Beautiful Baby Girl Names That Have Been Forgotten Over The Years

There are so many unique names to give newborns, but with each decade, there are names that stand out from the rest. The popularity of baby names change along with the times, but it’s always fun to look back at names that were once the most popular and see how these reflect the cultural zeitgeist. Here are some lovely baby girl names that used to be the most popular names.

Ava

It’s clear that the fame and popularity of actress Ava Gardner made the short and sweet name a popular name for parents to choose for their newborn baby girls. It is a derivative of the name “Eva” and could be related to the Latin word “avis,” which means bird.

Joyce

The name Joyce comes from the Middle English word “joise,” which translates to rejoice in Modern English. The name actually originated with Saint Joyce, who was a Breton prince and the son of Judicael, king of Brittany.

Hattie

The adorable name “Hattie” is the diminutive of the name Harriet, which is the English form of the French name Henriette. The name Hattie means “little ruler” or “little mistress” of the home. All of these names originated from the name Henry, which means “powerful ruler of the home.”

Georgia

Also the name of a U.S. state and European country, the feminine form of the name George also originates from the Greek name Georgios, which means “farmer” or “earthworker.” The name became popular through St. George and the Georgians.

Leona

Leona is a lovely name which comes from the Latin “leo,” meaning lion. Some famous Leonas include British singer Leona Lewis, Croatian ski racer Leona Popović, and Leona Hutton, American silent film star.

Pamela

Pamela is a name that was once very popular and means “all sweetness” from the Greek words pan, meaning all, and meli, meaning honey. The name first appeared in Sir Philip Sidney’s work The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia.

Anita

Anita is a lovely name that derives from the name Anna. Anita means something along the lines of “grace” and “favor” and another form of the name is Juanita. The Hindu version of the name means “not guided” in Sanskrit.

Roseanne

The name Roseanne means “gracious rose,” and was quite popular throughout the 1900’s. Roseanne Barr, actress and comedian, made the name popular again since her TV shows Roseanne and The Roseanne Show were very successful.

Tabitha

Tabitha was a name that was popular between 1718 and 1745, once again in the 1970’s and 80’s and most recently in 2009. The name comes from the New Testament and comes from the Aramaic word meaning gazelle.

Bonnie

Bonnie is a Scottish name that has been popular for both girls and boys. It comes from the Scottish word bonnie, meaning attractive or pretty, and the French word bonne, meaning good. The name is especially known from the Scottish folk song “My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean.”

Dorothy

The name Dorothy comes from the Greek name Dorothea, which means “God’s gift.” The name could also be a derivative of the name Theodora. Between 1904 and 1940, the name was in the top 10 most popular names in the United States. Of course, the name was especially popular after the release of The Wizard of Oz.

Louisa

Louisa is a name that comes from Latin and means “renowned warrior.” After being outside of the top 1000 most popular names in the US for 45 years, Louisa finally reappeared on the list again in 2014.

Marguerite

The name Marguerite is the French version of Margaret. It derives from the Latin and Greek name which means pearl. It also is a French name for the ox-eye flower.

Betty

Did you know that the name Betty is actually a diminutive for the names Elizabeth and Bethany? It is also short for the name Beatriz, the Spanish version of the Latin name Beatrix and English name Beatrice.

Etta

Etta is an Italian name that is the diminutive of the name Antonietta and Antonetta. In English, it is a short version of the name Henrietta. The name is also a popular Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish name.

Odessa

Odessa is a name that comes from the Greek word meaning “long journey.” You might be familiar with The Odyssey, the Greek epic poem describing the journey back home of Odysseus after the Trojan War.

Daisy

Daisy is a name that comes from Old English, and is the name of the famous flower. The Old English name comes from “day’s eye.” It is also a nickname for Margaret, as the French version of the name is the name for the ox-eye Daisy.

Polly

Polly comes from the Latin word that means “humble” or “little.” It could also be derived from the name Molly, which itself derives from Miryam or Mariah.

Delphine

Delphine is a lovely name that comes from the French for “dolphin.” It also evokes delphinium, which is a flower similar to the bluebell. It also harkens back to Delphi, a Greek ancient city.

Gloria

Gloria is a name that comes from the Latin name Gloriae, which means immortal glory, game, praise, and honor. The name was very popular in the United States in the 1930’s and 40’s and had a resurgence in the 60’s and 70’s as well.

Shirley

Shirley is an English name of the place-name Shirley that comes from Old English for scire (shire) meaning bright and clear. Originally a male name, once Charlotte Bronte wrote the novel Shirley, it officially switched over to being a girl’s name.

Kitty

This adorable name is the diminutive of the name Katherine. It is primarily an English name that means “pure.” Of course, we now all associate the word “Kitty” with a little or baby cat as well.

Hazel

The name Hazel comes from the name of the tree as well as the color. It comes from Old English and became popular in the English speaking world in the 19th and 20th centuries. It became popular once again in 2016.

Constance

The name Constance comes from Latin and has the meaning of “constant.” The different variations of the name Constance include Connie, Constanze, and Constancia.

Opal

This pretty name comes from the name of the gemstone, Opal, which is the birthstone for the month of October. It comes from the Sanskrit upala, which means jewel. It became popular as a name in the late Victorian era.

Janet

Janet, which means “God’s gracious gift,” can be traced back to Biblical times. Since it comes from the name Jane, which is the female version of John, which comes from the Hebrew name Yochanan.

Eleanora

The name Eleanora comes from the French name Alienor, which is believed to be derived from Helen, of the Greek myth of Troy. The name Helene means “light” or “moon.”

Olivia

Olivia is a name that comes from the Latin name meaning “olive tree.” It is the feminine version of the name Oliver. It can be traced back to 13th century England.

Sophia

Sophia is a beautiful Greek name that means “wisdom.” The name became popular because of St. Sophia, who was greatly celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Church. It was also very popular in European royalty throughout the Middle Ages.

Charlotte

The feminine version of the name Charlot, which is in itself a diminutive of Charles, Charlotte comes from French and means “free man” or “petite.” The name goes all the way back to the 14th century. Other related names include Lottie, Charlie, Carlota, and Lotte.

Grace

The name Grace comes from Latin and directly comes from the concept of “God’s Grace.” It means goodness, charm, and generosity. It is one of the most popular names that have to do with virtue.

Zoey

The name Zoey means “life,” and has Greek origins. In Jewish Greek traditions, the name Zoey comes from the name Eve. It was very popular with Christians because of two Saints that went by this name.

Aubrey

The name Aubrey is a French name that actually has origins in Norman French. It means “elf ruler.” After the Norman conquest of 1066, the name was brought to England. In 2014, the name was the 20th most popular name in the United States.

Brooklyn

The name Brooklyn means “beautiful brook” and has origins in English. It originally came from an English last name that means “one who lives near a brook.” Now we all associate it with the New York borough.

Violet

The name Violet is Latin for the color purple, and is a variant of Viola. It also invokes the flower of the same name.

Madelyn

The name Madelyn means “the woman from Magdala” or “high tower” and has roots in Hebrew, Greek, and French. It comes from the French name Madeleine.

Margery

Margery, also spelled Marjorie, derives from the name Margaret, which means pearl. Marjorie comes from the medieval times and is the variant for Margery, that comes from the herb marjoram.

Adele

Adele comes from the German name Adel, which means “nobility” or “noble.” Of course, now we all associate the name with the fabulous English singer with the incredible voice.

Cleo

Cleo is a name with Greek origins that means “fame, glory, praise, rumor, and credit.” It comes from the verb kleó, which means “to make famous, to celebrate.”

Esther

Esther is a Persian name which means “star.” The name comes from the Old Testament story of Esther, also known as Hadassah, who was the Jewish wife of the King of Persia who risked her life to save her people from being annihilated.