Timeless Girls' Names

Every generation, names cycle in and out of favor. Thirty years ago, Ashley and Jessica were among the most popular names. Since then, Everly and Luna have taken their place. However, there are names sound acceptable in every era, even if they weren't always popular. These are classic or timeless names.

In order to count as a timeless classic, a name must have seen centuries of consistent use. They also must have seen American use with no sharp peaks or troughs. Many timeless names also have international variants or are used in international countries even though that is not necessary. Regardless, they should not feel tied to one group of nations or languages. 

I have to say, though, that this list is not perfect. You might think some of these names don't belong here. For instance, some might be too tied to foreign languages or feel too vintage for some people. However, these names are all easy to pronounce in English and none have every peaked or dropped sharply.

Here are some girls' names that work in every generation:

Abby

Abigail

Adelaide

Adele

Alexandra


Amelia


Ann(e)

Anna

Annie

Antonia

Beatrice

Beth

Betsy

Bridget

Callie

Caroline

Catherine

Cecilia

Charity

Charlotte

Christina

Claire


Clare

Claudia

Constance

Diana


Eleanor

Elisabeth

Elise

Eliza

Elizabeth

Ellen

Emily

Emma


Eva

Eve

Evelyn

Frances

Genevieve

Georgia

Grace

Hallie

Hannah

Helen

Helena

Hope


Isabel

Jane

Josephine

Judith

Julia

Kate

Katherine

Katie

Laura

Leah

Lillian

Lily


Louise

Lucia


Lydia

Madeline

Maggie

Margaret

Maria

Marie

Marion

Martha

Mary

Miriam

Molly

Naomi

Nina

Nora

Patricia

Phoebe

Polly

Priscilla

Rachel

Rebecca

Rosa

Rose

Ruth

Sally

Sara(h)

Sophia

Sophie

Susanna(h)

Sylvia

Teresa

Theresa

Therese

Victoria

Virginia

Vivian

Which names would you add to this list?

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