A List of Trendy Old Fashioned Names

  1. Mindy
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Melinda
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful honey"
    • Description:

      This sweet nickname style name combines contemporary Indy with vintage Minnie. Popular in the 80s, it fell out of style by the mid-90s, but, with the likes of Annie, Edie, Ellie, Bonnie and Heidi getting more attention, could Mindy make a comeback?
  2. Minna
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Wilhelmina, German
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection; love"
    • Description:

      One of those pan-European nickname names much more familiar in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe than in the US, though related name Mina is making a comeback here. Light and bright, it could be an alternative to Mila, Minnie, or Millie.
  3. Minnie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Wilhelmina
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"
    • Description:

      Minnie was wildly popular at the turn of the last century — it was the fifth or sixth most popular name throughout the 1880s — but is completely obscure today. Blame Mickey's girlfriend. Regardless, it's possible that the up and coming trend toward old-fashioned nickname-names — think Maisie, Mamie, Millie — may give Minnie (all on its own, not as a short form of anything) a new moment in the sun. Minnie Driver (born Amelia) has given it some modern celeb cred.
  4. Mireille
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "to admire"
    • Description:

      Pretty name that may pose pronunciation problems -- it's meer-AY -- but is well worth the effort.
  5. Mirriam
    • Mitchell
      • Origin:

        English variation of Michael
      • Meaning:

        "who is like God"
      • Description:

        Mitchell has had something of a roller coaster ride, showing some panache in the forties and fifties, when it was seen as a sharper alternative to Michael with its cool Mitch nickname, slipping a bit, then resurfacing in the 90s when it reached as high as Number 71. Mitchell Pritchett is one of the leading characters on the TV sitcom Modern Family.
    • Molly
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Mary, Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "bitter"
      • Description:

        Molly is one of the original nickname names, ALWAYS ranking among the US Top 500 girl names since statistics began, in 1880. Molly peaked in 1991 only to rise just as high again in 2011, and though softening retains a good measure of popularity and charm.
    • Monet
      • Origin:

        French artist name, from diminutive of Simon
      • Description:

        A new favorite of the bohemian set, brought to light by actress Monet Mazur, daughter of the artist who designed the Rolling Stones' mouth logo.
    • Monica
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "advisor"
      • Description:

        This saintly name--she was the mother of St. Augustine--plummeted after the double whammy of Lewinsky and the demise of Friends.
    • Montague
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "pointy hill"
      • Description:

        The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo has an effete, monocled image.
    • Moore
      • Origin:

        English place-name
      • Meaning:

        "the moors"
      • Description:

        Moore is recommended as a rich and satisfying middle name choice, whether it relates to your own family history or not. Of the numerous outstanding Moore-surnamed namesakes, count sculptor Henry, writers Clement, Marianne and Brian, entertainers Demi, Dudley, Garry, Roger, Julianne, Melba and Mary Tyler, and provocateur Michael.
    • Moreau
      • Origin:

        French surname
      • Meaning:

        "Moorish"
    • Morena
      • Origin:

        Slovak, Macedonian
      • Meaning:

        "brown-haired"
      • Description:

        Morena is the goddess of seasonal rites and rebirth worshipped in Central Europe.
    • Morgan
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"
      • Description:

        Morgan has long been a traditional Welsh male name, a variant of the Old Welsh name Morcant, from the Welsh elements mor, meaning "sea" and cant, "circle." The female Morgan is unrelated to the male version—it is a name from Arthurian legend created for Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister and famed sorceress. Her name comes from Morgen, an Old Welsh name meaning "sea-born," and is related to the Irish name Muirgen.
    • Morwenna
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "maiden"
      • Description:

        Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard in the British series Doc Martin and Poldark. Morwenna Banks is a British actress.
    • Morwyn
      • Naomi
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "pleasantness"
        • Description:

          Naomi was once a primarily Jewish name from the Old Testament that referenced the mother-in-law of Ruth. Because of this, it is a symbolic name given to girls on Shavuot when the story of Ruth is read in the synagogue.
      • Nashua
        • Origin:

          Place name from Penacook
        • Meaning:

          "beautiful stream with a pebbly bottom"
        • Description:

          The name of a city in New Hampshire which takes its name from the Nashua River, named by the Indigenous Algonquian tribe the Nashuway or Nashua. A striking alternative to Joshua.
      • Nat
        • Origin:

          English, diminutive of Nathan or Nathaniel
        • Description:

          Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.
      • Nattie