125 vintage baby names that haven't made a comeback yet
When it comes to baby names, we're used to seeing patterns and trends emerge (such as names inspired by hit TV shows like Euphoria or Rings of Power) – but never is that more obvious when it comes to the most popular baby names of all. Right now, that top 100 list of names includes plenty of old-fashioned baby monikers, for both boys and girls. Case in point? Henry, Arthur and Archie are all boys names with a vintage feel that appear in the UK's top ten baby names – and for girls it's much the same, with Isla, Ava and Florence coming in at numbers three, four and eight respectively.
The old fashioned boys name Arthur has been steadily re-climbing the ranks since 2017, after regularly being a top 10 boys name in the early 1900s – however, after 1924 it dropped off for almost 100 years. In 2019 it grew again in popularity, ranking as the fourth most popular name for baby boys born that year (there were 4,211 little Arthurs, to be precise) and today, it remains at number four.
Likewise, an old fashioned girls name that's also soared in the last few years for the first time in almost a century, is Ada. That was last included in the top 100 girls’ names in 1924, but hadn’t ranked again until 2018, when the name made a comeback as the 65th most used name for baby girls. In 2019, it rose up the list to 47th, with 1,028 newborns given the name Ada that year and now? Ada is sitting pretty at number 44.
It’s thought the newfound favour for the names Arthur and Ada may potentially have been inspired by the characters in Peaky Blinders, likewise the monikers Tommy and Esme, which also saw a spike in popularity since the BBC series debuted.
On the other hand, if you're keen for an old-fashioned, traditional baby name that isn't quite as popular, you might want to take a look at this list we've drawn up... After cross-referencing the top 200 British boys and girls baby names from the year 1900 (sourced here), with the top 200 British boys and girls baby names from the year 2019, and we've pulled out some of the ones that haven't quite risen back to the top yet in today's world - but are likely to.
Ready to see the old baby names that are bound to make a come-back in the coming years, in accordance with the vintage baby naming trend? You can thank us later...
Old fashioned girl names that haven't made a comeback yet:
Mary
Ethel
Lilian (although Lily and Lilly are both in the top 100 most popular names right now)
Ellen
Winifred
May
Catherine
Frances
Agnes
Minnie
Louisa
Kate
Constance
Dora
Ida
Ruth
Bessie
Edna
Vera
Eveline (although 'Evelyn' is currently number 21 in the top 100 girls names list)
Florrie
Henrietta
Millicent (Millie is number 27 in the top 100 girls names though)
Audrey
Nelly
Selina
Georgina
Helena
Cecilia
Christina
Flora
Freda
Josephine
Adelaide
Enid
Lavinia
Sybil
Sylvia
Bridget
Stella
Madeline
Mona
Alma
Polly
Cicely
Maude/Maud
Joan
Queenie
Lois
Dorothea
Adeline
Celia
Carrie
Winnie
Ena
Hettie
Rosanna
Emmeline
Veronica
Leonora (or Nora for short)
Annie
Hazel
Marjorie
Martha
Old fashioned boy names that haven't made a comeback yet:
Ernest
Harold
Walter
Herbert
Reginald
Percy/Percival
Leonard
Sidney/Sydney
Cecil
Horace
Edwin
Victor
Hector
Redvers
Bertie/Bert
Clifford
Baden
Bernard
Hugh
Douglas
Gilbert
Maurice
Clarence
Lawrence/Laurence
Edmund
Arnold
Gordon
Ivor
Abraham
Claude
Roland
Lionel
Alec
Wallace
Oswald
Clement
Basil
Solomon
Israel
Cornelius
Augustus
Noel
Godfrey
Llewellyn
Timothy
Winston
Amos
Morgan
Moses
Dudley
Cuthbert
Guy
Emlyn
Nelson
Montague
Russell
Emmanuel
Jeremiah
Ambrose
Valentine
Raymond
Anyone else very excited for a future filled with baby Dorotheas and little Cuthberts?
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