New Geek Chic Names For Girls
Question: What do Cora and Sadie, Vivian and Josephine, Violet and Hazel all have in common?
Answer: These stylish vintage girls’ names — which already feel like modern classics — have all rejoined the US Top 100 in just the last decade (or less!)
Fashion moves fast, and some of the original names on our popular Geek Chic Girls list were no longer feeling quite so fresh. So we’ve recently added a whole host of quirky new options for cutting-edge namers to consider! All outside of the current Top 1000, and all with that cute, classic, clunky-cool appeal.
Below are 15 of our favorites. And if this is your style, you can also find the boy version here!
Albertine
It may have fallen almost completely out of use since it last ranked back in 1925, but Albertine no longer feels completely out of style. Names with that chic -ine ending are becoming increasingly fashionable: think Adeline and Emmeline, Madeline and Josephine, Clementine and Evangeline…
Aphra
A feminist choice par excellence, thanks to the literary pioneer Aphra Behn: the first female professional writer in English. With its soft yet sturdy sound and vowel-rich shape, this rare name — which has never charted in the US — nevertheless feels like the perfect stands-out-fits-in choice today.
Blythe
Combining a sweet sound with a joyful meaning, Blythe seems like the quintessential quaint old-fashioned girl name — straight out of an Enid Blyton book. So you might be surprised to learn that this charming choice has never been more popular than in the last ten years.
It’s certainly one of the stylish unique names: sweet yet strong, feminine but not frilly, and given to fewer than 100 baby girls last year!
Clemency
Celebrity favorite Clementine is a rising star, now ranking at #558 in the US. But Clemency, her more staid sister, has never featured on the US list.
With word and virtue names on trend right now, this could make for an appealing alternative to popular names like Grace, Harmony and Serenity.
Enid
Even a decade ago, today’s clunky-cool vintage picks — like Margot and Mabel, Frida and Florence, Opal and Zelda — seemed like unlikely candidates for revival. Now, all are Top 1000 names — some even Top 200! And now that Enid has featured in Wednesday, one of the biggest Netflix hits of the past year, we can see it catching on.
Eugenie
Eugene is still hanging on in the Top 1000 for boys, partly thanks to cool retro nickname Gene, which has been chosen by several high-profile parents of late. But this rare French feminine form — famously borne by a British princess — was given to just ten baby girls last year.
Ida
The most popular name on this list, Ida feels like a natural successor to fashionable vowel-rich mini names like Ava, Ada, Isla and Ivy. It’s already wildly popular in Germany and Scandinavia, where it’s pronounced “EE-dah”. Hollywood actress, filmmaker and feminist icon Ida Lupino is a very noteworthy namesake.
Lavender
Blending several stylish categories — from nature names, to storybook names, to names with that energetic -er ending — lovely Lavender is one of those options that feels like it should be much more popular than it is. But with only 188 births last year, this fragrant floral pick is still as fresh as ever.
Millicent
Sassy nickname Millie is trending in a big way, rising from outside the Top 500 to inside the Top 150 names for girls over the past decade. But if you’re looking for a long form beyond the usual Amelia, Emily or Camila, sweet and strong Millicent makes for a delightfully distinctive choice.
Myrtle
Vintage botanical names are blooming right now: think Lily and Ivy, Hazel and Violet, Rose and Iris. But here’s an old-fashioned floral option you might not have considered. Myrtle was a Top 50 choice until the 1910s, but feels like a hipsterish countercultural choice today.
Peggy
This gutsy retro nickname climbed to #367 in England & Wales last year, its rise no doubt spurred on by two feisty fictional namesakes of recent years: Mad Men’s Peggy Olson, and Agent Peggy Carter of Marvel fame.
Prudence
Cute nicknames aside (how adorable is baby Prue?!), with Alice and Beatrice trending, and Florence and Constance also on the rise, could Prudence be the next soft yet substantial vintage girl name to stage a modest comeback?
Theda
In just the last decade, Thea has leapt from outside the Top 1000 to inside the Top 300 girl names in the US. But add a single letter and you get the lovely, lively Theda. Originally a short form of Theodora or Theodosia, it has a long tradition of use as a name in its own right, yet has never ranked above the #300 mark.
Sybil
Downton Abbey has certainly given a boost to this underused vintage gem, with its intriguing meaning of “prophetess”. It’s a streamlined, sophisticated choice with a rich mythological backstory, and Sybbie or Billie would make for super cute short forms!
Winifred
Nameberry favorite Winifred joins several other d-ending choices (Astrid, Ingrid, Marigold and Isolde) in the Top 300 most searched girls’ names on this site.
Could we be witnessing a pushback against the popular uber-feminine sounds of recent years? Either way, fabulous retro nicknames Winnie, Freddie and Freda make Winifred a winner in our books.