The most recent blog about [name]Alice[/name] got me thinking about classic names. My naming style is definitely classic, perhaps with a slight twist. Right now I’m re-doing my girls’ list, so I was wondering if you could list the names that you personally think truly embody the word “classic” - names that are not passing trends, but rather stand the test of time, are beautiful and feminine, age well, or whatever other definition for the word “classic” you have.
Thoughts? All comments and suggestions are appreciated.
I think [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katherine[/name] are the most enduring classics and two of the most beautiful names ever. They’ve got it all.
I agree with [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Katherine[/name]/[name]Catherine[/name], and [name]Caroline[/name].
Also, and I’m sure some of these are debatable:
[name]Anne[/name]
[name]Hannah[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name]
[name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Mary[/name]
I agree with most for these, and this is my fav style too! My list would prob be:
[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name]/[name]Katherine[/name]
[name]Sara[/name]
[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Madeline[/name]/[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Mary[/name]
[name]Anna[/name]/[name]Anne[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Emily[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Laura[/name]
Did you see the post name berry did last year on the names that have been on the SSA top 1000 list since 1880? they then also bucketed them by truly classic, more classic than thought etc - that should give a pretty comprehensive list.
To me classic just means old and popular for a long time. Pretty much if it was in the top 20 in 1880 and it’s still in the top 50 then it’s classic.
[name]Mary[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Anne[/name], and [name]Sarah[/name] are the ones I think of immediately but I’m sure there are some others.
for boys I’d say [name]William[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]John[/name], [name]Michael[/name], etc.
There are some others I’d say if you expand the definition a bit more, but I’d still say that continuous popularity is the main ingredient.
[name]Freya[/name]? It’s not even in the top 1000 in the US, and it’s only been on the charts in the UK since the late 90’s.
I didn’t even know it was a name before joining nameberry.
Are the English names I consider truly “classic”. They’ve been used regularly in English speaking countries since the Middle Ages - though some forms upstaged the others for a couple centuries ([name]Isabella[/name] was initially more common, was then upstaged by [name]Elizabeth[/name] and after a few centuries it seems to have become the most popular form).
When I think classic I think “names you hear everywhere, all the time, in all generations.” Definitely nms, but the immediate 3 I think of are [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Margaret[/name], and [name]Katherine[/name]. I once heard that the names [name]Katherine[/name] (not exactly sure which spelling) and [name]Margaret[/name] were the most popular girls names of all time, (going back I don’t know how long.) [name]Don[/name]'t know if this is true, but I thought it was interesting.
