You can call them “vintage” “old fashioned” or “old timey” names, but these unique old timey names for babies are some of my absolute favorites!
Older, classic names have made quite a comeback lately and some have started to hit the top charts. So today, we’ve got a bunch of old fashioned names that haven’t gained quite as much popularity yet. We went through all the possible old timey names possible- both standalone names and names that have great nicknames. And as aways, I hope you’ll weigh in in the comments with your favorites!
If you are on the hunt for unique names, you can also check out Timeless & Historical Baby Names or 50+ Unique Two Syllable Baby Names! We know just how important it is to find the right name for your baby. Let’s see if one of these old timey names will be the one!
Short Old Timey Baby Names
Here we have a collection of our favorite short old fashioned baby names, for both boys and girls!
I’m excited to see a new generation of little ones with these incredible timeless names. First up, we’re sharing several stand alone names that aren’t as common nowadays as names like Emma and Sophia.
- Alice
- Alma
- Astrid
- Audra
- Blanche
- Daphne
- Edna
- Etta
- Faye
- Iris
- Louise
- Mabel
- Maude
- Millie
- Ramona
- Vera
While some of the more common names today are actually beautiful names, it can be fun to find a unique name for your child. Here are some of our favorite short old timey names for boys!
- Abel
- Archie
- Boyd
- Cary
- Claude
- Dean
- Doc
- Ellis
- Elmer
- Ezra
- Ira
- Hans
- Hugo
- Grady
- Lars
- Louis
- Norman
- Otis
- Ralph
- Reed
Long Old Fashioned Baby Names (with Nicknames)
We’ve done several posts where we feature names with great nicknames, and this is no different! Perhaps a classic but unusual longer name that has the option for a more modern nicknames is a perfect choice.
Here are some of our favorite unique old fashioned names that have awesome shortened options for girls:
- Beatrice (Bea)
- Bernadette (Bernie)
- Dorothy (Dot, Dottie)
- Edith (Eadie)
- Estelle (Stella)
- Evelyn (Evie)
- Florence (Flo)
- Frances (Frankie)
- Harriet (Hattie)
- Loretta (Lottie)
- Lucille (Lucy)
- Martha (Mattie)
- Sylvia (Sylvie)
- Winifred (Winnie, Freddie)
And here are some of our favorite long old timey names with adorable nicknames for boys:
- Augustine (Auggie)
- Bernard (Bernie)
- Clifford (Cliff)
- Edgar (Eddie)
- Ellsworth (Ells)
- Ernest (Ernie)
- Franklin (Frankie)
- Irving (Irv)
- Leopold (Leo)
- Oswald (Ozzie)
- Reginald (Reggie)
- Rupert (Ru)
- Theodore (Teddy)
- Vernon (Vern)
- Wallace (Wally)
- Walter (Walt)
- Wilfred (Willy)
- Wolfgang (Wolfie)
More Baby Name Ideas
Do you have any unique old timey names that you think are missing from the list? Comment them below! Together, let’s create a comprehensive list of the best old fashioned baby names that definitely should make a comeback!
Swan says
Hi, Kelly! Hi, Emily! Congratulations on your first born! Here’s a few suggestions:
Amelia (Millie)
Corynne
Edwina
Eileen
Evangeline (Angel)
Grace
Madeline (Maddy)
Marian
Margaret (Margie, Peg)
These, along with virtually any flower you can name (Daisy, Rose, Poppy, etc) should give you a good start.
Happy choosing, and please let us know your selection? Thanks!
Kelly says
Oooh, I never thought of Millie as a nickname for Amelia and I LOVE that!!
Evelyn says
Are you serious!!???!?!?!!?
Jenny N says
I had. Great aunt Afton and I never got to use the name. Please, somebody use it!
abbie says
Afton is on my top 5 list!! i LOVE it!!
Michelle says
Love this name.
Laura says
I have twin cousins in their twenties named Afton and Aubrey.
Lindsey Lasher says
One of my favorite old fashioned baby names is Effie. It was my great grandma’s name. I feel like it would go really well with Emily too!
Kelly says
LOVE that name!!
Carly says
If I have another daughter I want to name her Evelyn Gladys but call her Effie! I love it so much.
S R says
I think Samantha is great “classic/old fashioned name” that you don’t hear a lot. Congratulations and good luck picking a name!
Allison Elefante says
My daughters are named Juliet and Vivian! They feel old fashioned to me, Vivian was named after my great grandmother.
Vanessa says
We have a Cornelia (who we call Neely, after my maiden name– Neill) and a Leona (who is called Bona or Bones these days) as well as a Marlowe (which isn’t old fashioned but we still love 😉)
Kelly says
Omg what a line up!! Love your kiddos names!!
Shayla says
My grandma’s name is Gardenia and her nickname is Gaga! Would be so cute for a little babe!
Taylor Duenas says
My daughter’s name is Eleanor but we call her Nori (she’s our little sushi roll 🙂 ). We have another baby on the way and she’s gonna be Beatrice and we’re gonna call her Bea! (And Beanie!) Feeling very seen by this post lol
Brittany says
I never see any kids named Marilyn, it’s so pretty and classy.
Kelly says
So true!!!
Jacque says
My mom’s name is Marilyn and her childhood nickname was Millie. I love a classic name with a cute nickname!
Sarah Chivers says
My great grandmothers name was Minerva (Minnie for short). She was a petite powerhouse and I’ve never met anyone else with her name.
Kelly says
Wow! What a great name. Love Minnie as a nickname!
Claire says
Love older, unique names! My daughters are Fiona Violet and Beatrix Ann (we call her Bea).
Rachel says
We have a baby Aveline, which is the French version of (the very trendy) Evelyn.
Kelly says
What a beautiful name!! Thank you for sharing!
Micah says
My daughter has a friend named Agnes and I love it so much. Her nickname is Aggie.
Liss says
These are older names from Norway, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use them in the us ☺️ Uni/Unni (no need for a nickname),
Konstanse/Constance
Astrid
Maib
Inger
Tora
Signe
Amalie
Otilie
Anni/Anny
Henny
Ella
Edith
Mathea
Osefine
…among others ☺️
Anne says
Hi Unni from a Swedish neighbour! 🙂
I love the name Henny, one of my closest friends named her daughter that. Simple yet unique.
Stephanie says
Congratulations, Emily.
We also favor strong old-timey names- with a twist. We just had a baby girl, Montie Rose. Her big brother is Henry. They feel old-fashioned, but giving our GIRL the name Montie (traditionally, a boy name– Monty/Montgomery) it’s a little twist and wink and makes it feel current. We share the middle name, Rose… classic and special.
jane says
love that! henry and montie are such a great sibset! ☺
Anne says
My daughter’s name is Martha so I’m partial to that name.
Here’s some Swedish old fashioned names that might work over there as well
Elvira
Augusta
Hilda
Agata
Ebba
Josefina
Ester
Tyra
Mina (Vilhelmina)
Asta
All the best to you and your baby girl.
Brenda says
Pearl!
Tsarina Metker says
We named our 4 year old Luella and call her Lulu. It is an old name that is not used very much at but we love it!
Mackenzie says
Hey hey! I had the same requirements for both our daughters and a LOT of the names on our list are listed here (Evelyn, Margot, Estelle). But we ended up going with Silvi and Della! Good luck!
Heather says
My daughter’s name is Clementine Juliet! Old fashioned but unique I think.
T says
I have a Clementine Penelope – James
PennyJames
Kourtney Jackson says
My two daughters have classic old lady names: we have Paige and Lola
Paige was my great grandma and Lola was a great Aunt
Theodora Sideridis says
I might be biased since it is my own name but Theodora is old fashioned and a nice alternative to Dorothy. Also the meaning is “gods gift” in Greek 🙂
Casey Schalich says
My daughter is Esther, it can also have cute nicknames like Essie or Tess
Stephanie Yost says
My daughter’s name is Nell. So unusual… we’ve never met another kid with that name! Sweet and simple. My older daughter is Josie which is much more common.
Alexus Milliron says
I love every single one of these names! I think Clara fits well with this list too!
Jamie says
We went to the hospital with Lenora (hubs loved but I was in w Lenny as nickname) – came home with Darcy bc she did NOT look like a Lenora but still a great name that fits your parameters!!!!! It took us three days to regroup and come up with another name and it’s awesome bc she is SUCH a Darcy! Good luck!!!
Annie says
My little girl is Edie named after my grandads mum, I was going to use Edith but she’d never be called that so we just used the shortened version. I half wish we had used a different spelling as people pronounce it Eddie which is annoying. Other names I love are Maeve, Lilybet (although Prince Harry just called his little girl that and I feel like that has the potential to make it popular maybe) Violet, Florence (flo) Dotty, Eliza and I also really like Dee Dee but I’m not sure if it’s old fasioned.
Megan says
My daughters name is Audrey. We call her Aude for short. Currently pregnant with a second girl and am almost set on the name which will also be old fashioned.
Kristin says
Joan or Jones! I’m pretty sure they are old fashioned? Well actually I think I just made up Jones as a first name but I still love it🤓 I think these names are strong and sweet at the same time!
Christine says
We have a Henrietta (nicknamed Henri) and a Louisa. Both old fashioned but not very common nowadays.
jess says
I LOVE Henrietta. We plan on using it with the nickname “Etta”
Emily says
I had pretty much the same wish list for our baby girl (she’s now nearly 3) My husband and I both prefer traditional and more old-fashioned names but didn’t want to use one that has already become popular and have 3 others with same name in her class at school. We decided on Caroline Mae. It suits her so well and to date I haven’t met another Caroline her age
Kelly Fox says
Oohhh, how about Gloria, Elaine, Millie, Lucy, or Josephine (Joey)
Bear Balentine says
I heard the name ‘Mare’ yesterday and thought it was so unique. Looked it up and it’s been around for a while. So had to share.
Mere Street says
Love these suggestions!
We named our daughter Dita, which is another nickname for Edith. We also loved Sadie as a nickname for Sarah.
Danielle says
My daughter’s are Elisabeth (Libby) and Guinevere (Guin) – the great thing with Elisabeth is there are so many variations: Elsbeth, Elisa, Lisa, Lissi, Beth, Bethan (my nieces names), Elsie, Betty, Busy.
Lisa Dini says
A suggestion to consider Louisa as an alternative to Louise. My husband and I both had a Grandpa Lou, and Louise never sparked for us but Louisa felt more romantic and even a bit more classic and unique.
Joie says
While deciding on a name for my daughter, I too, leaned towards traditional names , but wanted name that wasn’t too common, and most likely French in origin. Considered Gemma, Clementine, Vivienne, Ynez. My husband and I ended up naming her Elodie.
Lydia Loveall says
YES! Love old classic names! I work at a pediatric office and had the hardest time choosing a unique but classic name for my daughter that I hadn’t heard 20 times already.
We decided on Gwyneth! We call her Gwynnie as a baby but love that she can go by Wyn (my personal fave,) or Gwyn.
I also loved Adele (Dela or Dellie), Eliza (Liza), Flora, Annelle and Iris (Ris)!
Best of luck on the baby naming journey!
Alice Robinson says
I love Daphne!
Amy Gomez says
I love the name Enez! This was actually the name of one of my Great-Grandma Dess BFF’s!
Michelle says
I second flower names, and would like to add jewel names (Pearl, Opal). Enola is a nice old fashioned name. I recommend looking at baby names from 100+ years ago for ideas.
Jessica Ruxton says
Love your lists!
Jessica says
My friend has a little one named Bernadette and she goes by Birdie! So cute
Amelia says
My daughters are Charlotte and Eleanor and go by Charlie and Elle. If we had one more, she would either be Hazel or Hattie. Good luck with the name game and congratulations! ❤️
Louise says
My name is Louise and my nicknames are Lulu, Weez, and Weezy 🙂
Audrey says
I’m an Audrey and was the only I knew growing up but now I hear it more often. I’ve always planned on naming a girl Millie or Stella for my great grandma or Great great aunt but alas, I have 3 boys.
Laurinda says
My Grandmother found my name on a headstone from the 1700s, in Vermont, Lauri
carolyn silvers says
my middle name was swiped from a gravestone too… Aletta… you’re the first other person Ive heard of being named that way. ❤️
Lor says
Hi Emily M! Your post mede me think of my great Aunt Nellie. He real name was Elnora, which I think is just lovely. It sounds classic like Eleanor, but with a classy twist! Right?
Bella J says
Well, it was a nice ride through some of the best old fashioned but still lively baby names here. I’m always a fan of old names but ageless as we call it.
I’m working as a babysitter and currently taking care of two kids names Booby and Summer. My madam is going to welcome third kid soon and she is looking for a classic old name. I think I can suggest some best picks now to her.
I loved the names Alma and Iris from the first list and from the nicknames list I definitely pick the Evelyn (Evie).
Some suggestions from my side are:
Lucinda (Lucy)
Clara
Eliza (Elie)
Isabel (Isaa)
Hope you like it.
Kind Regards,
Bella John
Babysitter at Tadbeer ( https://www.tadbeer.ae )
Mari says
My daughter is named Cecilia, and old Roman name and we call her Cici or Sea. We love how sweet and classic it is with cute nickname options
jane says
I like this post overall, but:
Elizabeth isn’t SUPER popular. On the charts, yes it’s super popular , but besides that not really. it’s also such a gorgeous name, how could anyone not like it? and she likes Charlotte, which is even more popular. weird.
jane says
and btw evelyn isn’t “unique”, it’s the #9th most popular name.
Jane says
Jane can also be one! It’s not unique sounding but it’s also very uncommon.
Laura W. says
Our daughter’s name is Greta. Old fashioned, I think, but I’ve seen it on a few lists for names that are coming back.
Constance says
Millicent -Millie
Gladys
Prunella
Ina
Imogene
Peony
Hilda
and Hazel
Were all on my list, but I named my girls Georgina (Gia) and Loucielle (Ciel or Lou)
Renay says
Hi! My Gma’s were Ruby Delle
And Geneva Pearl!!
My Mother in law is Jewell..love all of my “fine gems”!!
Lucy says
Is my name popular do people still use the name
Margot says
My name is Margot, a name I’ve grown to love as an adult. My nicknames have included: Margs, Mango, Mo, and Go-go.
On top of Daphne and Loretta, I’ve always lovvved the name Imogene!
Sandy says
Cora
Carmine
Bell
Jean
Lavena
Carrie
Mary
Fay
Melissa Annunziato says
My granny’s name was Wilhelmina Rae and her nickname was willie or Mina
My grandma name was Bianca Rose but she went by Rose , ( no middle name)