80 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time

Author:
Lauren Sutton
Updated date:
Mar 9, 2022

Fascinated by naming conventions and inspired by the birth of her miracle niece Lily and nephew Oliver, whose names made the list.

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

Catherine Zeta-Jones can do it all: act, sing, and dance.
InStyle

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):

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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

Victoria Beckham, who did very well for herself after the "Spice Girls".
TheRichest

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

Evan Peters. He chooses odd duck roles, but he's incredibly talented.
tvguide.com

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

Zack de la Rocha. "And now you do what they told ya"
Rolling Stone

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.

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.