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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:

Cyrus

Meaning: sun

Origin:Persian
19
Rufus

Meaning: red-head

Origin:Latin
174
Cornelius

Meaning: horn

Origin:Latin
228
Thaddeus

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Aramaic, meaning unclear, possibly from Theodore
238
Levi

Meaning: joined, attached

Origin:Hebrew
71
Otis

Meaning: wealthy

Origin:Variation of Otto, German
26
Theo

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Diminutive of Theodore
36
Arthur

Meaning: bear

Origin:Celtic
32
Asher

Meaning: fortunate, blessed, happy one

Origin:Hebrew
53
Isaac

Meaning: laughter

Origin:Hebrew
60
Emmett

Meaning: universal

Origin:English masculine variation of Emma, German
78
Silas

Meaning: of the forest; or prayed for

Origin:Aramaic, Latin, Greek
4
Tobias

Meaning: God is good

Origin:Greek from Hebrew
31
Caleb

Meaning: devotion to God

Origin:Hebrew
28
Nathaniel

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Hebrew
41
Ezekiel

Meaning: God strengthens

Origin:Hebrew
89
Jasper

Meaning: bringer of treasure

Origin:Persian
49
Archie

Meaning: truly brave

Origin:Diminutive of Archibald, Teutonic
54
Philip

Meaning: lover of horses

Origin:Greek
153
Jonah

Meaning: dove

Origin:Hebrew
169