Vintage Names for

Vintage Boy Names: How to Find a Cool Old Name

If you love vintage names and want to go beyond the usual classics, you’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll take a look at timeless boy names from the past that could be revived. Get inspired by the unique and meaningful names that were once popular but have faded into obscurity.

Vintage Boy Names

We’ve scoured the popularity lists from 1910 to discover hundreds of vintage boy names that are no longer in use but could definitely make a comeback. Notably, there seem to be more outdated boy names from 1910 than girl names. After all, girl names tend to change more quickly and dramatically than boy names, which are often more tradition-based.

Beyond the ever-present names like John and William, which still dominate today, there are dozens, even hundreds of names that were in the top 1000 a hundred years ago and have now been lost to time. These include hero names, surnames, nicknames, androgynous names, and even quite ordinary first names that are rarely used today.

Alvin (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Arnold (Old High German) – The Powerful
Bernard (Old High German) – The Bear Strong
Carlton (English) – Town of the Free Man
Cecil (Latin) – The Blind
Chester (Latin) – Fortress
Claude (Latin) – The Lame
Cloyd (Welsh) – The Handsome
Clyde (Scottish) – The River Name
Cornelius (Latin) – The Horn Carrier
Delbert (English) – The Noble Advisor
Dewey (Welsh) – The Friend
Dudley (English) – From the Village
Earl (Old English) – Nobleman
Edgar (Old English) – Wealthy Spear
Elex (Greek) – The Defender
Elmer (Old High German) – The Noble Warrior
Elmo (Italian) – The Patron of Travelers
Ernest (German) – Serious
Eugene (Greek) – The Noble
Floyd (Welsh) – The Red-Haired
Franklin (English) – The Free Man
Guy (French) – The Man
Herbert (Old High German) – The Shining Warrior
Herman (Old High German) – The Warrior
Homer (Greek) – The Homecomer
Horace (Latin) – The Timekeeper
Hubert (Old High German) – The Shining Spirit
Ira (Hebrew) – Angry
Irving (Scottish) – The Green Watercourse
Jerome (Greek) – Holy
Julius (Latin) – The Younger
Lester (English) – The One from Leicester
Lloyd (Welsh) – The Gray
Marvin (Welsh) – The Sea Friend
Maurice (Latin) – The Dark-Skinned
Melvin (English) – The Noble Friend
Milton (English) – Town with a Mill
Morris (English) – The Moor
Murray (Scottish) – The One from Moray
Myron (Greek) – The Perfume
Niram (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Norman (English) – The Northman
Orville (French) – Golden City
Oswald (Old High German) – God Rules
Percy (French) – The One from the City of Perci
Rudolph (Old High German) – Fame and Wolf
Sherman (English) – The Shoemaker
Stanley (English) – Stone Meadow
Sylvester (Latin) – The Wild
Vernon (French) – The One from Vernon
Virgil (Latin) – The Plowman
Waldo (Old High German) – Ruler
Wallace (Welsh) – The Welshman
Wendell (German) – The Wanderer
Willard (English) – The Willful

Nicknames from the 1910s

When looking at the lost names from 1880, there was a focus on nicknames that have fallen out of use. Without repeating names from the 1880 list, here are some options that were used in 1910 and are not often heard today:

Alvie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Bennie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Buck (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Buddy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Buster (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Cleve (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Coy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Curley (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Dock (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Hal (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Hoke (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Huey (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ike (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Junior (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lonnie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Mac (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Obie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ollie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ossie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown

Surnames as First Names in the 1910s

Surnames were also very fashionable in 1910. Names of heroes from that time that were widely used include:

Booker (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Cleveland (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Clinton (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Columbus (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Edison (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Fulton (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Jefferson (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lafayette (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Morgan (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Napoleon (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Newton (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Taft (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ulysses (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Washington (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Watson (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Webster (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Wilson (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Woodrow (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown

Unique Surnames

Other surnames that were commonly heard a hundred years ago but are not as popular today include:

Alford (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Brooks (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Brown (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Burnett (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Dorsey (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Doyle (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Evans (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Felton (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Fletcher (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Freeman (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Gardner (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Garland (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Grady (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Granville (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Harley (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Haskell (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Hayward (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Hobart (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Jones (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lawson (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Levy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Oakley (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Osborne (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Preston (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Rogers (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Sanders (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Stanford (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Stanton (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Thornton (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Tillman (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Warner (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Wiley (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown

Boy Names from the 1910s That Are Now Considered Girl Names

Hundreds of boys in 1910 had names that are now considered exclusively for girls. These names were used for boys back then but have since been lost on the male side:

Allie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Allison (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Audrey (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Averie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Bonnie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Clare (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Cleo (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Connie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Courtney (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Dee (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ellie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Evelyn (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Florence (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Gale (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Guadalupe (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Halley (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ivory (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ivy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Jewel (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Jodie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
June (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Kelly (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lacy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lauren (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lavern (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lesley (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Leslie (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lindsay (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Lindsey (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Marion (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Meredith (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Opal (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Patsy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Rene (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ruby (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Ruth (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Sandy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Shelby (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Tracy (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Vivian (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown
Winfred (Origin unknown) – Meaning unknown

Looking for Vintage Boy Names That Are Trendy Now?

If you’re looking for vintage boy names that are stylish today, check out this list of vintage boy names.

About the Author

Pamela Redmond is the co-founder and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. She is an internationally recognized baby name expert who has been quoted and published in media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN. Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling author, whose books form the basis for the successful television show "Younger."

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