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.
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.”
Related: 30 'Bridgerton' baby names that stand the test of time
If you’re thinking about an old-timey name, Moss says to look at monikers that were popular in the early 20th century like ... Mildred.
Here are the overall top 20 old lady names for girls, according to BabyNames.com:
Violet
Charlotte
Hazel
Evelyn
Ophelia
Adelaide
Adeline
Clara
Evangeline
Naomi
Maeve
Celeste
Alice
Cora
Vivian/Vivienne
Miriam
Gwendolyn
Matilda
Ruth
Florence
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