200+ Forgotten Baby Girl Names That Deserve a Comeback

Every one of these names filled a schoolyard or church register a hundred years ago, then quietly disappeared once parents started chasing whatever felt newer. Nothing was wrong with them — trends just moved on, the way they always do. This list rounds up 200-plus forgotten girls’ names, the kind you rarely hear now but that are more than ready for a comeback. Scroll through, and see how each one measures up in the popularity data below.

Popularity below is calculated from Social Security Administration data through 2024, the most recent year on record.

Here’s what’s in store – 

But the wheel keeps turning. The Victorian names — your Hazels, your Cleos, your Florences — have come roaring back over the last decade, and the next wave is already cresting behind them. Pre-1900 census names. Edwardian governess names. Names from Jane Austen footnotes and 1920s yearbooks. Names that sound a little strange for exactly five seconds and then sound exactly right.

I pulled this list from old Social Security data, family Bibles, hymnal indexes, and a frankly embarrassing number of evenings spent reading 19th-century obituaries. Some of these names peaked in 1881 and never recovered. Some are so quiet they’ve never made a Top 1000 list at all. Most of them belong to women you’ve never heard of who lived full lives anyway.

If you’re looking for a name that nobody else in the preschool class will have — but that still feels like a real, weighted, grown-up human name — start here.

Pre-1900 Census Treasures

These are names you’d find threaded through 1880s and 1890s U.S. census records, written in the cramped hand of a county clerk. They have weight, history, and that particular sepia-toned warmth that’s almost impossible to manufacture.

Mabel

• Origin: English (from Latin amabilis via Amabel)
• Pronunciation: MAY-bel · ˈmeɪbəl
• Meaning: lovable
• Popularity: #222 and rising (#278 → #222, 2024)

Peaked in 1891 at #15 and has been climbing back since the early 2010s — feels both grandmotherly and freshly cool.

Hattie

• Origin: English (pet form of Harriet)
• Pronunciation: HAT-ee · ˈhæti
• Meaning: home ruler (via Harriet/Henry)
• Popularity: #382 and rising (#384 → #382, 2024)

Diminutive that sounds like a tiny powerhouse; trending hard among parents who already used Hazel.

Nellie

• Origin: English (diminutive)
• Pronunciation: NEL-ee · ˈnɛli
• Meaning: pet form of Nell/Eleanor/Helen, popularly rendered ‘bright, shining one’
• Popularity: #521 and rising (#615 → #521, 2024)

Has that prairie-schoolhouse warmth that’s nearly impossible to manufacture.

Eula

• Origin: Greek (short form of Eulalia)
• Meaning: sweetly speaking, well-spoken
• Popularity: #9,089 and falling (#6,239 → #9,089, 2024)

Soft and unusual, a Southern grandmother name with quiet dignity.

Vesta

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: goddess of the hearth and home (Roman goddess of domestic life)
• Popularity: #17,475 and falling (#12,099 → #17,475, 2024)

Roman goddess of the hearth — protective, grounded, and still virtually unused.

Cordelia

• Origin: uncertain (Shakespeare’s spelling of a historical British name, Cordeilla, possibly linked to the obscure saint’s name Cordula)
• Pronunciation: kor-DEEL-yah · kɔːrˈdiːljə
• Meaning: Heart, daughter of the sea
• Popularity: #1,065 and rising (#1,117 → #1,065, 2024)

King Lear’s loyal daughter; the regal cousin to Olivia.

Lavinia

• Origin: Latin (place name Lavinium, Latium)
• Pronunciation: luh-VIN-ee-ah · ləˈvɪniə
• Meaning: Woman of Rome
• Popularity: #2,139 and rising (#2,346 → #2,139, 2024)

Adelia

• Origin: Germanic (part of the Adela/Adelaide family)
• Meaning: likely ‘noble’, by association with the broader Adela/Adelaide name group
• Popularity: #2,079 and rising (#2,207 → #2,079, 2024)

Like Adelaide and Amelia had a quieter, lacier sister.

Ardith

• Origin: Hebrew/English
• Meaning: Flowering field
• Popularity: #7,605 as of 1985 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A 1930s name that never came back — and absolutely should.

Birdie

• Origin: English
• Pronunciation: BUR-dee · ˈbɜːrdi
• Meaning: little bird (also historically used as a pet form of Bertha)
• Popularity: #754 and falling (#700 → #754, 2024)

A nickname-turned-name with serious comeback energy among Brooklyn parents.

Cleta

• Origin: Ancient Greek (mythological name)
• Meaning: Glorious
• Popularity: #8,329 as of 1980 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Della

• Origin: English (19th-century coinage, possibly short for Adela or Delia)
• Pronunciation: DEL-ah · ˈdɛlə
• Meaning: uncertain: possibly ‘noble’ (if shortened from Adela) or ‘of Delos’ (if shortened from Delia)
• Popularity: #580 and rising (#645 → #580, 2024)

Stands beautifully on its own; doesn’t need to be short for anything anymore.

Effie

• Origin: Greek (diminutive of Euphemia, rarely of Eftychia)
• Pronunciation: EF-ee · ˈɛfi
• Meaning: well-spoken, of good repute; in rare cases traced instead to a name meaning ‘good fortune’
• Popularity: #2,507 and falling (#2,111 → #2,507, 2024)

A Hunger Games revival that hasn’t fully landed yet.

Etta

• Origin: English/German (diminutive suffix name)
• Pronunciation: ET-ah · ˈɛtə
• Meaning: ruler of the home (inherited sense, from Henrietta)
• Popularity: #973 and falling (#935 → #973, 2024)

Etta James gave it soul; the rest is up to us.

Geneva

• Origin: Place name (Geneva, Switzerland)
• Pronunciation: jeh-NEE-vah · dʒəˈniːvə
• Meaning: Juniper tree
• Popularity: #1,603 and falling (#1,537 → #1,603, 2024)

Place-name with the same texture as Florence and Sienna.

Lula

• Origin: English (19th-century pet form, from Louisa, Lucy, or Tallulah)
• Pronunciation: LOO-la · ˈluːlə
• Meaning: Famous warrior
• Popularity: #1,958 and falling (#1,830 → #1,958, 2024)

A featherlight nickname that works as a full name.

Maude

• Origin: French (variant of Maud, ultimately Germanic)
• Meaning: powerful in battle
• Popularity: #3,724 and rising (#4,418 → #3,724, 2024)

Sharp, no-nonsense, and ripe for revival.

Minerva

• Origin: Latin (possibly Etruscan)
• Meaning: intellect, wisdom
• Popularity: #2,446 and falling (#2,085 → #2,446, 2024)

Goddess of wisdom; severe in a way that’s becoming chic again.

Opal

• Origin: English (19th-century coinage from the gemstone name, ultimately Sanskrit)
• Pronunciation: OH-pal · ˈoʊpəl
• Meaning: named after the opal gemstone; the gem-word itself traces to a Sanskrit term for ‘jewel’
• Popularity: #450 and rising (#486 → #450, 2024)

The birthstone names are having a moment, and Opal leads them.

Pearl

• Origin: English
• Pronunciation: PURL · ˈpɜːrl
• Meaning: from the gemstone pearl; also an English form of the Yiddish name Perle
• Popularity: #802 and falling (#800 → #802, 2024)

Quieter than Ruby, just as luminous.

Sylvie

• Origin: French (from Latin)
• Pronunciation: SIL-vee · ˈsɪlvi
• Meaning: of the forest
• Popularity: #360 and rising (#425 → #360, 2024)

Tillie

• Origin: English (diminutive of Matilda)
• Pronunciation: TIL-ee · ˈtɪli
• Meaning: mighty in battle
• Popularity: #1,236 and rising (#1,300 → #1,236, 2024)

Nickname for Matilda that’s outgrowing its parent.

Verna

• Origin: Latin (19th-century coinage)
• Meaning: linked to spring (from Latin vernus, ‘spring-like’), possibly formed as a feminine of Vernon
• Popularity: #4,999 and rising (#5,241 → #4,999, 2024)

A 1920s sweetheart name with crisp consonants.

Winnie

• Origin: English (diminutive, chiefly of Welsh-origin Winifred)
• Pronunciation: WIN-ee · ˈwɪni
• Meaning: pet form of Winifred (occasionally of Winona)
• Popularity: #550 and rising (#609 → #550, 2024)

Pooh got there first, but the name predates him by centuries.

Zelma

• Origin: Arabic (variant of Selma/Salma); also linked in some traditions to Germanic Anselm
• Meaning: Peace, safety (Arabic, via Salma)
• Popularity: #6,893 and rising (#8,045 → #6,893, 2024)

A 1900s switchboard-operator name that sounds futuristic now.

Inez

• Origin: English (anglicized form of Spanish Inés / Portuguese Inês)
• Pronunciation: EYE-nez · ˈaɪnɛz
• Meaning: pure, holy — ultimately from the Greek word for ‘pure,’ via Agnes
• Popularity: #1,407 and rising (#1,639 → #1,407, 2024)

Crisp, modernist, ready for a comeback.

Lottie

• Origin: English (diminutive of Charlotte)
• Pronunciation: LOT-ee · ˈlɑːti
• Meaning: free woman
• Popularity: #676 and rising (#779 → #676, 2024)

The English cottage version of Charlotte.

Bessie

• Origin: English (diminutive of Elizabeth)
• Meaning: pet form of Elizabeth, traditionally glossed ‘God is my oath’
• Popularity: #9,630 and falling (#7,301 → #9,630, 2024)

Diminutive that’s finally shaking off its dairy-cow associations.

Goldie

• Origin: English (diminutive of ‘gold’), or English form of Yiddish Golda/Golde
• Pronunciation: GOL-dee · ˈɡoʊldi
• Meaning: golden, made of gold
• Popularity: #645 and rising (#687 → #645, 2024)

Cora

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: KOR-ah · ˈkɔːrə
• Meaning: maiden
• Popularity: #102 and falling (#93 → #102, 2024)

Already trending — get in before it hits Top 50.

Edwardian Governess Names

There’s a specific genre of name — proper, quietly intelligent, slightly austere — that ruled English-speaking households between 1900 and 1915. These are the names of women who corrected your posture and read aloud after dinner.

Edith

• Origin: Old English
• Pronunciation: EE-dith · ˈiːdɪθ
• Meaning: rich/blessed in war
• Popularity: #528 and falling (#503 → #528, 2024)

Edith Wharton, Edith Piaf — every Edith is fiercely herself.

Florence

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: FLOR-ens · ˈflɔːrəns
• Meaning: flourishing, blooming (from florens, related to flos ‘flower’)
• Popularity: #435 and rising (#522 → #435, 2024)

Already back in the UK; still wide open in the US.

Beatrice

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: BEE-uh-tris · ˈbiːətrɪs
• Meaning: one who brings happiness (also glossed “blessed one”)
• Popularity: #579 and rising (#588 → #579, 2024)

Pronounced BEE-uh-triss or BEE-triss; literary and luminous.

Constance

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: KAHN-stanss · ˈkɑːnstəns
• Meaning: steadfast, constant
• Popularity: #1,645 and rising (#1,656 → #1,645, 2024)

Nicknames Connie or Coco; the meaning is the whole point.

Prudence

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: having sound judgment and caution in one’s actions
• Popularity: #2,588 and falling (#2,328 → #2,588, 2024)

A Puritan virtue name with surprising modern bite.

Agnes

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: AG-nes · ˈæɡnəs
• Meaning: pure or chaste
• Popularity: #1,063 and rising (#1,079 → #1,063, 2024)

Borderline severe, which is what makes it interesting again.

Mildred

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: gentle strength
• Popularity: #2,105 and falling (#1,840 → #2,105, 2024)

The hardest sell on this list and the most rewarding.

Gertrude

• Origin: Germanic
• Pronunciation: GUR-trood · ˈɡɜːrtruːd
• Meaning: spear + strength
• Popularity: #4,683 and falling (#4,491 → #4,683, 2024)

Trudy as a nickname softens the whole thing.

Winifred

• Origin: Old English / Welsh (conflated names)
• Pronunciation: WIN-ih-fred · ˈwɪnɪfrɪd
• Meaning: joy and peace (Old English), merged with the separate Welsh name Gwenfrewi
• Popularity: #1,031 and falling (#963 → #1,031, 2024)

Freddie or Winnie; gives you optionality.

Harriet

• Origin: English (from French Henriette, feminine of Henri/Henry)
• Meaning: home ruler, ruler of the household
• Popularity: #1,157 and falling (#1,130 → #1,157, 2024)

Harriet Tubman; Harriet the Spy; gravitas built in.

Lillian

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: LIL-ee-uhn · ˈlɪliən
• Meaning: lily flower
• Popularity: #54 and rising (#55 → #54, 2024)

Already partially revived but still feels heritage-grade.

Eleanor

• Origin: Old French/Provençal (from Alienor)
• Pronunciation: EL-uh-nor · ˈɛlənɔːr
• Meaning: uncertain; traditionally ‘the other Aenor’ (a compound with her mother’s name)
• Popularity: #14, holding steady (2024)

The crown jewel of the comeback names.

Margaret

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: MAR-grit · ˈmɑːrɡrɪt
• Meaning: pearl (via Latin/Old French margarita), popularized by the 3rd-century Saint Margaret the Virgin
• Popularity: #119 and rising (#132 → #119, 2024)

Endless nicknames — Maggie, Greta, Daisy, Margot, Meg.

Vivian

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: VIV-ee-an · ˈvɪviən
• Meaning: alive, full of life
• Popularity: #77 and rising (#87 → #77, 2024)

Pre-Roberts; a name with its own life force.

Bernadette

• Origin: French (from Germanic)
• Pronunciation: ber-nuh-DET · bɜːrnəˈdɛt
• Meaning: brave/strong as a bear
• Popularity: #1,247 and falling (#1,236 → #1,247, 2024)

Genevieve

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: JEN-eh-veev · ˈdʒɛnəviːv
• Meaning: woman of the tribe/kin
• Popularity: #165, holding steady (2024)

Has a glamour Edith doesn’t, but the same era.

Henrietta

• Origin: English (Latinate form of French Henriette, from Henry)
• Pronunciation: hen-ree-ET-ah · hɛnriˈɛtə
• Meaning: home ruler
• Popularity: #2,135 and rising (#2,988 → #2,135, 2024)

The full-dress version of Hattie; etta names are rising.

Josephine

• Origin: French (feminine diminutive of Joseph, ultimately Hebrew)
• Pronunciation: JOH-zeh-feen · ˈdʒoʊzəfiːn
• Meaning: may he (God) add — inherited from Joseph
• Popularity: #56 and rising (#64 → #56, 2024)

Nicknames Josie, Jo, or Posy — endlessly flexible.

Octavia

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: ahk-TAY-vee-uh · ɑːkˈteɪviə
• Meaning: eighth (feminine form of the Roman family name Octāvius)
• Popularity: #295 and falling (#279 → #295, 2024)

Theodora

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: thee-oh-DOR-ah · ˌθiːəˈdɔːrə
• Meaning: God’s gift
• Popularity: #812 and falling (#776 → #812, 2024)

Teddy works for any gender; full name is regal.

Augusta

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: venerable, majestic (feminine form of Augustus)
• Popularity: #3,076 and rising (#3,917 → #3,076, 2024)

The female Augustus; underused and undervalued.

Imogen

• Origin: Celtic (Scottish Gaelic), via a Shakespearean misprint
• Meaning: maiden, girl (from Scottish Gaelic ‘inghean’)
• Popularity: #1,126 and rising (#1,213 → #1,126, 2024)

Pronounced IM-oh-jen; huge in the UK, rare here.

Marguerite

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: mar-guh-REET · mɑːrɡəˈriːt
• Meaning: pearl (Greek margarites); also French for the daisy flower
• Popularity: #2,415 and falling (#2,302 → #2,415, 2024)

The French version of Margaret; bookish elegance.

Romilly

• Origin: English (surname from French place name Romilly)
• Pronunciation: ROM-ih-lee · ˈrɑːmɪli
• Meaning: from the French place name Romilly, associated with ‘Roman’
• Popularity: #6,095 and rising (#7,568 → #6,095, 2024)

Often a boy’s name historically; works beautifully on a girl.

Sybil

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: SIB-il · ˈsɪbɪl
• Meaning: prophetess, oracle
• Popularity: #1,564 and falling (#1,449 → #1,564, 2024)

Downton Abbey gave it a second wind; still rare.

Tabitha

• Origin: Aramaic
• Meaning: gazelle
• Popularity: #1,519 and falling (#1,504 → #1,519, 2024)

Biblical roots, witchy mid-century associations, due for revival.

Verity

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: VER-ih-tee · ˈvɛrəti
• Meaning: truth (a Puritan virtue name)
• Popularity: #1,875 and falling (#1,706 → #1,875, 2024)

A virtue name that doesn’t feel preachy.

Wilhelmina

• Origin: Germanic (Dutch/German feminine form of Wilhelm)
• Pronunciation: wil-hel-MEE-nah · ˌwɪlhɛlˈmiːnə
• Meaning: will/desire joined with helmet, i.e. resolute protector
• Popularity: #1,817 and falling (#1,541 → #1,817, 2024)

Mina, Willa, or Billie as nicknames.

Cecily

• Origin: Latin (English medieval form of Cecilia)
• Pronunciation: SES-il-ee · ˈsɛsɪli
• Meaning: possibly ‘blind’ (inherited from Cecilia)
• Popularity: #1,595 and rising (#1,816 → #1,595, 2024)

The softer, lacier cousin to Cecilia.

Estelle

• Origin: Occitan (ultimately from Latin stella)
• Pronunciation: es-TEL · ɛˈstɛl
• Meaning: star
• Popularity: #636 and rising (#710 → #636, 2024)

Pre-Seinfeld; deeply elegant.

Names from Hymns and Old Hollywood Marquees

These straddle two worlds — Sunday morning hymnals and Saturday night picture shows. They have a dual heritage that gives them surprising range.

Hazel

• Origin: Old English
• Pronunciation: HAY-zel · ˈheɪzəl
• Meaning: the hazel tree, and by extension its light-brown color
• Popularity: #19 and falling (#18 → #19, 2024)

Already huge again; included because the trajectory tells you where the others are headed.

Iris

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: EYE-ris · ˈaɪrɪs
• Meaning: rainbow; also the name of the Greek goddess/messenger of the rainbow, and the flower named after her
• Popularity: #71 and rising (#78 → #71, 2024)

Ruby

• Origin: Latin (via the gemstone name)
• Pronunciation: ROO-bee · ˈruːbi
• Meaning: red gemstone
• Popularity: #63 and rising (#65 → #63, 2024)

Already trending; still feels timeless.

Daisy

• Origin: English (Old English compound)
• Pronunciation: DAY-zee · ˈdeɪzi
• Meaning: flower name meaning “day’s eye”; also historically used as a nickname for Margaret
• Popularity: #76 and rising (#110 → #76, 2024)

Gatsby gave it glamour; the flower gave it warmth.

Violet

• Origin: English (19th-century flower name, ultimately from Latin viola via French violette)
• Pronunciation: VY-oh-let · ˈvaɪəlɪt
• Meaning: the violet flower (purple-blue)
• Popularity: #15 and rising (#16 → #15, 2024)

Top 50 now but still feels heritage.

Lily

• Origin: English
• Pronunciation: LIL-ee · ˈlɪli
• Meaning: the lily flower
• Popularity: #24 and falling (#20 → #24, 2024)

Endlessly classic.

Rose

• Origin: Latin (flower name); also linked to a Germanic name
• Pronunciation: ROHZ · ˈroʊz
• Meaning: the rose flower; Wiktionary also traces the given name specifically to an older Germanic name built from elements meaning roughly ‘fame’ and ‘kind’
• Popularity: #115 and rising (#124 → #115, 2024)

The middle-name standard that’s becoming a first again.

Faye

• Origin: Middle English (variant of Fay)
• Pronunciation: FAY · ˈfeɪ
• Meaning: fairy (variant of Fay, possibly also linked to an Old French word for loyalty/faith)
• Popularity: #538 and falling (#500 → #538, 2024)

Crisp, single-syllable, Old Hollywood (Faye Dunaway).

Loretta

• Origin: Italian/Latin (diminutive of Laura)
• Pronunciation: lor-ET-ah · ləˈrɛtə
• Meaning: laurel (via Laura)
• Popularity: #677 and rising (#763 → #677, 2024)

Marion

• Origin: Old French (fem., diminutive of Marie); English surname (masc., US)
• Meaning: diminutive of Marie (female); surname-derived (US male)
• Popularity: #1,867 and falling (#1,663 → #1,867, 2024)

John Wayne was named Marion; reclaim it for girls.

Lorraine

• Origin: French (place name)
• Meaning: from Lorraine, France (ultimately ‘famous army’ via Lothair)
• Popularity: #1,417 and falling (#1,358 → #1,417, 2024)

The kind of name your grandmother saved her good earrings for.

Doris

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Dorian woman
• Popularity: #2,195 and rising (#2,380 → #2,195, 2024)

Doris Day made it sparkle; underused since.

Norma

• Origin: Literary coinage (1831, Bellini’s opera); further derivation disputed
• Meaning: Norm, pattern
• Popularity: #2,620 and falling (#2,189 → #2,620, 2024)

Norma Shearer, Norma Jean — old-Hollywood bones.

Greta

• Origin: German/Swedish (contraction of Margareta)
• Pronunciation: GRET-ah · ˈɡrɛtə
• Meaning: pearl (via Margaret)
• Popularity: #855 and rising (#936 → #855, 2024)

Greta Garbo, Greta Gerwig; never not stylish.

Mae

• Origin: English (variant of May)
• Pronunciation: MAY · ˈmeɪ
• Meaning: a vintage spelling of May, linked to the Roman goddess Maia (spring/growth); also used as a pet form of Mary, Margaret, or Mabel
• Popularity: #530 and falling (#506 → #530, 2024)

May with a Southern lilt.

Vera

• Origin: Russian/Slavic
• Pronunciation: VEER-ah · ˈvɪrə
• Meaning: faith
• Popularity: #226 and falling (#223 → #226, 2024)

Vera Wang; sleek, modernist, single-syllable strength.

Estella

• Origin: Latin (via French Estelle)
• Pronunciation: es-TEL-uh · ɛˈstɛlə
• Meaning: star
• Popularity: #501 and rising (#611 → #501, 2024)

Great Expectations heroine; brighter than Stella.

Ginger

• Origin: English
• Meaning: pet form of Virginia (‘pure’), or a nickname for ginger-coloured hair
• Popularity: #3,589 and falling (#3,290 → #3,589, 2024)

Ginger Rogers; impossible to say without smiling.

Myrna

• Origin: Irish (Anglicized)
• Meaning: beloved
• Popularity: #11,795 and falling (#9,413 → #11,795, 2024)

Thelma

• Origin: literary coinage (Swedish novel, 1840s)
• Meaning: Will, volition
• Popularity: #4,446 and rising (#5,534 → #4,446, 2024)

Thelma & Louise gave it a second life it never claimed.

Bette

• Origin: English/French (short form of Elizabeth or Bettina)
• Meaning: pet form of Elizabeth or Bettina; carries the meaning ‘God is my oath’
• Popularity: #9,009 and falling (#7,302 → #9,009, 2024)

Pronounced like Betty or like the French — your call.

Mavis

• Origin: English (coinage, underlying word traces to Old French)
• Pronunciation: MAY-vis · ˈmeɪvɪs
• Meaning: song thrush, a poetic word for the bird
• Popularity: #566 and rising (#595 → #566, 2024)

A name straight out of an English novel.

Ramona

• Origin: Spanish
• Pronunciation: ruh-MOH-nah · rəˈmoʊnə
• Meaning: wise protector, feminine form of Ramón/Raymond
• Popularity: #772 and rising (#794 → #772, 2024)

Beverly Cleary made it indelible.

Bonnie

• Origin: Scottish
• Pronunciation: BAH-nee · ˈbɑːni
• Meaning: pretty, beautiful
• Popularity: #441 and rising (#502 → #441, 2024)

All Scottish charm, very little baggage.

Lucille

• Origin: French (from Latin Lucilla)
• Pronunciation: loo-SEEL · luːˈsiːl
• Meaning: light
• Popularity: #274 and rising (#283 → #274, 2024)

Lucille Ball; impossible not to love.

Maureen

• Origin: Irish (diminutive of Máire/Mary)
• Meaning: little Mary (Irish diminutive of Máire)
• Popularity: #4,969 and falling (#4,097 → #4,969, 2024)

Maureen O’Hara fierce.

Pauline

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: paw-LEEN · pɔːˈliːn
• Meaning: French form of Paulina: small, the younger
• Popularity: #3,475 and falling (#2,749 → #3,475, 2024)

The serial-thriller heroine name with quiet dignity.

Adele

• Origin: French (ultimately Germanic)
• Pronunciation: uh-DEL · əˈdɛl
• Meaning: noble
• Popularity: #798 and rising (#825 → #798, 2024)

Now associated with the singer; was once a Hollywood standard.

Beulah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: married, espoused one — used in Isaiah for the land of Israel, figuratively ‘wedded’ to God
• Popularity: #5,028 and rising (#5,781 → #5,028, 2024)

Hymnal name with major Southern-Gothic energy.

Saintly and Biblical Lesser-Knowns

Skip Mary, Sarah, and Rebecca. These are the biblical and hagiographic names that got passed over.

Tirzah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Pronunciation: TUR-zah · ˈtɜːrzə
• Meaning: pleasant; delightful (biblical: daughter of Zelophehad)
• Popularity: #3,939 and rising (#3,974 → #3,939, 2024)

One of the daughters of Zelophehad; soft and uncommon.

Keturah

• Origin: Hebrew (Biblical: Abraham’s second wife)
• Meaning: incense, fragrance
• Popularity: #3,460 and rising (#3,547 → #3,460, 2024)

Abraham’s second wife; rare and fragrant.

Selah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Pronunciation: SEE-lah · ˈsiːlɑː
• Meaning: a pause (a Biblical liturgical/musical direction)
• Popularity: #280 and rising (#301 → #280, 2024)

A musical-liturgical word that makes a stunning name.

Junia

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: youthful (traditional gloss, exact root debated)
• Popularity: #2,442 and falling (#2,298 → #2,442, 2024)

A New Testament apostle long debated; reclamation-worthy.

Lydia

• Origin: Ancient Greek
• Pronunciation: LID-ee-ah · ˈlɪdiə
• Meaning: originally ‘woman from Lydia’ (a region in Asia Minor); the underlying Greek word also carries a sense of ‘beautiful, noble’
• Popularity: #97 and falling (#95 → #97, 2024)

Already trending but still feels heritage.

Damaris

• Origin: Ancient Greek (biblical)
• Meaning: calf, heifer (uncertain/disputed root)
• Popularity: #1,435 and rising (#1,569 → #1,435, 2024)

Mentioned in Acts; rare and elegant.

Susannah

• Origin: Hebrew (English variant of Shoshana, via Susanna)
• Meaning: lily
• Popularity: #2,734 and rising (#3,517 → #2,734, 2024)

The S-version of Susan, but lacier.

Phoebe

• Origin: Ancient Greek
• Pronunciation: FEE-bee · ˈfiːbi
• Meaning: bright, shining
• Popularity: #183 and rising (#190 → #183, 2024)

Romans 16 deacon; Friends gave it spunk.

Priscilla

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: prih-SIL-uh · prɪˈsɪlə
• Meaning: ancient, venerable
• Popularity: #615 and rising (#652 → #615, 2024)

Early Christian missionary; Priscilla Presley made it pop.

Magdalena

• Origin: Hebrew (via Aramaic/Greek Magdala)
• Pronunciation: mag-duh-LAY-nah · mægdəˈleɪnə
• Meaning: woman from Magdala (a town whose name means ‘tower’)
• Popularity: #838 and rising (#902 → #838, 2024)

The full-formal version of Madeleine.

Bathsheba

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: daughter of the oath (by wordplay on ‘sheva, ‘ also read as ‘daughter of seven’)
• Popularity: #13,700 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Complicated biblical figure; striking name.

Hephzibah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: my delight is in her
• Popularity: #11,445 and falling (#9,855 → #11,445, 2024)

Zipporah

• Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
• Meaning: bird
• Popularity: #2,916 and falling (#2,644 → #2,916, 2024)

Moses’s wife; sharp and unusual.

Jemima

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: dove
• Popularity: #3,024 and falling (#2,796 → #3,024, 2024)

Reclaim it from the syrup; it’s a beautiful biblical name.

Keziah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Pronunciation: kuh-ZY-uh · kəˈzaɪə
• Meaning: cassia (a fragrant spice tree)
• Popularity: #865 and rising (#1,052 → #865, 2024)

Job’s daughter; lush and warm.

Salome

• Origin: Hebrew (via Greek)
• Pronunciation: suh-LOH-mee · səˈloʊmi
• Meaning: peace
• Popularity: #952 and rising (#1,113 → #952, 2024)

Tryphena

• Origin: Ancient Greek (biblical)
• Meaning: delicate, dainty
• Popularity: #18,661 as of 2016 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Mentioned in Romans; never been on a Top 1000.

Eunice

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: good victory
• Popularity: #1,967 and rising (#2,197 → #1,967, 2024)

Timothy’s mother; gentle 1930s revival material.

Lois

• Origin: Ancient Greek
• Meaning: Most desirable
• Popularity: #1,698 and falling (#1,591 → #1,698, 2024)

Eunice’s mother; ready for the comeback Eunice will start.

Persis

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Persian woman / from Persia
• Popularity: #15,148 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Romans 16; vanishingly rare.

Drusilla

• Origin: Latin (from the Roman cognomen Drusus)
• Meaning: Strong
• Popularity: #12,475 and falling (#11,461 → #12,475, 2024)

Acts 24; the right kind of severe.

Atarah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: crown
• Popularity: #2,794 and rising (#2,854 → #2,794, 2024)

Adah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: adornment, beauty
• Popularity: #2,049 and rising (#2,372 → #2,049, 2024)

One of the oldest names in the Bible — Genesis 4.

Milcah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: queen (from the Hebrew root for ‘to rule’)
• Popularity: #10,780 and rising (#10,877 → #10,780, 2024)

Abraham’s sister-in-law; royal meaning, gentle sound.

Naamah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: pleasant, lovely
• Popularity: #10,794 and rising (#13,046 → #10,794, 2024)

Genesis 4; bright meaning, almost unused.

Rhoda

• Origin: Ancient Greek
• Meaning: either ‘woman from Rhodes’ (the Greek island) or ‘rose’ — both are attested ancient roots
• Popularity: #2,870 and rising (#3,369 → #2,870, 2024)

This is only one of two attested ancient roots; Greek sources also derive Rhoda from ‘a woman of Rhodes’.

Vashti

• Origin: Persian (biblical, via Hebrew)
• Pronunciation: VASH-ty · ˈvæʃtaɪ
• Meaning: beautiful
• Popularity: #11,006 and falling (#7,609 → #11,006, 2024)

Esther’s predecessor; underused and stunning.

Esther

• Origin: Hebrew (Biblical), root disputed
• Pronunciation: ES-ter · ˈɛstər
• Meaning: star
• Popularity: #131 and rising (#138 → #131, 2024)

Trending; included because it’s still under-loved in the US.

French and Continental Heritage Names

There’s a whole category of European names — French, Italian, German — that American grandmothers wore and American mothers skipped. Time to bring them back.

Colette

• Origin: French (diminutive of Nicole)
• Pronunciation: koh-LET · koʊˈlɛt
• Meaning: victory of the people
• Popularity: #400 and rising (#442 → #400, 2024)

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette; literary cool.

Solène

• Origin: Breton
• Meaning: Solemn, dignified
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pronounced so-LEN; rising in France, rare here.

Margaux

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: mar-GOH · mɑːrˈɡoʊ
• Meaning: French variant of Margaret; ‘pearl’
• Popularity: #1,211 and rising (#1,217 → #1,211, 2024)

The Bordeaux-wine spelling of Margot.

Anouk

• Origin: French (modern popularization, disputed diminutive of Anne)
• Meaning: Grace
• Popularity: #13,588 and falling (#10,384 → #13,588, 2024)

Anouk Aimée; chic and unusual.

Brigitte

• Origin: French form of Bridget
• Meaning: exalted one
• Popularity: #2,364 and rising (#2,940 → #2,364, 2024)

Bardot fierce.

Capucine

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: kap-oo-SEEN · kæpuˈsiːn
• Meaning: nasturtium flower
• Popularity: #12,805 as of 2008 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Delphine

• Origin: French (from Latin Delphina, from Greek Delphi)
• Pronunciation: del-FEEN · dɛlˈfiːn
• Meaning: woman from Delphi (site of the ancient Greek oracle)
• Popularity: #3,651 and falling (#3,604 → #3,651, 2024)

The French answer to Daphne.

Élodie

• Origin: French (from Gothic, via the name Alodia)
• Meaning: variant of Alodia; possibly Gothic, combining elements for ‘other/all’ and ‘wealth/heritage’, roughly ‘foreign wealth’
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pronounced eh-loh-DEE; sing-song and rare.

Fleur

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: FLUR · ˈflɜːr
• Meaning: The French word for “flower,” used directly as a feminine given name.
• Popularity: #8,592 and rising (#10,581 → #8,592, 2024)

Single syllable, all elegance.

Hortense

• Origin: Latin (via French, from the Roman gens name Hortensius)
• Meaning: relating to gardens (traditionally tied to a Roman gardener)
• Popularity: #8,509 as of 1976 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name only the very brave will use, and they’ll be right.

Léonie

• Origin: French
• Meaning: lioness (feminine form of Léon)
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Diminutive of Léone; popular in France, undiscovered here.

Manon

• Origin: French (pet form of Marie); also an established Welsh and Dutch given name
• Pronunciation: mah-NOHN · mɑːˈnoʊn
• Meaning: pet form of Marie
• Popularity: #14,567 and falling (#11,799 → #14,567, 2024)

The French answer to Maeve.

Mireille

• Origin: Provençal (Occitan)
• Pronunciation: mih-RAY · mɪˈreɪ
• Meaning: admired one; coined by poet Frédéric Mistral for his 1859 poem
• Popularity: #8,245 and falling (#6,325 → #8,245, 2024)

Pronounced mee-RAY; impossibly elegant.

Sidonie

• Origin: French (place name)
• Meaning: refers to the ancient Phoenician city of Sidon (in modern Lebanon)
• Popularity: #18,090 as of 2017 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Yvette

• Origin: French
• Pronunciation: ih-VET · ɪˈvɛt
• Meaning: feminine form of Yves, meaning ‘yew (tree)’; sometimes associated with ‘archer’ since yew wood was used for bows
• Popularity: #1,616 and rising (#1,823 → #1,616, 2024)

Sharper than Yvonne; ready for revival.

Giulietta

• Origin: Italian, diminutive of Giulia/Juliet
• Pronunciation: joo-lee-ET-ah · ˌdʒuːliˈɛtə
• Meaning: youthful
• Popularity: #3,521 and rising (#3,862 → #3,521, 2024)

The Italian Juliet; deeply romantic.

Serafina

• Origin: Spanish (from Latin/Late Latin Seraphina)
• Meaning: of the seraphim, a high order of angels
• Popularity: #1,231 and rising (#1,485 → #1,231, 2024)

Religious roots, ethereal sound.

Bellatrix

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: female warrior
• Popularity: #3,961 and rising (#5,145 → #3,961, 2024)

Star in Orion; pre-Harry Potter, still gorgeous.

Ottilie

• Origin: Germanic (via German, form of Odilia/Odile)
• Pronunciation: AH-tuh-lee · ˈɑːtəli
• Meaning: uncertain — likely ‘wealth’ or ‘homeland’ (Germanic aud-/odal- roots), not clearly tied to battle
• Popularity: #2,315 and rising (#2,636 → #2,315, 2024)

Pronounced OT-uh-lee; nickname Tilly.

Annika

• Origin: Swedish (diminutive of Anna)
• Pronunciation: AN-ih-kah · ˈænɪkə
• Meaning: grace
• Popularity: #962 and falling (#957 → #962, 2024)

Pippi Longstocking’s friend; bright and strong.

Sigrid

• Origin: Old Norse
• Pronunciation: SIG-rid · ˈsɪgrɪd
• Meaning: Old Norse compound of ‘victory’ and ‘fair/beautiful’ – ‘beautiful victory’
• Popularity: #3,866 and falling (#3,575 → #3,866, 2024)

Strong, sharp, undeniable.

Saskia

• Origin: Dutch/Frisian (from a Germanic element meaning ‘Saxon’)
• Pronunciation: SAHS-kee-ah · ˈsɑːskiə
• Meaning: a Saxon woman
• Popularity: #3,732 and rising (#4,174 → #3,732, 2024)

Rembrandt’s wife’s name; artistic and rare.

Ingrid

• Origin: Old Norse
• Pronunciation: ING-grid · ˈɪŋɡrɪd
• Meaning: compound of the Norse god-element ‘Ing’ and a word for ‘beautiful, beloved’
• Popularity: #1,092 and rising (#1,148 → #1,092, 2024)

Ingrid Bergman; the comeback is overdue.

Helga

• Origin: Old Norse
• Pronunciation: HEL-gah · ˈhɛlgə
• Meaning: holy, blessed
• Popularity: #15,995 as of 2020 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Heavy reputation, beautiful meaning.

Mette

• Origin: Danish (contraction of Merete, from Margrethe/Margaret)
• Meaning: pearl, via Margaret
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

One syllable, all warmth.

Renske

• Origin: Frisian/Dutch (likely a feminine diminutive of Rens/Reinder)
• Meaning: Pure
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Genuinely uncommon; deeply rooted.

Eluned

• Origin: Welsh
• Meaning: Idol, image
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pronounced eh-LIN-ed; ancient Welsh.

Isolde

• Origin: Germanic or Celtic/Brythonic (disputed)
• Pronunciation: ih-ZOHL-dah · ɪˈzoʊldə
• Meaning: uncertain — literally ‘ice’ + ‘battle’ in the Germanic reading, or ‘she who is gazed upon’ in the Celtic/Brythonic reading
• Popularity: #7,721 and falling (#5,458 → #7,721, 2024)

The Germanic elements are literally ‘ice’ (is) and ‘battle’ (hiltja), not ‘ruler’ — ‘ice ruler’ is a popular mistranslation, and a separate Celtic theory (‘she who is gazed upon’) is equally plausible per current scholarship.

Maeve

• Origin: Irish (Anglicized form of Medb/Meadhbh)
• Pronunciation: MAYV · ˈmeɪv
• Meaning: intoxicating / she who intoxicates
• Popularity: #75 and falling (#73 → #75, 2024)

Queen Maeve of Connacht; trending up.

Saoirse

• Origin: Irish
• Pronunciation: SEER-shah · ˈsɪərʃə
• Meaning: freedom
• Popularity: #1,036 and falling (#959 → #1,036, 2024)

Pronounced SUR-shuh; Saoirse Ronan made it accessible.

Quiet, Quirky Outliers

Names that don’t fit a clean category but deserve their own moment. The kind of name that makes someone do a double-take in a good way.

Wren

• Origin: English (Middle English)
• Pronunciation: REN · ˈrɛn
• Meaning: the small songbird
• Popularity: #213 and falling (#195 → #213, 2024)

Has the texture of nature names but feels more grown-up.

Briar

• Origin: English (Middle English)
• Pronunciation: BRY-er · ˈbraɪər
• Meaning: thorny shrub or bramble
• Popularity: #522 and rising (#549 → #522, 2024)

Sleeping Beauty’s nickname; modern and rooted.

Junebug

• Origin: American English (nickname)
• Meaning: a June bug (a type of beetle); used as an affectionate nickname
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Probably a nickname-first name, but it works.

Marlowe

• Origin: English (place name: Marlow)
• Pronunciation: MAR-loh · ˈmɑːrloʊ
• Meaning: Driftwood
• Popularity: #624 and rising (#835 → #624, 2024)

Christopher Marlowe; literary unisex appeal.

Halcyon

• Origin: Greek (via Latin)
• Pronunciation: HAL-see-uhn · ˈhælsiən
• Meaning: the mythical kingfisher of Greek legend, whose story gave rise to the figurative sense ‘calm and peaceful’
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The mythological kingfisher; rare and serene.

Linnea

• Origin: Swedish (Latinized)
• Pronunciation: lin-AY-ah · lɪˈneɪə
• Meaning: the twinflower (Linnaea borealis), a plant named in honor of botanist Carl Linnaeus
• Popularity: #1,608 and falling (#1,467 → #1,608, 2024)

Pronounced lih-NAY-uh; Scandinavian botanical.

Clover

• Origin: English
• Pronunciation: KLOH-ver · ˈkloʊvər
• Meaning: the clover plant (Old English clafre), popularly linked to luck
• Popularity: #618 and rising (#672 → #618, 2024)

The under-loved cousin to Daisy.

Pippa

• Origin: Greek (diminutive of Philippa)
• Meaning: pet form of Philippa; lover of horses
• Popularity: #2,475 and rising (#2,507 → #2,475, 2024)

Bouncy and crisp.

Plum

• Origin: English (word/nature name)
• Meaning: the plum fruit
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

One of those single-syllable nature names that’s gaining ground.

Wisteria

• Origin: New Latin
• Pronunciation: wis-TEER-ee-ah · wɪˈstɪriə
• Meaning: name of the flowering vine, itself coined to honor 19th-century American anatomist Caspar Wistar
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

For the wildly committed; pays off.

Posy

• Origin: English (from Middle English poesy, ‘verse’)
• Pronunciation: POH-zee · ˈpoʊzi
• Meaning: a small bunch of flowers
• Popularity: #14,813 and falling (#7,955 → #14,813, 2024)

A nickname-name that stands on its own.

Indigo

• Origin: Greek (via the color/dye name)
• Pronunciation: IN-dih-goh · ˈɪndɪˌɡoʊ
• Meaning: named after the deep-blue indigo dye/color
• Popularity: #923 and rising (#961 → #923, 2024)

Unisex; dreamy.

Saffron

• Origin: English (flower/spice name)
• Pronunciation: SAF-run · ˈsæfrən
• Meaning: named for the saffron crocus flower and its golden spice
• Popularity: #5,564 and falling (#4,718 → #5,564, 2024)

Warm-toned and unusual.

Tansy

• Origin: English (flower name, ultimately Greek)
• Meaning: the tansy flower; the plant name traces to Greek ‘athanasia,’ meaning immortality
• Popularity: #12,007 and rising (#14,984 → #12,007, 2024)

Sharp, witchy, herbal.

Marigold

• Origin: English (flower name)
• Pronunciation: MAIR-ih-gold · ˈmɛrɪɡoʊld
• Meaning: the marigold flower; the flower’s name is traditionally explained as ‘Mary’s gold’ (honoring the Virgin Mary), not literally ‘golden flower’
• Popularity: #693 and rising (#713 → #693, 2024)

A flower name with maximum sunshine.

Cosima

• Origin: Italian (feminine form of Cosimo, from Greek)
• Pronunciation: koh-SEE-mah · koʊˈsiːmə
• Meaning: order, beauty, or the (ordered) universe
• Popularity: #6,975 and rising (#8,585 → #6,975, 2024)

Pronounced KOH-zee-mah; intellectual and warm.

Calliope

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: kuh-LY-uh-pee · kəˈlaɪəpi
• Meaning: beautiful voice
• Popularity: #499 and falling (#491 → #499, 2024)

The muse of epic poetry; nickname Callie.

Anwen

• Origin: Welsh
• Pronunciation: AHN-wen · ˈɑːnwɛn
• Meaning: very fair/white, very blessed
• Popularity: #10,318 and rising (#12,283 → #10,318, 2024)

Soft Welsh elegance.

Petra

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: PEH-trah · ˈpɛtrə
• Meaning: rock, stone (feminine form of Peter)
• Popularity: #1,486 and falling (#1,473 → #1,486, 2024)

Tamsin

• Origin: English (medieval contraction of Thomasina, feminine form of Thomas)
• Meaning: twin (via Thomas, ultimately from Aramaic)
• Popularity: #13,291 and falling (#12,061 → #13,291, 2024)

A Cornish name that travels well.

Romy

• Origin: French/German (diminutive of multiple names)
• Pronunciation: ROH-mee · ˈroʊmi
• Meaning: ambiguous (diminutive of Rosemary, Romana, Roman, Romeo, etc.)
• Popularity: #926 and rising (#1,283 → #926, 2024)

Quick, sharp, modern.

Indre

• Origin: Uncertain, possibly Lithuanian (Indrė)
• Meaning: Land between waters
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Genuinely rare.

Olwen

• Origin: Welsh
• Pronunciation: AHL-wen · ˈɑːlwɛn
• Meaning: white footprint
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A heroine in the Mabinogion; mythic.

Soraya

• Origin: Persian (from Arabic)
• Pronunciation: soh-RY-ah · soʊˈraɪə
• Meaning: the Pleiades star cluster; also glossed as ‘brilliant gem’
• Popularity: #913 and rising (#1,150 → #913, 2024)

Soft and luminous.

Zola

• Origin: African (Zulu/Xhosa); unrelated Italian surname also exists
• Pronunciation: ZOH-lah · ˈzoʊlə
• Meaning: calm, tranquil
• Popularity: #1,106 and rising (#1,120 → #1,106, 2024)

Émile Zola; rising name with literary roots.

Esme

• Origin: French (Esmé)
• Pronunciation: EZ-may · ˈɛzmeɪ
• Meaning: beloved, esteemed
• Popularity: #344 and falling (#325 → #344, 2024)

Salinger gave it weight; Twilight gave it noise.

Frankie

• Origin: English (diminutive of Frank/Frances)
• Pronunciation: FRANK-ee · ˈfræŋki
• Meaning: a Frank (diminutive of Frank/Frances)
• Popularity: #591 and falling (#539 → #591, 2024)

The unisex nickname that became a name.

Lux

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: LUKS · ˈlʌks
• Meaning: light
• Popularity: #2,803 and falling (#2,165 → #2,803, 2024)

A single-syllable powerhouse.

Maple

• Origin: English (surname from the noun “maple”)
• Meaning: named after the maple tree
• Popularity: #1,188 and rising (#1,240 → #1,188, 2024)

The nature name that should be next.

Sunday

• Origin: English (word name, from Old English ‘sunnandæg’, ‘day of the sun’)
• Meaning: named for the day of the week traditionally linked to the sun
• Popularity: #1,072 and rising (#1,290 → #1,072, 2024)

For an optimist; Nicole Kidman used it well.

Southern and Appalachian Heirlooms

Names lifted from family Bibles in Tennessee, North Carolina, and West Virginia — the names of women who quilted, taught Sunday school, and ran the household with absolute authority.

Maybelle

• Origin: English (blend of May + Belle)
• Pronunciation: MAY-bel · ˈmeɪbɛl
• Meaning: beautiful May (May + French belle, ‘beautiful’)
• Popularity: #4,423 and falling (#3,208 → #4,423, 2024)

Sue Ellen

• Origin: English (compound of Sue and Ellen)
• Meaning: combination of Sue (‘lily’, from Susan) and Ellen (‘bright/shining’, from Helen)
• Popularity: #17,770 as of 2002 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Southern compound name in full bloom.

Birdie Mae

• Origin: English (compound double name)
• Meaning: ‘little bird’ (Birdie) plus a form of May/Mary/Margaret (Mae) whose own meaning is unsettled
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Double Southern heritage.

Junie

• Origin: English (diminutive)
• Meaning: pet form of June/Junius
• Popularity: #1,742 and rising (#2,279 → #1,742, 2024)

Diminutive that’s outgrowing its parent.

Roselle

• Origin: French/English (diminutive of Rose)
• Meaning: little rose
• Popularity: #7,501 and rising (#8,396 → #7,501, 2024)

Soft and old-fashioned.

Idella

• Origin: uncertain (English/American, possibly a blend of Ida + -ella)
• Meaning: Hardworking
• Popularity: #16,154 and falling (#11,571 → #16,154, 2024)

Hettie

• Origin: English (diminutive of Henrietta, Esther, or Hester)
• Meaning: Estate ruler
• Popularity: #14,450 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Southern Hattie.

Lurleen

• Origin: unclear (possibly a modern coinage echoing Lorelei)
• Meaning: Sweet seduction
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

George Wallace’s wife; underused and pretty.

Velma

• Origin: English (coinage, late 19th century)
• Meaning: Determined protector
• Popularity: #8,369 and falling (#5,730 → #8,369, 2024)

Velma Kelly made it sing.

Wanda

• Origin: Polish/Slavic
• Pronunciation: WAHN-dah · ˈwɑːndə
• Meaning: possibly referring to a Wend (a Slavic people)
• Popularity: #5,123 and rising (#5,939 → #5,123, 2024)

Strong and unfussy.

Bobbie Sue

• Origin: English (compound double name: Bobbie, diminutive of Robert/Roberta + Sue, diminutive of Susan/Susanna)
• Meaning: bright fame + lily (combining the two component names’ meanings)
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The pinnacle of double-name Southernness.

Earline

• Origin: English (feminine form of Earl, Earl + -ine)
• Meaning: noblewoman (feminine form of Earl)
• Popularity: #14,087 as of 1995 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A 1920s Southern staple.

Inola

• Origin: Cherokee
• Meaning: Black fox
• Popularity: #14,101 and falling (#12,646 → #14,101, 2024)

Rooted Cherokee name with crisp sound.

Nona

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: ninth
• Popularity: #7,476 and falling (#6,850 → #7,476, 2024)

For a ninth child, or anyone.

Ola

• Origin: Yoruba; also Arabic and Scandinavian (multiple independent origins)
• Pronunciation: OH-lah · ˈoʊlɑː
• Meaning: wealth, honor (Yoruba ọlá); also ‘to rise, be exalted’ (Arabic) and a Scandinavian short form of Olaf (‘ancestor’s relic’)
• Popularity: #7,149 and falling (#6,854 → #7,149, 2024)

Rilla

• Origin: unclear (unattested)
• Meaning: Stream
• Popularity: #7,856 and rising (#11,972 → #7,856, 2024)

Diminutive of names like Marilla; L.M. Montgomery gave it warmth.

Sephora

• Origin: Hebrew (via Greek/Latin Bible translations of Zipporah)
• Meaning: bird
• Popularity: #4,090 and falling (#3,515 → #4,090, 2024)

Pre-cosmetics; deeply biblical.

Tessa

• Origin: Greek (short form of Theresa)
• Pronunciation: TESS-ah · ˈtɛsə
• Meaning: harvest (as a pet form of Theresa)
• Popularity: #303 and rising (#323 → #303, 2024)

Often Southern-shortened.

Vergie

• Origin: English (diminutive, likely of Virginia)
• Meaning: Spring-like, flourishing
• Popularity: #7,660 as of 1974 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Southern Virginia.

Willie Mae

• Origin: English (compound given name: Willie + Mae)
• Meaning: Resolute protector + bitter
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A genre of name unto itself.

Carolee

• Origin: English (modern, presumed variant of Carol/Caroline)
• Meaning: Free man
• Popularity: #15,718 as of 2021 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The mid-century Carol with extra music.

Doll

• Origin: English (pet form of Dorothy)
• Meaning: no meaning of its own; as a nickname for Dorothy, indirectly ‘gift of God’
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Only true indirectly – ‘Doll’ itself has no lexical meaning; it’s a nickname for Dorothy, whose Greek roots (doron ‘gift’ + theos ‘god’) give the ‘gift of God’ sense.

Eudora

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: yoo-DOR-ah · juːˈdɔːrə
• Meaning: good gift
• Popularity: #8,073 and falling (#5,607 → #8,073, 2024)

Eudora Welty; Southern literary canon.

Fairie

• Origin: English (archaic spelling of fairy, from Old French faerie)
• Meaning: a fairy; enchantment
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Exactly what it sounds like.

Lessie

• Origin: English (uncertain, possibly a 19th-century pet form)
• Meaning: God is my oath
• Popularity: #12,883 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Soft 1900s pet form.

Nannie

• Origin: English (pet form of Ann/Anne)
• Meaning: grace (via Anne/Hannah)
• Popularity: #12,585 as of 1991 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name that became its own.

Ophie

• Origin: English (pet form of Ophelia)
• Meaning: help, benefit (inherited from Ophelia)
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Southern way to say it.

Reba

• Origin: Hebrew (short form of Rebecca)
• Meaning: to bind, tie (via Rebecca)
• Popularity: #6,091 and falling (#5,514 → #6,091, 2024)

Reba McEntire; crisp and country.

Sadie

• Origin: English (diminutive of Hebrew Sarah)
• Pronunciation: SAY-dee · ˈseɪdi
• Meaning: princess, inherited from Sarah, of which Sadie is an English diminutive/nickname
• Popularity: #57 and rising (#59 → #57, 2024)

Trending; still has Appalachian DNA.

Mythological and Literary Rarities

Names with deep narrative roots — pulled from Greek myth, Norse saga, Russian novels, and 19th-century poetry. They come with stories pre-installed.

Andromeda

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: ruler of men (Greek mythological name)
• Popularity: #2,300 and rising (#2,397 → #2,300, 2024)

Chained-to-rocks princess turned constellation; bold choice.

Ariadne

• Origin: Greek (Cretan Greek)
• Meaning: most holy
• Popularity: #1,258 and falling (#1,136 → #1,258, 2024)

The labyrinth thread-holder; smart and luminous.

Cassia

• Origin: Latin (from Greek ‘kasia’)
• Meaning: cinnamon (the spice/tree)
• Popularity: #2,234 and rising (#2,353 → #2,234, 2024)

Warm-toned and biblical-adjacent.

Demeter

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: earth mother
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Goddess of the harvest; serious mythological weight.

Eos

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: dawn
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Galatea

• Origin: Ancient Greek
• Meaning: milk-white
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pygmalion’s statue brought to life.

Hesper

• Origin: Greek (from Hesperus, the evening star)
• Meaning: evening star
• Popularity: #16,133 and falling (#6,524 → #16,133, 2024)

The female Hesperus; quietly poetic.

Iolanthe

• Origin: Greek (literary coinage)
• Meaning: violet flower
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Gilbert and Sullivan heroine; lush and lacy.

Lethe

• Origin: Greek (mythological)
• Meaning: forgetfulness, oblivion
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The river of the underworld; intriguing if you’re brave.

Niobe

• Origin: Ancient Greek (mythological name, root obscure)
• Meaning: Fern
• Popularity: #13,083 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Tragic Greek queen; soft sound, deep story.

Pandora

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: pan-DOR-ah · pænˈdɔːrə
• Meaning: all-gifted (endowed with gifts by all the gods, per the myth)
• Popularity: #3,857 and falling (#3,816 → #3,857, 2024)

The original myth has been unfairly maligned.

Penelope

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: puh-NEL-oh-pee · pəˈnɛləpi
• Meaning: uncertain; possibly linked to a Greek word for a duck species
• Popularity: #28 and falling (#23 → #28, 2024)

Already back, but worth listing — Odysseus’s wife.

Selene

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: suh-LEE-nee · səˈliːni
• Meaning: moon (as the Greek moon goddess)
• Popularity: #675 and rising (#708 → #675, 2024)

Thalia

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: THAY-lee-ah · ˈθeɪliə
• Meaning: to bloom, flourish
• Popularity: #658 and falling (#573 → #658, 2024)

Muse of comedy; cheerful etymology.

Xanthe

• Origin: Greek
• Pronunciation: ZAN-thee · ˈzænθi
• Meaning: golden, yellow
• Popularity: #17,473 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Sharp and rare; pronounced ZAN-thee.

Aslaug

• Origin: Old Norse (Scandinavian)
• Meaning: god + betrothed woman (uncertain second element), often rendered ‘betrothed to a god’
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Saga heroine and Ragnar’s wife.

Eowyn

• Origin: Old English (literary coinage, popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien)
• Meaning: Horse joy
• Popularity: #1,880 and falling (#1,785 → #1,880, 2024)

Tolkien’s shield-maiden; underused given the fanbase.

Marina

• Origin: Latin
• Pronunciation: muh-REE-nah · məˈriːnə
• Meaning: of the sea
• Popularity: #640 and falling (#572 → #640, 2024)

Russian literary tradition; Marina Tsvetaeva.

Lara

• Origin: Russian (pet form of Larissa)
• Pronunciation: LAHR-ah · ˈlɑːrə
• Meaning: pet form of Larissa, ultimately from a Greek place name meaning ‘citadel/fortress’
• Popularity: #740 and falling (#731 → #740, 2024)

Doctor Zhivago; sleek and underused.

Tatiana

• Origin: Latin (Roman family name Tatius + -anus); popularized via Russian usage
• Pronunciation: tah-tee-AH-nah · ˌtɑːtiˈɑːnə
• Meaning: Fairy queen
• Popularity: #1,079 and rising (#1,173 → #1,079, 2024)

Pushkin’s heroine; less common than you’d think.

Anya

• Origin: Russian/Ukrainian
• Pronunciation: AHN-yuh · ˈɑːnjə
• Meaning: grace (pet form of Anna/Hannah)
• Popularity: #394 and rising (#443 → #394, 2024)

Crisp and accessible.

Sonia

• Origin: Russian (pet form of Sophia)
• Pronunciation: SOHN-yah · ˈsoʊnjə
• Meaning: wisdom
• Popularity: #1,359 and falling (#1,260 → #1,359, 2024)

Sonya in Crime and Punishment.

Dagny

• Origin: Old Norse
• Pronunciation: DAHG-nee · ˈdɑːɡni
• Meaning: new day
• Popularity: #6,426 and falling (#4,291 → #6,426, 2024)

Atlas Shrugged’s heroine; sharp and modern.

Bronte

• Origin: Greek (via English literary/place-name use)
• Meaning: thunder
• Popularity: #7,634 and rising (#10,456 → #7,634, 2024)

The literary sisters; rumbling beauty.

Clarissa

• Origin: Latin/Italian
• Meaning: bright, clear
• Popularity: #1,159 and falling (#1,158 → #1,159, 2024)

The Richardson heroine; precise and lacy.

Hermione

• Origin: Ancient Greek (feminine form related to Hermes)
• Meaning: Messenger
• Popularity: #1,672 and rising (#1,949 → #1,672, 2024)

Pre-Harry-Potter, deeply Shakespearean.

Eponine

• Origin: French (literary, possibly Gallo-Roman)
• Meaning: From Epona
• Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Les Misérables; tragic and beautiful.

Cosette

• Origin: French (literary coinage, popularized by Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, 1862)
• Pronunciation: koh-ZET · koʊˈzɛt
• Meaning: Little thing
• Popularity: #1,909 and falling (#1,890 → #1,909, 2024)

Also Les Mis; soft and treasured.

Beatrix

• Origin: Latin (variant of Beatrice)
• Pronunciation: BEE-uh-triks · ˈbiːətrɪks
• Meaning: variant of Beatrice — brings happiness / blessed
• Popularity: #1,379 and rising (#1,401 → #1,379, 2024)

How These Names Are Trending

103 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 86 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.

How These Names Are Trending

103 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 86 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.

How These Names Are Trending

103 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 86 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.

How These Names Are Trending

105 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 89 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.

Beatrix Potter; sharper than Beatrice.

How to Choose a Name From This List

Read the names out loud. Read them with your last name. Read them said three times fast the way a fifth-grade teacher does roll call. Forgotten names have a particular property: they look great on paper and sometimes feel different in the mouth. The only way to know is to say them.

Consider the nickname rabbit hole. A name like Henrietta gives you Hattie, Etta, Hetty, Henri, or Retta. A name like Wren gives you just Wren. Both are fine — but it’s worth knowing which you’re choosing. Some parents want one strong word. Others want a name that grows with the kid, formal on the diploma, soft at bedtime.

Notice the middle-name pairings. Forgotten names often shine brightest in pairs. Eleanor June. Cordelia Rose. Hattie Maple. The vintage first + nature middle combination is a particular kind of magic that lets the heritage name breathe.

Check the playground test. Will a five-year-old be able to pronounce it on the first try? Will a twelve-year-old be able to spell it without a fight? Will a twenty-five-year-old like it on a resume? Not every name has to pass every test — but if it fails all three, sit with it longer.

Finally: trust the name that keeps coming back. The one you keep returning to on the list. The one you’ve said out loud in the car. That’s usually the one.

Name Art for Your Favorite

Love a name from this list? MinimalistMama offers custom Name Art prints — personalized, minimalist nursery art with the name you choose, designed to match your aesthetic. A perfect gift for baby showers or to hang above the crib.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a name “forgotten”?

For this list, a forgotten name is one that ranked in the U.S. Top 100 between 1880 and 1930, then dropped off the Top 1000 entirely by the 1980s — or a name with strong cultural/literary roots that never charted at all. They’re names with history and weight that simply fell out of fashion, which often means they’re poised for a comeback now that the 100-year naming cycle is in motion.

Are forgotten names hard for kids to live with?

Less than you’d think. The names that genuinely cause friction are unpronounceable or unspellable ones — not just unfamiliar ones. A name like Hattie or Cora may sound old at first, but kids adapt to their own names quickly, and unique names give children a strong sense of identity. The names that aged worst, frankly, were the matchy-trendy ones from any era.

How do I know if a forgotten name is about to come back?

Look at the Social Security Administration’s annual rankings and watch for names climbing 50+ spots a year — those are the early-comeback signals. Also: if a celebrity baby gets a forgotten name, expect a 3-5 year ramp. Hazel, Cora, Hattie, and Mabel are all already on the upswing. Edith, Florence, and Beatrice are following close behind.

Will my child be teased for an old-fashioned name?

Vintage names are firmly fashionable right now — your child’s preschool class will likely have a Hazel, an Eleanor, and a Cora, and your daughter’s “forgotten” name will fit right in. The trend has shifted hard toward heritage names; modern-invented names are actually the ones starting to feel dated.

Do forgotten names work well with modern surnames?

Beautifully. Heritage first names with modern or multicultural surnames create a striking contrast that feels intentional rather than dated. The key is rhythm — a three-syllable first name often pairs best with a one- or two-syllable last name, and vice versa.

Are there forgotten names that are easier to pronounce than they look?

Yes — many. Imogen (IM-oh-jen), Saoirse (SUR-shuh), and Siobhan (shuh-VAWN) intimidate on paper but become second nature after a few weeks. If you’re worried about pronunciation, the all-English options on the list (Hattie, Wren, Maude, Birdie, Mabel) are nearly impossible to mispronounce.

Can a forgotten name be used as a middle name instead?

Absolutely, and many parents do this as a way to honor a great-grandmother without committing to the name for daily use. Middle names are the perfect place for the bold heritage picks — Cordelia, Wilhelmina, Bathsheba — that you love but aren’t quite ready to call out across a playground.

📊 Curious how popular a name actually is? Look it up in our Baby Name Popularity Checker — pulls live SSA data to show ranking trends.

Final Thoughts

The best names are the ones that have lived a little. They’ve sat in census ledgers and parish registries and on the spines of yellowed novels. They’ve been worn by women who built lives we’ll never fully know — and they’re still here, waiting to be picked back up. If one of these names made you pause, that’s worth paying attention to. The name that keeps returning to you is almost always the right one.

Read next;

🎀 40+ *Best* Girl Names That Start with G

🎀 49+ *Beautiful* Girl Names That Start with H

🎀 42+ *Beautiful* Baby Girl Names That Start With D

✨ Love these names? Create free printable nursery art for any name →