Names that Peaked in 1880

  1. Bird
    • Origin:

      Nature name
    • Description:

      We once dismissed Bird as "too flighty", but with the rise of avian names from Lark to Robin to, well, Birdie, we don't see why Bird can't be a fine choice, especially as a middle name.
  2. Dessa
    • Kizzie
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Keziah, Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "cassia tree"
      • Description:

        Kizzy remains the most popular spelling of the Keziah short form, at least in some part thanks to its appearance in the 1977 television show Roots.
    • Merton
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "town by the lake"
      • Description:

        Sounds like a displaced Dr. Seuss character.
    • Berta
      • Origin:

        Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Slovene, Scandinavian variation of Bertha
      • Meaning:

        "bright"
      • Description:

        A pan-European variant of Bertha and nickname for -berta ending names, such as Alberta and Roberta. It's certainly much more appealing than its predecessor, but unlikely to become a hit in the US anytime soon.
    • Fidelia
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "faithful"
      • Description:

        Fidelia stems from the Latin word Fides, meaning faith. It has the some root as the English word fidelity. Fidelia gained popularity in the mid-19th Century after Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" gave this name cultural and virtuous significance.
    • Berry
      • Origin:

        Nature name
      • Description:

        If not for Motown founder Berry Gordy, this name would now be totally in the girl group.
    • Ardelia
      • Salomon
        • Emelie
          • Bert
            • Origin:

              English, diminutive of Albert and Bertram
            • Description:

              A once-popular nickname for Albert and Bertram now being polished up by hip Brits, but still hibernating in the Land of Nerd over here.
          • Granville
            • Charlotta
              • Origin:

                Swedish variation of Charlotte, French
              • Meaning:

                "free man"
              • Description:

                This form of Charlotte, long obscure, is sure to grow in popularity along with the explosion of Charlotte. It's pretty and feminine and a nice spin on the more familiar version. In Germany, short form Lotta is popular.
            • Frona
              • Stonewall
                • Origin:

                  English word name
                • Description:

                  Is there any boys' name more loaded than Stonewall? It evokes, in two syllables, both the Stonewall riots of 1969, the foundational moment of the gay rights movement, and Stonewall Jackson, second in fame only to Robert E. Lee among Confederate generals.
              • Littie
                • Ceylon
                  • Origin:

                    Place-name
                  • Description:

                    Leans toward the feminine, but could work for boys too.
                • Orren
                  • Lutie
                    • Ossie
                      • Origin:

                        Short form of Oscar, Osias, Oswald et al
                      • Description:

                        Ossie is best-known as the name of actor Ossie Davis, whose full name did not start with Os: It was Raiford. But Ossie makes a cute contemporary short form for any name beginning with Os.