Old-fashioned names are all the rage right now, especially for baby girls. Any name your great grandmother might have had is instantly popular again. We’ve compiled a list of classic girl names from popular and beautiful timeless names to unique old-fashioned names for girls that will become instant classics. Read below to read this list of adorable classic girl names.
Classic Girl Names
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I personally love the trend toward old-fashioned girls names. These names are beautiful, classy and timeless. You will never have to worry about regretting having chosen a classic name for your daughter. These names are adorable for little girls and will be taken seriously as your daughter grows into a professional young woman with career aspirations.
Both of my girls have old-fashioned names (both first and middle). I wanted names that were easy to pronounce and familiar without being too common. The names I chose names were simple, but elegant. I am so pleased with my choices, but as I compiled this list of classic girl names, I see many more options for girls names should we ever have another daughter!
These classic girl names make striking first names or can be used as beautiful and sophisticated middle names. Each of these traditional names sound lovely and will be a source of pride.
If you are concerned that traditional girls names are over-used, don’t be. There are many beautiful and unique old-fashioned names that have not been over-used in the least!
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Classic Girl Names In Alphabetical Order
I’ve listed my favorite classic girl names in alphabetical order. I hope this will help you on your quest to find the perfect name for your baby!
Abigail
From Hebrew, meaning ‘My father is joy’. Popular in England in the 16th and 17th centuries, its popularity was revived in the 20th century.
Ada
Shortened form of Adelaide.
Adele
French form of Germanic Adela, meaning noble.
Adelaide
Meaning noble and kind. Saint Adelaide was the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great. A city in Australia bears the name Adelaide.
Alexandra
The feminized version of Alexander.
Alice
A variant of Adelaide, popularized in the 12th century and again when Lewis Carrol published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Allison
Variation of Alice.
Amelia
Variant of Amalia (another gorgeous name), meaning ‘work’.
Anastasia
Feminized variant of Anastasius. This name evokes tradition and just a bit of glamour.
Anna
Variant of Hannah, meaning ‘grace’.
Annabelle
Variant of the more obscure Amabel, or a combination of Anna and Belle.
Audrey
Name of a 7th century saint and movie icon Audrey Hepburn.
Ava
Variant of Eve, made famous by movie icon Ava Gardener.
Blythe
From the surname meaning cheerful.
Brynn
From Welsh, meaning ‘mound’ or ‘hill’. This beautiful classic name is simple yet unique.
Catherine
Meaning pure, a popular name in both French and English, several queens and empresses have borne this name.
Caroline
Feminized form of Carl.
Cecelia
A 2nd/3rd century martyr, brought to England by the Normans. This name is beautiful and sophisticated.
Cecily
Anglicized version of Cecilia, a more unique spin and a touch less formal.
Celeste
Feminized form of Caelestis, meaning ‘heavenly’.
Charlotte
Meaning ‘petite’, this French name is the feminized form of Charles. Charlotte is the name of several queens and princesses, as well as Charlotte York from Sex and the City.
Claire
The French form of Clara is another simple, elegant name.
Clara
Meaning clear, bright, famous.
Cora
Comes from ancient Greek, meaning ‘goddess’.
Coraline
Debated origin, likely a form of Cora, or coined by Adolphe Adam for his opera, Le toreador.
Corinne
Form of Corinna, meaning ‘maiden’.
Dolores
From Spanish, meaning ‘sorrows’.
Diana
Meaning divine, Diana is the name of a goddess, and more recently, Princess Diana.
Dora
Shortened form of Dorothy, meaning gift of God.
Elenora
An elegant variant of Eleanor.
Eliza
Shortened form of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth
A popular name among queens and royals, coming from a Greek form of Hebrew, meaning ‘my God is an oath’.
Elise
Shortened form of Elizabeth, Elise is a sophisticated choice that is classic but underused.
Ellen
Variant of Helen or Eleonora.
Eloise
From Heloise, Saint Eloise was a 12th century saint. Eloise of children’s book fame is a lovely choice.
Emma
Meaning ‘whole’ or ‘universal’. Emma has been quite popular for the past few decades.
Estella
Form of Estelle or Stella, meaning star.
Esther
Hebrew name meaning star
Evelyn
From an English surname, Aveline. This classic name is so feminine and lovely.
Evangeline
From Greek, meaning ‘good news’, and made popular by Longfellow’s famous poem of the same name.
Felicity
Meaning happiness or good luck, it was popular among Puritans in the 17th century
Florence
Meaning prosperous, often associated with famous nurse, Florence Nightengale.
Georgia
Feminine form of George, famous 19th century painter Georgia O’Keefe bears this name.
Gloria
Spanish and Portuguese name meaning ‘glory’ and was popularized in the US through several works of literature and actress Gloria Swanson.
Grace
From the English word, grace, and the Latin, gratia, meaning God’s favour. Grace Kelly, later Princess Grace of Monaco, popularized this name in the 1950’s.
Gretchen
Shortened name of Margareta, from German.
Hannah
From the Hebew word for ‘favour’ or ‘grace’.
Harriet
Feminized form of Harry, popular in the 18th century.
Henriette
French feminized form of Henry.
Imogen
A character in the Shakespeare play, Cymbeline, meaning maiden.
Iris
The Greek Goddess of the rainbow, or after the flower.
Isabel
A form of Elizabeth, popular in Spain.
Ivy
From the small crawling plant of the same name.
Jane
Feminine form of John, meaning ‘Jehovah has been gracious’.
Josephine
Feminized form of Joseph, meaning ‘may God add’ or ‘may Good increase’.
Leigh
Variant of Lee, meaning ‘clearing’.
Lenora
Shortened for of Elenora. Also the princess in ‘The Balloon Tree’ by Phoebe Gilman
Lillian
From the Latin for Lily, or a shortened form of Elizabeth.
Lily
Named from the flower, a symbol of purity.
Louise
Feminized form of Louis, from the French ‘renowned warrior’.
Lucy
Feminized form of Lucius, meaning ‘light’.
Lydia
Meaning ‘from Lydia’ and area in Greece.
Lynn
From the Welsh surname, meaning ‘lake’.
Mabel
From the name Amabel, meaning ‘loving’.
Madeline
Form of Magdalene, from Mary Magdelene. The main character in the books of the same name by Ludwig Bemelmans.
Maeve
From the Gaelic word for ‘intoxicating’. Maeve was a warrior queen of Conanacht in legend.
Margaret
From Margarita, meaning ‘pearl’. Margaret was the name of several queens and authors, including Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind and Margaret Atwood, who wrote the Handmaiden’s Tale, among other works.
Margot
French shortened form of Margaret.
Marjorie
A variant of Margaret, influenced by the herb, marjoram.
Marion
Variant of the French name, Marie.
Marlena
Variant of Marlene, which is a combination of Mary and Magdalene, made famous by actress Marlene Dietrich.
Marie
French or Czech form of Maria, Marie was made famous by Marie Antoinette.
Mary
Anglicized version of Maria, debated original meaning, possibly meaning ‘sea of bitterness’, or ‘beloved.’
Maud
Form of Matilda, which means ‘strength in battle’. Tennyson revived its popularity with this 19th century poem of the same name.
May
From the month of May or Maia, a Roman goddess.
Miriam
Hebrew form of Mary. Moses’ older sister.
Moira
From the Greek for ‘destiny’, or an anglicized version of the Irish, Maire.
Norah
Shortened form of Eleanor or Honora.
Olive
French of English name from olive tree.
Olivia
This beautiful name was first used in the Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, may have been based on Oliver or Oliva.
Ophelia
From the Greek word for ‘help’, Shakespeare also used this name in Hamlet.
Penelope
Derived from Greek, a type of duck. In Homer’s the Odyssey, Penelope was Odyesseus’s wife.
Polly
A variant of Molly, which in turn is a variant of Mary.
Rose
Associated with the flower of the same name, it was Norman and Germanic roots.
Rosalind
A Shakespeare heroine, meaning ‘beautiful rose’.
Rosemary
Combination of Rose and Mary, or for the herb of the same name. Rosemary Clooney was a famous actress in the 1950’s.
Ruby
From the precious stone, it became popular in the 19th century.
Sadie
Version of Sarah, meaning ‘noblewoman’ in Hebrew.
Scarlett
From a surname referring to one who made or sold clothes in a scarlett hue. Popularized by Margaret Mitchell’s the main character in Gone with the Wind.
Sophia
Meaning ‘wisdom’ in Greek. Sophia Loren was a famous actress of the past.
Sophie
Version of Sophia
Stella
Meaning ‘star’, made popular in Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Names Desire’.
Sybil
Meaning prophetess from ancient Greek, Sybil was the youngest sister on Downton Abbey.
Tess
Shortened form of Theresa.
Veda
Meaning ‘knowledge’ in Sandskrit.
Vera
Meaning faith in Russian or ‘true’ in Latin.
Veronica
From Latin, meaning ‘true image’.
Victoria
Roman goddess of victory. Queen Victoria popularized this name in the 19th century.
Violet
English word for the small purple flower of the same name.
Vivian
From the Latin word for ‘alive’.
Wynne
Feminized form of the Welsh, Wyn, meaning ‘blessed’ or ‘fair’.
*information on name origins from Beyond the Name.
There you have my list of 101 beautiful classic girl names. I hope this helps you on your quest to find the perfect baby name!
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Which classic girl name do you love the best? What are your baby name no-no’s? Comment below and let me know!
What a great list! I loved reading through the names and meanings. One of my daughter’s has a classic name.
Ahhh I loveeed naming our little lady!
Love this list! We had such a hard time naming our daughter…because there were so many good options!! Thank you for sharing this!!
I love that you have some very old fashioned names in here! Wynne is such a pretty one and I have always liked Penelope. If I ever have a daughter, those 2 are on my list!
I am a sucker for old-fashioned names. Our little lady has a variant on here for her first name, but we considered MANY of the girl names on this list! What a helpful compilation.
I love picking baby names. Our second born is Pennelope and I absolutely adore her name. Our 3rd is Piper and both our boys start with E
These names are all so beautiful! As a boy mom, these make me want a little girl! Thanks for sharing!
This is a great list of baby girl names! I have a baby boy but maybe one day I will need to use this list! Thanks for sharing!
I do not miss the period of picking baby names lol. My husband and I could never agree. He liked close to nothing, and I liked nearly ever name there was smh.