Beautiful Baby Girl Names That Have Long Been Forgotten

One of the toughest decisions new parents face is the name they are going to give their child, which will be with them forever. There are so many unique names out there, but within every time period, there are names that are more popular and become fashionable. Let’s take a look back at some beautiful baby girl names that are no longer so common, but can give us insight to the cultural zeitgeist of the times gone by.

Ava

Ava Gardner’s fame certainly had effect on the fact that the name Ava became popular. The short and sweet name is a derivative of the name “Eva.” It is said to be related to the Latin word for bird, “avis.”

Joyce

Joyce is a name that dates back to Middle English, specifically the word “joise” that translates to rejoice in our modern day English. It could date back to Breton prince Saint Joyce who was the son of Judicael, King of Brittany.

Hattie

Hattie is one of the most adorable names, which comes from the name Harriet. This is the English form of the French Hentriette. Hattie translates to “little ruler” or “little mistress” of the home. These are all related to the name Henry, which translates to “powerful leader of the home.”

Georgia

The name Georgia comes from the name Georgios,  a Greek name meaning earth worker of farmer. It became popular through the Georgians and St. George. It is also the name of a European country and a U.S. state.

Leona

Leona is an adorable name that derives from the Latin word “leo,” which translates to lion. Several well known Leonas include the British singer Leona Lewis, American silent film star Leona Hutton, and Croatian ski racer Leona Popović.

Pamela

Pamela comes from the Greek words “pan” which means all, and “meli” which means honey, so the name translates to “all sweetness.” The name was first heard of in the work The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney.

Anita

Anita is a form of the name Anna, and translates loosely to “favor” and “grace.” It is another form of the name Juanita. There’s also a Hindu version of the name, which translates to “not guided” in Sanskrit.

Roseanne

The lovely name Roseanne translates to “gracious rose.” It was very popular through the 1900’s. Later, actress and comedian Roseanne Barr brought the name back to prominence in the 1990’s thanks to her successful shows Roseanne and The Roseanne Show.

Tabitha

First popular between 1718 and 1745, the name Tabitha came back to prominence in the 1970’s and 80’s and again in 2009. The name derives from the Aramaic word for gazelle and can be traced back to the New Testament.

Bonnie

The name Bonnie, which has been used for both girls and boys, comes from the Scottish word bonnie. The word means pretty or attractive, and is related to the French word for good, bonne. The name can be found in the popular Scottish folk song “My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean.”

Dorothy

Dorothy is a version of the Greek name Dorothea, which translates to “God’s gift.” It is also related to the name Theodora. Dorothy was one of the most popular names in the United States between 1904 and 1940. The name especially came to prominence after The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939.

Louisa

The name Louisa comes from Latin. It means “renowned warrior,” and though it spent 45 years out of the top 1000 names in the United States, in 2014, it finally made a comeback on the list once again.

Marguerite

Marguerite is the French version of the name Margaret. The names come from the Latin and Greek name that means pearl. It is also the French name for the ox-eye flower.

Betty

The name Betty is actually a shortened form for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. It can also be used as a short version of the Spanish name Beatriz, and the Latin version of the name Beatrix, and the English form Beatrice.

Etta

Etta is a diminutive of the Italian name Antonetta and the English name Henrietta. The name is also quite popular in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Odessa

The name Odessa derives from the Greek word that means “long journey.” It might remind you of The Odyssey, a Greek epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus’ journey back home after the Trojan War.

Daisy

The name Daisy dates back from the Old English name of the famed flower, and comes from the name “day’s eye.” It can be a nickname for the name Margaret, and the French version of the name is the name of the ox-eye Daisy flower.

Polly

The adorable name Polly comes from the Latin word for “little” or “humble.” It is related to the name Molly, which is a derivative itself for the names Miryam and Mariah.

Delphine

The name Delphine comes from the French word for dolphin and is also related to delphinium, which is a flower that resembles the bluebell. It also evokes the name Delphi, which was an ancient Greek city.

Gloria

The name Gloria is derived from the Latin name Gloriae, which meaning praise, honor, game, and glory. It was popular in the United States throughout the 1930’s and 40’s and then returned to prominence in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Shirley

The name Shirley is an English name that references the place-name Shirley, which can be traced back to the Old English for scire (or shire), which means clear and bright. The name was actually used for males until the Charlotte Bronte novel Shirley made it more popular as a female name.

Kitty

Kitty is the adorable diminutive form of the name Katherine, which is an English name that translates to “pure.” Of course, it’s hard not to associate the name with baby cats!

Hazel

Hazel is a name that comes from the name of the tree and also the color. It became popular in the Anglo-world in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Old English name became popular again in 2016.

Constance

Constance is a Latin names that means “constant” and is a variation of the names Constanze, Constancia, and the nickname Connie.

Opal

The name Opal comes from the pretty gemstone of the same name, which happens to be the October birthstone. It is related to the Sankskirt upala, meaning jewel. The name was very popular in the late Victorian time period.

Janet

Janet can be traced back to Biblical times, and is translated to “God’s gracious gift.” It is related to the name Jane, the female version of the name John, which in itself comes from the Hebrew name Yochanan.

Eleanora

Eleanora is a name that is closely related to the French name Alienor. It’s believed that this name comes from Helen, which dates back to the Greek myth involving Helen of Troy. Another related name, Helene, means moon or light.

Olivia

The name Olivia comes from the Latin for “olive tree,” and is the female version of Oliver. Both of these names date back to 13th century England and has remained popular.

Sophia

The name Sophia is a Greek name that translates to “wisdom,” and became popular in honor of St. Sophia, who was very prominent to the Greek Orthodox Church. The name was also popular within European royalty during the Middle Ages.

Charlotte

The name Charlotte is the feminine form of Charlot, a diminutive of the name Charles. Charlottes is French and means “petite” or “three man.” The name dates back to the 14th century. Some related names include Lottie, Carlota, Charlie, and Lotte.

Grace

The name Grace is Latin and is directly related to the idea of “God’s Grace.” It translates to charm, generosity, and goodness. This name is the most popular of all the virtue-related names.

Zoey

Zoey comes from Greek origins and means “life.” In Jewish-Greek traditions, the name is related to the name Eve. The name became popular with Christians because there were two saints that were named Zoey.

Aubrey

Aubrey is a French name that can be traced back to Norman French. It means “elf ruler” and following the Norman conquest of 1066, the name started to become popular in England. In 2014, it was the 20th most popular name in the United States.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is an English name that means “beautiful brook,” and actually first came from a last name that meant “one who lives near a brook.” Of course, most of us associate the name with the New York borough.

Violet

Violet is a lovely name that is Latin for the color purple, and is also a variation of the name Viola. Of course, it also references the name of the Violet flower.

Madelyn

Madelyn is a name that means “the woman from Magdala” or “the woman from the tower.” The name has Hebrew, French, and Greek roots. It is closely related to the French name Madeleine.

Margery

The name Margery, which can also be spelled Marjorie, comes from the name Margaret, which means pearl. The name Marjorie dates back to the the medieval times and is closely related to the name Margery. It is derives from the name of the marjoram herb.

Adele

The name Adele comes from the German name Adel, which translates to “noble” or “nobility.” It is now of course most associated with the English singer Adele.

Cleo

The name Cleo is Greek one that translates to glory, fame, praise, or credit. It is related to the Greek verb kleó, which translates to “to make famous” or “to celebrate.”

Esther

The name Esther is Persian and translates to “star.” It comes from the Old Testament, from the story of Esther, who was also called Hadassah, the Jewish wife of the King of Persia who saved her people from being exterminated.