If you attended school in the 1890s, there’s a good chance you would have been friends with a Helen — or three.
“Helen really dominated for decades. There was a point where it was sort of Helen and everybody else,” Laura Wattenberg, creator of Namerology, told TODAY Parents. “Harriet, Henrietta, Hazel and Germanic names like Helga were also popular. But then they all fell out of fashion, along with Helen.”
For decades, it was rare to find a girl with any other H name, Wattenberg said. But that changed when Heather became popular in the late 1960’s.
Wattenberg said it’s important to note that heather is a plant. In the 1960’s that made the moniker non-traditional and a little edgy.
“Heather kicked off the modern era of H names that are heavy on word names, surnames, place names and modern inventions,” she explained.
“With a couple of exceptions like Hazel, none of the old names like Helen have really come back; we’ve just invented a whole new realm of H names like Haisleigh and and Harbor,” she said.
Wattenberg added that no H name — not even trendy Harper which has been in the top 20 since 2013 — comes close to being as popular as Helen was in its prime.
Whether you’re looking for a classic, contemporary or up-and-coming “H” baby name, Wattenberg has you covered. Below, see her top picks:
CLASSIC
Helen
Hazel
Heather
Hattie
Hannah
Harriet
Hilda
Holly
Henrietta
Heidi
CONTEMPORARY
Hailey
Harper
Haley
Hadley
Hope
Hayden
Harmony
Heaven
Harley
Haven
UP-AND-COMING
Harlow
Hallie
Halo
Holland
Hadlee
Harlynn
Honey
Haisleigh
Harbor
Halston