Deciding your little one’s name is no easy task as there are so many to choose from – and while unique names are great these traditional, vintage ones never go out of style
Anyone who’s had a baby, or is expecting, knows how exciting the naming process can be. Choosing a moniker for your child is one of the most important decisions new parents will make. It can often be difficult if you haven’t found the perfect one as there are so many names to choose from.
With that being said, you might need a little inspiration. One video went viral on TikTok recently – as ‘The Baby Name Consultant’ shared a list of 31 vintage names for those expecting little girls. She listed the traditional names have stood the test of time, which means they are less likely to go out of fashion or get boring.
Girly names that are popular right now include Penelope, Florence and Matilda. According to Bounty, a family toy company, Ivy comes in at number seven as most popular.
If you are looking for names beginning with ‘S’, you could use vintage names such as Sophie or Sophia, or Seraphina – which is commonly shortened to ‘FiFi’.
The list by @thebabynameconsultant also mentioned Maeve, Iris, Phoebe, Ruby, Flora, Lydia, Juliet, Elena, Juno, Zoe, Naomi, Helena, Louise, Lucia, June, Vivian, Isadora, Claudia, Elise, Nina, Frances and Georgia.
One parent commented and said: “My daughter is Serafina, Fifi for short and my name is Nina! Rare seeing both of our names in one place.”
Another said: “We have an Iris.” A third wrote: “We have a Genevieve and call her Gigi.” And a fourth added: “Louise is so beautiful.”
Why do parents like vintage baby names?
Many parents feel a connection to the past and want to honour their family heritage by choosing names that belonged to grandparents or great-grandparents.
Vintage names often have a classic, enduring quality. They tend to age well and are less likely to go out of style quickly.
And as some vintage names fell out of common use, they now feel fresh and distinctive compared to more modern, trendy names.
What are the most popular baby names in the UK?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its annual figures for the most popular baby names in England and Wales back in December. The data always reflects the year just gone, so the list makes up the top 100 names for boys and girls from 2023.
Muhammad has overtaken Noah as the top name for baby boys, with Noah dropping to second place after coming in first in 2021 and 2022, followed by Oliver. Muhammad was the second most popular name last year and has been in the top 10 since 2016. Back in 2012, it ranked only 20th so it’s climbed up the list significantly over the past decade.
Meanwhile, there have been no changes to the top three names for baby girls, with Olivia, Amelia and Isla, coming up top. Unsurprisingly, Olivia has stolen the crown as the most popular baby girl’s name for the eighth year in a row.
