Baby Names by Style
Style in naming is one of those things that parents recognize immediately but struggle to put into words. It is the difference between a name that sounds like it belongs in a Victorian novel and one that arrived with a specific decade. I find that most parents already have a style in mind - they just need a word for it. This page gives you those words and, more usefully, a list of names that fit each one.
The groupings here are based on real data: popularity records from the US Social Security Administration going back to 1880, combined with first-appearance dates for each name. Classic names have held a place in the top 200 for decades. Vintage names peaked before 1960 and have since returned. Modern names entered US records only after 1980. Short and long categories reflect the name's actual length, which tends to track fairly well with syllable count. Within each group, names appear in order of current US popularity.
Classic Names
Top 200 names with sustained popularity since 1950.
From Latin “oliva” meaning olive tree; coined by…
From Old Irish “Uilliam,” itself from Old High German…
From Old High German 'ermen' meaning whole or universal; a…
From Hebrew נֹח (Noḥ) meaning rest or comfort; the biblical…
From Germanic 'amal' meaning work or vigor, fused with…
From Old Norse 'Áleifr' meaning ancestor relic, or Latin…
From the French feminine diminutive of Charles, rooted in…
From Greek 'theos' (god) and 'doron' (gift) meaning gift of…
From a Scandinavian and Italian short form of Maria, rooted…
From Greek σοφία (sophia) meaning wisdom; a name of…
From Old High German 'Heimirich' meaning ruler of the home…
From the Italian form of Elizabeth, rooted in Hebrew…
Vintage Names
Names that peaked before 1960 and are back in the top 500 today.
From Late Latin 'Jacomus,' variant of Jacob, from Hebrew…
From Germanic “will” (desire) + “helm” (helmet, protector);…
From Hebrew Elisheba meaning pledged to God or my God is…
From Hebrew 'šəmūʾēl' meaning heard by God or name of God;…
From Hebrew 'Mikhaʼel' meaning "Who is like God?"; a…
From Old English 'haesel' meaning the hazel tree;…
From Hebrew 'Yohanan' meaning God is gracious or God has…
From Hebrew 'Yosef' meaning he will add or God increases;…
From Aramaic 'Ta'oma' meaning twin; the apostle who doubted…
From Latin “gratia” meaning favor, goodwill, or divine…
From Germanic 'Karl' meaning free man or husband; the name…
From Latin “lilium” meaning lily flower; a Victorian-era…
Modern Names
Names that first appeared in US records after 1980.
From Portuguese 'Tiago,' a medieval Iberian form of 'Santo…
From Spanish, possibly from Nahuatl or a modern coinage; a…
From Arabic or Basque roots meaning exalted or joy; a…
From Arabic 'Kadin' meaning companion or from a modern…
From English 'heaven' spelled backwards; an invented…
From Hebrew 'El-Yah-Ana' meaning my God has answered; a…
From English 'wren' plus Old English 'leah' meaning…
From Hawaiian 'ke' plus 'lani' meaning 'the heavens'; a…
From Old English meaning 'son of Emery'; a surname from the…
Modern American respelling of Emerson with feminine '-syn'…
Modern compound from English 'oak' plus Welsh '-lynn'…
From English word 'legend' meaning 'a famous story or…
Short Names
1-2 syllable names currently in the top 300.
From Old Irish “Uilliam,” itself from Old High German…
From Old High German 'ermen' meaning whole or universal; a…
From Hebrew נֹח (Noḥ) meaning rest or comfort; the biblical…
From a Scandinavian and Italian short form of Maria, rooted…
Possibly from Latin 'avis' meaning bird or Germanic 'avo'…
From Hebrew לֵוִי meaning joined or attached; the priestly…
From Latin “luna” meaning moon; the name of Rome’s moon…
From Hebrew עֶזְרא meaning “help” or “helper”; borne by the…
Medieval English pet form of John, from Hebrew Yochanan…
From Hebrew 'Yohanan' meaning God is gracious or God has…
Short form of Honora from Latin 'honor' or of Eleanor from…
From Latin Lucanus meaning man from Lucania; the Italian…
Long Names
4+ syllable names in the top 500.
From the French feminine diminutive of Charles, rooted in…
From Greek 'theos' (god) and 'doron' (gift) meaning gift of…
From the Italian form of Elizabeth, rooted in Hebrew…
From Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין meaning son of the right hand; the…
From Latin Sebastianus meaning man from Sebaste; the name…
From Hebrew Elisheba meaning pledged to God or my God is…
From Old French “escarlate” meaning bright red cloth; an…
From Greek Alexandros meaning defender of men; carried by…
From Ancient Greek “penēlopē” meaning weaver or thread on a…
From Medieval Spanish 'Sant Iago' meaning Saint James; a…
From 19th-century American English meaning an unbranded…
From Latin "valentinus" meaning strong or vigorous; the…