VINTAGE GIRL NAMES — 1800s / 1900s / 1910s / 1920s / 1930s / 1940s / 1950s /

Victorian Girl Names from the 1800s

1800s Victorian girl names

Looking for a beautiful baby name for a daughter? If you love old-fashioned names redolent of times gone by, popular Victorian-era girl names could be a good starting point for your baby name search. To be fair, some of the most popular names of the 1800s may strike today's parents as dowdy and dated, but there are still plenty of beautiful vintage options perfect for modern babies (as well as some charming uncommon 1800s girl names for those who have a taste for the unshackled and off-beat).

The U.S. Social Security Administration has data on baby names for each year since 1880, so we did some number crunching to find out which names were ruling the cradle in the late nineteenth century. First, let's look at the top 10 girl names of the latter part of the Victorian era.

Top 10 Girl's Names of the late 1800s (1880-1899)

  1. Mary—This biblical classic was already topping the charts in the 1800s, and its popularity persisted well into into the second half of the 20th century.
  2. Anna—The beautiful Anna appealed to legions of parents in the 1800s, and it still has quite some fans in modern-day America.
  3. Margaret—This golden oldie has a lot going for it: a beautiful meaning ('pearl'), feminist cred via Margarets Fuller and Thatcher, and plenty of nicknames to choose from (Maggie, Marge, Meg, Peggy, Mags, Daisy, Margo, Maisie).
  4. Elizabeth—This classic is equally good for a child or an adult, a poet or a prime minister.
  5. Emma—Not only was Emma a beloved girl's name in the 1800s, it's also the title of one of the most famous literary works from that era.
  6. Helen—This one has a strong literary pedigree thanks to the huge number of American poets and other authors bearing the name Helen, many of whom were born in the 1800s (Helen Hunt Jackson, Helen Louisa Bostwick Bird, Helen Hinsdale Rich, Helen Stuart Campbell, and Helen Marie Black are just a few examples).
  7. Florence—This vintage charmer could be an interesting option if you're looking for an old-fashioned baby name with an Italian twist (Florence is the capital of Italy's Tuscany region).
  8. Minnie—This warm, sweet moniker was given to American baby girls long before Minnie Mouse entered the picture.
  9. Ethel—An Old Hollywood and Broadway powerhouse, made famous by stars Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Clayton and Ethel Waters, all of whom were born in the 1800s.
  10. Bertha—Worn by everyone from saints and queens to playwrights and actresses, this 1800s' hit has a long history as a female given name. The association with the huge German cannon used in World War I (Big Bertha) may give today's parents pause, however.

Now let's move on to the Top 100. The following list includes all the names that didn't make it to the Top 10 but that were among the 100 most popular girl names during the period from 1880 through 1899.