Each baby name tells a story, and old-fashioned girl names carry with them the weight of generations of forebearers. Maybe you fall in love with a traditional family name from the turn of the century or an uncommon girl name you read in a microfiche back in college.
No matter how you do it, picking out an old-school name for your baby can be a beautiful way to connect them with the past while helping them stand out in the future.
Elegant Old-Fashioned Girl Names Made for High Society
Caroline Astor — famed matriarch of the elite Astor family and iron-fisted ruler of New York high society — would approve of these elegant girl names. These old-fashioned girl names are so luxurious that she wouldn’t even ask to see their pedigree.
- Adah – adornment
- Adela – noble
- Alice – from nobility
- Ava – to live
- Cicely – blind to self-beauty
- Clara – bright & clear
- Clementine – gentle & merciful
- Consuela – our lady of consolation
- Cora – maiden
- Corrinne – maiden
- Della – noble
- Dinah – judged
- Esme – esteemed
- Estelle – star
- Eva – to live
- Evelyn – desired
- Georgiana – farmer
- Hazel – derived from the tree
- Ida – work & labor
- Irene – peace
- Iris – rainbow
- Isabella – oath
- Isadora – gift
- Ivy – vine plant
- Lena – torch
- Lillian – purity
- Margot – pearl
- Midge – pearl
- Opal – jewel
- Valerie – to be strong
Ava is an old-fashioned name that's making a comeback — in fact, it was one of the top 10 names in the SSA list of most popular girl names for their 2022 survey.
Cute Vintage Girl Names for an Old Soul
If you love to dress vintage, but still rock sweats at the end of the day, then you know how important balance can be. Mix vintage and modern with these cute retro names perfect for an old soul. And while you’re at it, consider these 1920s girl names as well.
- Annette – favor & grace
- Arlene – unknown
- Blanche – fair-colored
- Bridget – the exalted one
- Cecily – blind
- Celia – heaven
- Darlene – darling
- Edith – fortune & battle
- Effie – good & to declare
- Elsie – oath
- Flossie – prosperous & flourishing
- Gina – farmer
- Gwendolyn – white ring
- Lois – most desirable
- Lorraine – famous
- Lottie – army
- Lucille – light
- Mabel – lovable
- Maude – might & strength
- Minnie – will & desire
- Miriam – beloved
- Nora – honor & dignity
- Patsy – the lady
- Paulette – humble
- Pearl – derived from the thing
- Phoebe – bright & pure
- Rhonda – rose
- Tillie – might & strength
- Vera – true
- Wanda – a Wend
Uncommon Old-Time Girl Names You Don’t Hear Often
When you want your kid to stand out, give them a leg up with an uncommon name. There are a plethora of old-fashioned girl names you don’t hear all too often anymore, which makes them ripe for the picking.
- Beulah – married
- Carmen – garden
- Doris – Dorian woman
- Essie – star
- Eula – sweetly-speaking
- Eunice – good victory
- Fern – derived from the plant
- Florella – flower
- Gene – well born
- Glenda – valley
- Imogen – maiden
- Ina – derived from the Roman God Mars
- Irma – whole & great
- Iva – willow tree
- Laverne – alder
- Lou – famous in battle
- Mamie – beloved
- Margie – pearl
- Mildred – gentle strength
- Nell – unknown
- Ola – ancestor’s descendent
- Oona – lamb
- Ramona – advice & protection
- Reine – queen
- Rena – born again
- Rinah – unknown
- Sissi – blind
- Sylvie – wood & forest
- Wilhelmina – desirable
- Zora – dawn
Magnetic Girl Names From Old Hollywood
Stage names and character monikers from the silver screen might sound odd today, but they were all the rage nearly 100 years ago. From actress Fay Wray to Myrna Loy’s character Billie Burke in The Great Ziegfeld, these are old-school names that harken back to Old Hollywood.
- Agnes – chaste
- Bartine – derived from name that means son of Talmai
- Billie – desire
- Dolores – sorrows
- Drake – dragon
- Ethel – noble
- Fanny – Frenchman
- Fay – fairy
- Floy – flourishing
- Francelia – derived from name that means Frenchman
- Greta – pearl
- Jeanette – to be gracious
- Joan – to be gracious
- Josephine – they will add
- Leslie – garden of holly
- Louise – famous
- Myrna – affection & exuberance
- Norma – northman
- Ora – to pray
- Ricca – unknown
- Tallulah – town
- Theda – gift
- Vedah – attributed to silent film actress Vedah Bertram
- Vilma – desire & protection
- Wilda – wild
- Winifred – blessed
- Yvonne – yew
- Maureen – beloved
- Marion – beloved
- Veronica – bringing victory
Traditional Girl Names From Around the World
With imperialism and colonization making most of the world passably fluent in English, it’s all too easy to forget that there’s a whole world of languages out there full of their own traditional girl names. Take inspiration for your bundle of joy’s birth certificate from these traditional girl names from around the world.
- Adelaida (Spanish) – nobleness
- Amana (Japanese) – rain
- Astrid (Swedish) – beautiful god
- Daria (Greek) – possessing goodness
- Delphine (French) – of Delphi
- Galina (Bulgarian) – calm
- Gilda (Italian) – payment & tribute
- Giselle (French) – hostage & pledge
- Hilda (German) – battle
- Juanita (Spanish) – gracious
- Lupe (Spanish) – out lady of Guadalupe
- Marlene (German) – beloved
- Mathilde (French) – strength in battle
- Meabh (Irish) – intoxicating
- Merle (English) – blackbird
- Mignon (French) – cute
- Naida (Russian) – unclear
- Oksana (Ukrainian) – hospitality
- Ornella (Italian) – flowering ash tree
- Ouida (Old German) – famous in battle
- Raquel (Spanish) – ewe
- Sibylla (Latin) – prophetess
- Silvana (Italian) – of the woods
- Sloane (Irish) – mobilization
- Sonya (Russian) – wisdom
- Titania (Early Modern English) – of the titans
- Virna (Italian) – unclear
- Yelena (Russian) – torch
- Yvette (French) – yew
- Zarah (Ancient Hebrew) – dawning
Old-Fashioned Girl Names Have a Timeless Appeal
Most people are born to be forgotten. Ensure that your baby girl makes her mark on the world by giving her one of these old-fashioned girl names that’re still going strong 100+ years later. And if you like things a little more regional, try out some of these old-fashioned southern baby names instead.
