Names that Peaked in 1885

Nelle, pronounced as the one-syllable Nell though some may think it's Nellie or Nella, is the elegant form of the name used by author Nelle Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill A Mockingbird. With whatever spelling, Nell/Nelle is a charming old-fashioned nickname name -- it was originally short for Ellen, Eleanor, or Helen -- that never took off the way sisters Molly and Maggie did.

Dropping the final "k" of Frederick definitely makes it a more user-friendly classic boys' name. It streamlines it and also hints at Frederic's status as a French variation of the Germanic Frederick. Either way, this is a strong classic to consider if you're not afraid of a little dusty residue.

The most minimalist of names, Ed is decidedly out -- though that usually means it's due to swing back in. More stylish these days: Ned or even Ted.

Isidore and variants are remarkably underused and ripe for revival, a la Theodore and company.

Fielding isn't an occupational name, exactly, though it does relate to someone who works in or lives in a Field. Although there have been a handful of people, real and fictional, with the first name Fielding, the most famous Fielding is eighteenth century writer Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones.

It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.

In its native Germany, Gerhard was very popular a hundred years ago and is now rather old-fashioned. It isn't much used by English speakers either, but has a certain clunky charm about it.

Octave shortens Octavius to a more manageable length, keeping the "eighth" meaning. In English speaking countries, however, people could easily confuse this with the musical term octave.

Gertie has a certain homespun charm, summoning to mind butter-yellow braids and denim overalls, summoning mind the adorable character played by little Drew Barrymore in E.T. Is the world ready for the return of Gertie and Gertrude? Maybe?

Concise and clipped European version of the earnest Ernest.

Melvina ranked in the Top 1000 for over 65 years in the US, coinciding to a large extent with the years its much more popular masculine counterpart Melvin ranked in the Top 100. Today, Melvin is still hanging on in the Top 1000 for boys, but Melvina hasn't been given to more than 20 babies in a year since 1991.

General as a name sounds more like a military rank than another word for "widespread". You may find your little General ruling the household.

This vintage name is still used today among the Amish.

The lead character of the Captain America movies, played by Chris Evans, is occasionally called Cap, short for "captain," but even he has a real name. (Steve Rogers, ICYC)

Botanical Hebrew choice that leads to the sweet vintage nickname Nettie.