield (Win) • Winston • Wolfgang
12 comments
January 5, 2014 at 7:24 pm
I think my mother would laugh to hear her name is vintage. I know a few Doris. I knew a Winfred, too. LOVE her name. My namesake is Mattie. My mother modernized my middle name. I told her over the holidays that I intend on changing my name to actually Mattie. My auntie was my favorite and with age I find I’m becoming particularly fond of traditional names. I like Ruth and Alice for example. I must be old because so many of the names listed are very familiar to me and many of my friends, family and peers bear these names. 🙂
Glad to be reading you again.
January 5, 2014 at 7:38 pm
My grandfather’s name was Melvin Ferrell. Not sure if that’s vintage or just ‘unique’.
January 5, 2014 at 9:40 pm
I have several of these in my family! You can add Ned, of course! 😉 And how about Lola (my paternal grandmother – you already got my maternal g’mother’s name: Ethel)? Her middle name was Mae. My paternal grandfather was Oscar Ewing (first/middle). Other family names: Clyde, Esther, Della, Eva, Neva, Odra, Win Waldo, Nola, Abraham…I could go on and on! I love this topic!
January 6, 2014 at 6:18 am
Such a beautiful and heartfelt post. I am affected by the details of baby naming. Even I am also a regular visitor of babynoplogy.com, Which a helpful resource of baby names their meaning, origin and numerology. By the site you can get a lucky name of your baby with Etymology.
January 6, 2014 at 9:47 am
A friend named her daughter Olivia Ruth, which I thought was pretty and old-fashioned. There is a website:
http://www.babynamewizard.com
that is fun to play with, putting names in and such.
January 6, 2014 at 10:43 am
Thanks for sharing, Shelley! Great resource for readers.
January 6, 2014 at 10:44 am
How interesting! Thanks for sharing that resource, Jim!
January 6, 2014 at 10:45 am
Oh, you’ve added some good ones, Sandy! Thanks for your comment!
January 6, 2014 at 10:46 am
Interesting! We have a Melvin in our family, too. I wonder if Ferrell was a surname, as so many of the lesser known ones are… Thanks for sharing, Crystal!
January 6, 2014 at 10:48 am
So nice to hear from you! Shall I call you Mattie now? 😉 Yes, I think things tend to pivot from time to time and these traditional names are definitely coming back, although I know of very few people whose names are on this list! Happy New Year!
November 23, 2014 at 8:12 am
Catherine, Louise & Margaret are my favorites! 🙂
February 24, 2015 at 8:26 am
I love the name Roman, howeer i have a one year old cousin called Roman so i can’t call my bundle of joy that unfortunately 🙁 i love all vintage names. if i have a girl she is to be called Marilyn Annette, coming on this site has made me fall in love with the name baxter but i also really like Abel.