When a pregnant friend wanted my thoughts on the name Mildred, I rolled my eyes and asked if she was giving birth to a baby or an 90-year-old woman.
Then Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds decided to call their third daughter Betty, and I began to wonder if my friend was actually onto something.
Are old lady names becoming popular? Will preschools suddenly be filled with Lucilles and Mabels?
According to BabyNames.com founder Jennifer Moss, the answer is yes.
“People are researching their ancestry online and finding these cool names that sound fresh because they haven’t been heard for so long,” Moss told TODAY Parents.
Moss, who co-hosts the "BabyNames" podcast with her sister, Mallory, also attributes the surge in popularity to period dramas such as “Bridgerton,” “The Gilded Age” and “Downton Abbey.”
If you’re thinking about an old lady name, Moss says to look at monikers that were popular in the early 20th century like ... Mildred.
According to the Social Security Administration, the top names for girls in the early 20th century include: Mary, Helen, Margaret, Anna, Ruth, Dorothy, Betty and Barbara.
50 Old Lady Names For Baby Girls
Whether you are inspired by old-fashioned names or simply want to revive a vintage name, here are 50 old lady names to consider for your new daughter:
- Violet
- Agatha
- Ida
- Maude
- Lottie
- Edith
- Charlotte
- Hazel
- Evelyn
- Ophelia
- Adelaide
- Adeline
- Clara
- Evangeline
- Naomi
- Maeve
- Celeste
- Arabella
- Alice
- Cora
- Vivian/Vivienne
- Beryl
- Vera
- Etta
- Inez
- Cecelia
- Dahlia
- Miriam
- Gwendolyn
- Matilda
- Ruth
- Florence
- Eliza
- Eunice
- Hester
- Mabel
- Lucille
- Nettie
- Rena
- Winifred
- Jean
- Frances
- Rose
- Marjorie
- Ruby
- Eleanor
- June
- Josephine
- Rosemary
- Elsie