Extinct Names

Old Testament name of the daughter-in-law of Naomi, now eclipsed by the originally misspelled Oprah.

Verda was a fairly popular girls' name in the US from the 1880s through the 1920s, when it started to slip, finally dropping from sight after World War II.

Loring lives as a first name thanks to the Kansas doctor Loring Miner who first sounded the alarm on what became known as the Spanish Flu.

When ordering a baby name, hold the mayo.

Orpha, with its Biblical roots and its animal meaning, was once a fairly popular name, but fell from sight around the time of the Second World War, along with so many other Old School Names. And its similarity to the word orphan probably didn't help.

Traditionally a short form for Patricia — or in the Addam's family, Morticia.

Verlin is an obscure name that found some use in the US in the early part of the 20th century, but now it and variation Verlyn are extinct, given to no baby boys in the US last year.

An adorable nickname for a smiley baby, but not suggested as a legal name.

Best known these days as the name of an American department store chain, Dillard was once a baby name that ranked on the US Top 1000, at least until the middle of the last century.

The misspelling that created an indelibly one-person name.

Sister is an old-timey nickname-name for girls, ranking in the Top 1000 as a proper name for girls until the beginning of the 20th century. But more often, Sister was used as a nickname in the truest sense of the word, not a short form ala Kathy but a nickname in the way that Chip and Bud are. Or maybe Junior is a more appropriate name analogy: Sister was sometimes the nickname given to the only girl in a family of boys, so literally a descriptive word name like Junior.

Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain (born Wilton) lends a sort of mythic quality to his name. Few have ventured to use it since it is so tied to the famed Chamberlain, but it could make an inspired middle.

Cornelius is one of the Ancient Roman names that is not quite making a comeback, despite having been a Top 200 name in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Blame Corny, a nickname that is just too joke-worthy.

Hermine and Hermina once ranked in the US Top 1000 for girls, but the First World War put an end to the popularity of these and many other German names. Now, both names are extinct though father name Herman is sometimes found.