Are 1930s names prime for revival?
Spend much time on baby name sites, and you’ll hear about the 100-year rule. Generally speaking, it takes about a century for a name to sound fresh and new again.
It’s why we so often like our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ names, but find our parents’ names a little dated, and our own names downright ordinary. Andrew and Stephanie name their babies Lucy and Clara – choices that might have been appropriate for their grandmas or great-grandmothers, too.
So maybe the best place to find the next wave of stylish girl names is sometime in the year 1929?
Of course, it’s also true that:
- Not every name comes back – some do fade into oblivion.
- We’re still more than a decade away from 2030, the first year that we might expect to hear the 1930s names in full flourish.
- Not every name returns on schedule – some arrive earlier, others languish long past the time you’d expect them to be making it big.
- And, of course, rarely does a name chart only for a few years – most rise and fall over the course of several decades. That means a Top 100 choice in 1935 could be a Top Twenty choice in the 1960s – and thus, need more time out-of-use before it feels ready for revival.
This list looks at some of the Top 100 names from 1935 – smack in the middle of the decade. We’re focusing on the names that have made their comeback – or those that have nearly really went away.
Look for the next installment of the series coming soon – 1930s girl names that might just be ready for revival.
1930s Names: Even Bigger Now
These are the 1930s names that are back in the US Top 100, and even more popular today than in 1935.
AUDREY
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #46
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #41
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #64
There’s style icon Audrey Hepburn, a figure that puts this name in the company of Hollywood glam names like Ava and Mae. It feels gently old-fashioned and nicely nickname-proof. Borrowed-from-the-boys Aubrey ranks slightly ahead of Audrey on the popularity charts, but it’s Audrey that offers up vintage appeal. Read more about Audrey here.
CHARLOTTE
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #7
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #19
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #65
Credit Sex and the City’s Charlotte York for putting this name back on parents’ radar. When the HBO original series debuted in 1998, Charlotte languished in the 300s. Fast-forward to today, factor in a British princess, and Charlotte has become a Top Ten favorite. Read more about Charlotte here.
EMMA
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #1
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #2
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #89
Strictly speaking, Emma belongs with nineteenth century girl names. But it was still going strong in the 1930s – a reminder that many popular names take decades to rise and fall. With ties to history and literature, Emma’s appeal enduring across the years then, and will almost certainly do the same once again in this generation. Read more about Emma here.
EVELYN
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #9
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #27
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #31
Parents are wild for Ev- names, which everything from lacy Evangeline to modern Everly attracting more attention in recent years. But Evelyn has risen highest, a tailored name at home in the twenty-first century, but with plentiful history to root the name in the past. Read more about Evelyn here.
GRACE
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #21
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #21
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #83
A virtue name with spiritual overtones, Grace makes a meaningful choice. Grace Kelly lends it some Hollywood glam and makes it royal; Gracie sounds as down-to-earth as any name can be. Like Emma, this name’s heyday was in the 1800s, but it endured into the 1930s, proving this name has staying power. Read more about Grace here.
HAZEL
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #43
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #175
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #92
Ecovintage Hazel has been boosted by celebrity parents and young adult literary heroines. It’s a nature name more traditional than Willow, but less expected than Rose. Once dismissed as too old-fashioned, it feels nicely current for a daughter today. Read more about Hazel here.
LILLIAN
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #27
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #25
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #66
The Lil- names come and go. In the 1930s, parents preferred Lillie. Today, it’s the more botanical Lily. But one constant is Lillian, a name used in English for centuries. It’s a nice compromise between the frillier flower names and the more buttoned-down classics. Fun fact: Lillian is an elaboration of Lily, which started out as a pet name for Elizabeth.
1930s Names: Back on Top
ALICE
2017 popularity rank: #70
2012 popularity rank: #127
1935 popularity rank: #25
Storybook Alice continues to climb. Besides her Wonderland ties, there’s Tina Fey’s daughter, the Twilight character, and the hero of Resident Evil. Rumor had it that Kate picked this name for a Cambridge princess. Once, Alice was a waitress and a wise-cracking housekeeper. Now Alice is fresh, on-trend, and traditional, too. Read more about Alice here.
CLARA
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #96
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #136
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #81
Sweet and saintly, the star of The Nutcracker, and a nicely pan-European name, Clara’s appeal is clear. It’s nickname-proof, another plus, and both timeless and on-trend. Unlike some of these 1930s names (cough, Charlotte, cough), it’s also not skyrocketing to the very top of the charts, which adds to the name’s appeal. Read more about Clara here.
ELEANOR
2017 US popularity rank in 2017: #35
2012 US popularity rank in 2012: #135
1935 US popularity rank in 1935: #48
Strong and maybe a little bit serious, Eleanor feels formal. And yet, it comes with nicknames that can feel downright fanciful. And Eleanor of Aquitaine, the driving force behind the medieval concept of courtly love, lends the name a romantic edge. Read more about Eleanor here.
RUBY
2017 US popularity rank: #79
2012 US popularity rank: #106
1935 US popularity rank: #41
As colorful as Scarlett, as borrowed from the natural world as River or Skye, Ruby could have been discovered in the year 2000. Instead, it’s been around for ages, never out of the US Top 1000. A bonus? The Rolling Stones and the Kaiser Chefs, Rancid and Kenny Rogers have all recorded songs with Ruby in the title. Read more about Ruby here.
1930s Names: The Staples
Some of these names fit with the category above. Except they’re so classic that it’s tough to peg them to the 1930s – or any decade, for that matter. They’re the evergreen classics
ANNA
2017 US popularity rank: #53
2012 US popularity rank: #35
1935 US popularity rank: #34
Ann, Anne, and Anna all count as evergreen classics, though the various forms have risen and fallen with the years. Anna strikes me as sweetly vintage. Musical Annie ranked in the Top 100 as an independent name back in 1935, too; today it’s most likely an affectionate form of the more popular Anna.
CATHERINE
2017 US popularity rank: #198
2012 US popularity rank: #165
1935 US popularity rank: #42
Spelling can be tricky. At first glance, Catherine has fallen out of use. But it’s simply that today’s parents prefer Katherine-with-a-K, now ranked #105. Nickname-rich, worn by saints and queens, Catherine makes an enduring choice, regardless of spelling. Read more about Catherine here.
ELIZABETH
2017 US popularity rank: #13
2012 US popularity rank: #10
1935 US popularity rank: #17
Regal and saintly, Elizabeth might be the most enduring of the classic girls’ names. It’s one of the few to hover around the Top 20 pretty much every single year. That makes it evergreen – at home in 1935, 2017, and well beyond. Favored nicknames come and go, but the formal version remains at the top. Read more about Elizabeth here.
MARGARET
2017 US popularity rank: #132
2012 US popularity rank: #176
1935 US popularity rank: #8
As classic as Katherine, as enduring as Eleanor, no question Margaret belongs with the classics. A former Top Ten favorite, the name fell after the 1960s. Today it seems to be in the midst of revival. And yet, I’m not sure any name as consistently used as Margaret could ever be considered truly out of favor. Read more about Margaret here.
MARY
2017 US popularity rank: #126
2012 US popularity rank: #121
1935 US popularity rank: #1
Few think of Mary as unusual, but this 1930s chart-topper is the ultimate familiar-but-uncommon choice. Simple, feminine, and strong, Mary hits the mark many parents are after. But after so many decades at #1, we often don’t see it that way. Read more about Mary here.
JANE
2017 US popularity rank: #282
2012 US popularity rank: #341
1935 US popularity rank: #43
Jane reads literary – think Austen, for starters – spare, and energetic. Some might dismiss it as common, but you’re far more likely to meet a Grace – or even a Jade. Jane manages to feel old-fashioned and romantic, mid-century modern, and at-home in the twenty-first century – a versatile choice, indeed. Read more about Jane here.
SARAH
2017 US popularity rank: #62
2012 US popularity rank: #43
1935 US popularity rank: #61
Odds are you know a Sarah (or maybe a Sara) in nearly every age range. It’s Biblical, feminine, and truly timeless. Because it spent over three decades in the US Top Ten, though, it’s easy to miss the name’s staying power. Reviewing the 1930s names data reminds us of Sarah’s classic status. Read more about Sarah here.
Which are your favorite 1930s names? And don’t forget to look for the next installment in this series, when we look at the names that might be next in line for revival.
First published on January 24, 2014, this post was revised substantially and re-posted on March 11, 2019.
Beverly is a total guilty pleasure name for me, as is Bernadette, not on this list but almost of the same era. Oh, how I’d love to be a hipster mom with a little Bev and a little Bernie!
I know little girls named: Ruby, Audrey, Charlotte, Lillian, Clara, Grace, and Hazel; Anna and Katherine; and Rose (Rosie). I think Rose is ready big time for a revival, especially in combination (Rosemary, Rosalind, Annarose, etc.) Theresa was on our short list. I think some of the French endings, like Patrice for Patricia and Paulette for Pauline, might feel fresher. (I still think -ette may be our next -lyn/-ley ending to use.) I think Edna is hopelessly dated and will not come back, and think that Doris/Dolores has more of a chance. My beloved grandmother was Edna, and the closest we came to thinking about using it was rearranged into Neda or Dena for a girl or Dane for a boy. My cousin just named her cat Wanda, so it seems likely that it could come back into vogue for babies in about 20 years, especially since the -nda like name (Linda, Sandra) were just starting to rise in the late 1930s.
Wow, this is a very extensive list! I love Irene but prefer the eye-ree-nee pronunciation, and since I live in the US, that would lead to a lot of correcting. I also like Lillian, Hazel, June, Esther, Janet, Loretta, and Ellen.
Oh, and my brother teaches a young Loretta who uses the nickname “Etta.”
I kind of like Margie, but maybe that’s because I also really like Marnie.
to be clear – I totally agree with your groupings… I just can’t figure out why Ellen is move down while everyone is fawning over such similar names.
I think it is probably because Ellen peaked later. She was on her way up in the 1930s, but actually peaked in the 40s/50s/60s – so lots of people probably still think of Ellen as a grandmother name. And we tend to revive great-grandma names … so Ellen will be back, but maybe not quite yet. But I think she’d wear well in 2014 – especially, as you say, with with all the girls named Ella and such.
There must be something unusual about my associations because we just love the name Ellen for a girl and don’t find it outdated or frumpy at all. But I recognize that others will see it that way for some odd reason – I just can’t figure it out. With Evelyn and Eleanor headed up, and the Ella names spreading like wildfire, I am surprised that Ellen is not being chosen more often. It sounds so smart and sweet to me, a great name for a little girl.
I know a toddler aged Ellen and it wears beautifully! I think that Ellen will continue to be recognized as a classic and the other Ellie names of this era will feel dated.
Shhh, let’s not talk about Rose too much. When we have a daughter, that will be her name. The only good thing is that I live in a rural area very behind the times.
I love so many of the names on this list. I actually like Dolores even though it would be heavy for a child today.
Love, love Kathleen and Theresa. Super sweet with adorable nicknames.
I really do agree with most of those groupings, and having a Sally I don’t want that to be revived just yet anyway!
Over in the UK Martha is a big hit, however, coming in at #77 in 2012. I can see Lois coming back though, and I think both Nancy and Mary are on the rise here.
Is this my decade? I love a lot of these. I have thoughts on so many.
Alice – I love Alice. It feels completely classic to me.
Ruby – Top Ten here in Oz. (I’m a Yank abroad). I know a lot of little Rubys. I prefer Opal, honestly. Or just Rue.
Jane – I love this one, especially with an eccentric/embroidered middle, but my husband vetoed it as “plain” which is, I think, what holds it back most.
Charlotte – Super popular, but I prefer either dated Fern (the connection to me is Charlotte’s Web) or classic and related Caroline.
Lillian – I love this one. My mom is HORRIFIED. 🙂
Hazel – Love this one. Vetoed by the same man who hates Jane. Was a character in a favourite series of sci-fi novels. I love the associations of nature and colour, but a surprising number of people don’t know it’s a kind of tree.
Catherine – It’s Katharine, with two a’s, as in Hepburn, that I love, but Catherine is nice too. Some form of it is always in.
Betty – In my family this was a nickname for Beatrice *not* Elizabeth. I rather like it for that. I can’t convince anyone else of the charms of Beatrice/Beatrix.
Dorothy – Can’t warm to this, but husband just mentioned a fondness for Dot as a NN recently. I prefer flip-form Theodora.
Ruth – I know my sister intends to use this one.
Marie – My husband’s grandmother. Just to confuse things she was an Aussie and it was MA-ree, never ma-REE. We’re going to use an M name to honour it.
Rose – I know only one under 30. Beautiful girl. I like it like I like Jane, as a FN with an eccentric or long flowing middle name. It’s a bit dull in the middle.
Irene – Grandmother’s name. Do love it, husband doesn’t have the connection and only hears that it sounds old. I will probably have to settle for another I name.
Esther – Husband loves this name so much he brought me around on it. I HATE Estelle and Stella, but I don’t mind this tailored Biblical pick. It’s not my favourite Biblical name, but I can’t write it off.
Rosemary – I love this one. Feels so herbal and cleansing.
Martha – I love this. Was the name of the heroine of True Grit, which forever gave it a cowgirl feel to me.
Judith – Love this. I feel like Judy has a rockabilly feel like Betty. And Judith is such a strong Biblical character, paired with a name that’s pretty direct and familiar, especially compared with Yael or Tamar.
Kathleen – I have an inexplicable (none in my family! None in his family! Where did it come from!) fondness for this, and nickname Kay. I picture a slim flapper girl with scandalously bobbed hair, similar to played-by-Myrna-Loy Nora.
Theresa – Sister’s dibsed this. She loves it to bits, always has. For Tess, not Terri!
Marlene – Reminded me of Marceline, which I really like, but grosses a lot of people out.
Dolores, Delores – I like Dolly and Lola, and yes, some part of me admires Dolores, but it feels so Catholic…?
Juanita – I like this a lot, actually. Everyone would think it was extraordinarily random, but I think it’s cute.
Norma and Norman should stay gone, but I rather like Nora.
Willie is a no-go for me but I secretly love Billie, and am generally blasted for it.
These are my favorite era of names. We just had a girl and Rosemary, Hazel, and Virginia were all on the table. She was almost Eliza Ruth, but ultimately we went with Eliza June 🙂 plus my dog is Ruby. I definitely love these names!
What a great name, Kris – love the swingy, retro sound of Eliza June. Congrats!
Eliza Jane was an early name crush of mine. Love your Eliza June pairing.
Thank you! I loved it bc it felt a little vintage, but spunky, and a little southern but classic. I call her by both names because it’s the pairing that made it special to me. But most people end up just calling her Eliza. I hope she chooses to use both of them when she’s older.