Odd Names in top 1000 from 1890s

Girl Names
1

Today I was looking at the top 1000 names in the 1890s. I came across some pretty odd names, and some prove that trends repeat (misspellings, boys on girls, place names). This is the girls version, I will post the boys in another post under “Boy [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names”. If some are just small misspellings such as [name_m]Benjiman[/name_m], then I am leaving it out. These are just most that I found, not all.

[name_m]Just[/name_m] Odd:

  • [name_f]Velva[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Oma[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mittie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Pearlie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Dovie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Orpha[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vesta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Myrtie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Sudie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lovie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Pinkie[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Tennie[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Elda[/name_f] (cross between [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] and [name_m]Elder[/name_m]?)
  • [name_f]Minna[/name_f]
  • [name_u]Ocie[/name_u] (sounds like OCD)
  • [name_f]Ludie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vernie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Viva[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lenna[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mertie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Jettie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Zona[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Claudie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Onie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Florine[/name_f] (sounds like chlorine)
  • [name_f]Verdie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vergie[/name_f] (sounds like virgin)
  • [name_u]Lonie[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Icie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Reta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Meda[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Yetta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Hassie[/name_f] (reminds me of [name_f]Lassie[/name_f])
  • [name_f]Marvel[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Manda[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Reva[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mettie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Liddie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Etha[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Veva[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Leda[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Kattie[/name_f]
  • [name_u]Ottie[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Docia[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Exie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Audra[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Emmer[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Coral[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Ebba[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Tempie[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Rossie[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Elna[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Minta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mahala[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Icy[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Clora[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Elta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Sula[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Fairy[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Novella[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Glennie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Elvie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Ressie[/name_f]
  • [name_u]Arlie[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Lutie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Nonie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Hessie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Frona[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Goldia[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vertie[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Ossie[/name_m] (Aussie?)
  • [name_f]Sina[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lular[/name_f]
  • [name_u]Osie[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Myrtice[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Dicie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Delma[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Doshie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vella[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Birtie[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Mossie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Fleta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mozelle[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Delta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Treva[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vira[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Buena[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Zettie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mintie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Corda[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Velva[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Verla[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Rella[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Omie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lella[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lollie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lassie[/name_f] (guilty pleasure of mine)
  • [name_f]Ouida[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lala[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lovina[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Atha[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Vassie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Nealie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Concepcion[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Paralee[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Versie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Odile[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Dillie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Myrta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Anner[/name_f]

Boys names on Girls:

  • [name_m]Dewey[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Clifford[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Harry[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Walter[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Fred[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]
  • [name_u]Maxie[/name_u]
  • [name_m]John[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Henry[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Joseph[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Joe[/name_m] (Why couldn’t they spell it [name_u]Jo[/name_u]?)
  • [name_u]Freddie[/name_u]
  • [name_m]Robert[/name_m]

Misspelled Names:

  • [name_f]Edythe[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Ethyl[/name_f]
  • [name_u]Lue[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Sadye[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Grayce[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Alyce[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Rubye[/name_f]

Places Names & Word Names:

  • [name_f]Era[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Queen[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Florida[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Garnet[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Missouri[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Marvel[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Arizona[/name_f]
  • [name_u]America[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Easter[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Honora[/name_f] (I thought this name was new, so I found it weird to be on there)

Trendy Now (other than boys on girls and misspellings)

  • [name_f]Ethelyn[/name_f] (the -lyn ending that isn’t normally there is trendy now)
  • [name_u]Lexie[/name_u]

Others:
These names I find very unusual, but pretty, too.

  • [name_f]Sophronia[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Thora[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Izora[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Izetta[/name_f]

I found [name_f]Concepcion[/name_f] and [name_f]Paralee[/name_f] to be especially weird. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] you enjoy!

2

[name_f]Oma[/name_f] is the [name_m]German[/name_m] word for Grandmother—odd on a baby though

3

Oh, that’s how you spell it! I knew how to say ‘grandmother’ in [name_m]German[/name_m], but never how to spell it. [name_f]My[/name_f] cousins call my grandmother [name_f]Oma[/name_f]. I agree, that’s really weird to name a baby that. But I shouldn’t be talking - I love the names Nan, Nanny, and Nana!

4

Many of these I’ve actually heard of before, and they have quite rich histories, including (but not limited to):

[name_f]Pearlie[/name_f] - related to [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]

[name_f]Vesta[/name_f] - [name_m]Roman[/name_m] name of the Greek goddess [name_f]Hestia[/name_f]

[name_f]Leda[/name_f] - mother of [name_m]Castor[/name_m], [name_m]Pollux[/name_m], [name_f]Helen[/name_f] of [name_m]Troy[/name_m], Clytemnestra, etc. in Greek mythology

[name_f]Minta[/name_f] and [name_f]Mintie[/name_f] - likely short forms of [name_f]Araminta[/name_f]

[name_f]Mahala[/name_f] - referred to in the Bible as [name_f]Mahlah[/name_f], [name_f]Mahalath[/name_f], and other forms

[name_f]Sula[/name_f] - related to [name_f]Shulamit[/name_f]

[name_f]Glennie[/name_f] - possibly a diminutive for the Welsh name [name_f]Glenys[/name_f]

[name_f]Delta[/name_f] - fourth letter of the Greek alphabet

[name_f]Ouida[/name_f] - an English diminutive for [name_f]Louisa[/name_f]

[name_f]Lovina[/name_f] - related to [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], which is Latin and comes from the ancient place named Lavinium

[name_f]Concepcion[/name_f] - an epithet for the Virgin [name_f]Mary[/name_f] that is quite common in Spanish-speaking parts of the world

[name_f]Odile[/name_f] - a character in Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan [name_u]Lake[/name_u]

[name_m]Fred[/name_m] and [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] - could be short for [name_f]Frederica[/name_f]

[name_u]Maxie[/name_u] - could be short for [name_f]Maxine[/name_f]

[name_f]Alyce[/name_f] - (this one was really fun to research) a name that has been around for a long time, found in: Elizabethan Names compiled by the Guild of St. Michael, 16th Century Gloucestershire Names compiled by Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Uckelman), Feminine Given Names of Aliens and Strangers from the 1541 Subsidy Roll of London compiled by Sara L. Uckelman, Given Names of English Men and Women compiled by Sara L. Uckelman, Index of Names in the 1582 Subsidy Roll of London compield by Sara L. Uckelman, the Dictionary of Tudor London Names by Sara L. Uckelman, and Names from Northumberland and Durham, 1530-1830 compiled by Douglas Galbi; these may not all be completely accurate but it’s safe to say that [name_f]Alyce[/name_f] is a “legitimate” or “traditional” name if it shows up so many times

[name_u]America[/name_u] - the United Sates of [name_u]America[/name_u], [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u], and South [name_u]America[/name_u] are all named after [name_m]Amerigo[/name_m] Vespucci; the Latin form of his name, [name_m]Americus[/name_m], was put into the feminine form for these places

5

I work at a church with a lot of elderly people, and some of those names are familiar. We definitely have an [name_f]Orpha[/name_f] and a [name_f]Verla[/name_f].

My grandma’s name was [name_f]Odile[/name_f]. It’s a [name_m]French[/name_m] name, but not that common nowadays.

[name_f]Coral[/name_f] and [name_f]Minna[/name_f] are pretty, but I can’t see [name_f]Icy[/name_f] or [name_f]Lassie[/name_f] working as names today.

6

[name_f]Honora[/name_f] unlike [name_f]Honor[/name_f]/[name_f]Honour[/name_f] isn’t a modern invention. It’s very much in he same vein as [name_f]Mercy[/name_f] etc. I have an [name_f]Honora[/name_f] in my family tree, she’s at least four or five generations back.

7

[name_f]Minna[/name_f] is one of the most common girl names in Finland and [name_f]Ebba[/name_f] is one very common girls name in [name_u]Sweden[/name_u]

8
  • [name_f]Dovie[/name_f] - kind of cute. I have [name_u]Dove[/name_u] on my list of one-syllable middle name possibilities.
  • [name_f]Minna[/name_f] - Known some before. [name_f]Minna[/name_f] and [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] are both cute. I wouldn’t have thought of [name_f]Minna[/name_f] as that odd actually.
  • [name_f]Icie[/name_f] and *[name_f]Icy[/name_f] - Could I use these? I like them… what could they be a NN for?
  • [name_f]Reta[/name_f] - This is [name_f]Rita[/name_f] I bet.
  • [name_f]Yetta[/name_f] - Old Yiddish name.
  • [name_f]Manda[/name_f] - [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] has actually been in the Top Thousand every year since 1880 and I bet [name_f]Manda[/name_f] is from that.
  • [name_f]Reva[/name_f] - Pretty.
  • [name_f]Liddie[/name_f] - [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], do you think?
  • [name_f]Leda[/name_f] - Oh, [name_f]Leda[/name_f]'s beautiful!

I love [name_f]Izora[/name_f], it’s actually on my list.

9

Who would use [name_m]Walter[/name_m] and [name_m]Henry[/name_m] on a girl? They are two gorgeous boys names!

10

[name_f]Novella[/name_f] is my favourite. It’s already in my list of favourite girls names!

I also like [name_f]Marvel[/name_f] (although perhaps not on a girl), [name_f]Thora[/name_f] and [name_f]Elvie[/name_f].

11

There was an article (maybe on NB at some point??) about how the gender on the old birth records is not always accurate. So it might not be that a girl was named [name_m]Walter[/name_m] but that a boy was accidentally misclassifed as a female birth.

12

I love

  • [name_f]Vernie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Lenna[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Claudie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Liddie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Leda[/name_f]
  • [name_u]Ottie[/name_u]
  • [name_f]Exie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Emmer[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Coral[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Minta[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Clora[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mossie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Mintie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Nealie[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Versie[/name_f]
13

I know a [name_f]Minta[/name_f], [name_f]Leda[/name_f], [name_f]Coral[/name_f], [name_f]Dovie[/name_f], [name_f]Docia[/name_f], [name_f]Audra[/name_f], and [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]. I went to school with a [name_f]Sophronia[/name_f]. Most of these are probably equivalents to naming today - lots of these look like they could be nicknames of names that were more common.
Also, remember that back then everything was handwritten - [name_f]Clora[/name_f] would easily have been [name_f]Clara[/name_f] with sloppy writing. :slight_smile:

14

[name_f]Rubye[/name_f]? [name_f]Grayce[/name_f]? [name_f]Ethelyn[/name_f]? Wow! It just goes to show alternate spellings/variations have been around forever! But actually, some of these are pretty cool, my favorites being:

[name_f]Exie[/name_f]
[name_f]Rella[/name_f]
[name_f]Nealie[/name_f]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Jettie[/name_f]

They all seem rather nickname-y, perhaps a lot of them are the short form of a more traditional name? They’re interesting either way!

15

I really like…

[name_f]Lenna[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudie[/name_f]
[name_f]Liddie[/name_f]
[name_f]Leda[/name_f] ([name_u]LOVE[/name_u])
[name_u]Ottie[/name_u]
[name_f]Audra[/name_f]
[name_f]Coral[/name_f]
[name_u]Arlie[/name_u]
[name_f]Alyce[/name_f]

Most of these I would only use as nicknames.

16

Maybe whoever spelled it [name_f]Ethyl[/name_f] was a chemist :stuck_out_tongue:

17

Haha my name is a pretty odd name :slight_smile:

18

I’m surprised to see the name [name_f]Mahala[/name_f] in there! I know a 14-year-old African-British girl called that, so it’s kind of surprising to me to see it in the top 1000 in the 1890s…

I also love [name_f]Viva[/name_f] and [name_f]Zona[/name_f], and I hope to God [name_f]Concepcion[/name_f] never makes a comeback. [name_u]Ever[/name_u].

19

I know a woman named Concepción who is around 30. Everyone calls her [name_f]Concha[/name_f].

20

[name_f]Mittie[/name_f] - a very cute nickname. Dont know what for though :stuck_out_tongue:
[name_f]Lenna[/name_f] - I like the [name_f]Lena[/name_f] spelling.
[name_f]Liddie[/name_f] - also a cute nickname, probably for [name_f]Lydia[/name_f].
[name_f]Leda[/name_f] - I do love [name_f]Leda[/name_f]!
[name_f]Audra[/name_f]- this is normal now, isnt it?
[name_f]Emmer[/name_f] - prefer the [name_f]Emma[/name_f] spelling :stuck_out_tongue:
[name_f]Coral[/name_f] - another word name that is still hovering around with sisters [name_u]Ocean[/name_u] and [name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_f]Lular[/name_f] - strangely attractive version of the gorgeous [name_f]Luna[/name_f]/Lunar
[name_f]Delta[/name_f] - probably the most normal on this list.
[name_f]Concepcion[/name_f] - I have heard of this before. The most weirdest and awful name ever! [name_f]Hope[/name_f] people don’t still consider this!
[name_u]Maxie[/name_u] - cute and sweet, especially as a nn for [name_f]Maxine[/name_f].
[name_f]Ethyl[/name_f] - I never know whether I love or hate names where a ‘Y’ replaces an E or an I. [name_f]Hazyl[/name_f], Farryl, [name_f]Paityn[/name_f], [name_u]Aidyn[/name_u], etc. (Update, I think I hate them.)
[name_f]Alyce[/name_f] - Different. Still prefer [name_f]Alice[/name_f] though. (Is this where [name_f]Alys[/name_f] came from?)
[name_f]Garnet[/name_f] - a jewel name. Very pretty.
[name_u]Lexie[/name_u] - A nickname only. For [name_f]Alexa[/name_f] or [name_u]Alex[/name_u] or [name_f]Alexandr[/name_f]/i/a whatever you choose. [name_f]Lexy[/name_f] is a nicer spelling/
[name_f]Sophronia[/name_f] - awful, looks ugly written down and don’t know how to even start saying it.