Old-Fashioned Girl Names You Will Adore
Are you thinking about a name with some history to it, a beautiful vintage girls’ name that has spanned the centuries? Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together a list of 100 old-fashioned girl names and their meanings. So, whether it’s uncommon, traditional, beautiful, or cute names you’re after, you might just find the perfect old-fashioned baby girl name here.
Traditional Old-Fashioned Girl Names
1. Abigail. In Hebrew, this classic name means ‘my father is joy’. It was a common name in Puritan times before going out of style and then being revived in the twentieth century. You might like this old-fashioned girl’s name for your daughter.
2. Annmarie. This is a combination of the traditional girl names Ann and Marie. The meaning of this name in Egyptian is ‘beloved’, and in Hebrew, it means ‘drop of the sea’.
3. Agatha. In Greek, this name means ‘good’. It was the name of a revered saint from the third century. It has a nice meaning for a good little girl.
4. Agnes. In Greek, this classic name means ‘chaste’. It became associated with the Latin word agnus, meaning ‘lamb’, and it was the name of a saint who is often depicted with a lamb. The name has been popular since the Middle Ages, so it’s definitely an old-fashioned girl’s name that stands the test of time.
5. Bridget. This name has Irish origins and means ‘exalted one’. In Irish mythology, Brighid was the goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom. The name can also be spelled Brigid. What a fierce name!
6. Colleen. This name stems from the Irish Gaelic word ‘Cailin’, which is simply a generic term for ‘girl’ or ‘unmarried woman’.
7. Donna. In Italian, this girl’s name means ‘lady’. This traditional girl’s name is also the female form of the male name Donald. The name has a nice ring to it and could be perfect for your little lady.
8. Dorothy. This name originated as Dorothea before getting simplified to Dorothy. The name became popular after the main character in the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Choose the name if you’re a fan of the book or the film.
9. Edith. In Old English, this name means ‘fortune’ and ‘war’. It was a popular name among royalty, gaining popularity in the 1800’s. Famous bearers include the American writer Edith Wharton and the French chanteuse Edith Piaf. Choose this name for your baby girl if you want a traditional old-fashioned name from the 1800’s.
10. Edna. In Hebrew, this name means ‘pleasure’. The name also has Irish roots, deriving from a word that means ‘kernel’. It’s up to you which meaning you like best, and either way this girl’s name has old-fashioned written all over it.
11. Eileen. Often thought of as the Irish version of the name Helen, which in Greek means ‘torch’, this name may in fact derive from the English name Aveline or the Irish name Eibhlín, the meanings of which are unknown.
12. Eleanor. This Old French name of unknown meaning was famously used by both French and English queens. So, choose this old-fashioned name for your baby girl to add a touch of royalty. See more Royal names for girls and boys.
13. Ethel. In old English, this name means ‘noble’. It became widespread in late nineteenth century England after it was used in popular novels of the time. This is the perfect choice for an old-fashioned British name for your little girl.
14. Eunice. This name is derived from the Ancient Greek name ‘Euníke’ and means ‘good victory’. In the Bible, this is the name of Saint Timothy’s mother.
15. Gertrude. This Dutch and English name means ‘spear of strength’ in German. The girl’s name was introduced to England by the Dutch, and Shakespeare even used the classic name for one of his characters in Hamlet. Cute nicknames include Gertie or Trudy. It’s a very regal-sounding name with a strong meaning.
16. Gillian. This is the female form of the name Julian. Another variant of the name is Jillian, and nicknames include Jill or Gill. The name can be pronounced with a hard or soft G.
17. Gladys. In Welsh, this name means ‘country’. It’s also the Welsh version of the name Claudia, which could be another old-fashioned name option for your baby girl.
18. Glenda. This is the feminine form of the name Glenn, which means ‘valley’ in Gaelic. The Scottish variant of Glenda is Glenna.
19. Hannah. This old-fashioned girl’s name is the biblical predecessor to the more modern name Anna. In Hebrew, it means ‘grace’. It can also be spelled Hanna.
20. Helga. This Scandinavian name is the female form of Helge, which means ‘holy’ or ‘blessed’ in Old Norse. The Russian version of this name is Olga. Either old-fashioned name has a special meaning for your baby girl.
21. Hilda. This German name comes from a word meaning ‘battle’. The name can also be spelled Hilde and has the same pronunciation as Hilda.
22. Irene. This name of Greek origin comes from a word that means ‘peace’. It was also the name of the Greek goddess who represented peace. The name was popular among eastern Christians and was commonly used in the Byzantine Empire.
23. Iris. This name both means the flower as well as the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow. In fact, the name means ‘rainbow’ in Greek.
24. Linda. In Spanish and Portuguese, the old-fashioned girl name means ‘beautiful’, but with its German roots it means ‘soft’ or ‘mild’. Nicknames include Lindy and Linette.
25. Lois. This name comes from the Greek and means ‘better’. The name appears in the Bible as well as the Superman comics and films.
26. Marjorie. This is a form of Margaret that was influenced by the name of the herb marjoram. It can also be spelt Margery. The name was rare until the nineteenth century.
27. Mildred. This name derives from an Old English name that means ‘gentle strength’. The name used to be rare but was revived in the nineteenth century, perhaps because of its lovely meaning.
28. Ruth. This name of Hebrew origin means ‘friend’. Ruth was a prominent biblical figure and an ancestor of King David.
29. Shannon. This is the name for the longest river in Ireland. It’s also associated with the Irish goddess Sionann. This traditional girl name is said to be related to Old Irish sen, meaning ‘old, ancient’.
30. Sharon. This is the biblical name of a place on Israel’s coast that means ‘plain’ in Hebrew. It’s also a name of a flowering shrub. This name rose to popularity in England and Wales in the 1960’s, and was in the top 10 female names in 1964.
31. Suzanne. The French form of Susanna, which is based on the Hebrew name Shoshannah, which means ‘lily’ or ‘rose’. Another variant is Susan.
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Uncommon Old-Fashioned Baby Girl Names
32. Aster. Based on the name of the flower, which means ‘star’ in Greek, this girl’s name is uncommon as well as old-fashioned. Here are some more flower names for your baby girl.
33. Beryl. This unique girl’s name refers to the gemstone that’s more commonly known as the emerald. It supposedly derives from a Sanskrit word. This name rose to popularity in the UK in the 1930’s when it reached number 22 in the list of top female names. If your daughter is born in May, consider naming her Beryl since the emerald is the birth stone for that month.
34. Blanche. This name was originally a French nickname meaning ‘fair’ or ‘white’. The name originated in Spain as Blanca before spreading to France when a Spanish princess with the name married a French king. It’s also the name of one of the main characters in the play A Streetcar Named Desire.
35. Cora. In Greek, this name means ‘maiden’ and is spelled Kore. But the more common spelling is this Latin version. It became popular after the novel The Last of the Mohicans. It can also be a shortened form of the names Cordula, Corinne, and Corinna. The diminutive of this name is Coretta.
36. Constance. This is the English form of the Latin name Constantia, which means ‘constant’. The daughter of William the Conqueror was named Constance.
37. Elspeth. This is the Scottish form of Elizabeth, which means ‘my God is my oath’ in Hebrew. You could pick this uncommon version of the old-fashioned girl’s name for something less serious and a little more playful.
38. Faye. This simple name means ‘fairy’ in Middle English. It also has roots in Old French, in which it means ‘fate’. It can be spelled Fay and may also be a shortened version of the name Faith.
39. Gretchen. This is the German diminutive of Margareta. Other variants include Greta or Gretel. In Latin, Margareta means ‘pearl’. Pearl is on the Cute Old-Fashioned Girl Names list.
40. Lorraine. This is the name of a region in France, but it’s been in use as a girl’s given name since the late nineteenth century.
41. Mabel. This is the medieval version of the name Amabilis, which means ‘lovable’. The girl’s name used to be very uncommon but was revived in the nineteenth century due to the release of the novel The Heir of Redclyffe.
42. Maeve. This is the English version of the Gaelic name Medb, which means ‘intoxicating’. In Irish legend, Medb was a warrior queen. It could be a good name for a baby girl you hope will grow up to be powerful, brave, and strong.
43. Mavis. This unique name may derive from a bird, also called a song thrush. The name of the bird comes from the mythical story of Philomela who was transformed into a bird. As a girl’s name, it was first used in a nineteenth-century novel by British author Marie Corelli.
44. Muriel. From the Irish name Muirgel, Muriel was brought to England by the Normans. The name became popular after a nineteenth-century novel. Other variants include Murielle, Meryl, and Merla.
45. Nadine. This is the French version of the Slavic name Nadia, which means ‘hope’.
46. Sibyl. In Greek, this unique and vintage girl’s name means ‘prophetess’. Greek and Roman legend as well as Christian theology mention sibyls, women of divine knowledge. The name has been in use since the Middle Ages and was revived in the nineteenth century after Benjamin Disraeli's novel Sybil. Variant spellings include Sybil, Cybill, and Sybella.
47. Tallulah. In the Native American Choctaw language, this name means ‘leaping waters’. This beautiful name also has Irish origins meaning ‘princess of abundance’ from the Gaelic word ‘Tuilelaith’.
48. Ursula. Meaning ‘little bear’ in Latin, Ursula was the name of a princess saint who was martyred in the fourth century. Due to Saint Ursula’s popularity, the name became more commonly used in the Middle Ages.
49. Vera. Meaning ‘faith’ in Russian, this girl’s name has also been associated with the Latin word for true. This unique name has been popular in many European countries since the late nineteenth century. The name can also be a nickname for Veronica.
50. Wanda. This name appears in Polish legends. Wanda was the daughter of the founder of the city of Krakow. The name may have Germanic roots. It was introduced to English-speaking countries in the late nineteenth century.
51. Wilma. This is the short form of the German name Wilhelmina, which is the female form of the name William.
52. Winifred. This is the English version of the Welsh name Gwenfrewi, which means ‘fair’ and ‘peace’. The uncommon and old-fashioned girl’s name was first used in sixteenth-century England.
Beautiful Old-Fashioned Girl Names
53. Beverly. In Old English this beautiful name means ‘beaver stream’ and was originally the name of a city. This was a masculine name before becoming popular as a girl’s name in the early twentieth century.
54. Beatrix. From Viatrix, a feminine form of Viator, meaning ‘voyager, traveller’. This beautiful old-fashioned girl name was revived in the nineteenth century. The famous author and illustrator Beatrix Potter brings magic to this name, as the creator of the beloved character, Peter Rabbit.
55. Candace. This beautiful biblical name is derived from the Cushitic language and means ‘queen mother’. It was a popular name among Puritans and grew in popularity in the mid-twentieth century.
56. Celeste. This name can be both female and male. It’s the Italian form of the Latin name Caelestis, which means ‘of the sky’ or ‘heavenly’. What a beautiful, old-fashioned name meaning for your heaven-sent baby girl.
57. Darina. This is the English version of an Irish name that means ‘fruitful’.
58. Daphne. In Greek, this name means ‘laurel’. In Greek Mythology, Daphne was turned into a laurel tree by her father to keep her safe from danger. Take a look at some more names inspired by Greek mythology.
59. Delia. This was another name for the Greek goddess Artemis as the name means ‘of Delos’ in Greek, which is the island of her birth. The name became popular after being used in poetry during the sixteenth and seventeenth century.
60. Dolores. This Spanish name means ‘sorrow’ and refers to the Virgin Mary. It sounds more beautiful than its meaning.
61. Evelyn. This beautiful old-fashioned girl’s name began as an English surname before it became a male English name. Later it became popular as a girl’s name after the novel Evelina. Another spelling option for the name is Eveline.
62. Florence. Derived from the Latin female name Florentia, which means ‘flourishing’, this old-fashioned girls name is also the name of the famous Italian city that was the birthplace of the Renaissance. A well-known bearer of this name was Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
63. Gwendolyn. Also spelled Gwendolen or Gwendoline, this name means ‘white ring’ in Welsh. A common nickname for Gwendolyn is Gwen.
64. Lillian. This name may come from the Latin word for lily, which is lilium. But the name may also be a diminutive of Elizabeth.
65. Lucille. This is the French form of the name Lucilla, which is a diminutive of Lucia. A cute nickname for Lucille is Lucy.
66. Luella. A variant spelling of the name Louella, this name came about from combining the names Lu or Lou with Ella.
67. Marlena. This variant of the name Marlene has origins in the names Maria and Magdalene, which refer to Mary Magdalene in the Bible.
68. Pamela. The poet Sir Philip Sidney introduced this name in the late sixteenth century. This beautiful girl’s name was later used in an eighteenth-century novel. The name is possibly made up of Greek words that mean ‘all sweetness’. It finally gained popularity in the twentieth century.
69. Priscilla. Originally a Roman name that meant ‘ancient’, this beautiful old-fashioned girl’s name also appears in the Bible. It was very popular among the Puritans. A cute nickname is Cece.
70. Roberta. This female form of the name Robert means ‘bright fame’ in German. With this name your baby girl could also have a cute nickname like Birdie, Bobbie, or Robyn.
71. Rowena. The meaning of this old-fashioned and beautiful girl’s name is uncertain, but it possibly means ‘fame’ and ‘joy’ in German. The name may also have Welsh roots. It became popular after being used in the nineteenth-century novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Your baby girl may or may not end up being famous, but she will certainly bring you lots of joy!
72. Sabrina. Welsh legend has it that a princess with this name drowned in the River Severn. The character of Sabrina also appears as a water nymph in John Milton’s Comus. Although the history of this girl’s name is quite melodramatic, it’s a beautiful melodic name. You’ll also likely recognise this name from the comic book series and sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
73. Sheila. This is the English spelling of the Irish name Síle, which is a form of Cecilia. Variant spellings include Shayla, Shelia, and Shelagh.
74. Sonya. This is a Russian diminutive of Sophia, which means ‘wisdom’ in Greek. Sonya is also the name of a character in Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. The name can also be spelled Sonia.
75. Tamara. This beautiful girl’s name is the Russian version of the Hebrew name Tamar, which means ‘date palm’. Tamar was a daughter of King David in the Bible. Many famous Russian actresses and ballerinas have had the name Tamara.
76. Winona. This girl’s name means ‘first-born daughter’ in the Native American Dakota language. It can also be spelled Wynona or Wenona. If your little girl happens to be your first-born daughter, why not choose this beautiful old-fashioned name.
Cute Old-Fashioned Girl Names
77. Ada. This cute name was typically short for the name Adelaide, which is another old-fashioned girl’s name. It’s derived from the German word adal, which means ‘noble’.
78. Annette. This is the French diminutive of Anne and means ‘grace’. The Virgin Mary’s mother was traditionally name Anne, which may account for its popularity amongst Christians. Anna and Ann are also common versions of this name.
79. Clara. This old-fashioned and cute girl’s name has Latin roots and means ‘clear’, ‘bright’, or ‘famous’. The spelling Clare was more popular until the late nineteenth century when Clara overtook it in popularity. But feel free to choose either spelling of the girl’s name. A popular nickname is Clarissa.
80. Darcy. This name was originally a surname written as d’Arcy, and it indicated that the person came from Arcy in France. It became popular after a male character in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. It is considered a unisex name.
81. Denise. This is the French female form of the male name Denis, which is derived from the name Dionysius. The name was common in France before making it to England and other parts of the world.
82. Doretta. This cute, old-fashioned girl’s name is the diminutive for Dora, which is often short for names like Dorothy, Theodora, or Isadora.
83. Edwina. This is the female form of the name Edwin. In Old English, the name means ‘rich friend’.
84. Elsa. This short form of Elisabeth has German, Dutch, and Scandinavian roots. Like many of the other cute old-fashioned baby girl names on this list, Elsa has a whimsical sound.
85. Francine. This is the French female version of the male name François, which is basically the French version of Francis.
86. Georgina. This name is derived from the male name George, which in Greek means ‘farmer’. Other variants include Georgia, and the nicknames Georgie or Gina.
87. Henrietta. Another spelling of this name is Henriette. Both are the French feminine form of Henri, which has German roots and means ‘home ruler’.
88. Jean. This cute name is a variant of Jane, with both names derived from John. This name was common in England and Scotland in the Middle Ages before it spread to the rest of the English-speaking world in the nineteenth century. Variants of the name include Janice and Jeanne, and the diminutives Jeanette, Janet, and Jeanie.
89. Loretta. Also spelled Lauretta, this cute girl’s name can be a diminutive of Laura or Lora. It may even originate from Loreto, a town in Italy that means ‘laurel grove’.
90. Lynette. This cute girl’s name may be considered a diminutive of Lynn, but the name started as Luned or Eluned from Welsh mythology.
91. Matilda. In German, this old-fashioned, cute girl’s name means ‘strength in battle’. It was also the name of a saint who was the wife of a German king. Many royals have since had the name. You may even recognise this cute name from the wonderful Roald Dahl novel, Matilda.
92. Mona. This is the English version of the Irish name Muadhnait, which means ‘little noble one’. This cute girl’s name is sometimes associated with a Greek word that means ‘one’ and it’s also the name of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting Mona Lisa.
93. Nancy. A diminutive of the name Annis or Ann. There’s a city with this name in the Lorraine region of France. Lorraine is on the Uncommon Old-Fashioned Baby Girl Names list. The two names could make a cute pairing when choosing names for your twins.
94. Odette. This is the French version of the name Oda or Odilia, likely originating in the male name Otto. Ballet fans will also recognise this cute girl’s name from Swan Lake.
95. Pearl. This name refers to the pearls that oysters produce. The name also has Latin roots as the name Perla. The birth stone for June is the pearl, so this could make a great name option if your baby girl is born then. Supposedly pearls impart health and wealth—two more reasons to choose this old-fashioned, cute girl name.
96. Rhonda. This name of Welsh origin means ‘good spear’, but it has also been thought to mean ‘noisy’. It could always be a cute choice for a noisy little newborn!
97. Shirley. This name derives from a place name and means ‘bright clearing’. It’s also the name of a Charlotte Brontë novel. A famous bearer of this cute girl’s name was actress Shirley Temple.
98. Stacy. This name can either be a diminutive of the Russian name Anastasia or the medieval name Eustace. Originally this cute girl’s name was considered masculine before being used as a feminine name in the 1950s. It can also be spelled Stacey, Staci, or Stacie.
99. Wendy. This cute name was used for a character in the famous story of Peter Pan in the early 1900s. The name Wendy rose to popularity after the play. It’s believed that this girl’s name may be a derivative of the Welsh name Gwendolen, which appears on the Beautiful Old-Fashioned Girl Names list.
100. Yvette. This is the French female form of the male name Yves. Another variant spelling is Evette, and the French nickname is Yvonne. Any of these names would make a beautiful and cute old-fashioned name for your baby girl.
The Bottom Line
Have you found the right old-fashioned name on this list for your baby girl? If you haven’t, there are plenty of other options you can check out. Take a look at our top baby girl names for even more great ideas.
Or, check out our Baby Name Generator, which can also help you find a name using filters like first letter and theme.
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