Old-Fashioned Names Making a Comeback

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

1. Abraham
> Year of peak popularity between 1880 and 1930: 1915
> Avg. rank between 2000 and 2017: 184

Perhaps it is not surprising that Abraham is making a big comeback. It is an ancient name — the biblical patriarch holds such an important place in Judaism, Christianity and Islam that they are known as the Abrahamic religions. The name also has a special place in American history. Abraham Lincoln is often ranked as the greatest U.S. president for his leadership during the Civil War.

Source: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images

2. Adeline
> Year of peak popularity between 1880 and 1930: 1918
> Avg. rank between 2000 and 2017: 87

Adeline is of French origin, meaning “noble” or “nobility,” and is a diminutive of Adele. There have been a number of famous Adelines over the course of history. In fact, Virginia Woolf was originally known as Adeline Virginia. The modernist writer was named after an aunt who died young and was thereafter known simply as Virginia. The average rank of the name Adeline between 2000 and 2017 was 87, leaping from 1,405 between 1930 and 1999.

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

3. Allie
> Year of peak popularity between 1880 and 1930: 1905
> Avg. rank between 2000 and 2017: 196

Allie is of Celtic origin and was originally a saint’s name. It has gone through a number of revivals over the course of history. It was popular at the turn of the 20th century and is once more climbing the ranks. Country singer Garth Brooks’ youngest daughter is named Allie. The average rank of the name Allie between 2000 and 2017 was 196, climbing from 1,424 between 1930 and 1999.

Source: Sotheby's / Wikimedia Commons

4. August
> Year of peak popularity between 1880 and 1930: 1915
> Avg. rank between 2000 and 2017: 193

August is derived from the Latin honorific Augustus, which means great and was a title given to Roman emperors. Originally a boy’s name, it is now increasingly popular for girls also. Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan named their second daughter August (not surprisingly, she was born in that summer month), as did country singer Garth Brooks and his wife Sandy Mahl (though their daughter was born in May).

Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

5. Callie
> Year of peak popularity between 1880 and 1930: 1900
> Avg. rank between 2000 and 2017: 189

If Allie is becoming increasingly popular, then perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Callie is also. This name of Greek origin means “beautiful.” In 1992, Callie Khouri won an Academy Award for best screenplay for the movie “Thelma & Louise.” (Incidentally, the name Thelma made 24/7 Wall St.’s list of names heading toward extinction.)