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Old-Fashioned Baby Names

Baby names tend to follow hundred-year cycles of popularity. The old-fashioned names here were last popular a century ago. Some of these names, such as Emma and Henry, were recently considered to be vintage names, but are now so popular among babies that they’ve shed any lingering dustiness.

Along with Emma and Henry, other old-fashioned baby names in the US Top 500 include Abraham, Arthur, Edith, Frederick, Josephine, Olive, Philip, Rosemary, and Walter. Other old-fashioned names that are up-and-coming include Amos, Ida, Lucinda, and Ralph.

Vintage baby names are always a popular category among parents, but the names in this category shift over the years. Some of the old-fashioned boy names and old-fashioned girl names recommended for your consideration today include:

Agnes

Meaning: pure, virginal

Origin:Greek
187
Iris

Meaning: rainbow

Origin:Flower name; Greek
11
Daisy

Meaning: day's eye

Origin:Diminutive of Margaret or flower name, English
31
Sophia

Meaning: wisdom

Origin:Greek
152
Matilda

Meaning: battle-mighty

Origin:German
14
Violet

Meaning: purple

Origin:English from Latin
12
Ella

Meaning: all, completely; fairy maiden

Origin:German; English
85
Millie

Meaning: gentle strength; strong in work

Origin:Diminutive of Mildred or Millicent
123
Anna

Meaning: grace

Origin:Variation of Hannah, Hebrew
106
Oliver

Meaning: olive tree

Origin:Latin
7
Emma

Meaning: universal

Origin:German
102
Sophie

Meaning: wisdom

Origin:French variation of Sophia
91
Samuel

Meaning: told by God

Origin:Hebrew
87
Theodore

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Greek
3
Henry

Meaning: estate ruler

Origin:German
40
Felix

Meaning: happy, fortunate

Origin:Latin
6
Sebastian

Meaning: person from ancient city of Sebastia

Origin:Latin from Greek
18
Hugo

Meaning: mind, intellect

Origin:Latinized form of Hugh
8
Oscar

Meaning: God spear, or deer-lover or champion warrior

Origin:English or Irish
12
Otto

Meaning: wealthy

Origin:German
15