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Home » Baby Names » 100 Old-Fashioned English Baby Girl Names

100 Old-Fashioned English Baby Girl Names

  Written by Feature Editor
  Updated on October 21st, 2021
100 Old-Fashioned English Baby Girl Names

Old fashioned names are certainly making a comeback, and it seems that the retro option is bang in fashion.

Today’s new parents aren’t naming their kids after their parents’ generation.

You won’t find many babies called Roger, Theresa, or Julie. But go a little further back (just another generation or two) and it’s clear that beloved traditional names are coming back into use.

So you’re more likely to name your daughter after your Great Grandma than your Mom.

Roughly speaking, names that were popular about 100 years ago are popular again today. It seems it takes a century for a name to travel through the cycle of fashionable to fading out to…fashionable again.

Interestingly, it’s not uncommon for your parents’ generation to dislike an old fashioned name choice at first.

If you choose a traditional name and are surprised to find that your Mom and Dad don’t like it, try not to be upset.

Think of it like this: to them, you choosing that name would be the same as your child giving her child a name that was popular among your parents generation.

In other words, an old fashioned name will be more familiar to your parents — and therefore might sound dull, or remind them of the stuffiness of the older people in their lives when they were kids.

Give them time and they’ll come round to it! Especially when they start to associate the name with their new, adorable grandchild.

If you need some inspiration, here are 100 old-fashioned English names to call your new baby girl.

Table of Contents

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • V
  • W
  • Z

A

Abigail – Can be shortened to ‘Abbey’ or ‘Abbie’ and means ‘father of exaltation’ A biblical name

Adele – Has links to France but means ‘feminine one’

Agatha – Means ‘good and honourable’

Agnes – Comes from the word ‘hagnos’ but means ‘good or honourable’

Alexandra – Can be shortened to ‘Alex’ and means ‘warrior’

Alice – Linked to the name ‘Adelaide’ and to the famous character Alice in Wonderland

Alison – Also linked to ‘Alice’ or ‘Adelaide’

Amber – Means the gemstone amber, a precious stone

Amelia – A mixture of ‘Emilia’ and ‘Amalia’ which are of original French origin, before being used in the English language

Anne – A derivative of the name Hanna, from the Hebrew language

Angela – Meaning ‘angelic’, or ‘angel’

Avril – Links to the name April, meaning the month

Ava – Meaning the Saint, St Ava

Audrey – Meaning ‘noble strength’

B

Barbara – Can be shortened to ‘Babs’ and means ‘foreign woman’

Beatrix – Meaning ‘blessed’, but can also mean ‘voyager’

Beryl – A precious stone, or gem

Bess – Comes from the name Elizabeth

Beth – Comes from the name Elizabeth

Bethany – ‘village outside Jerusalem’

Blanche –  ‘white hair’ or ‘fair hair’

Bonnie – Meaning attractive or lovely

Bridget – Mainly known now for the Bridget Jones character but also comes from Bridhid

Brenda – ‘flaming sword’

C

Cara – Also linked to Ireland as well as England, but means ‘to be loved’

Carla – The feminine version of the classic male name, Charles

Carol – Comes from the latin ‘Carolus’

Carmel – ‘someone of Christian origins’

Christina – Can be shortened to ‘Chris’ but comes from the male name ‘Christopher’

Chelsea – Meaning ‘harbour’

Charlotte – Also comes from the male name ‘Charles’

D

Daisy – Meaning the flower

Darlene – A derivative of the word ‘darling’

Dawn – ‘daybreak’, or sunrise

Donna – A derivative of the biblical name ‘Madonna’

Dora – Meaning ‘a gift’

Doris – ‘of the sea’

E

Edith – Meaning ‘fortune’ or ‘riches’

Elizabeth – A classic name which can be shortened in many ways. Links to the Royal Family and the Queen

Elsa – A shortened version of ‘Elizabeth’

F

Faith – Meaning ‘belief in God’

Eve – A biblical name, from Adam and Eve

Flora – ‘goddess of flowers’

Fern – the ‘fern plant’

G

Gloria – Meaning ‘glorious’

Guinevere – Has links with King Arthur, and can be shortened to ‘Guin’ or ‘Guinnie’

Need some cute old fashioned baby girl name ideas? These are all English baby name ideas for girls with meanings....#babynames #babygirlnames #babygirlnameideas #babynameideas

H

Hilda – ‘to battle’

Heather – Meaning the plant, the ‘heather plant’

Hazel – Linked to the hazel nut

Hayley – Linked to geography and is also a place in Oxfordshire

Holly – A festive name and links to the holly bush

I

Imogen – A name with links to Shakespeare

Hope – Literally also means ‘hope’

Irene – Meaning ‘peace’

Iris – Meaning ‘rainbow’

Ivy – Linked to nature and the ivy plant

J

Jade – A precious stone, gemstone

Jasmine – Can be shortened to ‘Jazz’ in the modern day and is from the flower

Janet – Comes from the name ‘Jane’

Jane – Comes from the male name ‘John’, and is therefore biblical

Joy – Meaning ‘happiness’ or ‘delight’

K

Katherine – Links to the Saint Katherine and can be shortened to ‘Kath’, Kate’, or ‘Kathy’

Kayley – Meaning ‘slender’

L

Leona – Derives from the male name ‘Leon’

Lilly – Links to nature and the Lilly flower

Libby – A shortened version of Elizabeth

M

Mabel – Meaning ‘lovely’ or ‘pleasant’

Margaret – An English version of the French name ‘Marguerite’

Mavis – the thrush bird and has links to nature

Melissa – Meaning ‘bee’ and therefore nature

Melody – ‘musical’

Mirabelle – Meaning ‘beauty’ or ‘love’

Mercy – Meaning ‘forgiveness or compassion’

Mildred – Meaning ‘gentle and strong’

Myrtle – Links to nature and the myrtle plant

N

Nicola – Can be shortened to ‘Nic’ or any spelling of ‘Nicki’, and comes from the male name ‘Nicholas’

O

Olive – Links to nature and the olive plant

Opal – Precious stone, gem stone

P

Pandora – A name which stems from mythology

Patricia – The female version of the male name ‘Patrick’

Paula – The female version of the male name ‘Paul’

Phoebe – Meaning ‘moon goddess’

R

Rachel – A name from the Bible

Regina – Meaning ‘queen’

Rose – Links with nature and the flower

Rosemary – Meaning the rosemary herb and therefore nature

S

Scarlett – Links to the color red

Shirley – Links to geography and a town in England

Summer – Meaning the season and pleasant weather

T

Thelma – Meaning ‘wish’

Tiffany – Meaning ‘epiphany’ or ‘awakening’

Tara – Meaning ‘hill’

V

Valerie – Often shortened to ‘Val’ and means ‘healthy and strong’

Victoria – Meaning ‘victorious’ and can be shortened to ‘Vicky’

Verity – ‘truth’

Violet – Meaning the flower and therefore links to nature

Viola – Again linking to the violet flower

W

Winifred – Often shortened to ‘Winnie’ and means ‘joy and peace’

Willow – Linking to nature and the willow tree

Z

Zoe – Meaning ‘life’, and can be spelled several ways, including ‘Zoey’

We love these elegant retro names. When you give your little girl an old fashioned name, you play a part in carrying our history forwards.

Your daughter will grow up and enter her adult life with a name that sings of classic chic and confidence; and her name will be a link between her and generations gone by.

Plus, she’ll stand out among the new age names of our time.

She won’t be a Peaches or an Apple.

She will feel a sense of steadiness as she speaks her name.

If you have a beloved great grandmother with a name you love, start there. But if not, all the the names on this list are gorgeous and grounding.

Trying to find the best possible name for your baby daughter can feel overwhelming.

Sometimes, simplicity is key.

Go for something that sounds good when you say it out loud; that fits your personality, but leaves room for your child to imprint her own self on it too.

Who could Edith become? What could Dora do? And where could Winifred go?

Full disclosure: we’re just a little bit jealous that you’re in the process of naming your child.

It’s such a joyful task, even in those moments when it all feels like too much pressure.

You’ve got this!

Feature Editor |View all posts by Feature Editor

Pregged.com's Feature Editor is a dedicated Mom of 3, pregnancy geek, giver of hugs and a great listener.

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