Names that Peaked in 1880

Stuffy presidential choice: consider Hayes instead.

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.

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.

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.

If not for Motown founder Berry Gordy, this name would now be totally in the girl group.

Leans toward the feminine, but could work for boys too.

Ida is one of those terminally old-fashioned names that suddenly sounds fresh again, especially given how fashionable it is in Europe. Ida, usually pronounced ee-da, is a Top 100 name in Scandinavia and German-speaking countries, and is rising more gently in the US.

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.

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.

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.

Rice is really stretching the nature name boundary to its outer edges. But you may want to take it that far.

A name that's unusual in that changing the i to a y -- as in Byrd -- makes it more masculine.