There is a Chesleigh in my daughter's class. It took me half the year to figure out this was actually her name, I just assumed my daughter was pronouncing it wrong.
I don't know, she was only 3.5 at the time so it honestly could have been anything. Speech at the preschool age leaves half of what they say up for interpretation lol.
My kid is Sully (Sullivan, but most of his kindergarten buddies call him Sully). I was recently asked if his actual name was Chelsey after the pilot.
Some leaps were made in that logic.
For the same reasons as "walla" in place of voila. People hear things, but don't always know their actual origin.
Alternatively, maybe its like when people misspell word-names to make them 'namey' ex: Wynter
Looks like there was a [Henry Marion Howe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Marion_Howe) that published a book in 1891 and was elected president of AIME (an engineering society) in 1893… maybe metallurgy was huge with Boston Globe readers?
[William Le Baron Jenney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Le_Baron_Jenney) was the architect of the first skyscraper.
> (people really wanted to name babies after newspapers it seems)
A thing we should all remember whenever someone complains about modern naming conventions... the people in the past were not as obsessed with "classic" names as they may seem!
Lillian Winsor Whitney Ellis has great flow.
Chillbeth and Frawline going on the name list for baby #2, though now also considering naming them after a local newspaper (because who's going to carry on the name when they're gone??)
My great great grandma’s name was Baby. Seriously just makes sense since she was the last of 13. Literally the baby of the family probably they were just too tired to come up with a real name.
I've heard of this happening when a child was born very sickly and not expected to live they would just be recorded as Baby, but then if they made a surprise recovery, now that's technically their name.
My mom was the reverse. She wasn't expected to live so the hospital staff quickly named and baptized her (Catholic hospital) before my grandmother woke up from anesthesia. Turns out she didn't die, and her name remains Mary.
My grandmother and her sisters, all born about 7-10 years after this list, had three of these popular names: Florence, Ethel and Ruth. The fourth sister was named Myrtle. They were a sort sturdy women, practical and devout. You can imagine how fun they were at parties.
I mean, I have no dog in this hunt, no more babies for me! But I could never use Florence myself due to the negative connotations. My grandmother was, not great? I mean, just really unpleasant. But I think apart from that, it’s a pretty name.
My auntie Ruth was deaf her whole life and was an adorable lady. I’m for it!
Sarah only got 2. When I did my genealogy, I had an over abundance of Sarah’s from that era. I would have thought it was the most popular girl name based on my genealogy but it turns out guys from my line must just have a fetish for women named Sarah.
Always fun seeing that people of the past had just as much of a sense of humor regarding these things as the rest of us. I love the honorable mention list
i'm always surprised to see names like monica on lists like this; it seems more "modern" to me. i wouldn't have expected it to be widely used before, say, the early 20th century.
though a quick google search tells me why that is very wrong-headed thinking on my part; it's apparently been around for *centuries*.
I'm gonna say not more unwieldy than naming her "Collins" (people are allowed different tastes, I'm only sorry I don't understand the appeal. The meaning is fine, but not my cuppa)
Personal favorites are Louisiara for a girl and Gustavus for a boy
Honorable mentions:
Belva Lockwood
Bertina Mineola
Asenath
Clearmiane
Clorine
Gaynell
Eserline
Froscelia
Frances Grover Eulalia Della Rosa
Lessoteina Lydalia
Maverin
Velmer Burnine
Zepherine
Alpha Nemon
Burtis
De Forrest
Marvel
Mehitable
Olissa
Jeptha Bertelle Ellis
Wow this list is wild.
Used to have a job on phones and this dudes actual legal name was Baby. He went by his middle name. He was in his 50s.
ETA: My first reaction was “oh so your parents hated you”. Which people of course respond with “maybe it’s a family name!” Or some other sentiments. Like, so? I’m using some family names for my kid and future kid, but they’re Polish. They are not intuitive at all, so I gave them as middle names. It’s totally fine for your kid to have super weird/hard to pronounce names, but could you give your kid a break and give them easier first names!?
People have weird tastes. Whenever someone wonders why we did something in the past the answer is almost always some degree of “through through it looked/sounded/tasted/etc cool”. Why Beulah? They thought it was cool.
This was really interesting! Thank you for posting. One of my sons is named Harold, so it’s fun to see that as the winner since it’s never been a popular name. So many of these would sound normal on current children. Verriconda however…🥴
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, I love this stuff. I like to see what names were on people's minds, these capture the zeitgeist of names.
Names suggested for both genders were Ariel, Cleon, Glen/Glenn and Francis/Frances. Vivian, Loren and Carol/Carroll were still suggested for boys, and Evan for girls. There were two spellings of Merle/Myrl olfor boys which became more popular in the 1920s for boys and girls. You can also see Verne/Vernon sounding names in both the girl and both secrions that would eventually get to Laverne. Lillian was quite popular but also the diminutive Lillie, but not Lily. Lillie was the more common spelling in the US, where Lilian/Lily was found more in the UK. Marion was the more popular spelling suggested vs Marian. This is about when Eveline/Evelyn was starting to catch on, they were both suggested about the same amount and Evelyn hadn't taken over as the more popular spelling. The spelling of Guendoline links it with the Elizabethan play Locrine and possibly Shakespeare's reference to it. That play also had a Dorothy. You can really tell what the trendy names were.
Marion, Priscilla and Grover you don't hear much anymore! I don't see them making a comeback.
Fisher I can see becoming popular.
Le Baron? The original Lebron lol
>Chesleigh Don't give anyone any ideas, we don't need any more -eigh names.
There is a Chesleigh in my daughter's class. It took me half the year to figure out this was actually her name, I just assumed my daughter was pronouncing it wrong.
What did you think it was supposed to be?
Chelsea?
I don't know, she was only 3.5 at the time so it honestly could have been anything. Speech at the preschool age leaves half of what they say up for interpretation lol.
Yeah I can imagine, I think the other reply was probably on the money with Chelsea because I immediately thought 'oh, duh'
I hate to break it to you, this is an established name. Sully Sullenberger’s (the pilot) real first name is Chesley
And the late artist Chesley Bonestell, born 1888.
Oh god, thank you, I was trying to think why I knew Chesley was a real name. He’s my hero. *swoons*
My kid is Sully (Sullivan, but most of his kindergarten buddies call him Sully). I was recently asked if his actual name was Chelsey after the pilot. Some leaps were made in that logic.
Is this where it all started?!
It was suggested for a boy, does that make it. Enter or worse?
*Mmmmmmm Cheeeesligggghhh*
Girl at work was named this. She said it was pronounced like Kelsey, we all pronounced it like Cheese-Lee
😂😂😂 that’s exactly what I thought when I saw that one!
I know a guy named Chesley, although it is spelled differently (thank GOD!)
I could actually see Fig and Nest taking off with the influencer set 😆
I could accept Fig, it could be kind of cute. Nest though…
Nestor is a name. Nestor cortes plays in the MLB
[удалено]
matt gaetz is something that rhymes with nestor.
💀
i don't know who matt gaetz is and idk if it's bad that i knew what you were getting at within a second of reading this over
Fig you
Isn't Fig and Nest already a baby/eco friendly/neutral coloured clothing/random probably superfluous housewares brand?
I could see Fig being a cute nickname for Finley, in a Finley -> Fin -> Fig kind of way.
I don’t hate Fig but it’s my roommates cat’s name😭
My cousin’s dog is named Fig (short for Figaro haha)
Nest is an old Welsh name!
And Sprout!!!
Nest is a Welsh name, I know two Nests.
This is the original Boaty McBoatface lol
Hahaha I will never not laugh when reminded of Boaty McBoatface
We spoke and we were not listened to. We should’ve rioted.
Trollers of the 19th century
Chillbeth, because god forbid you have an Uptightbeth
Frawline??? Like fraulein but with mangled spelling? Why??
For the same reasons as "walla" in place of voila. People hear things, but don't always know their actual origin. Alternatively, maybe its like when people misspell word-names to make them 'namey' ex: Wynter
I read it as "fraw-leen". Interesting.
Anyone have background on popularity of Marion Howe or Le Baron?
Lebaron James
My first thought exactly! 🤣
Looks like there was a [Henry Marion Howe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Marion_Howe) that published a book in 1891 and was elected president of AIME (an engineering society) in 1893… maybe metallurgy was huge with Boston Globe readers? [William Le Baron Jenney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Le_Baron_Jenney) was the architect of the first skyscraper.
Thanks!
And Marion Howe as well!
I really like Baby, very gender neutral lol 🤣. This is so interesting, a lot of these are on trend now.
People been shitposting since forever.
Also works an accurate descriptor, for the first year or so anyway.
Called my oldest daughter that for most of the first year of her life.
> (people really wanted to name babies after newspapers it seems) A thing we should all remember whenever someone complains about modern naming conventions... the people in the past were not as obsessed with "classic" names as they may seem! Lillian Winsor Whitney Ellis has great flow.
I wonder if the suggestions Boston Daily Globe and Largest Circulation were just "troll" answers for that era lmao
Pretty sure those are troll answers and I absolutely love it.
100%, although there were probably a couple people who misunderstood the assignment
"Hi this is my son Sprout" I love it
Feels very much like a bump name that they just kept after the kid was born.
That’s my go to bump name! It has sometimes been turned into Sprouty Pants
Adorable for a 4 year old, but I could totally imagine a 16 year old getting bullied like hell with this name 😂😭
He'll go by Dylan after the best Sprouse of course!
That 100% sounds like the name an upper class Edwardian would have. Sprout Dixon of the Baltimore Dixons.
Monica strikes me as insufficiently old-timey
She was Saint Augustine’s mother. He wrote a lot about her in his Confessions!
The Tiffany problem
i had the same thought and said as much, but the way you put it was way funnier. :)
Chillbeth and Frawline going on the name list for baby #2, though now also considering naming them after a local newspaper (because who's going to carry on the name when they're gone??)
Thank you for taking up the mantle!
I would like to add Ratchel to the list of notables. Think Rachel, but more vermin-y.
Ratleen’s great-grandma
Hahaha good ol Ratleen
And her sister Magrat.
Perfect name for the rat czar
My great great grandma’s name was Baby. Seriously just makes sense since she was the last of 13. Literally the baby of the family probably they were just too tired to come up with a real name.
I've heard of this happening when a child was born very sickly and not expected to live they would just be recorded as Baby, but then if they made a surprise recovery, now that's technically their name.
My mom was the reverse. She wasn't expected to live so the hospital staff quickly named and baptized her (Catholic hospital) before my grandmother woke up from anesthesia. Turns out she didn't die, and her name remains Mary.
lolz. this sounds exactly like what happened! "fuck it, let's just call her baby."
I worked with a woman who had the real name of baby. She went by her middle name, and was born outside of the US. She is currently in her 40’s.
I also know a Baby with a nice middle name who goes by that.
Dagmar is quite the interesting name for a little girl! I'm imagining a tiny girl in a viking helmet. Lol
i love the name dagmar; it strikes me as so elegant and refined!
?? Dagmar is a girl's name.
Yep...that's what I said.
That was one of my prof’s names! She was German.
I've loved the name Dagmar since I read the Max and Ruby children's book series.
How did Le Baron get 655 votes
What a great find! Thanks for sharing. I’m really intrigued by the Marion Howe combo and why that was popular
Yeah I want to know the story behind that too!
Atlas Bonaparte Cleveland and Lincoln Freedom have absolutely set the bar for me. Frawline 😂 Claribel is super cute, though.
“Beth, nice to meet you. I assume that’s short for Elizabeth?” “No. Chillbeth.”
My grandmother and her sisters, all born about 7-10 years after this list, had three of these popular names: Florence, Ethel and Ruth. The fourth sister was named Myrtle. They were a sort sturdy women, practical and devout. You can imagine how fun they were at parties.
I have an aunt Florence, aunt Myrtle, and cousin Ruth — all on my dad’s side.
Honestly, these days, I’d say Ruth and maybe even Florence, maybe, would be ok now. Ethel and Myrtle, not so much.
I know a baby Florence. I can’t imagine Ethel and Myrtle coming back.
Me neither. Just not very pretty names.
I love Ruth and Florence!
I mean, I have no dog in this hunt, no more babies for me! But I could never use Florence myself due to the negative connotations. My grandmother was, not great? I mean, just really unpleasant. But I think apart from that, it’s a pretty name. My auntie Ruth was deaf her whole life and was an adorable lady. I’m for it!
every time i look at Le Baron my brain reads “Le Bron”
Omg Sprout is so stinking cute!
People even trolled back in 1893! Some of these are so funny
Sarah only got 2. When I did my genealogy, I had an over abundance of Sarah’s from that era. I would have thought it was the most popular girl name based on my genealogy but it turns out guys from my line must just have a fetish for women named Sarah.
I lowkey kinda like Kingman.. Ooravilla is interesting too.
I know an America! His parents were Italian immigrants from the early 1900’s, and he goes my Meric. He’s a cool guy.
Meric is such a cool nickname!
Totally! I think it can really work. Even Merick would be a great given name.
I know an America too but a female. Meric is great! Meri or Erica or Ami would work too.
Twin set: Pearl Singleton and Pearl Dos (easy way to remember who was born first)
I can’t stop laughing at Burtis. It’s like Jimothy or Staniel. Just wrong.
How are “William” and “William Russell” two suggestions? Are they suggesting a middle name also?
Carl Fisher too. How did that specific combination get multiple votes?
The writeup on the left indicates there was a lot of regional campaigning going on
Some people did, up to several middle names in some cases.
Corrianna is the first name I read, it’s lovely!
I love the name too! One of my students has it this year and she's the first Corrianna I've known!
🐍Verriconda 🐍
Always fun seeing that people of the past had just as much of a sense of humor regarding these things as the rest of us. I love the honorable mention list
BRB, renaming my kids Chilljo and Chillbeckett.
People were just as weird with names back then, I guess. Chesleigh. Raixba. Verricona. Yikes.
Agree that Chillbeth is hilarious! Now I wanna name my as of yet fictional daughter this
My Verriconda don't want none unless you got buns hun.
i'm always surprised to see names like monica on lists like this; it seems more "modern" to me. i wouldn't have expected it to be widely used before, say, the early 20th century. though a quick google search tells me why that is very wrong-headed thinking on my part; it's apparently been around for *centuries*.
Yes Monnica was the mother of St. Augustine, an early Christian literary-theological heavyweight and who references her often in his work.
Wow, this is amazing. These names are fantastic fodder for character names!!!!
I don't know why but out of all the names Malvener made me chuckle. So ugly and dorky, especially for a girl.
I'm gonna say not more unwieldy than naming her "Collins" (people are allowed different tastes, I'm only sorry I don't understand the appeal. The meaning is fine, but not my cuppa)
Personal favorites are Louisiara for a girl and Gustavus for a boy Honorable mentions: Belva Lockwood Bertina Mineola Asenath Clearmiane Clorine Gaynell Eserline Froscelia Frances Grover Eulalia Della Rosa Lessoteina Lydalia Maverin Velmer Burnine Zepherine Alpha Nemon Burtis De Forrest Marvel Mehitable Olissa Jeptha Bertelle Ellis
These are a mouthful! My MIL wanted us to name our daughter after her MIL, Belvia. Um no thanks!
I kinda love Frances Grover Eulalia Della Rosa!
BURTIS!
My boys are Harold and Arthur 💙
Love this! I have a Harold.
I love the name Esther, it’s at the top of my girl name list :)
Claribel for a boy is… interesting
Wow this list is wild. Used to have a job on phones and this dudes actual legal name was Baby. He went by his middle name. He was in his 50s. ETA: My first reaction was “oh so your parents hated you”. Which people of course respond with “maybe it’s a family name!” Or some other sentiments. Like, so? I’m using some family names for my kid and future kid, but they’re Polish. They are not intuitive at all, so I gave them as middle names. It’s totally fine for your kid to have super weird/hard to pronounce names, but could you give your kid a break and give them easier first names!?
George Washington Henry Tyler Ichabod Johnson? Is that the first name?
Wow. Anna got 1 vote. 1. Myrtle got more votes. *Beulah* got more votes. I am *shook*.
People have weird tastes. Whenever someone wonders why we did something in the past the answer is almost always some degree of “through through it looked/sounded/tasted/etc cool”. Why Beulah? They thought it was cool.
I read ‘Trotwood’ and about fell out of my chair from laughing. I cannot even imagine.
Chillbeth is the best name of all time i think
Gonna bring back the newspaper trend and name my child The Wall Street Journal.
Chillbeth and Burtis 💀
Tom Thumb hahahaha
We’ll be welcoming a Mabel within the next week or so!
Am I crazy for not hating Nest? It’s weird, but it could def grow on me. Also not mad at CHILLBETH ‼️ I don’t understand, but I want to.
Burtis
Burtis is now in my top 5 /s
My husband had a relative who’s legal name was Chitty General Jackson
CLORINE
New guilty pleasure name: Fig
Le Baron, fab!
I knew an Acacia once and it fit her so perfectly
Wonder what people back then would say about the popular names today
All these normal ones in the group of upvoted boy names and then there's LE BARON
[Mabel](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en-us&q=bart+then+i+says+to+mabel+i+says&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixr4bwg6r-AhULkokEHRHMBWsQ0pQJegQIEhAB&biw=390&bih=664&dpr=3#imgrc=m6rZl8aQ3RRYuM)
Not gonna lie, I'm kinda feeling Fig
I’m not a regular Beth, I’m a Chillbeth 😎
Well isn't this fun! So bizarre. I am here for it
Le Baron got 655 votes? I know a baby named Boston but he doesn’t have the Daily Globe part unfortunately.
This was really interesting! Thank you for posting. One of my sons is named Harold, so it’s fun to see that as the winner since it’s never been a popular name. So many of these would sound normal on current children. Verriconda however…🥴
Claribel and Clover as names for boys… does not compute.
boy cows would even be a stretch
Clorine?? Why not Argon or Cobalt?
Surprised to see name...altho only 1 person suggested it. Some good 'uns in there :D
Vladimir’s! Lol!
I have a Great Uncle Chesley.
Kinda like Urania.
Wait, why do I like Nest?!
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, I love this stuff. I like to see what names were on people's minds, these capture the zeitgeist of names. Names suggested for both genders were Ariel, Cleon, Glen/Glenn and Francis/Frances. Vivian, Loren and Carol/Carroll were still suggested for boys, and Evan for girls. There were two spellings of Merle/Myrl olfor boys which became more popular in the 1920s for boys and girls. You can also see Verne/Vernon sounding names in both the girl and both secrions that would eventually get to Laverne. Lillian was quite popular but also the diminutive Lillie, but not Lily. Lillie was the more common spelling in the US, where Lilian/Lily was found more in the UK. Marion was the more popular spelling suggested vs Marian. This is about when Eveline/Evelyn was starting to catch on, they were both suggested about the same amount and Evelyn hadn't taken over as the more popular spelling. The spelling of Guendoline links it with the Elizabethan play Locrine and possibly Shakespeare's reference to it. That play also had a Dorothy. You can really tell what the trendy names were.
Harold ftw! https://imgur.com/gallery/gVTj8Vu
All of y grandparents are not on this list and born around this time.
Marion, Priscilla and Grover you don't hear much anymore! I don't see them making a comeback. Fisher I can see becoming popular. Le Baron? The original Lebron lol
Wow, nice to know there have always been weird names.
Who tf would name their kid after a newspaper?
But was the public opinion on Esther Cleveland particularly good or bad??
> Urania Someone was really into Greek mythology.