Names that Peaked in 1896

Hazen is a variation of the Dutch surname Hasin, which has two separate origins. The first is as a nickname for Haso, a Germanic given name derived from haswa, meaning "gray" or "black." Hasin was also a variation of Haas, a Dutch and German surname meaning "hare."

Obscure Old Testament name -- he was the son of Naomi and the husband of Ruth -- that's become even more obscure over the past century, perhaps due to its unappealing meaning.

Ocie is yet another antiquated ie-ending short form that was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s and now has almost dropped from sight.

New Presidential name, if you're ready to move beyond Lincoln and Jefferson. At the turn of the last century, during the original McKinley's heyday, as a first name it almost reached the Top 100.

A name that shows up on the Social Security roles of a hundred years ago. Let's hope it was a never-to-be-repeated mistake.

Cameron is still more popular as a boy's name than a girls and this simple, snappy short form works well for either sex.

Some names referring to expensive things -- Tiffany, Armani, Porsche -- are in fact declasse, but Price transcends that label with its simplicity and strength.

This name of famed philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell becomes slightly more plausible with the French pronunciation, bare-TRAHN. Another noted bearer is French director and screenwriter Bertrand Tavernier.

A grassy place with trees is a nice image to attach to a name.

A common surname in Scotland, but a starchy first name choice.

More unusual than Tessa, this would make an interesting, meaningful and attractive choice for a third child.

There are a dizzying number of varieties of the Arabic name Leila or Layla, two of the most popular versions, with Lela one of the rarer, given to fewer than 100 baby girls in the US each year. Pronunciation and spelling can be a challenge, so if you choose this simple, lovely name, you will be explaining it much more often than you want to.

The name of the Lithuanian love diety is a unique way to get to the nickname Millie. Milda has also been seen as a diminutive for names such as Matilda and Mildred. It appeared on the US Top 1000 in 1886 and 1887.

Evans is an historic Welsh patronymic surname, derived from Evan, which is a form of John. With Evan's popularity in the U.S. and the U.K. -- it's a Top 50 names -- the stylish s-ending version may also be on the rise.

With a soft e, sounds like an affected pronunciation of Rita.

More user-friendly than the original.

A very old-fashioned nickname for the biblical city name Ophrah.