Vintage Baby Names
Names that reached the U.S. top 300 before 1960, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
He will add, through Joseph | 230#994 | Down 266 rank positions in five years | 1936 | ||
Gentle strength | 98#1,973 | Up 1 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
Will or desire + helmet or protection, through William | 147#1,322 | Down 327 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Spear + power or authority | 168#1,206 | Down 251 rank positions in five years | 1942 | ||
Famous spear | 297#834 | Down 149 rank positions in five years | 1953 | ||
Darling, through Cherie | 32#4,375 | Up 95 rank positions in five years | 1958 | ||
Several origins: Terence or Theresa familiar form, or a Thierry surname | 192#1,116 | Down 183 rank positions in five years | 1957 | ||
Home ruler, through Henry; also a familiar form of other Har names | 329#775 | Down 56 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Glory | 437#655 | Down 77 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Counsel; advice + wolf | 211#1,048 | Up 54 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Red, through Ruadh; also associated with French king | 570#525 | Up 47 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
God is gracious, through Jane | 70#2,522 | Down 560 rank positions in five years | 1951 | ||
Meaning uncertain; Teresa name family | 136#1,559 | Down 149 rank positions in five years | 1961 | ||
Probably from Brix, through the Scottish surname | 558#536 | Down 38 rank positions in five years | 1956 | ||
Will + helmet, through William | 203#1,068 | Down 69 rank positions in five years | 1934 | ||
Jewish woman; woman from Judea, through Judith | 105#1,874 | Down 291 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Well born | 249#943 | Down 103 rank positions in five years | 1927 | ||
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 | ||
Belonging to Dionysus, through Denis | 123#1,677 | Down 800 rank positions in five years | 1961 | ||
Peace | 442#651 | Down 31 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Wagon maker | 422#655 | Up 120 rank positions in five years | 1947 | ||
Several surname origins: Hughard, Hávarðr, or ewe herder | 226#1,004 | Up 40 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Peaceful ruler in the Frederick family; elf counsel in the Alfred family | 80#1,936 | Down 134 rank positions in five years | 1924 | ||
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 | ||
Traditionally pure, through Katherine; deeper origin disputed | 48#3,274 | Down 1,091 rank positions in five years | 1958 | ||
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 | ||
Shield and wolf in the Randolf family; admirable through Miranda | 198#1,089 | Down 230 rank positions in five years | 1956 | ||
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 | ||
Gift of God | 13,355#4 | Up 19 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
Bright fame, through Robert | 195#1,097 | Down 247 rank positions in five years | 1937 | ||
From the town of Clare | 117#1,500 | Down 173 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
Hazel tree; light brown colour | 6,318#21 | Up 10 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Serious, earnest; older Germanic vigor or strife | 213#1,040 | Down 31 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
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 | ||
Frenchman | 769#420 | Up 62 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
Nobleman, warrior; from the title earl | 63#2,236 | Down 161 rank positions in five years | 1921 | ||
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 | ||
Valley | 129#1,410 | Down 54 rank positions in five years | 1958 | ||
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 olive tree; origin disputed | 14,939#3 | Steady | 2024 | ||
Possibly country; alternatively a Welsh form of Claudia | 49#3,224 | Down 931 rank positions in five years | 1920 |
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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.