Popular 1880s Boy Names That Should Be Used Again Today

Many of today's most-popular boy names have actually been rather popular for decades. The same few traditional choices have stuck around and lasted the test of time moreso than many of the popular female names have.

While looking at the Top 200 Names of the 1880s via the Social Security Administration's data, it is no surprise that the hottest names of the decade include John, William, James, George, and Charles. While John, George and Charles have declined in usage, James and William still dominate the modern charts.

How many interesting names from the 1880s could be revived and given to modern boys? In order to find these names, we will need to skip over the evergreen names that are still ranking well in 2014. We aren't interested in those right now. We want to find the names that have fallen from favor, names like Clarence or Earnest that were once well-used.

Sticking to the collective data from the entire decade, we will take a closer look at 10 of those names within the 1880's Top 200.

1. Ralph #42 -  This name ranked #42 for the combined decade of the 1880s. After that, it peaked twice around 1920 and 1947. Ralph has steadily been declining in usage, exiting the Top 1000 in 2012. In 2014, there were only 193 boys named Ralph. It may be down and out right now but that doesn't mean it's gone for good. Could Ralph be revived in the next thirty years?

2. Claude #52 - This name has the same popularity pattern as Ralph. It peaked around 1920 and again around 1947 only to fade way down to only 42 male births in 2014. Claude could be favored as a future vintage revival but at the moment, neither Claude nor Claud are being used much.

3. Chester #65 - This was the first name of the 21st US President, Chester A. Arthur who was in office during this time period from 1881 to 1885. This name was well used for many years, peaking in 1920 and 1946 before tapering off. There were only 83 boys named Chester in 2014. It is hard to tell if this name could be fashionable again in the coming years but it certainly deserves more usage.

4. Luther #68 - This is a big name with a few notable bearers that was most popular in 1922 with 1,477 births. After that, it declined in usage all the way down to just 96 births in 2014. This name is a good candidate for being revived again along with other vintage boy names.

5. Leroy #96 - The name Leroy flourished from the early 1900s through the 1960s in the US but started declining in popularity after that. It straddles the line between being a part of the Top 1000 names and not. As of 2014, with only 183 male births, it was not. However, it does have the potential to climb the charts again.

6. Perry -#112 - Perry peaked big time in 1958 at #132 for the year. It remained in the Top 1000 from 1880 until it dropped out in 2007. There were 149 births in 2015. Is this name a bit dated or could it suit modern boys again soon?

7. Otis #135 - With some recent usage in Hollywood, Otis is starting to gain popularity again today but it is still a few spots shy of the Top 1000. With 202 births in 2014, this name seems to have a good chance of climbing the charts in the coming years.

8. Morris #154 - Like many other names on this list, Morris was hottest in the 1920s and 1940s before it lost its popularity. In 2014, there were 110 boys given this name but it hasn't ranked in the Top 1000 since 1994. In line with all the other surname names for boys, Morris deserves more usage today.

9. Edmund #185 - Edmund always ranked well since the 1880s but dropped out of the Top 1000 in 1998. While its popularity has declined since its peak in the 1920s, it is beginning to inch slowly upward again with 172 births in 2014. This is a name that seems like it should be more popular than it actually is.

10. Irving #196 - Irving had a major popularity peak from 1914-1927 but rapidly descended the charts again as quickly as it first ascended. It had another small boost in usage in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As of 2014, Irving was only giving to 113 boys. As one of the more attractive I-Names for boys, Irving deserves to shake its old-fashioned image and be cool again, especially with that fashionable letter V in the middle.

Which of these 10 names do you think stands the best chance of revival?

Here's more of the Top 200 names from 1880 that do not rank within 2014's Top 1000:

Clarence Earl Elmer Herbert Herman Grover Bert Guy Floyd Homer Horace Marion Bernard Clifford Milton

Lester Leslie Rufus Lloyd Norman Percy Earnest Gus Wallace Roscoe Willard Wilbur Cornelius Cecil

Elbert Claud Lonnie Virgil Hiram Sylvester Irvin Glenn Ollie Cleveland Alva Rudolph Vernon Hubert

Do any of these names strike your fancy or do they deserve to remain unused? Which could you most realistically see on a modern boy?

Photo Credit: By Charles Milton Bell 1849–1893 [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Xanthe

The name Xanthe is brought to you today in honor of a previous article featuring The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls.

This name is Greek and is derived from ξανθος (xanthos) meaning "golden, yellow" or "fair hair".

While this is a very beautiful name, there can be some annoying pronunciation issues that go along with it. Fortunately, the overwhelming consensus that I've found among typical English speakers is that they pronounce it ZAN-thee. ZAN-tha is another possibility. Some claim that it is pronounced more like ZAN-they or KSAN-thee. If you'd like to read a discussion about it, click here.

For the purposes of this article, I will be assuming the pronunciation ZAN-thee.

Xanthe is a name used twice on the planet Mars. Once for the Xanthe Montes which is a mountain range, and once for a region referred to as Xanthe Terra. Additionally, there is an asteroid called 411 Xanthe. There were also a few minor mythological characters with this name.

Xanthe has only been in use in the US since 1964 however, it is far from common. It has never ranked anywhere close to the US Top 1000.

There have been many years that did not have at least 5 births on record for this name. There's also never been more than 12 females given the name Xanthe in a single year; this happened only once in 2001. As of 2014, there were only 5 girls given this name. It is very uncommon. Even rarer is the name Xanthia which has hardly had any use.

If you are looking for a big, bold, rare name for a girl, Xanthe is a great choice. The trendy X makes this name interesting while the rest of the name offers a unique sound. This name is sure to turn heads. If you're considering it, here are ideas for sibling and middle names:

Sibling Name Ideas: 

Sisters:   Aurelia, Ariadne, Cassia, Clio, Eulalia, Freya, Iris, Octavia, Sybil

Brothers: Augustus, Damian, Everett, Ignatius, Lucian, Tavish, Theron, Vance

Middle Name Ideas:

Xanthe Adeline
Xanthe Elena

Xanthe June
Xanthe Lenore
Xanthe Pearl

Xanthe Viola

As a Middle Name:
Caroline Xanthe
Helena Xanthe
Lydia Xanthe
Olivia Xanthe
Philippa Xanthe
Sophia Xanthe

I played it a bit safe with these pairings since Xanthe is the bolder option. What would you pick as a middle name for Xanthe?

The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls

We have covered the letter X before on The Art of Naming. We pondered some "Xcellent" underused names for boys and girls.

We also listed out names for boys that contain the letter X, as well as a list for girl names with an X in them.

 This letter typically gives names an edge. They tend to be rather bold and interesting.

Today we'll look at some of the very best names that start with X. I handpicked 25 for each gender for a total of 50 awesome names.

Is X your favorite letter? Are you looking for something unusual, unique and interesting? This list is for you!

Xabrina Xalvadora Xandra Xantara Xanthe Xanthippe Xaria Xavienna Xaviera Xavierre Xena Xenaida Xenia Xenobia Xeraphina Xevera Xeveria Xia Xiamara Ximena Xiomara Xochitl Xola Xolani Xylia

Xachary Xadrian Xaime Xalvador Xan Xanadu Xander Xannon Xanthos Xanthus Xanto Xarles Xavian Xaviell Xavier Xavion Xenon Xenos Xerxes Xhaiden Ximenes Xola Xuan Xylander Xylon

Which name catches your eye? Would you put one of these on your short list? If not, perhaps you'd enjoy exploring one of the other letters. Use the following links for that:

<-- The Very Best W Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best Y Names for Boys and Girls -->

Jasper, Peter & Stone: Earthy Boy Names That Rock!

When it comes to earthy boy names, some of the coolest ones are related to rock and stone. There are some names that mean rock such as the Scottish surname Carrick from the Gaelic Carraig. 

The name Peter means "stone" and so does all of its variants and translations such as the French Pierre, the Spanish Pedro, and others such as Piers, Pierce, Pierson, Piet and Pietro.  

If it's a down-to-earth name you want, the list below features a few more names with rocky and earthy meanings:

Cephas Clayton Cole Craig Dunstan Ebenezer Haldor Halle Halstein Halvard Harlow Hermes Leofstan Malachite Mason Seneca Stanford Stanley Terran Torsten Winston Wystan

"rock" "clay settlement" "charcoal" "crag, rock" "dark stone" "stone of help" "Thor's rock" "rock" "rock, stone" "rock guardian" "rock hill" "piles of stones" "beloved stone" "mallow stone" "stoneworker" "place of stones" "stone ford" "stone clearing" "land, earth" "Thor's stone" "joy stone" "battle stone"

If those aren't for you, perhaps you'd be a fan of names that come from actual stones, minerals or rocky landscapes:

Canyon Carnelian Clay Cliff Cobalt Copper Dale Dune Flint Garnet Glen Jasper Jet

Knoll Mica Obsidian Onyx Quartz Ridge Shale Slate Sterling Stone Terrace Vale Zinc

Did I miss any good ones? What is your favorite rocky name for a boy?

Caspian, Kai & River: Names Inspired by Water

Water is everywhere. We use it for countless reasons every day. Heck, we're made of water. It is essential to life as we know it. What better way to honor our precious life-sustaining water than to choose a name inspired by it?

Plenty of parents are already fans of nature names, why not filter those down to just the water-related ones? You'll find that you have many great options to choose from.

Before we dive into the deep end, let's explore a bit of mythology. The God of the Sea is known as Poseidon in Greek mythology. One of his love interests was the Sea Goddess Amphitrite. Together they had a son named Triton who was the Messenger of the Sea.  The Roman equivalent of Poseidon is Neptune, the God of Freshwater and the Sea.

Here are some of the best names inspired by water:

Bodies of water that could be used as names:

Bay Bayou Brook Cascade Cove Delta Fjord Frost Harbor Icy Laguna Lake Marsh Ocean Rain River Snow

Names of falls, lakes, rivers and oceans that work as names:

Caspian Como Danube Erie Hudson Jordan Kivu Loire Lucerne Nile Oman Rhine Tahoe Tallulah Thames

Names meaning "water" or "sea", etc:

Afon Alton Clinton Darya Douglas Indra Irving Kai Kelvin Kendall Kenton Lincoln Lynn Marinus Maris Marisol Maristela Marlowe Maya Meri Merlin Merton Mira Misty Moana Morgan Mortimer Muir Muirgel Muirgen Naia Neith Nerida Nerissa Océane Pegasus Pelagius Rio Rosemary Sevan Tallulah Vale Wilton

"river" "town at the source of the river" "settlement on the River Glyme". "sea, ocean" "dark river" "possessing drops of rain" "green water" "sea" "narrow water" "valley on the river Kent" "town on the River Kenn" "lake colony" "lake" "of the sea". "of the sea" "sea and sun" "star of the sea" "remnants of a lake" "water" "the sea" "sea fortress" "town on a lake" "sea, ocean" "misty" "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" "sea circle" "still water" "sea" "bright sea" "born of the sea" "wave, sea foam" "water" "water lily" "nymph, sea sprite" "ocean" "from a water spring" "the sea" "river" "dew of the sea" "lake" "leaping waters" "wide river valley" "town on the River Wylye"

Other relevant names:

Aqua Beach Cloud Coral Marina Reef Shore Tide Wade

What do you think of this list? Can you think of more that could be added? Which is your favorite?

Wesley

This featured name is brought to you by the letter W and the very best W names for boys and girls.

We recently talked about how one of the biggest boy name trends is to use surnames as first names. As an English surname, Wesley is no exception. It fits right in with other surname names for boys.

As a name, Wesley could be considered more on the gentle side of boy names. This could be partly because many of the other -ley names are rather unisex like Bailey or conquered by the girls like Ashley. However, there are many who also consider Wesley to be a tough guy name due to pop culture associations such as actor Wesley Snipes.

Another major association is John Wesley, an 18th century theologian who founded the evangelical movement known as Methodism.

Wesley is short for "Wesleydale" which is Anglo-Norman in origin. The "wes" part refers to the direction "west" while "lea" is an open grassy area. Therefore, Wesley refers to a western field or
meadow. Most sites list its meaning as "west meadow".

The name Wesley is more popular for boys, but it has also been given to a handful of girls every year since 1910. There were 43 girls named Wesley in 2014.

For boys, though, Wesley has consistently ranked in the #100s or better since 1880. Its high point came in 1977 when 4300 boys were given the name. It has had its ups and downs but as of 2014, Wesley ranks at #130 with 3,112 births.

Brother name Westley has been in use in the US since 1887 but it has never been anywhere near as popular as Wesley. It has ranked within the Top 1000 many times, though, mostly through the 1980s and early 1990s. The timing of that popularity boost coincides with the 1987 film The Princess Bride which featured a handsome character named Westley. After that time period, the name Westley declined in usage again and was given to only 174 boys in 2014.

Wesley feels both old-fashioned and modern. It has always been in use so it is more of an evergreen name than not even though it is much less common than other evergreens like James and William. What do you think of Wesley? If you are considering it, here are some ideas for middle names and sibling names:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annabel, Diana, Laurel, Katherine, Margaret, Rebecca, Sarah
Brothers: Bennett, Carson, Harrison, Neil, Owen, Reid, Stephen

Middle Name Ideas:
Wesley Allen
Wesley Marshall
Wesley Oliver
Wesley Robert
Wesley Thomas

As a Middle Name:
Charles Wesley
George Wesley
Jack Wesley
Shawn Wesley
Tyler Wesley

What names would you pair with Wesley? Do you prefer Wesley or Westley?

The Very Best W Names for Boys and Girls

As you continue your search for the perfect name, I'd like to ask you to take a moment and consider using a name that starts with the letter W.

We're nearing the end of the alphabet so if you've been following this series and you haven't found a winner yet, this might finally be the list for you.

The letter W has a good variety of names. There's the more proper ones like William and Winston for boys, and the more whimsical options like Waterlily or Wintress for girls.

There should be a little bit of something for everyone here.

Tell me in the comments, did I miss any good W names that you enjoy? Of the ones featured below, which name catches your eye the most?

Wanda Waterlily Waverly Wednesday    Wendy Whisper Whitley Whitney Wilda Wilhelmina Willa Willamena Willene Willow Wilma Wilmet Windsor Winifred Winnie Winona Winter Wintress Wren Wylie Wynne

Wade Walker Walter Warren Watson Waylon Wayne Wendell Wesley Weston Wilder Wiley Wilfred Willard William Willis Willoughby Wilmer Wilson Winslow Winston Wolf Wolfgang Woodrow Wyatt

If W isn't your letter after all, use the following links to continue your search in the remaining letters of the alphabet.

<-- The Very Best V Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls -->