Vintage baby names

Vintage baby names are back in fashion, so browse through our list of the best vintage baby names and take inspiration. Choosing your newborn’s name is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make, so spend some time making a shortlist and finding your favourites. You might not decide until baby arrives and you see their face, but do you think you’ll have a baby Albert, Doris, Herbert, or Edith?

Here our some of M&B's top picks for vintage names you will adore...

1) Theodore

Theodore is a Greek name, meaning ‘God’s gift’. A well-known short form for Theodore is Theo.

2) Matilda

The name derives from the two Old High German words “math” and “hild”, meaning “Mighty in battle”.

3) Spencer

Spencer is an old English name, meaning “guardian”.

4) Pauline

Pauline is a name with Latin origin, meaning “small”. It was a very popular name between the 1940s and the 1960s.

5) Richard

This name is of German origin, meaning “strong in rule” or “brave power”.

6) Rosemary

The name derives from the rosemary plant. However, the name also has a Latin origin, meaning “dew of the sea”.

7) Leonard

Leonard is an Old German name, meaning “lion strength”.

8) Clara

Clara is a name of Latin origin and means “bright, clear”. The name is well-know from the ballet “The Nutcracker”.

9) Jonah

Jonah is a biblical and Hebrew name, meaning “dove”.

10) Abigail

This name has a Hebrew origin and means “my father is joyful”. In the Old Testament Abilgail was the wife of David, renowned for her beauty and wisdom.

11) Adrian

Adrian is a Latin name, meaning “man of Adria”. Its ultimate origin is most likely from the Venetic and Illyrian word “adur”, meaning “sea” or “water”.

12) Esther

Persian, meaning “star”. Additionally, the name could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar.

13) Emery

A German name which means “brave” and “powerful”. It can be a name for both, girls and boys.

14) Constance

Latin, meaning ‘steadfast’. Oscar Wilde’s wife was called Constance Lloyd.

15) Frederick

Frederick is the English form for the German name Friedrich, meaning “peaceful ruler”.

16) Irene

Irene is the name of the Greek goddess, who personified peace.

17) Elias

Elias is of Greek origin and a form of the name Elijah. The original meaning is “Lord is my God”.

18) Ruth

Hebrew, meaning “compassionate friend” and “vision of beauty”. The name was really popular in the 1890s.

19) Gerald

German, meaning “rule of the spear”. The Englisch spelling of the name is Jerrold.

20) Adelia

This German name was very popular in the 1890s and means "noble". Alternative spellings are Adelya, Adeliah.

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Browse our continually updated list of baby names below for the perfect inspritation. Filter by gender or unisex, or if you don't yet know the gender of your baby, why not try our Chinese gender predictor tool? See if this ancient method can predict your baby's gender!