80 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Girls (Organized by Alphabetical Order)
1. Adele
Name your baby girl this and it's a good possibility that she'll either be a Grammy-award-winning singer like Adele or "nobility", as it means in German. This name is so old (as early as 900 A.D.) and mostly underused that people will think that you're way ahead of your time. Adele is the underdog of beautiful names.
Fun Fact: The singer Adele was raised by her single mother in a poor area of London. Now, look at her!
Other famous people with the name: St. Adele, William the Conqueror's daughter Adela, Fred Astaire's other dancing partner and sister Adele Astaire, and renowned African-American opera singer, Adele Addison.
The name Adele across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Danish: Heidi
- French: Adélaïde, Adèle, Alice, Alison
- German: Ada, Elke, Heidi
- Greek: Aliki
- Hungarian: Adél
- Italian: Ada, Alda
- Latvian: Alise
- Norwegian: Heidi
- Polish: Adela
- Romanian: Adela
- Russian: Alisa
- Spanish: Adela
- Swedish: Heidi
- Welsh: Alis
2. Adrienne
3. Alison
4. Amelia
5. Andrea
6. Ann/Anne
7. Audrey
8. Camille
9. Caroline
10. Catherine
The name Catherine comes from the Greek word, "katharos" meaning "pure". There have been tons of powerful 'Kates' throughout history, including Catherine the Great, who fiercely ruled Russia for over 34 years; Hecate, the Greek goddess of mythology and religion; and several saints who were named Saint Catherine.
Other famous people with the name: Three of King Henry VII's wives, including two of whom he didn't execute, (Catherine Howard, one of the wives that he did execute was cousins with fellow unlucky wife Anne Boleyn); Katharine Hepburn, the epitome of a strong woman who famously wore pants instead of the traditional dresses; Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress who has appeared in very successful films, including the ever-popular musical "Chicago"; Catherine O'Hara, a Canadian comedian who started her career at The Second City; and Catherine Keener, best known for her work in "Being John Malkovich", "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", and "Capote".
The name Catherine across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Danish: Catharina, Katrien, Katrijn, Katrina, Katja
- Estonian: Katariina, Lina, Kaarina, Katja
- German: Katerina, Katina
- Greek: Kakalina, Kalena
- Hungarian: Katrín, Karen
- Italian: Katerina
- Irish: Caitrina
- Lithuanian: Ekaterina, Katerina, Katina
- Norwegian: Catarina
- Polish: Catarina
- Romanian: Ecaterina
- Russian: Ekaterina, Jekaterina, Yekaterina, Karina, Katenka, Katerina, Katia, Katya, Katyusha
- Spanish: Catalina, Lina
- Swedish: Katarina, Katrin, Carin, Ina, Katharina, Katja
- Welsh: Catrin, Cadi
11. Cecilia
12. Charlotte
13. Chelsea
14. Christina/Christine
15. Cora
16. Elizabeth
17. Emma
18. Erin
19. Fiona
20. Grace
Grace [ful], (which is something I'm not) derives from the Latin word "gratia", which literally means "grace".
Other famous people with the name are quite a variety: Grace Kelly, who survived working with Alfred Hitchcock; iconic Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship singer Grace Slick; and androgynous model/singer Grace Jones.
The name Grace across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Albanian: Greis, Graciela
- Basque: Garazi
- French: Grâce
- German: Gratia
- Italian: Grazia, Graziella
- Irish: Gráinne
- Polish: Gracja
- Portuguese: Graça, Gracília
- Spanish: Gracia, Graciela
21. Jane
22. Jessica
23. Karen/Carrie
24. Laura
25. Lily
26. Madeleine
27. Maggie
28. Marie/Maria/Mary
29. Natalie/Natasha
30. Nicole
Nicole derives from the Greek name Nikolaos, which means "peoples' victory". The name itself is actually French. One of the most famous Nicoles is Nicole Kidman, who hails from Australia. Ms. Kidman has won numerous awards and has been in some of the biggest movies known to man, including "Batman Forever", "Moulin Rouge!", and "Cold Mountain".
Other famous people with the name: Hawaiian-born singer of the Pussycat Dolls and co-panel on both the U.S. and U.K. version of the X-Factor, Nicole Scherzinger; fashion designer Nicole Miller; retired NASA astronaut, Nicole Stott; and French astronomer Nicole-Reine Lepaute, who among her contributions to science, assisted in calculating the return of Halley's comet, as well as a solar eclipse. Ms. Lepaute was later inducted into the Scientific Academy of Béziers.
The name Nicole across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Basque: Nikole
- Bulgarian: Nikol
- Czech: Nikola, Nikol, Nicola, Nicol
- Greek: Nikoleta, Nikoletta
- Hungarian: Nikolett, Nikoletta
- Italian: Nicoletta, Nicolina
- Maori: Nikora
- Polish: Nikola
- Romanian: Nicoleta
- Spanish: Nicolasa
31. Nora
32. Olivia
33. Rachel
34. Rebecca
35. Rose
36. Sarah
37. Sophie
38. Teresa
39. Veronica
40. Victoria
Rounding out the girls' names here, we have Victoria. Victoria was the Roman goddess of victory. How cool is that?
The name wasn't terribly popular until Queen Victoria came along in the 1800s. Queen Victoria had one of the longest reigns in English history. She worked to reduce poverty and improve literacy, as England some of its' "Golden Years".
Other famous people with the name: Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls and a fairly well-respected fashion designer; Victoria Azarenka, a Belarussian former Number One tennis player; and Victoria Principal, famous for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the show "Dallas".
The name Victoria across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Bulgarian: Viktoria, Viktoriya
- Croatian: Viktorija
- Czech: Viktorie
- Danish: Viktoria
- French: Victoire
- German: Viktoria
- Hawaiian: Wikolia
- Italian: Vittoria
- Latvian: Viktorija
- Lithuanian: Viktorija
- Norweigian: Viktoria
- Polish: Wiktoria
- Russian: Viktoria, Viktoriya
- Ukrainian: Viktoria, Viktoriya
Boys (Organized by Alphabetical Order)
1. Adam
Most of us recognize this name from the Bible, as the first man. That's exactly what Adam means in Hebrew: man. The name has been popular since the Middle Ages.
Fun Fact: The female form of Adam is "Adamina". It's...pretty.
Other famous people with the name: There are tons of awesome Adams. One: Adam Sandler. We first heard his weird voice collection on Saturday Night Live, and he's made quite a career for himself. The lead singer for Maroon 5, Adam Levine and his band have had numerous hits, including "This Love", "Sunday Morning", and "Moves Like Jagger", to which he's jointly written the lyrics to. Speaking of musicians, Adam Duritz was the frontman to mellow, emotional band Counting Crows. We know Adam Scott best for his role as Leslie Knope's husband "Ben" on Parks and Recreation. Also bearing the Adam name is Adam Graves, a former professional hockey player; Adam LaRoche, a former professional baseball player, and Adam West--who played Batman in the 1960's television series.
The name Adam across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Albanian: Adem
- Finnish: Aatami
- Hawaiian: Akamu
- Hmong: Adas
- Hungarian: Ádám
- Irish: Ádhamh
- Italian: Adamo
- Lithuanian: Adomas
- Portuguese: Adão
- Spanish: Adán
- Scottish: Adhamh
- Turkish: Adem
2. Brian
3. Charles
4. Christopher
5. Colin
6. Daniel
7. David
8. Derek
9. Eric
10. Evan
Evan, or Lefan, is actually Anglicized Welsh for the name John. Strangely enough, the name means different things in different languages. For example, in Welsh, Evan means "young". In Scottish, it means "right-handed", and in Hebrew, it loosely means "stone". Weird.
Other famous people with the name: Evan Spiegel is the youngest billionaire, thanks to creating the social media application Snapchat; Evan Williams is one of the founders of Twitter; actor Evan Peters has transformed himself into varying roles on "American Horror Story" and in movies such as "X-Men"; and Evan Gattis, a Major League Baseball player.
The name Evan (technically John) across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Albanian: Gjon
- Arabic: Yuhanna, Yahya
- Bulgarian: Yanko
- Catalan: Joan, Jan
- Croatian: Ivan, Ivica, Ivo, Janko
- Czech: Ivan, Jan, Honza, Janek
- Danish: Johannes, Johan, Jens
- French: Jean, Yannick
- German: Hans, Hannes, Johann, Jan
- Hawaiian: Keoni
- Italian: Giovanni, Ivano, Gianni, Vanni
- Lithuanian: Jonas
- Polish: Iawn, Janusz, Janek
- Russian: Ioann, Ivan, Vanya
11. Gregory
12. Ian
13. Jack
14. Jacob
15. James
16. Jason
17. Jeffrey
18. John
19. Joshua
20. Luke
Luke is another old name from the Bible. (That wasn't intentional.) The meaning is disputed. Supposedly, Luke comes from the Greek name Loukas, meaning "from Lucania", an area of southern Italy. It could also be from the Latin name Lucius, meaning "light". Regardless, Luke continues to be a popular name.
Other famous people with the name: Probably the most obvious fictional Luke is Luke Skywalker: the hero of the galaxy who has a complicated relationship with his father. Other Lukes include: Luke Bryan, the country singer; Luke Perry, the swoon-worthy Dylan from 1990's Beverly Hills 90210; and several rugby and soccer players are named Luke.
The name Luke across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Catalan: Lluc
- Croatian: Luka
- Danish: Lukas
- Finnish: Luukas
- German: Lukas
- Hungarian: Lukács
- Italian: Luca
- Lithuanian: Lukas
- Norweigian: Lukas
- Polish: Łukasz
- Romanian: Luca
- Serbian: Luka
- Spanish: Lucas
- Swedish: Lukas
21. Mark
22. Matthew
23. Michael
24. Nathan
25. Nicholas
26. Oliver
27. Patrick
28. Paul
29. Peter

Philip Winchester, another Phillip. He's been in television shows like "CSI Miami" and "Chicago P.D."
TV Line
30. Phillip
The name Phillip comes from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "friend of horses". In Ancient Greece, if you owned a lot of horses, that meant you were wealthy. Numerous kings of Spain and France have been named Phillip, so you do the math.
Other famous people with the name: Phil Jackson, the former coach for the Chicago Bulls during the Michael Jordan era; Phil Collins, a creative musical genius who started in the band Genesis; a dramatic, engaging actor named Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Rest in Peace), Phillip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; and one of my personal favorite comedians, Phil Hartman, who was known for his impersonations on Saturday Night Live and as Bill McNeal on Newsradio.
Truth be told: in 1995 or 1996, Phil Hartman was at the Mall of America doing press for his movie "Jingle All The Way". I ran up to him, told him that I loved Newsradio, and he gave me a hug.
The name Phillip across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Arabic: Felib
- Bulgarian: Filip
- Catalan: Felip
- Croatian: Filip
- Finnish: Filip, Vilppu
- Irish: Pilib
- Italian: Filippo
- Lithuanian: Pilypas
- Maori: Piripi
- Portuguese (Brazilian): Felipinho
- Romanian: Filip
- Scottish: Filib
- Spanish: Felipe
- Ukrainian: Pylyp
31. Robert
32. Ross
33. Ryan
34. Samuel
35. Sean
36. Steven
37. Thomas
38. Timothy
39. William
40. Zachary
Zacharias has been featured in the Bible as the father of John the Baptist and comes from the Greek name Zechariah. Zachary is the English form of Zacharias. The name was in circulation as early as the Middle Ages, but did not become popular until after the Protestant Reformation.
Other famous people with the name: Zachary Taylor was the twelfth President of the United States who fought in the Mexican-American War. Zach Galifianakis is one of the kookiest and clever comedians, who is probably most known for being unpredictable. One of my favorite Zacks is Zack de la Rocha, of Rage Against the Machine. His passion and song lyrics makes for incredible music.
Zacks, Zachs, and Zacheries also make up a lot of talented actors, athletes, as well as an renowned architect--Zachary Taylor Davis, who designed Wrigley Field and Old Comiskey Park.
The name Zachary across the world (from Behind the Name):
- Bulgarian: Zahari
- Finnish: Sakari, Sakke, Saku
- French: Zacharie
- Georgian: Zakaria
- Polish: Zachariasz
- Russian: Zakhar
- Scottish: Sachairi
- Spanish: Zacarías
- Turkish: Zekeriya
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2017 Lauren Sutton
Comments
Lauren Sutton (author) from Milwaukee, WI on December 18, 2017:
Thank you!
Clement Anthony from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 18, 2017:
Great info! Fascinating names as well.