Trending baby names may sound snappy and super-adorbs in the moment, but there's no guarantee that the hottest baby name won't go out of style (or be shared with almost every kid in the class). There's something to be said for paying respect to your elders and paying homage to the classics — if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and all that good stuff.
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From the Victorian Era to the Roaring 20s to the Rockin' 50s, these are the kinds of timeless baby names you won't soon forget:
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Victorian chic baby names
According to the Social Security Administration (S.S.A.), these were the most popular baby names of the 1880s.
Top baby boy names of the 1880s
- John
- William
- James
- George
- Charles
- Frank
- Joseph
- Henry
- Robert
- Thomas
- Edward
- Harry
- Walter
- Arthur
- Fred
- Albert
- Samuel
- Clarence
- Louis
- David
Top baby girl names of the 1880s
- Mary
- Anna
- Emma
- Elizabeth
- Margaret
- Minnie
- Ida
- Bertha
- Clara
- Alice
- Annie
- Florence
- Bessie
- Grace
- Ethel
- Sarah
- Ella
- Martha
- Nellie
- Mabel
Next Up: Baby names from the Roaring '20s
Baby names of the Roaring '20s
They didn't call it the Roaring '20s for nothing. In the 1920s, speakeasies were hot and flappers broke out of the conventional molds for women. The fashions were iconic (and are still reminisced about in fashions today). And the names? Well, they were pretty and perfect. Think Grace, Marilyn and Norma... But what were the hot names of the time? According to the S.S.A., these baby names were most popular in the 1920s.
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Top baby boy names of the 1920s
- Robert
- John
- James
- William
- Charles
- George
- Joseph
- Richard
- Edward
- Donald
- Thomas
- Frank
- Harold
- Paul
- Raymond
- Walter
- Jack
- Henry
- Kenneth
- Arthur
Top baby girl names of the 1920s
- Mary
- Dorothy
- Helen
- Betty
- Margaret
- Ruth
- Virginia
- Doris
- Mildred
- Frances
- Elizabeth
- Evelyn
- Anna
- Marie
- Alice
- Jean
- Shirley
- Barbara
- Irene
- Marjorie
Next Up: Baby boomer names
World War II baby names from the 1940s
Back in the 1940s, the so-called baby boom started, causing births to skyrocket. With a war happening abroad for half the decade, times were tough and families were torn apart. The men who returned from war got coupled up with women back home and started families. These were the popular baby names, according to the S.S.A., in the 1940s.
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Top baby boys names of the 1940s
- James
- Robert
- John
- William
- Richard
- David
- Charles
- Thomas
- Michael
- Ronald
- Larry
- Donald
- Joseph
- Gary
- George
- Kenneth
- Paul
- Edward
- Jerry
- Dennis
Top baby girls names of the 1940s
- Mary
- Linda
- Barbara
- Patricia
- Carol
- Sandra
- Nancy
- Sharon
- Judith
- Susan
- Betty
- Carolyn
- Margaret
- Shirley
- Judy
- Karen
- Donna
- Kathleen
- Joyce
- Dorothy
Next Up: Baby names from the 1950s
Rockabilly baby names from the 1950s
In the 1950s, everything started to change. World War II was just a memory, having ended in 1945. Kids were different than their parents' generation and music was totally changing. A new form of music grew in popularity called rockabilly. An early form of rock and roll, stars like Elvis Presley led the music scene to new directions. These were the hot names, according to the S.S.A.:
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Top baby boy names of the 1950s
- James
- Michael
- Robert
- John
- David
- William
- Richard
- Thomas
- Mark
- Charles
- Steven
- Gary
- Joseph
- Donald
- Ronald
- Kenneth
- Paul
- Larry
- Daniel
- Stephen
Top baby girl names of the 1950s
- Mary
- Linda
- Patricia
- Susan
- Deborah
- Barbara
- Debra
- Karen
- Nancy
- Donna
- Cynthia
- Sandra
- Pamela
- Sharon
- Kathleen
- Carol
- Diane
- Brenda
- Cheryl
- Janet
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
Originally published Feb. 2016. Updated Aug. 2016.