There’s a good reason so many people name their children after a beloved grandparent or great aunt — sentimentality aside, old-fashioned baby names for girls and boys are time-tested names that travel well across the generations and often have roots across cultures. Old-fashioned baby names hover above trends, never go out of style, and somehow give even babies an air of undeniable authority (why, hello, Abraham, Cornelius, and Evangeline). They’re charming and distinctive, not too obscure and sound wiser than their years. And perhaps most important, unlike infinity-symbol tattoos or gender reveals, old-fashioned baby names tend to age well. Here are 254 timeless, classic baby names for boys and girls.

Old-Fashioned Boy Names

1. Abe
2. Abraham
3. Albert
4. Ambrose. Ambrose has roots in Greek culture and means immortal. It comes from the Greek word ambrosia, which was also a divine food of the gods. In 2021, it was the 671st most popular boy's name.
5. Amos
6. Ansel
7. Archie
8. Aron
9. Arthur
10. Artie
11. Atticus
12. August
13. Barron
14. Beau
15. Benedict
16. Bennett
17. Bernard
18. Blaine
19. Blevins
20. Brady. In 2021, Brady was listed at 330 as the most popular boy's name in the U.S. Brady is an Irish name that means descendant of Brádach, large-chested or one with broad eyes.
21. Carlo
22. Cassady
23. Clarence
24. Clellon
25. Clifford
26. Cole
27. Cornelius
28. Cyrus
29. Damion
30. Dean
31. Denton
32. Dominic
33. Earl
34. Edison
35. Edmund
36. Edwin
37. Elijah
38. Elmer. Elmer is defined as noble or famous based on British origin. In 2021 it was listed as the 2,612th most popular boy's name in the U.S.
39. Elrod
40. Elon
41. Emmett
42. Emile
43. Ernest
44. Erwin
45. Ezra
46. Felix
47. Fletcher
48. Frank
49. Francis
50. Gael
51. George
52. Gerald
53. Gert
54. Gracy
55. Gunther. Gunther is a mighty German moniker that means battler or warrior. In 2020, it was ranked 9,167 in a list of most popular boys' names.
56. Gus
57. Harmon
58. Harold
59. Harper
60. Harvey
61. Hayden
62. Hector
63. Henry
64. Herbert
65. Holden
66. Howard
67. Hugh
68. Ian
69. Ignatius
70. Jasper
71. Jarrett
72. Jedediah
73. Jerry
74. Joel
75. Julien
76. Kenneth. Kenneth means fire born or good-looking. It has roots in Scottish culture and was a top 20 name from the 1920s through the 1950s.
77. Lacey
78. Langston
79. Lee
80. Lincoln
81. Louis
82. Lucas
83. Marshall
84. Mickey
85. Milton
86. Morgan
87. Neal
88. Nelson
89. Neville
90. Norman
91. Orville
92. Oscar
93. Otis
94. Owen
95. Peyton
96. Pierce
97. Presley
98. Preston
99. Ralph
100. Randall. Randall derives from Old Norse roots and the surname Rannulfr. It means wolf shield and was in 1958 ranked at 140 in most popular boy names.
101. Rawlins
102. Raymond
103. Reed
104. Reginald
105. Richard
106. Rodney
107. Rollo
108. Roy
109. Rutherford
110. Sal
111. Shadrack
112. Sherman
113. Spencer
114. Stanley
115. Sterling
116. Theodore
117. Tobias
118. Tobin
119. Waldo
120. Whitman
121. Wilber. Wilbur is an English moniker that translates to willful or bright. It is also related to the German name Wilbert. In 2006, it was listed as the 4003rd most popular boy's name.
122. Willie
123. Winston
124. Windsor
125. Wright
126. Wyatt

Old-Fashioned Girl Names

1. Abra
2. Addison
3. Adeline. Adeline is German name that means noble. It’s also diminutive of the French name, Adele. According to Nameberry, Adeline was the 94th most popular girl’s name in the U.S. in 2021.
4. Adelaide
5. Agatha
6. Agnes
7. Alejandra
8. Alice
9. Alma
10. Amara
11. Anita
12. Bea
13. Bernadette
14. Beatrix
15. Bertie
16. Bessie
17. Birdie
18. Blythe
19. Bonnie
20. Calliope
21. Camille
22. Carole
23. Colette
24. Connie
25. Celia. Celia has root in Latin origin and means heavely. In 2021, it made the top 1,000 popular U.S. name at 792.
26. Clara
27. Dahlia
28. Daisy
29. Darcy
30. Dessie
31. Dodie
32. Dora
33. Doris
34. Dorothy
35. Edith
36. Enid
37. Etta
38. Eleanor
39. Elaine
40. Ellis
41. Emily
42. Emma
43. Ethel
44. Eugenie
45. Evelyn
46. Evangeline
47. Faith
48. Fanny
49. Faye
50. Flora
51. Florence
52. Frances
53. Gabrielle
54. Galatea
55. Genevieve. Genevieve is a French moniker that means of the race of women. There are also medieval German variations of the name, like Genovefa or Kenowefa. It was the 76th most popular name for girls in 1916.
56. Georgia
57. Gertrude
58. Greta
59. Harriet
60. Hattie
61. Hazel
62. Henrietta
63. Hester
64. Hilda
65. Hope
66. Irene
67. Iris
68. Isabella
69. Imogen
70. Inez
71. Jane
72. Joan
73. Jocelyn
74. Josephine
75. Joyce
76. Katherine
77. Kingsley
78. Laura
79. Lucille
80. Lucinda
81. Luisa
82. Lorraine
83. Lydia. Lydia means beautiful or noble in Greek. This name has been among the top 100 popular names since 2011 and ranked 90 in 2021.
84. Lacy
85. Liza
86. Margaret
87. Martha
88. Marjorie
89. Mathilde
90. Maxine
91. Miriam
92. Minnie
93. Mollie
94. Nell
95. Nora
96. Norene
97. Octavia
98. Olive
99. Opal
100. Patricia
101. Pearl
102. Penelope
103. Polly
104. Pollyanna
105. Posey
106. Rolla
107. Rosemary. Rosemary means dew of the sea or bitter rose of the sea. It is also a combination of two English names. In 2019, it was ranked at 409 in popular girls.
108. Ruby
109. Ruth
110. Sadie
111. Sandra
112. Scarlet
113. Selma
114. Seraphina
115. Shirley
116. Shoshana
117. Sophia
118. Susannah
119. Sylvia
120. Trudy
121. Una
122. Valentina
123. Vera
124. Virginia. Virginia means maid, virgin or pure and is of Latin origin. It’s derived from the Roman names Verginius and Virginius, Virginia is generally associated with legends. In 2021, Virgina was ranked at 1,066 for most popular girl’s name.
125. Viola
126. Violet
127. Willa
128. Wren

This article was originally published on Aug. 1, 2019