Classic, Old-Fashioned Baby Girl & Boy Names

Don’t get us wrong: We’re definitely fans of modern, trendy baby names — especially the weird and wonderful monikers celebrities somehow keep coming up with these days. But there’s also definitely a place in the baby-name world for the old-fashioned gems. We don’t mean old-fashioned ie archaic; going too old-school can lead you to some very, um, interesting choices (hats off to the Zebediahs of the world, though, respect). Time-tested doesn’t have to mean out-of-date. There are plenty of old-fashioned baby names that work great in our postmodern era, too.

Related story These Are the Fastest-Falling Baby Names on the Latest Popularity Charts

So we thumbed through the history books and gathered up the best classics from the Victorian era to the Roaring ’20s to the Rockin’ ’50s. Elegant and timeless, these are names you’re not going to forget anytime soon.

Related story These Are the Fastest-Falling Baby Names on the Latest Popularity Charts

Pre-20th-century names

According to the Social Security Administration, these were the most popular classic baby names of the 1880s.

Henry is a hot classic name, currently ranked at number 16 and rising. If you have young kids, you probably know a handful of Henrys. It's a historic name, a royal name, and a popular celebrity baby name. ⠀ ⠀ What do you think of Henry?⠀ ⠀ Graphic via @bmnicks

A post shared by Nameberry | Baby Names (@nameberry) on Oct 4, 2019 at 1:00pm PDT

Top baby boy names of the 1880s

Top girl names of the 1880s

A version of this article was originally published in February 2016. 

Next page: Baby names of the ’20s.

Need more inspo? Here are our favorite names inspired by this year’s Oscars.

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