The baby name Velvet fits with word names like Scarlett, but also manages to sound slightly vintage thanks to the name’s familiar history.
Thanks to Amanda for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME VELVET MEAN?
It’s a fabric, of course, woven from silk. It reads heavy, rich, luxe.
The word comes from the Latin villus, referring to a shaggy texture. It took on its current from in Old French, and Anglo-French speakers embraced it in England. By the 14th century, it appears in its current form.
Not long after, it can describe anything soft, like the soft skin on a young deer’s growing antlers.
For what it’s worth, the fabric itself appears as far back in history as 2000 BCE, at least in Egypt.
It wasn’t common during the early Middle Ages, but would eventually dominate what we think of as aristocratic fashion. Renaissance Italy’s fabric trade powered local economies. By the reign of Henry VIII, men and women at the royal court wore velvet in deep, sumptuous colors.
HOW DID IT BECOME A GIVEN NAME?
None of this transforms the fabric into a girl’s name.
Instead, credit goes to Enid Bagnold’s 1935 book, National Velvet. Bagnold’s novel follows a young teenager growing up in a tiny town in coastal England during the 1920s. When she spots a local horse, she starts dreaming of riding in the Grand National Steeplechase, believing that she can win the demanding race.
And she does. But she fakes her paperwork, because she’s too young to start with and, besides that, a girl. Ultimately, she’s disqualified on a technicality but is ultimately celebrated for her achievements.
The book’s title comes from the race combined with the teenager’s unusual given name. It’s never explained, but Bagnold might’ve had a soft spot for bold naming choices. Her own daughter, who illustrated the novel, was named Laurian.
In 1944, a young Elizabeth Taylor starred in the smash hit, faithful-to-the-novel movie adaptation. It’s mandatory viewing for horse-loving girls everywhere. The movie garnered plenty of Academy Award nominations and made Taylor a star.
A radio adaptation followed, and then a television series.
The NBC series ran from 1960 to 1962, starring Lori Martin the title role. A 1978 sequelfeatured Tatum O’Neal as Sarah, her equally talented niece, who eventually competes in the Olympics, winning gold. The movie ends with Sarah presenting the medal to her beloved aunt.
THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
One more association with the name: velveteen. Strictly speaking, it’s an imitation of the costlier fabric, first called velveret. Instead of silk, it’s woven from cotton.
1922 children’s book The Velveteen Rabbit imagines how toys become real. It’s love, of course. Author Margery Williams penned many other books, but this remains the most famous.
It’s a sweet sentiment and a powerful one, too. But the story also brings the luxurious material into a child’s world in a way that might make the name feel less grand and more approachable.
OTHER MEANINGS AND ASSOCIATIONS
A few other images attach to the name:
- In 1919, a silent movie called Luck and Pluckgave nickname to a male character. He’s a professional thief in New York City who falls in love with a girl on a runaway horse in Central Park.
- A 1951 song recorded by Tony Bennett became a #1 hit for Bobby Vinton in 1963. The title? “Blue Velvet,” the lyrics inspired by a woman’s glamorous holiday dress. It’s been covered countless times since, including by Lana Del Rey. A 1986 David Lynch movie borrowed the song and shared the title, but it was a much darker vibe.
- Early rock/avant garde band The Velvet Underground lend the name some indie edge. Back in the day, they took their name from a then-shocking book about sex.
- Paintings on the fabric started out as religious icons but tend to be seen as kitsch today.
- Singer Alannah Myles scored a hit in 1989 with the song “Black Velvet,” about Elvis Presley. Why? Because paintings of him on the fabric were once wildly popular.
- Also in 1989, the former Czechloslovakia overthrew the ruling Communist Party peacefully, in what’s called the Velvet Revolution.
It’s a wide range of meanings, but that speaks to the name’s versatility.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME VELVET?
In 1920, 16 girls were given the name, marking its debut in the US data. The name first appears on the boy’s side in 1941, with five births.
Then came the novel and the movie, and in 1945, six girls were named Velvet. But it didn’t last.
Not until the television series did the name break into the US Top 1000. It peaked in 1961 at #542, and dropped until it left the rankings after 1964.
As of the year 2025, just 12 girls received the name.
INTRIGUING RARITY
This could be the perfect name for parents looking for a rare word name that would wear well.
There’s an intriguing ambiguity. too. Is it an indie rock throwback to the late 1960s? A signal that you’re all about horses or possibly Golden Age Hollywood? Did you choose this because it’s more subtle than Dior or Golden?
If you love dark and dreamy names with a hint of Goth, then this could belong on your list of favorite names, a sister for Raven and Onyx.
What do you think of the baby name Velvet?
