October 2, 2008

Pioneer Baby Names


If you didn’t already know it, we’re in the midst of a baby name pioneer revival. Many of the names we adore today, such as Ella, Chloe, Owen and Noah, can be found in the top names from the 1880s. These perfectly antique names were once adored in the Victorian era, but slipped out of nurseries in the 20th century. The result are lovely, darling names that are ripe for rediscovery, as they all sound like a breath of fresh air in modern times.

It's a fascinating period of our history, when America was expanding west and average people were faced with make-or-break-it survival. The western frontier has been much romanticized over the years, from the wild west movies made in the ‘50s, to the charming TV series of the ‘70s, Little House on the Prairie. The stories of the early settlers will always inspire us, and for now, so do these names.

Girls

Abigail

Ada

Addie

Adelaide

Amelia

Annie

Augusta

Ava

Belle

Callie

Caroline

Celia

Charlotte

Chloe

Cora

Dovie

Eliza

Ella

Emma

Eva

Flora

Georgia

Grace

Hannah

Harriet

Hattie

Helena

Ivy

Julia

Lillie

Lottie

Lucy

Lula

Lydia

Mabel

Maggie

Mollie, Molly

Nellie

Nora

Olivia

Sadie

Sophia

Susie

Viola

Willa

Winnie

Boys

Abraham

Amos

August

Bartholomew

Caleb

Charles

Clarence

Cyrus

Eli, Elijah, Elisha

Elias

Emmett

Everett

Ezekiel

Ezra

Frederick

Gideon

Gus

Guy

Henry

Hezekiah

Hugh

Ike

Ira

Isaiah

Issac

Jasper

Jesse

Jonas

Julius

Levi

Lewis

Lucian

Mack

Noah

Oliver

Oscar

Otto

Owen

Roy

Samuel

Silas

Theodore

Turner

Ulysses

Walter

Wiley

If you love these names, but are looking for something a little more jazzy, try my list of Vintage Baby Names full of spirited choices perfect for flappers and fellas!

14 comments:

  1. I like the name Olivia from your list.

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  3. I absolutly despise the names olivia and emma, i don't know why these names are becomming so popular, they always seem kind of . . .fat aunt olivia, or emma to me. I have a cousion named olivia and school was horrid for her, she was called olive and olive oil for years. However I do find the names Ella and Abigail to be very charming

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  4. i like Adelaids the best

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  5. I didn't know the name Sophia was colonial? I thought it was more of a princess-y type name, you know?

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  6. This helped a lot for my pioneer project. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  7. For school, I had to write pioneer names and circle my favorites. This really helped. Oh, and Kristen is a name too

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  8. nice baby list. Thanks for the sharing.

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  9. I love the name Charlotte.

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  10. Charles is a cute name

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  11. I LOVE THE NAME EVA IT IS REALLY CUTE!!!!!!!!!!

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  12. Thanks! I had to write a story for school about the early settlers and I used the name Lucian

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