Old-Fashioned, Vintage, Retro, Classic, Eclectic, Unusual and Uncommon Names for Girls

Florinda may be taking a good thing, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and springtime, and making it too elaborate.

This rare and archaic French name is a little too close to Chlorine for our liking. Despite its flowery origins, Florine has a warrior history - Florine of Burgundy was a female French crusader, who fought in battles alongside her husband and died after continuing to fight with seven arrows in her chest.

A sweet Bobbsey-twin era nickname, fluffy and floral.

Flossie was an extremely popular Florence nickname that was used independently in the early twentieth century, given to over five hundred girls per year a century ago. Flossie was one of the younger twins in the iconic children's book series The Bobbsey Twins, first published in 1904. Appealing, if a little cutesy--sweet as candy floss. A similar name is Florrie.

Brimming over with a sense of good fortune. Could make a little girl feel very lucky.

This short form has been pretty much replaced by Franny, Fanny. and especially Frankie.

Frances, a soft and gentle classic last popular a hundred years ago, is trending again. The cool nickname Frankie is one reason for the revival of Frances, adding lightness and sass to a serious name. Frances is the feminine form of Francis, the English variation of the Latin name Franciscus. Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman," was taken from the Germanic tribe the Franks, which got its name from the francisca, the axe they used in battle. Until the seventeenth century, the spellings Frances and Francis were used interchangeably for both sexes.

Francie is one of the most neglected nicknames for Frances, despite having more style value than Franny and Fanny and being more unique than Frankie. We'd love to see it get more use, whether as a Frances short form or as an independent name.

With the advent of Pope Francis, all forms of this ancient and saintly name came up for a fresh look. Along with most other -een and -ine (when pronounced like -een) names for girls, Francine has a dated midcentury Mad Men feel. But its choice for their daughter by modern glamour couple Casey Neistat and Candice Pool, respectively a video star and a jewelry designer, has made Francine chic again.

If Frances and Fran are too serious for you, and Fanny too saucy, you might like Franny, still identified by some with J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey stories.

Pronounced as Fred with an a, Freda is sometimes heard in England, but mostly among older generations. Much more popular in the U.K. these days, though yet to reach the US, is Freya.

Freddie, especially with the ie ending, is one of the old-school boy-names-for-girls that came into vogue at the turn of the last century. Freddie, all on its own, ranked among the Top 1000 girl names until 1958, but in 2021 it was given to just 8 baby girls. Maybe that makes it prime for a comeback, ala Billie?

Frederica is an interesting possibility for the parent unintimidated by its old-fashioned formality, and who can appreciate the vintage charm and verve lurking inside its stuffiness.