Old Fashioned Girl Names Making a Comeback
Vintage names cycle back roughly every 80 to 100 years, which is why names that sounded like your great grandmother a generation ago now read as fresh again. Several, like Olivia and Charlotte, have already fully returned to mainstream popularity rather than staying a niche vintage pick.
Old fashioned girl names and their meanings
- Adeline (German, meaning noble and kind)
- Annabelle (a Latin/French combined form meaning favored grace)
- Aurelia (Latin, meaning golden)
- Eleanor (Old French/Provençal roots, historically an elaborated form linked to the same root as Helen)
- Violet (English, from the flower name)
- Alice (Germanic roots via Old French, meaning noble)
- Charlotte (French, a feminine form of Charles, meaning free woman)
- Olivia (Latin, meaning olive tree, and now one of the most popular girls’ names in the US)
Quick facts
| Common origins | German, Latin, French |
| Common meaning themes | nobility, grace, gold |
| Note | Olivia and Charlotte have moved from “vintage revival” into simply being current top-10 names |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between “old fashioned” and “vintage” when it comes to names?
The terms are generally used interchangeably for names that were common a century or so ago and have since faded and, in many cases, returned to popularity.
Are old fashioned girl names still considered unusual?
Not anymore for most of the names on this list. Olivia and Charlotte are now firmly mainstream rather than a distinctive vintage choice.
Related reading
Boy equivalent: old fashioned boy names.