Screenwriting guide
Vintage Names for Women and Men, Back in Style
Vintage names are old names that came back. Using Social Security rank history, these were top 100 by the 1950s, sank below #300 for decades, then climbed back. Hazel went from #23 to #1,161 and back to #27. Oliver went from #76 to #436, and is #3 now.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
What the records show
Mary
#1 for girls in 14 of the 20 years from 1940 to 1959. The rest: Linda 6.
James
#1 for boys in 13 of the 20 years from 1940 to 1959. The rest: Michael 6, Robert 1.
27
Girls’ names fit the comeback test: top 100 by the 1950s, below #300 later, back in the top 200 now.
7
Boys’ names fit the comeback test: top 100 by the 1950s, below #300 later, back in the top 200 now.
58
Girls’ names that reached the top 100 in the 1940s to the 1950s and sit outside the top 1000 in both the 2010s and 2020s.
15
Boys’ names that reached the top 100 in the 1940s to the 1950s and sit outside the top 1000 in both the 2010s and 2020s.
Names that sank and came back
Women
| Emma | #31880s | #4441970s | #2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amelia | #1001880s | #4421960s | #4 |
| Eleanor | #291920s | #6611980s | #15 |
| Ella | #171880s | #9941980s | #20 |
| Violet | #791910s | #1,0981990s | #26 |
| Hazel | #231890s | #1,1611980s | #27 |
| Nora | #561880s | #4631990s | #28 |
| Grace | #141880s | #3701970s | #35 |
| Lucy | #491880s | #5051970s | #42 |
| Stella | #591880s | #1,0511990s | #45 |
| Lillian | #131900s | #4191980s | #51 |
| Ruby | #241910s | #3731980s | #63 |
| Alice | #101880s | #4071990s | #65 |
| Sadie | #701880s | #1,0061960s | #67 |
| Josephine | #231910s | #4621980s | #69 |
| Cora | #231880s | #7701980s | #86 |
| Vivian | #751920s | #5031980s | #93 |
| Lydia | #791880s | #3241970s | #95 |
| Clara | #91880s | #5501980s | #100 |
| Eva | #331890s | #3471990s | #104 |
| Daisy | #601880s | #5621970s | #118 |
| Georgia | #851880s | #6501980s | #143 |
| Genevieve | #821910s | #6231960s | #165 |
| June | #451920s | #1,6121990s | #170 |
| Olive | #881880s | #6,9491980s | #176 |
Men
| Oliver | #761880s | #4361960s | #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leo | #431890s | #4671990s | #26 |
| Jacob | #491880s | #3461960s | #28 |
| Isaac | #751880s | #3651960s | #41 |
| Everett | #901900s | #6021990s | #86 |
| August | #831880s | #8571980s | #115 |
| Leon | #761920s | #5042000s | #163 |
Generate a full name for a character born in the 1940s to the 1950s
Surnames are common US Census surnames. Tap a name to keep it, then reroll the other half.
- peak 1880s
- peak 1880s
- peak 1920s
- peak 1930s
- peak 1940s
- peak 1920s
- peak 1940s
- peak 1920s
- peak 1930s
- peak 1880s
For writers: names that date a character
Time markers reached the top 100 in the 1940s to the 1950s, had their best decade ever there, and rank below #300 today. Traps are today’s top 100 names that were outside the top 1000, or missing from the records, throughout the 1940s to the 1950s.
Women
Names that place a character in time
- Linda
- Barbara
- Patricia
- Carol
- Deborah
- Sandra
- Nancy
- Debra
- Sharon
- Judith
- Carolyn
- Pamela
Anachronism traps
- Mia #6 nowbest #1,733 then
- Harper #10 nownot recorded then
- Luna #11 nowbest #3,313 then
- Camila #12 nowbest #4,958 then
- Sofia #13 nowbest #1,375 then
- Gianna #16 nowbest #5,191 then
- Scarlett #17 nowbest #1,101 then
- Chloe #21 nowbest #1,116 then
- Avery #22 nowbest #2,919 then
- Aria #23 nowbest #5,887 then
- Mila #24 nowbest #2,239 then
- Layla #30 nowbest #7,446 then
Men
Names that place a character in time
- Ronald
- Larry
- Gary
- Jerry
- Stephen
- Dennis
- Roger
- Douglas
- Terry
- Lawrence
- Bruce
- Wayne
Anachronism traps
- Liam #1 nowbest #2,385 then
- Lucas #8 nowbest #1,316 then
- Mateo #11 nowbest #2,256 then
- Asher #23 nowbest #2,365 then
- Hudson #31 nowbest #1,459 then
- Aiden #32 nownot recorded then
- Luca #37 nowbest #6,276 then
- Grayson #38 nowbest #1,435 then
- Dylan #39 nowbest #2,608 then
- Maverick #43 nowbest #1,834 then
- Jayden #47 nownot recorded then
- Josiah #51 nowbest #1,764 then
How to use it
- 1
Scan the ranked table for the comeback names and sort it by rank, births or where a name sits today. Copy the list if you want it.
- 2
Use the generator to pair real first names from that decade with common US surnames. Tap a half to keep it and reroll the rest.
- 3
Check the anachronism traps before you commit, so a modern name does not give your period character away.
What makes a name vintage rather than just old?
A vintage name has a second life. We kept a name only if it reached the US top 100 in some decade from the 1880s to the 1950s, then fell below #300 at its low point between the 1960s and the 2000s, and is back in the top 200 in the 2020s at no more than a third of that low rank.
That test is strict on purpose. Theodore is everywhere now, but it never fell below #300, so by this rule it never went away. The names that pass really did disappear for a generation, which is why they read as fresh again.
Why are there far more vintage woman names than male names?
Boys’ names change more slowly. John, William and James held the top spots for decades, and many classic men’s names never dropped far enough to need a comeback. On the girls’ side, fashion turns over faster, so more names fell hard and more have returned.
The male list is short but real: Oliver, Leo, Jacob, Isaac, Everett, August and Leon all sank below #300 and came back.
How do you use a vintage name for a character?
A vintage name can place a character in two times at once. A girl called Hazel today was born recently. A woman called Hazel in a story set in 1975 was probably born around 1900, when Hazel ranked in the top 30. The same name tells a reader something different depending on the age you give it.
For a mid century character, the generator below draws from the real 1940s and 1950s lists instead, which is what people born then were actually called.
Names by era
Questions writers ask
What are some vintage woman names?
Emma, Amelia, Eleanor, Ella, Violet, Hazel, Nora, Grace, Lucy, Stella, Lillian, Ruby, Alice, Josephine, Cora, Vivian and Clara all passed our comeback test and are in the US top 100 again.
What are some vintage male names?
Oliver, Leo, Jacob, Isaac, Everett, August and Leon. Each was top 100 by the 1950s, fell below #300, and is back in the top 200 in the 2020s.
Are vintage names and old fashioned names the same?
No. Here, vintage means a name came back. Old fashioned means it stayed gone, like Mildred or Clarence, which are still outside the top 1000.
Which vintage name made the biggest comeback?
Olive fell furthest and returned: #88 in the 1880s, #6,949 in the 1980s, #176 in the 2020s. Hazel and Violet also climbed from below #1,000 to the top 30.
What years does the 2020s data cover?
Births from 2020 to 2024, the latest years in the Social Security national file.