Serious names used to be favored for boys but recently it's been serious names for girls, such as Edith and Alice, that have gotten more attention, as parents try to do everything they can to help their daughters succeed in a serious world. 

Along with Edith and Alice, other serious names in the US Top 600 include Charles, Dorothy, Edward, Faith, Frances, Louise, Nathan, and Victor. Many serious names could be considered stodgy or old-fashioned, but some, such as Alfred, Theodora, Winifred, and Howard, are in the beginning stages of a comeback.
 
Serious names are easiest to define by what they're not: They're not invented, not nicknames, not celebrity influenced (unless that celebrity is the Notorious RBG), not creative or fanciful in any way. They probably do not start with or even contain an X, a Z, or a Q. Serious names are somber, straightforward, buttoned-up, ready for a future as a lawyer, an accountant, or maybe President. 
 
Serious names for boys and girls include the following.

Serious Names

Adele

Albert

Alfred

Alice

Amos

Anne

Arthur

Avis

Barbara

Beatrice

Bernard

Bryant

Carl

Catherine

Charles

Clare

Cora

Darius

Dennis

Dorothea

Dorothy

Edith

Edmund

Edward

Eleanor

Elizabeth

Emmanuel

Ernest

Estelle

Esther

Eudora

Eugene

Faith

Frances

Francis

Frederica

Frederick

George

Harold

Hector

Helen

Herbert

Hope

Howard

Ingrid

Joan

Joel

John

Jordana

Joseph

Josephine

Lara

Laura

Laurel

Leah

Leonard

Lillian

Lionel

Loudon

Louise

Lucinda

Lydia

Mallory

Margaret

Marion

Martin

Mary

Millicent

Miranda

Miriam

Mitchell

Nathan

Nelson

Norman

Octavia

Olive

Pauline

Philip

Pierce

Rachel

Ralph

Ramona

Randall

Raymond

Renata

Richard

Robert

Rosemary

Rowena

Ruth

Sarah

Solomon

Thaddeus

Theodora

Theodore

Thomas

Victor

Victoria

Virgil

Serious, straightforward, buttoned-up names for girls and boys with meanings, origins, and popularity (All Names)

Serious Names - All Names