Old Money Names, Timeless Preppy Picks for Girls and Boys
“Old money” as a naming style is less about a name’s literal meaning and more about its social association: names long used within East Coast prep school and inherited-wealth circles, favoring classic English and Latin roots over trendy modern sounds.
Old money names for girls
- Amelia (Latin, meaning work)
- Margaret (Greek, meaning pearl)
- Audrey (English, meaning noble strength)
- Sloane (Irish, meaning warrior, now used almost exclusively as a preppy-coded girl’s name despite its literal meaning)
Old money names for boys
- Andrew (Greek, meaning man or warrior)
- Edward (Old English, meaning prosperity and riches)
Old money last names used as first names
Following English aristocratic convention, several old money picks are actually surnames repurposed as given names, a pattern that itself signals the “old money” style as much as any individual name’s meaning.
Quick facts
| Common origins | Greek, Latin, Old English |
| Style marker | classic English/Latin roots, surnames used as first names, avoidance of currently trending sounds |
| Note | this is a social/aesthetic naming category more than a linguistic one, several names here (like Sloane) have meanings unrelated to wealth itself |
Frequently asked questions
Is “old money” a real naming category, or just a social media trend?
It reflects a genuine, long-standing pattern of names favored within certain wealthy East Coast social circles, though its current popularity as a naming search term has been amplified by recent social media aesthetic trends.
Does Edward’s meaning, “prosperity and riches,” explain why it’s an old money name?
It’s a fitting coincidence, but the name’s old money association comes more from its long history of use among English nobility than from a direct link between its Old English meaning and modern wealth.
Are old money names always English in origin?
Mostly, though the style draws on Latin and Greek roots too, reflecting the broader classical education historically associated with old money social circles.
Related reading
Broader style-based lists: old fashioned girl names, old fashioned boy names, unique girl names.