Baby Names

254 Old-Fashioned Baby Names For Boys And Girls

Looking to add some vintage charm to your child’s name? Here are some time-tested options to consider.

by Emily Kelleher
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Mother lovingly holding newborn baby while it falls asleep on her shoulder.

There’s a good reason so many people name their children after a beloved grandparent or great aunt — sentimentality aside, old-fashioned baby names for girls and boys are time-tested names that travel well across the generations and often have roots across cultures. Old-fashioned baby names hover above trends, never go out of style, and somehow give even babies an air of undeniable authority (why, hello, Abraham, Cornelius, and Evangeline). They’re charming and distinctive, not too obscure and sound wiser than their years. And perhaps most important, unlike infinity-symbol tattoos or gender reveals, old-fashioned baby names tend to age well. Here are 254 timeless, classic baby names for boys and girls.

Old-Fashioned Boy Names

  1. Abe
  2. Abraham
  3. Albert
  4. Ambrose. Ambrose has roots in Greek culture and means immortal. It comes from the Greek word ambrosia, which was also a divine food of the gods. In 2021, it was the 671st most popular boy's name.
  5. Amos
  6. Ansel
  7. Archie
  8. Aron
  9. Arthur
  10. Artie
  11. Atticus
  12. August
  13. Barron
  14. Beau
  15. Benedict
  16. Bennett
  17. Bernard
  18. Blaine
  19. Blevins
  20. Brady. In 2021, Brady was listed at 330 as the most popular boy's name in the U.S. Brady is an Irish name that means descendant of Brádach, large-chested or one with broad eyes.
  21. Carlo
  22. Cassady
  23. Clarence
  24. Clellon
  25. Clifford
  26. Cole
  27. Cornelius
  28. Cyrus
  29. Damion
  30. Dean
  31. Denton
  32. Dominic
  33. Earl
  34. Edison
  35. Edmund
  36. Edwin
  37. Elijah
  38. Elmer. Elmer is defined as noble or famous based on British origin. In 2021 it was listed as the 2,612th most popular boy's name in the U.S.
  39. Elrod
  40. Elon
  41. Emmett
  42. Emile
  43. Ernest
  44. Erwin
  45. Ezra
  46. Felix
  47. Fletcher
  48. Frank
  49. Francis
  50. Gael
  51. George
  52. Gerald
  53. Gert
  54. Gracy
  55. Gunther. Gunther is a mighty German moniker that means battler or warrior. In 2020, it was ranked 9,167 in a list of most popular boys' names.
  56. Gus
  57. Harmon
  58. Harold
  59. Harper
  60. Harvey
  61. Hayden
  62. Hector
  63. Henry
  64. Herbert
  65. Holden
  66. Howard
  67. Hugh
  68. Ian
  69. Ignatius
  70. Jasper
  71. Jarrett
  72. Jedediah
  73. Jerry
  74. Joel
  75. Julien
  76. Kenneth. Kenneth means fire born or good-looking. It has roots in Scottish culture and was a top 20 name from the 1920s through the 1950s.
  77. Lacey
  78. Langston
  79. Lee
  80. Lincoln
  81. Louis
  82. Lucas
  83. Marshall
  84. Mickey
  85. Milton
  86. Morgan
  87. Neal
  88. Nelson
  89. Neville
  90. Norman
  91. Orville
  92. Oscar
  93. Otis
  94. Owen
  95. Peyton
  96. Pierce
  97. Presley
  98. Preston
  99. Ralph
  100. Randall. Randall derives from Old Norse roots and the surname Rannulfr. It means wolf shield and was in 1958 ranked at 140 in most popular boy names.
  101. Rawlins
  102. Raymond
  103. Reed
  104. Reginald
  105. Richard
  106. Rodney
  107. Rollo
  108. Roy
  109. Rutherford
  110. Sal
  111. Shadrack
  112. Sherman
  113. Spencer
  114. Stanley
  115. Sterling
  116. Theodore
  117. Tobias
  118. Tobin
  119. Waldo
  120. Whitman
  121. Wilber. Wilbur is an English moniker that translates to willful or bright. It is also related to the German name Wilbert. In 2006, it was listed as the 4003rd most popular boy's name.
  122. Willie
  123. Winston
  124. Windsor
  125. Wright
  126. Wyatt

Old-Fashioned Girl Names

  1. Abra
  2. Addison
  3. Adeline. Adeline is German name that means noble. It’s also diminutive of the French name, Adele. According to Nameberry, Adeline was the 94th most popular girl’s name in the U.S. in 2021.
  4. Adelaide
  5. Agatha
  6. Agnes
  7. Alejandra
  8. Alice
  9. Alma
  10. Amara
  11. Anita
  12. Bea
  13. Bernadette
  14. Beatrix
  15. Bertie
  16. Bessie
  17. Birdie
  18. Blythe
  19. Bonnie
  20. Calliope
  21. Camille
  22. Carole
  23. Colette
  24. Connie
  25. Celia. Celia has root in Latin origin and means heavely. In 2021, it made the top 1,000 popular U.S. name at 792.
  26. Clara
  27. Dahlia
  28. Daisy
  29. Darcy
  30. Dessie
  31. Dodie
  32. Dora
  33. Doris
  34. Dorothy
  35. Edith
  36. Enid
  37. Etta
  38. Eleanor
  39. Elaine
  40. Ellis
  41. Emily
  42. Emma
  43. Ethel
  44. Eugenie
  45. Evelyn
  46. Evangeline
  47. Faith
  48. Fanny
  49. Faye
  50. Flora
  51. Florence
  52. Frances
  53. Gabrielle
  54. Galatea
  55. Genevieve. Genevieve is a French moniker that means of the race of women. There are also medieval German variations of the name, like Genovefa or Kenowefa. It was the 76th most popular name for girls in 1916.
  56. Georgia
  57. Gertrude
  58. Greta
  59. Harriet
  60. Hattie
  61. Hazel
  62. Henrietta
  63. Hester
  64. Hilda
  65. Hope
  66. Irene
  67. Iris
  68. Isabella
  69. Imogen
  70. Inez
  71. Jane
  72. Joan
  73. Jocelyn
  74. Josephine
  75. Joyce
  76. Katherine
  77. Kingsley
  78. Laura
  79. Lucille
  80. Lucinda
  81. Luisa
  82. Lorraine
  83. Lydia. Lydia means beautiful or noble in Greek. This name has been among the top 100 popular names since 2011 and ranked 90 in 2021.
  84. Lacy
  85. Liza
  86. Margaret
  87. Martha
  88. Marjorie
  89. Mathilde
  90. Maxine
  91. Miriam
  92. Minnie
  93. Mollie
  94. Nell
  95. Nora
  96. Norene
  97. Octavia
  98. Olive
  99. Opal
  100. Patricia
  101. Pearl
  102. Penelope
  103. Polly
  104. Pollyanna
  105. Posey
  106. Rolla
  107. Rosemary. Rosemary means dew of the sea or bitter rose of the sea. It is also a combination of two English names. In 2019, it was ranked at 409 in popular girls.
  108. Ruby
  109. Ruth
  110. Sadie
  111. Sandra
  112. Scarlet
  113. Selma
  114. Seraphina
  115. Shirley
  116. Shoshana
  117. Sophia
  118. Susannah
  119. Sylvia
  120. Trudy
  121. Una
  122. Valentina
  123. Vera
  124. Virginia. Virginia means maid, virgin or pure and is of Latin origin. It’s derived from the Roman names Verginius and Virginius, Virginia is generally associated with legends. In 2021, Virgina was ranked at 1,066 for most popular girl’s name.
  125. Viola
  126. Violet
  127. Willa
  128. Wren

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