The Real Vintage Names

Today's parents love bringing vintage names back to style. However, some of these names were never big hits. They only sound old-fashioned. Which names are truly vintage, then?

To count as a true vintage charmer, a name must have ranked within the top 200 in the United States and/or England. English names count because many of America's first European settlers came from England. 

Plus, vintage names must have first peaked in the United States top 1000 before 1940 so that they are revival-ready. Some of these names count as classics, but they must have dropped below the top 200 before coming back. Besides, they must also not be back in the top 100 for too long (sorry, Hannah and Benjamin). 

I will list truly vintage names into separate groups to make this list easier to digest:

English-American Vintage

GIRLS' NAMES:
  • Ada
  • Adelaide
  • Adeline
  • Agnes
  • Alice
  • Alma
  • Amelia
  • Annie
  • Audrey
  • Augusta
  • Betty
  • Caroline
  • Charlotte
  • Clara
  • Daisy
  • Dora
  • Dorothea
  • Dorothy
  • Edith
  • Effie
  • Eleanor
  • Eliza
  • Ella
  • Elsie
  • Emma
  • Esther
  • Eva
  • Evelyn
  • Flora
  • Florence
  • Flossie
  • Frances
  • Freda
  • Grace
  • Harriet
  • Helen
  • Helena
  • Henrietta
  • Hettie
  • Hilda
  • Ida
  • Irene
  • Iris
  • Josephine
  • Lena
  • Lillian
  • Lillie
  • Lizzie
  • Lois
  • Lottie
  • Louisa
  • Louise
  • Lucy
  • Lydia
  • Mabel
  • Madeline
  • Maggie
  • Marguerite
  • Marian
  • Marion
  • Marjorie
  • Matilda
  • Maud(e)
  • May
  • Millie
  • Minnie
  • Muriel
  • Myra
  • Nellie
  • Nora
  • Olga
  • Olive
  • Rhoda
  • Rosa
  • Rosalie
  • Rose
  • Rosie
  • Ruby
  • Ruth
  • Sophia
  • Stella
  • Violet
  • Winifred
  • Winnie
BOYS' NAMES:
  • Albert
  • Alfred
  • Amos
  • Archie
  • Arthur
  • Bernard
  • Cecil
  • Charley
  • Clarence
  • Claud
  • Claude
  • Cornelius
  • Dick
  • Edmund
  • Eli
  • Elijah
  • Ellis
  • Ernest
  • Eugene
  • Felix
  • Francis
  • Frank
  • Fred
  • Frederick
  • Gilbert
  • Gordon
  • Harold
  • Harrison
  • Harry
  • Harvey
  • Hiram
  • Horace
  • Howard
  • Hugh
  • Jasper
  • Julius
  • Lawrence
  • Leo
  • Leonard
  • Leslie
  • Levi
  • Lewis
  • Louis
  • Luther
  • Maurice
  • Morris
  • Moses
  • Nelson
  • Noah
  • Oliver
  • Owen
  • Percy
  • Ralph
  • Reuben
  • Roland
  • Roy
  • Sidney
  • Silas
  • Simon
  • Stanley
  • Wallace
  • Walter
  • Wilfred
  • Willie
  • Willis
  • Wilson
American Vintage

GIRLS' NAMES:
  • Alta
  • Belle
  • Birdie
  • Celia
  • Cora
  • Cornelia
  • Delia
  • Della
  • Dollie
  • Essie
  • Estella
  • Estelle
  • Etta
  • Frieda
  • Georgia
  • Goldie
  • Hattie
  • Hazel
  • Iva
  • Janie
  • Josie
  • Leona
  • Lola
  • Lou
  • Luella
  • Lula
  • Mae
  • Mamie
  • Ollie
  • Opal
  • Pearl
  • Rena
  • Roxie
  • Sadie
  • Tillie
  • Viola
  • Virginia
BOYS' NAMES:
  • Alton
  • Alonzo
  • Alva
  • Angelo
  • Anton
  • Carroll
  • Chester
  • Clifton
  • Clinton
  • Clyde
  • Earnest
  • Emil
  • Emmett
  • Everett
  • Forrest
  • Franklin
  • Fredrick
  • Gus
  • Harley
  • Herman
  • Ira
  • Ivan
  • Julian
  • Junior
  • Lee
  • Leland
  • Leon
  • Lester
  • Lowell
  • Lyle
  • Mack
  • Marion
  • Orville
  • Otis
  • Perry
  • Pete
  • Ray
  • Roscoe
  • Salvatore
  • Sylvester
  • Virgil
  • Warren
  • Wilbur
  • Wiley
English Vintage

GIRLS' NAMES:
  • Annis
  • Arabella
  • Beryl
  • Christiana
  • Clarice
  • Cordelia
  • Dinah
  • Drusilla
  • Eda
  • Emeline
  • Emmeline
  • Enid
  • Eugenie
  • Evangeline
  • Evelina
  • Eveline
  • Florie
  • Florrie
  • Georgiana
  • Georgina
  • Hester
  • Hetty
  • Honora
  • Isabella
  • Ivy
  • Jemima
  • Kitty
  • Lavinia
  • Leonora
  • Lily
  • Lucretia
  • Margaretta
  • Margery
  • Mavis
  • Mercy
  • Millicent
  • Patience
  • Penelope
  • Phoebe
  • Polly
  • Prudence
  • Rosamond
  • Rosanna
  • Rosetta
  • Rosina
  • Sabina
  • Susannah
  • Sybil
  • Violetta
  • Wilhelmina
  • Zillah
BOYS' NAMES:
  • Abel
  • Adolphus
  • Algernon
  • Ambrose
  • Archibald
  • Aubrey
  • Augustus
  • Bartholomew
  • Basil
  • Bertie
  • Bertram
  • Caleb
  • Clement
  • Clive
  • Cyril
  • Ebenezer
  • Edmond
  • Elias
  • Elisha
  • Enoch
  • Enos
  • Ephraim
  • Eustace
  • Frederic
  • Granville
  • Griffith
  • Harris
  • Horatio
  • Humphrey
  • Hyman
  • Isaiah
  • Ivor
  • Jabez
  • Job
  • Jonah
  • Jonas
  • Josiah
  • Laurence
  • Leopold
  • Lionel
  • Llewellyn
  • Myer
  • Oswald
  • Percival
  • Rowland
  • Royston
  • Rupert
  • Sampson
  • Simeon
  • Smith
  • Solomon
  • Sydney
  • Valentine
  • Vivian
  • Wilfrid
  • Winston
I collected as many names as possible even though it would be impossible to collect them all. That would take hours. Still, I spent a long time on this post. I hope you find it interesting. 

Which of these names do you like best? Which of these surprised you?

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