45 Adorable Vintage Names Making a Major Comeback in 2023

Names like Effie, Betty and Esther won’t be reserved for your Great Aunt anymore, according to a baby-naming expert. These are just three of the adorable vintage names predicted to make their grand return to the stage in 2023.

The rise of retro names

Vintage, or retro baby names, bring a whole new dimension to the baby naming world and to future preschool classrooms. Many names from yesteryear are edgy, vibrant, and bold and, unlike some of the more popular choices, haven’t been heard in a long time.

This is what makes them so desirable – they are different but without being too “out there”.

Plus, for many parents, naming their bub after a relative (who happens to have an old-school cool name) is a lovely way to keep traditions alive.

So, let’s take a look at some of the vintage names predicted to become popular this year:

Vintage girl names making a comeback in 2023

The ‘ie” effect

A lot of the vintage names for girls predicted for 2023 have the adorable “ie” ending. These include:

Effie
Elsie
Hattie
Goldie
Birdie
Winnie
Dixie

It’s interesting to see that a lot of them also have that Southern charm too.

The golden girls

Another interesting trend for vintage girl names? A lot of them have a ‘sunny’, colourful or bright disposition including Goldie above. Aurelia is another one, which means “the golden one” while Clara means “clear, bright.” If you like colour names, check out these 101 colour-inspired names.

Aurelia – “the golden one”
Clara – “clear, bright”
Genevieve – “fair one”
Posey – “bunch of flowers”
Viola – “purple or violet”
Olive – “green”

The vintage vowels

Names beginning with vowels have always been popular and this is also the case with a few more vintage names including:

Adeline
Edith
Esther
Ida

Old school..and fabulous!

Rounding out the vintage girl names list, we see some heavy hitters like Betty and Dorothy. And let’s not forget the fabulous Zelda!

Betty
Vivienne
Polly
Dorothy
Zelda

Vintage boy names making a comeback in 2023

The old, old, old school names

Moving onto the boy’s vintage names, we see a few more trends emerging. One that really stands out is just how “old” some of these names are. But hey, great-great-great-grandpa Walter would most likely be chuffed to see his name coming out of the woodwork again.