Names that Peaked in 1881

  1. Giles
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "young goat"
    • Description:

      One of those names that most Americans find just too too tea-sippingly British to consider; its meaning has led to occasional use for Capricorn boys.
  2. Rollo
    • Origin:

      Latin form of Rolf
    • Meaning:

      "wolf"
    • Description:

      Rollo is a livelier, roly-poly, o-ending version of Roland.
  3. Ina
    • Origin:

      Latin, feminine suffix
    • Description:

      This suffix is used as an independent name, but doesn't your little girl deserve more?
  4. Lemuel
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "devoted to God"
    • Description:

      Lemuel is a neglected Old Testament name, with the friendly nickname Lem, that we're surprised hasn't been picked up on by parents who have known too many Samuels.
  5. Mai
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "coyote"
    • Description:

      Cross-cultural winner.
  6. Albion
    • Cass
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Casper etc
      • Description:

        A light variation of any of the weightier names beginning with Cas, such as Casper, Cassius etc- this is a beautifully mellow and soft name that bears greater consideration.
    • Carrie
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Carol or Caroline
      • Meaning:

        "free man"
      • Description:

        Carrie lives on mainly on the screen, as the new/old antiheroine of Stephen King's classic Carrie, as turn-of-the-21st-century diva Carrie Bradshaw of Sex & The City, and as Claire Danes' Emmy-winning character Carrie Mathison of Homeland. In real life, however, Carrie dropped off the Top 1000 a handful of years ago and, while the name retains some charm, shows no signs of making an imminent comeback. Try Cara instead.
    • Philo
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "loving"
      • Description:

        Could Philo be the next Milo?
    • Dora
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Theodora and Isidora, Greek
      • Meaning:

        "gift"
      • Description:

        Dora is poised for a comeback, right behind Laura, Nora, Cora, and Flora. First-time parents who haven't watched cartoons in a couple of decades should be aware of the Dora the Explorer connection, which has its pluses and minuses.
    • Solon
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "the wise one"
      • Description:

        Despite the reputation of the sagacious ancient Greek lawmaker, this name hasn't moved to the modern world.
    • York
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "from the yew estate"
      • Description:

        Brisk, preppy York is an underused classic with the potential to really shine in the 21st century. It's most familiar as a place name — York is a city in England — and surname. New York City and State were named after the Duke of York.
    • Nona
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "ninth"
      • Description:

        Nona is a name sometimes given to the ninth child -- but unlikely to serve that purpose today. Musical cred: the name of a song by Motley Crue.
    • Emmie
      • Description:

        A variation of mega popular name Emma and all of her cousins, Emmie came back to the US Top 1000 for the first time in 80 years in 2016. It's phonetically the same as more popular Emmy, but this option may avoid the award show connection. We could see it rising in future years.
    • Eveline
      • Origin:

        English or French
      • Meaning:

        "desired; or water, island"
      • Description:

        Variant of Evelyn or Aveline
    • Louella
      • Origin:

        English, combination of Louise and Ella
      • Description:

        A combo name that was used in the early 19th century, but has always been overshadowed by its sleeker counterpart, Luella. By blending Ella with Louise, Louella could mean "battle famous fairy maiden" and using the 'Lou' spelling means it remains more closely tied to Louise which may be more appealing to anyone hoping to use it as an honor.
    • Sophronia
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "sensible, prudent"
      • Description:

        A name some people first encountered in the old children's book series The Five Little Peppers, in which Sophronia, the youngest of the Peppers is nicknamed Phronsie.`It was also used by Dickens in two of his novels: The Old Curiosity Shop and Our Mutual Friend.
    • Nella
      • Irvin
        • Origin:

          Scottish
        • Meaning:

          "handsome, fair of face"
        • Description:

          Irvin is an Old Man name that has an uncertain future. Losing the final g in Irving makes the name slightly less dated -- but just slightly. There's something about the 'erv' sound that makes Irvin and brothers feel unappealing.
      • Orrin
        • Origin:

          Variation of Odhrán, Irish
        • Meaning:

          "little pale green one"
        • Description:

          With a cool color meaning and a woodsy, earthy feel, this anglicized spelling of the Irish name Odhrán could rise in popularity thanks to Olympic rugby player, Orrin Bizer. The name did rank in the US Top 1000 in the late 1800s and the early 20th century, but has been out of the charts since the 60s.