Names that Peaked in 1880
- Theodosia
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"gift of God"Description:
This feminine form of Theodosius has long been buried deep in the attic, but might be a good discovery for the parent who wants to move beyond Theodora. Vice President Aaron Burr named a daughter Theodosia ("Dear Theodosia" is a song in the smash musical Hamilton), and it was the birth name of silent screen vamp Theda Bara. Theodosia actually appeared on the US popularity lists in the 1880s and 90s.
- Abbott
Origin:
Hebrew, AramaicMeaning:
"father"Description:
Abbott is a neglected masculine surname with religious overtones as the head of a monastery. Though the feminine nickname Abby could be a slight drawback, Abbott is still an attractive offbeat possibility.
- Georgiana
Origin:
English, feminine variation of GeorgeMeaning:
"farmer"Description:
Long a popular upper-crust form in England, where it's pronounced George-ee-AH-na, Georgiana has been been neglected here. But with Georgia growing more popular and the general fashion for elaborate feminine names, Georgiana might have room to grow.
- Ettie
Origin:
French diminutiveMeaning:
"little"Description:
Ettie or Etty works as a nickname for any name with a prominent "et" sound, usually at the end: think Henrietta, Juliette or Colette. The -ette ending is a French diminutive suffix.
- Indiana
Origin:
American place-nameMeaning:
"land of the Indians"Description:
Indiana is one of those place-names (think Camden and Trenton) that sounds cooler than the place that inspired it. Its fashionable -ana ending certainly sounds eminently name-like, and Indie/Indy/Indi is one of the hottest nickname names for girls right now.
- Horace
Origin:
Latin clan nameMeaning:
"timekeeper"Description:
The ancient name Horace sounds fustily fuddy-duddy, and yet, with the resurrection of Homer, and the new interest in old Roman names...who knows.
- Marion
Origin:
French derivative of MaryMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
Fun fact: Marion was the birth name of movie star John Wayne. Although commonly thought of as a female name today, it was actually more popular for boys until the late 19th century, and was given to roughly equal numbers of boys and girls throughout the 1970s-2000s.
- Adina
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"slender, delicate"Description:
Name of an Old Testament soldier that's been also used as a girls' name in modern Israel. An alternate spelling is Adinah. Some mistake Adina and Adinah to be the root of Dinah, but the Biblical name Dinah is borne by a different figure and has a different meaning. You can consider the modern short forms Dena and Dina as stemming from either Adina or Dinah.
- Joe
Origin:
Diminutive of JosephMeaning:
"Jehovah increases"Description:
Joe is still the ultimate good-guy name, not at all diminished by its longevity or popularity or its everyman rep as Regular Joe, Cowboy Joe, G.I. Joe, Joe Exotic, Joe Blow, Joe Millionaire, Average Joe — and now President Joe (Biden).
- Tom
Origin:
Diminutive of ThomasMeaning:
"twin"Description:
Just like Sam and Ben, Tom could be revived as a simple, well liked name on its own. Tom, just Tom, is one of the Top 100 Boy Names in France
- Georgie
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"farmer"Description:
A spunky boyish diminutive in the vein of Frankie, Billie and Charlie, but far less popular in the US. Georgie could be a nickname for Georgia, Georgette, Georgina or Georgiana – or just use it as it is, as over 90 sets of American parents did in 2021.
- Carrie
Origin:
Diminutive of Carol or CarolineMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Carrie lives on mainly on the screen, as the new/old antiheroine of Stephen King's classic Carrie, as turn-of-the-21st-century diva Carrie Bradshaw of Sex & The City, and as Claire Danes' Emmy-winning character Carrie Mathison of Homeland. In real life, however, Carrie dropped off the Top 1000 a handful of years ago and, while the name retains some charm, shows no signs of making an imminent comeback. Try Cara instead.
- Ira
Origin:
Hebrew, Russian, Greek, Finnish, Sanskrit, "watchful one; peace; protectress; earthDescription:
Truly multi-cultural, Ira can be: a Russian short form of Irina, meaning "peace"; a gender-switch of the Hebrew male name Ira, meaning "watchful"; a modern Greek and Finnish form of Hera, meaning "hero" or "protectress"; a Sanskrit name meaning "earth" or "enjoyment"; and a Basque nature name meaning "fern", from the word iratzea.
- Letitia
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"joy, gladness"Description:
Letitia is a delicate, once prim and proper sounding name whose staid image has been unbuttoned by numerous phonetic spellings. The original, often used in Spanish-speaking families, would still make an attractive, delicate choice. After a solid century on the Top 1000 list, Letitia fell off in the early 1980s and has not yet returned.
- Emilie
Origin:
Spelling variation of Emily; German and Scandinavian feminine form of AemiliusDescription:
Unlike most creative spellings, this one isn't overly trendy or overdone—in fact, it's quite delicate and pretty. However, it is clearly suffering from the plethora of similar names that are flowing around right now (Emelie, Emilia, Emily, Emilee, Amelie, Amelia) and has fallen more than 300 spots since 2013. It might be time for Emilie and her sisters to be left alone for a while.
- Larkin
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"rough, fierce"Description:
The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name.
- Dorcas
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"doe, gazelle"Description:
Classic name used by the Romans, the Puritans, and the Bard, but pretty much taboo today due to the objectionable connotations of both its front and back ends.
- Gabe
Origin:
Short form of GabrielDescription:
Gabe ranked in the Top 1000 from 1880 until 1905, when it fell into obscurity. There are fewer than 100 boys named Gabe, just plain Gabe, each year in the US, compared with over 10,000 named Gabriel. Our advice: Go with the crowd and choose the angelic long form, and then call him Gabe if you want to.
- Dempsey
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"proud, haughty"Description:
Spunky Irish surname that still has a pugnacious feel from its lingering association with one of boxing's greatest champs, Jack Dempsey. Many people may associate it more with Patrick Dempsey these days—McDreamy from TV's Grey's Anatomy.
- Judson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Jordan"Description:
Judson remained in the US Top 1000 every year until it dropped off in 1987. In 2014, the named rejoined the list. With Hudson gaining in popularity, Judson—a possible alternative to Justin—could follow its path.