24/7 Wall St.

 Most people are called the name they were given at birth for their entire lives, and for that reason, the name of a child is often given intense consideration. Like most aspects of child-rearing, naming is a very personal decision. Yet, a large number of parents end up selecting the same name as many others. The 1,000 most popular names accounted for nearly three-quarters of all names in 2014.

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has been tracking baby names since before the turn of the 20th century. There are thousands of names in the database. Some names come and go as fads, and popularity often spikes inexplicably. Others have remained en vogue for more than a century. Sometimes, in rare cases, names that were popular long ago and have faded into obscurity undergo a sudden resurgence. 24/7 Wall St. identified nine such names – two boys and seven girls – that had all but vanished and are now among the top 100 names preferred by parents.

Click here to see the 9 old-fashioned names making huge comebacks

It is extremely difficult to identify the underlying cause of a particular baby naming trend. For example, it is unclear as to how the names on our list all but disappeared. Given that in many cases, they were close to the 1,000th least popular name for a given year, it is even more difficult to explain how these same names returned to popularity.

Unlike the names making comebacks on our list, some names have maintained their popularity for decades. For example, the name Michael has been in the top 100 boys’ names since at least 1900, and was the number one pick each year from 1961 through 1998. Including Michael, there are thirteen boys’ names that have been in the top 100 every year since 1900.

The popularity of girls’ names, on the other hand, fluctuates far more than naming trends for boys. Only the name Elizabeth has consistently appeared in the top 100 every year since the start of the 20th century.

Over time, as the popularity of a name can vary, so can the preference for one spelling over another. For example, the names Caitlin, Caitlyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaitlynn, Katelyn, and Katelynn all have been more or less popular at different points. One of the old-fashioned names making a comeback was popular at the turn of the century was Lillie, and now is much more widely spelled as Lily.

To identify the oldest names reclaiming their popularity, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the thousand most popular baby names for each gender in each year between 1900 and 2014 from the Social Security Administration. To be considered a comeback, a name had to be among the 100 most popular boy or girl names at some point from 1900 up to, but no later than, 1930, and no earlier than 2010. The name then needed to re-enter the top 100 at some point after 2009.

These are the 9 old-fashioned names making huge comebacks.

1. Sophie

Sophie was one of the 100 most popular girls’ names each year from 1914 to 1917, after which it fell into relative obscurity. In 2007, Sophie re-entered the top 100 most popular names and has remained there since. It peaked in popularity in 2011, when 4,722 babies were named Sophie, or 0.24% of all female births that year. Sophie comes from the Greek word sophia, which means skill or wisdom.

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2. Violet

From 1901 through 1926, the name Violet was among the most popular girls’ names in the country. The colorful name went into decline until 1981, when it reached a low point, ranking as the 996th most popular girl’s name. Violet has had a resurgence of late, reaching an all-time height of popularity in 2014 as the 67th most common girl’s name. Last year, 4,156 newborn girls were named Violet.

3. Ella

Ella reached its lowest point of popularity in 1983, when it was the 950th most popular girl’s name. However, Ella has been among the top 100 most popular girls’ names each year since 2002, — when it made its first appearance in the top 100 since 1928. It continued to grow in popularity and has been among the top 20 most popular names since 2008.

4. Lily

Lily has become one of the most popular girls’ names in the country. Since 2007, it has been in the top 30, peaking at 15th most popular in 2011. Before its recent popularity, Lily went through a long period of relative obscurity. Between 1959 and 1979, it ranked 900th or lower among girls’ names. The name was actually a common choice long before 1959, but parents favored a different at the time. At the turn of the 20th century, Lillie, and not Lily, was the 40th most popular girl’s name in the U.S. Its use declined, but Lillie stayed in the top 100 until 1928.

5. Lucy

Lucy was among the 100 most popular names in 1900, and remained a very common choice each year until 1924, after which it fell into relative obscurity. Its popularity troughed in 1979, when it was the 537th most popular girl’s name. The number of babies named Lucy has risen each year since 1998, and in 2010 Lucy returned to the top 100. Last year, 4,257 newborns were named Lucy, or 0.22% of female births, making it the 62nd most popular girl’s name in the country.

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6. Stella

Some may associate the name Stella with the character from Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The name, which means “star” in latin, was relatively popular in the early 1900s, reaching a peak in 1917 at 62nd among girls’ names. American parents slowly forgot about the name. In 1985, the name had dropped off so much that it ranked close to 1,000th among girls’ names. Since 2010, Stella has re-entered the top 100, and has been at least in the top 70 since 2012.

7. Sadie

According to the SSA, the name Sadie was given to 4,823 newborn girls in 2014, making it the most popular year for the name. As with several other names on this list, Sadie fell into relative obscurity during the 1960s. The name’s popularity hit bottom in 1965, when it was ranked 993rd most popular among girls’ names. Sadie jumped to the 50th most popular female name in 2013, and its popularity increased slightly the following year.

8. Oliver

Oliver was never extremely popular, but it was among the top 100 boys’ names at the turn of the 20th century. By 1904, however, it fell out of the top 100, and would not return to popularity for more than a century. The name never faded completely out of existence, but it reached its least popular period in the 1960s through the 70s and 80s, when it was usually ranked 400th or lower each year. In just the last few years, however, the name has had a major resurgence. In 2009, it cracked the top 100, at 98th. By 2012 it was 73rd, and last year it was the 32nd most popular boy’s name. In 2014, 9,365 boys were named Oliver, which amounted to 0.46% of all newborn males.

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9. Max

Max is the only name on this list that was not among the 100 most popular names in 2014. Compared to most of the old-fashioned names making comebacks, the name Max never truly vanished completely. Max remained among the top 500 each year since 1900. And it has seen a considerable resurgence recently. Max was most popular in 2011, when 3,951 newborns, or 0.195% of all male births that year, were given the name.