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Old Lady Names That Are Making a Comeback in 2024

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Famous author Stephen King once wrote, “Sooner or later, everything old is new again,” in his 2005 mystery book The Colorado Kid – though he has used the saying in a number of his popular works. 

It can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but I think you see where we’re going with it. 

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a new trend going around with baby names that has parents electing for what many consider ‘old lady names’ – not in an offensive way, but as a nod to the past. 

RELATED: 57 Taylor Swift-Inspired Names for Your Future Popstar

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are a perfect example of this, having named their third daughter Betty – an ode to Blake’s grandmother and aunt – in 2019. And yes, it’s the ‘Betty’ that Taylor Swift sang about.

But they’re not even the only celebrities bringing back old lady names. 

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner went with Violet for their eldest daughter, while George and Amal Clooney decided to name their daughter Ella – two incredibly beautiful and elegant old lady names!

50 Popular Old Lady Names & Their Meanings

Old Lady Names That Are Making a Comeback in 2024 | Famous author Stephen King once wrote, “Sooner or later, everything old is new again,” in his 2005 mystery book The Colorado Kid – though he has used the saying in a number of his popular works. 
via Shutterstock (New Africa)

Take one look around and you’ll start to see just how many parents are electing to go with old lady names when naming their newborns – and some baby-naming experts think popular TV shows are playing a role.

At least that’s what BabyNames.com founder Jennifer Moss is saying. 

She believes popular dramas – such as Bridgerton, The Gilded Age, and Downton Abbey – are giving parents even more reason to give their daughters old lady names. And trust us, we’re totally here for it!

“People are researching their ancestry online and finding these cool names that sound fresh because they haven’t been heard for so long,” Moss explained in a recent interview with The TODAY Show. 

With that said, we’re going to highlight 50 of our favorite old lady names – so, let’s get started!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 250 Old Lady Names for Baby Girls Born Today

50. Eleanor

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Origin: Old French and Old Provençal 

Meaning: Bright, Shining One, Light

Famous People: Eleanor of Aquitaine (former queen consort of France and England), Eleanor Roosevelt (former First Lady of the US), Eleanor Tomlinson (English actress), Eleanor Parker (American actress)

49. Violet

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: Purpble, Violet Flower

Famous People: Violet Bonham Carter (English politician), Violet Brown (Jamaican supercentenarian), Violet Jessop (Titanic survivor), Violet Affleck (daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck)

48. Mabel

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: Lovable, Beautiful, My Beautiful One

Famous People: Mabel Normand (American silent film actress), Mabel Mercer (Engligh-born cabaret singer), Mabel King (American actress and singer), Mabel (British-Swedish singer and songwriter)

47. Ruby

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: Red Gemstone, Birthstone for July

Famous People: Ruby Dee (American actress), Ruby Bridges (American civil rights activist), Ruby Rose (Australian model), Ruby Wax (American-British comedian and actress)

46. Lillian

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: Lily

Famous People: Lillian Gish (American actress and director), Lillian Hellman (American playwright), Lillian Wald (American nurse and humanitarian), Lillian Disney (wife of Walt Disney)

45. Matilda

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Origin: Germanic

Meaning: Strength in Battle, Mighty in Battle

Famous People: Empress Matilda (daughter of King Henry I of England), Matilda of Flanders (wife of William the Conqueror and Queen of England), Matilda Ledger (daughter of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams), Matilda (title character of a famous children’s book Roald Dahl)

44. Edith

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Origin: Old English

Meaning: Riches in War, Blessed War

Famous People: Edith Wharton (American novelist), Edith Piaf (French singer and cultural icon), Edith Roosevelt (second wife of former US President Theodore Roosevelt), Edith Cavell (British nurse)

43. Beatrice

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: She Who Brings Happiness, Bringer of Joy

Famous People: Beatrice of England (13th centure English princess), Beatrice Arthur (American actress and comedian), Beatrice Borromeo (Italian journalist and model)

42. Josephine

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: God Will Add, Jehovah Increases

Famous People: Josephine Bonaparte (first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte), Josephine Baker (American-born French entertainer), Josephine Tey (pseudonym for Scottish author Elizabeth MacKintosh), Josephine Skriver (Danish model)

41. Florence

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: To Blossom, To Flourish

Famous People: Florence Nightingale (English social reformer), Florence Welch (lead vocalist of Florence and the Machine), Florence Henderson (American actress and singer), Florence Foster Jenkins (American socialite)

RELATED: 25 Grandma-Approved Old Lady Names for Baby Girls

40. Esther

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Origin: Persian

Meaning: Star

Famous People: Esther (Biblical figure; wife of King Ahasuerus in Book of Esther), Esther Williams (American competitive swimmer), Esther Dyson (American journalist), Esther Rantzen (British journalist) 

39. Dorothy

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Gift of God

Famous People: Dorothy Parker (American poet), Dorothy Dandridge (American actress and singer), Dorothy Hodgkin (British chemist who won Nobel Prize in Chemistry), Dorothy Gale (fictional protagonist of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’)

38. Agnes

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Pure, Holy

Famous People: Saint Agnes of Rome (Christian martyr), Agnes Moorehead (American actress), Agnes Varda (French film director), Agnes de Mille (American dancer and choreographer)

37. Martha

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Origin: Aramaic

Meaning: Lady, Mistress

Famous People: Martha Washington (wife of George Washington), Martha Stewart (American businesswoman and TV personality), Martha Graham (American modern dancer), Martha Gellhorn (American novelist)

36. Adelaide

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Origin: Germanic

Meaning: Noble, Nobility

Famous People: Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (queen consort of King William IV), Adelaide Kane (Australian actress), Adelaide Hall (American-born British jazz singer), Adelaide (capital city of South Australia)

35. Agatha

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Good, Honorable

Famous People: Agatha Christie (British writer), Saint Agatha of Sicily (Christian saint and virgin martyr), Agatha Barbara (first female President of Malta), Agatha Harkness (fictional character from Marvel Comics series)

34. Colleen

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Origin: Irish

Meaning: Girl, Young Woman

Famous People: Colleen Dewhurst (Canadian-American actress), Colleen Hoover (American author), Colleen Ballinger (American comedian and actress), Colleen Atwood (American costume designer)

33. Edna

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Pleasure, Delight

Famous People: Edna St. Vincent Millay (American poet and playwright), Edna Ferber (American novelist), Edna Krabappel (fictional character from ‘The Simpsons’), Edna Mode (fictional character from ‘The Incredibles’)

32. Ethel

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Origin: Old English

Meaning: Noble

Famous People: Ethel Barrymore (American actress), Ethel Merman (American actress and singer), Ethel Kennedy (widow of Robert F. Kennedy), Ethel Waters (American singer and actress) 

31. Gertrude

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Origin: Germanic

Meaning: Spear of Strength

Famous People: Gertrude Stein (American novelist and playwright), Gertrude Ederle (American competition swimmer), Gertrude Bell (English writer), Saint Gertrude the Great (13th century German Benedictine nun)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 50 Old Lady Names and Old Man Names for National Grandparents Day on September 10

30. Gladys

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Origin: Welsh

Meaning: Royalty, Princess

Famous People: Gladys Knight (American singer and songwriter), Gladys Aylward (British missionary), Gladys Bentley (American blues singer and pianist), Gladys Presley (mother of Elvis Presley)

29. Hilda

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Origin: Old German

Meaning: Battle, Warrior

Famous People: Saint Hilda of Whitby (Anglo-Saxon abbess and saint), Hilda solis (American politician and former US Secretary of Labor), Hilda Doolittle (American poet and novelist)

28. Helga

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Origin: Old Norse

Meaning: Holy, Blessed

Famous People: Helga Estby (Norwegian-American woman who walked across US in 1896), Helga Testorf (model for many of Andrew Wyeth’s most famous paintings), Helga G. Pataki (fictional character in ‘Hey Arnold!’)

27. Irene

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Peace

Famous People: Saint Irene (early Christian martyr and saint), Irene Dunne (American actress and singer), Irene Adler (fictional character in Sherlock Holmes stories), Irene Papas (Greek actress and singer) 

26. Linda

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Origin: Germanic

Meaning: Soft, Tender, Beautiful

Famous People: Linda Ronstadt (American singer), Linda McCartney (American musician and wife of Paul McCartney), Linda Hamilton (American actress), Linda Evangelista (Canadian supermodel)

25. Lois

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Most Desirable, Better

Famous People: Lois Lowry (American author), Lois Lane (fictional character in Superman comic series), Lois Maxwell (Canadian actress), Lois Griffin (fictional character in ‘Family Guy’)

24. Ruth

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Friend, Companion

Famous People: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (American Supreme Court Justice), Ruth Handler (American businesswoman), Ruth Westheimer (German-American sex therapist), Ruth (central figure in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible)

23. Shannon

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Origin: Irish

Meaning: Wise River, Old River

Famous People: Shannon Elizabeth (American actress), Shannon Hoon (lead sinder of Blind Melon), Shannon Tweed (Canadian actress and model)

22. Sharon

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: A Plain, A Flat Area

Famous People: Sharon Stone (American actress), Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy Osbourne), Sharon Tate (American actress)

21. Mildred

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Origin: Old English

Meaning: Gentle Strength

Famous People: Mildred ‘Babe’ Didriskson Zaharias (American athlete), Mildred Loving (American civil rights activist), Mildred Bailey (American jazz singer)

RELATED: 100 Old Lady Names Poised for a Return for Baby Girls Born Today

20. Maeve

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Origin: Irish

Meaning: Intoxicating, She Who Rules

Famous People: Maeve Binchy (Irish author), Maeve Brennan (Irish-American writer and journalist), Queen Maeve (legendary queen of Connacht in Irish mythology)

19. Nadine

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Origin: French, Slavic

Meaning: Hope

Famous People: Nadine Gordimer (South African writer), Nadine Coyle (Irish singer and actress), Nadine Labaki (Lebanese actress and director)

18. Wanda

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Origin: Polish

Meaning: Wanderer

Famous People: Wanda Jackson (American singer), Wanda Sykes (American actress and comedian), Wanda Landowska (Polish harpsichordist and pianist)

17. Wilma

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Origin: Germanic

Meaning: Willful Protection, Resolute Protector

Famous People: Wilma Rudolph (American sprinter and Olympic champion), Wilma Flinstone (fictional character in ‘The Flinstones’), Wilma Mankiller (first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation)

16. Brenda

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Origin: Old Norse

Meaning: Sword, Blade

Famous People: Brenda Lee (American singer), Brenda Blethyn (English actress), Brenda Fassie (South African singer)

15. Beverley

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Origin: Old English

Meaning: Beaver Stream, Beaver Meadow

Famous People: Beverley Cleary (American author), Beverley Knight (British recording artist), Beverley Mitchell (American actress and singer)

14. Pearl

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Origin: English

Meaning: Precious Gemstone

Famous People: Pearl S. Buck (American writer and Nobel Prize winner), Pearl Bailey (American actress and singer), Pearl Jam (American rock band)

13. Deborah

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Bee

Famous People: Deborah Kerr (Scottish actress), Deborah Harry (American singer and actress), Deborah Sampson (former American Revolutionary War soldier) 

12. Mary

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Beloved, Bitter

Famous People: Mary, Mother of Jesus (central figure in Christianity and mother of Jesus Christ), Mary Shelley (English novelist), Mary Queen of Scots (historical figure and queen regnant of Scotland)

11. Patricia

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: Noble, Patrician

Famous People: Patricia Highsmith (American novelist), Patricia Arquette (American actress), Patricia Neal (American actress and Academy Award winner)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 20 Unique Baby Names for Girls 

10. Shirley

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Origin: Old English

Meaning: Bright Meadow

Famous People: Shirley Temple (American actress and singer), Shirley MacLaine (American actress and author), Shirley Jackson (American writer)

9. Betty

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: God Is My Oath

Famous People: Betty White (American actress and comedian), Betty Grable (American actress and singer), Betty Friedan (American feminist writer and activist)

8. Helen

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Torch, Light

Famous People: Helen of Troy (figure from Greek mythology), Helen Kelelr (American author and activist), Helen Mirren (English actress)

7. Margaret

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Origin: Greek

Meaning: Pearl

Famous People: Margaret Thatcher (first female Prime Minister of the UK), Margaret Atwood (Canadian author), Saint Margaret of Scotland (11th century queen and saint)

6. Susan

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Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Lily

Famous People: Susan B. Anthony (American social reformer and women’s rights activist), Susan Sarandon (American actress), Susan Sontag (American writer and filmmaker)

5. Henrietta

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Origin: Germanic

Meaning: Ruler of the Home

Famous People: Henrietta Lacks (African-American woman whose cancer cells helped create first immortalized human cell line), Henrietta Maria of France (queen consort of King Charles I of England), Henrietta Swan Leavitt (American astronomer)

4. Deirdre

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Origin: Irish

Meaning: Sorrowful, Broken-Hearted

Famous People: Deirdre (tragic heroine from Irish mythology), Deirdre Lovejoy (American actress), Deirdre Imus (American author and radio personality)

3. Dolores

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Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Sorrows

Famous People: Dolores Huerta (American labor leader and civil rights activist), Dolores del Rio (Mexican actress), Dolores O’Riordan (Irish singer and songwriter)

2. Priscilla

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Origin: Latin

Meaning: Ancient, Venerable

Famous People: Priscilla Presley (American actress and businesswoman), Priscilla Chan (American pediatrician and philanthropist), Saint Priscilla (early Christian and missionary in the New Testament)

1. Darcy

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Origin: Irish

Meaning: Dark One

Famous People: Darcy Bussell (retired English ballerina and principal dancer with the Royal Ballet), Darcy Wakaluk (Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender)

Are You Joining the Old Lady Names Trend? 

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Old lady names, also referred to as ‘classic’ names and ‘vintage’ names, are making a comeback whether you want to admit it or not – and a lot of your favorite celebrities and TV series are a big reason why. 

But we’re not complaining – especially since a lot of us have grandmothers with those names. 

The truth is most old lady names have a certain grace and sophistication that the modern names of today might lack. And in an era of rapidly changing trends, vintage names stand out and offer a unique identity. 

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 100 Baby Names That Were Popular in the 1800s That More Parents Should Consider Today

If you’re taking a strong liking to old lady names, then hopefully our list above gave you some good ideas. And if you happened to think of an even better one, then we would love to hear what you came up with!

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