Old-Fashioned Names Making a Comeback. #21 Hazel's rank in 2025, up from #1,333 in 1983.

Old-Fashioned Names Making a Comeback

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Hazel was the #18 name for girls in 1897. By 1983 it had fallen to #1,333, and in 2025 it was back at #21. Social Security records show 22 girls’ names and 8 boys’ names with the same arc: popular before 1940, far down the list in the second half of the century, and back in the top 100 today. This guide lists them all, the old names that could come back next, and what a comeback does to the ages of the people who have a name.

Line chart of girls named Hazel and Violet each year from 1880 to 2025: Hazel from 7,615 girls in 1918 to 90 in 1983 and 6,318 in 2025; Violet from 3,694 girls in 1920 to 109 in 1972 and 7,546 in 2025.

What Are Old-Fashioned Names?

Old-fashioned names are names that were common in the early 1900s and then faded. The rule used here: a name counts as a comeback if it ranked in the top 200 in some year before 1940, fell below #500 in some year from 1950 to 2005, and ranked in the top 100 in 2025. For the 100 most-used names from before 1940, whether or not they came back, see vintage girl names and vintage boy names.

Which Old-Fashioned Girl Names Are Coming Back?

NameBest before 1940Lowest, 1950 to 20052025
Sophia#116 (1882)#922 (1956)#5
Eleanor#25 (1920)#693 (1986)#12
Violet#74 (1919)#1,291 (1990)#13
Nora#55 (1881)#502 (2000)#20
Hazel#18 (1897)#1,333 (1983)#21
Lucy#44 (1880)#588 (1978)#25
Ella#13 (1880)#1,152 (1987)#29
Eloise#164 (1921)#4,241 (1991)#49
Sadie#67 (1889)#1,262 (1970)#50
Stella#55 (1889)#1,328 (1995)#52
Sophie#97 (1915)#1,657 (1976)#55
Hannah#97 (1880)#931 (1967)#56
Adeline#163 (1917)#3,095 (1976)#59
Iris#196 (1929)#520 (1996)#61
Clara#7 (1885)#594 (1978)#63
Claire#134 (1929)#587 (1971)#68
Vivian#64 (1920)#536 (1981)#72
Millie#128 (1881)#3,409 (1996)#73
Daisy#48 (1880)#628 (1972)#75
Madeline#116 (1914)#723 (1980)#81
Josie#116 (1880)#855 (1967)#82
Georgia#81 (1882)#724 (1986)#99

Sophia has climbed the highest, to #5. Clara was #7 in 1885, the highest early rank on the list.

Which Old-Fashioned Boy Names Are Coming Back?

NameBest before 1940Lowest, 1950 to 20052025
Noah#129 (1882)#697 (1963)#2
Elijah#126 (1882)#680 (1968)#7
Levi#116 (1881)#723 (1965)#12
Elias#189 (1880)#642 (1957)#13
Owen#151 (1884)#524 (1970)#31
Silas#140 (1880)#1,015 (1967)#71
Everett#81 (1906)#649 (1995)#77
August#74 (1880)#931 (1983)#81

Noah is now #2, behind only Liam. Fewer boys’ names fit the rule: many old favorites for boys, like James and William, never fell far enough to come back.

Names That Dipped Without Disappearing

Some old names never fell below #500, and in 2025 they ranked as high as they ever have:

NameBest before 1940Lowest, 1950 to 20052025
Theodore#30 (1904)#314 (1999)#4
Henry#8 (1881)#145 (1994)#5

Which Old-Fashioned Names Could Be Next?

These names were in the top 200 before 1940 and have climbed at least 100 places since 2015, but are not in the top 100 yet. 47 girls’ names and 15 boys’ names fit; Elsie went from #386 in 2015 to #123 in 2025, and Leon from #314 to #138.

GirlsBest before 194020152025
Elsie#31 (1896)#386#123
June#39 (1925)#281#150
Ruth#3 (1893)#291#173
Annie#8 (1881)#323#182
Mabel#15 (1891)#578#201
Vera#65 (1915)#311#205
Ada#33 (1880)#355#219
Rosemary#80 (1929)#517#251
Rosie#114 (1910)#775#283
Sylvia#50 (1937)#484#300
Elaine#42 (1938)#675#305
Frances#8 (1918)#513#318
Hattie#27 (1880)#488#334
Helena#194 (1881)#535#363
Matilda#101 (1880)#537#365
Florence#6 (1890)#1,178#391
Regina#181 (1918)#516#395
Bonnie#58 (1934)#865#396
Dorothy#2 (1920)#714#421
Opal#81 (1911)#1,110#423
Leona#69 (1904)#682#429
Alma#51 (1896)#684#449
Winnie#162 (1881)#1,189#475
Maxine#76 (1923)#1,108#497
Estella#106 (1883)#877#509
BoysBest before 194020152025
Leon#73 (1926)#314#138
Warren#24 (1921)#400#240
Ellis#155 (1899)#422#243
Harvey#51 (1880)#439#251
Otto#63 (1880)#544#277
Archie#79 (1890)#1,245#301
Forrest#173 (1913)#660#374
Lewis#30 (1880)#568#433
Mack#96 (1900)#662#463
Otis#94 (1899)#845#652
Hugh#69 (1887)#848#732
Ira#57 (1881)#1,021#822
Benny#172 (1939)#1,438#841
Leroy#50 (1907)#989#888
Wallace#69 (1923)#1,204#964

The table shows the 25 highest-ranked girls’ names of the 47.

Who Has These Names Now?

A comeback leaves a gap in ages. The people with these names alive today are mostly either under 30 or 60 and over, with few in between:

NameUnder 3030 to 5960 and over
Hazel77,1484,41727,126
Violet89,7563,94712,165
Ella192,4546,34726,735
Eleanor95,1649,21038,341
Clara59,20811,71034,043

There are more people named Hazel aged 60 and over (27,126) than aged 30 to 59 (4,417). Each name page shows these age groups.

Check Whether a Name Is Coming Back

  1. Type the name in the search box on the home page.
  2. Look at the chart on its page: a comeback shows as an early hump, a long low stretch and a recent rise.
  3. Check the age groups to see who has the name now.

For other shapes a name’s popularity can take, see how name popularity changes over time.