Old Lady Names
Names that reached the U.S. top 300 before 1945, from forgotten favorites to names back in style.
| Save name | Name & meaning | History 1926–2025, yearly counts; individually scaled | Babies 2025 · rank | 5-year rank movement | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noble | 167#1,336 | Down 219 rank positions in five years | 1951 | ||
Strange, foreign | 264#968 | Down 82 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Gift of God | 743#421 | Up 114 rank positions in five years | 1924 | ||
Possibly torch or moon; deeper origin disputed | 668#462 | Down 36 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
My God is an oath, through Elizabeth | 212#1,113 | Up 62 rank positions in five years | 1930 | ||
Man, in the Charles family; also song or hymn | 82#2,242 | Down 331 rank positions in five years | 1946 | ||
Plain | 179#1,256 | Down 112 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Bright clearing | 133#1,586 | Down 36 rank positions in five years | 1935 | ||
Traditionally pure; deeper origin disputed | 972#314 | Down 47 rank positions in five years | 1956 | ||
Traditionally maiden or virgin; Roman family name of uncertain origin | 572#526 | Up 55 rank positions in five years | 1922 | ||
Frenchwoman; feminine form of Francis | 960#318 | Up 100 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Feminine form of Charles, from a Germanic word meaning man | 185#1,222 | Down 275 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Yahweh is gracious, through Jane | 61#2,791 | Down 780 rank positions in five years | 1954 | ||
Lady; mistress of the household | 393#713 | Up 54 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Meaning uncertain; French and Czech form of Maria | 474#618 | Down 1 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
Lord, from Breton Judoc | 226#1,074 | Down 97 rank positions in five years | 1942 | ||
Yahweh is gracious, through John | 222#1,087 | Up 460 rank positions in five years | 1932 | ||
Favor; grace, in the Hannah family | 225#1,076 | Up 29 rank positions in five years | 1957 | ||
Dorian woman | 58#2,909 | Down 529 rank positions in five years | 1928 | ||
Yahweh is gracious, through John | 88#2,130 | Up 228 rank positions in five years | 1927 | ||
Jewish woman; woman of Judah | 344#790 | Up 120 rank positions in five years | 1943 | ||
Free man, through Charles | 13,400#2 | Up 3 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
Gentle strength | 98#1,973 | Up 1 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
Glory | 437#655 | Down 77 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Beaver clearing or beaver stream, through Beverley | 246#1,018 | Up 249 rank positions in five years | 1953 | ||
Combination of Mary and the name ending -lyn | 356#761 | Down 127 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Peace | 442#651 | Down 31 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Flowering, flourishing | 796#391 | Up 372 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
From Occitan Alienòr; deeper meaning disputed | 7,649#12 | Up 10 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
Famous in battle, through Louis | 579#516 | Up 165 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Possibly better or more desirable in Greek; Galician form of Louis | 124#1,670 | Up 176 rank positions in five years | 1927 | ||
He will add, through Joseph | 4,126#53 | Up 34 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Fine, beautiful | 785#396 | Up 210 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Foliage | 7#12,869 | Down 6,846 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Hazel tree; light brown colour | 6,318#21 | Up 10 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Pleasure, delight; also an English form of Eithne | 72#2,463 | Down 378 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Pearl, through Margaret | 12#8,738 | Down 2,718 rank positions in five years | 1958 | ||
Pearl in the Margaret family; also a South Asian name | 174#1,287 | Down 53 rank positions in five years | 1949 | ||
Possibly a Wend; Polish legendary name | 20#6,095 | Up 519 rank positions in five years | 1957 | ||
Vigor, bravery, through Amalia | 12,699#4 | Up 2 rank positions in five years | 2021 | ||
Noble | 34#4,210 | Up 721 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Possibly rule or pattern; also a feminine form of Norman | 95#2,012 | Up 360 rank positions in five years | 1931 | ||
Pearl, through Margery | 246#1,019 | Up 117 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Wealth or fortune + battle | 595#499 | Down 27 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Possibly country; alternatively a Welsh form of Claudia | 49#3,224 | Down 931 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
Man, through Caroline | 63#2,726 | Down 551 rank positions in five years | 1977 | ||
Possibly torch or moon, through Helen | 1,007#305 | Up 214 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Light | 6,176#25 | Up 25 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
Small, through Paul | 56#2,986 | Up 69 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Meaning uncertain; popularized by Corelli’s novel | 29#4,744 | Up 121 rank positions in five years | 1921 |
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Sources & methodology
Meaning summaries use Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and referenced name histories. Each name’s detail page includes its sources.
Vintage membership uses historical U.S. rankings. This selection includes names now outside the top 1,000, names that have climbed back into the top 300, and names quietly in use between those groups. Rankings and counts come from official SSA birth records. “—” means fewer than five published applications for that sex and year.