1920s Baby Names

53 1920s names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.

1920s baby names are the names parents chose during the Roaring Twenties — the Jazz Age of flappers, radio and Prohibition. They carry a warm, old-fashioned charm: soft-spoken, a little formal, and full of nicknamable character, which is exactly why they’re having such a moment with parents who love a name with real history behind it.

What makes a name feel 1920s?

These names tend to be gentle and multisyllabic, often ending in a soft vowel sound, like Etha, Idell and Oleta. A few even echo the decade’s headlines, evoking figures like aviator Lindbergh or statesman Hoover.

Girl names from the era

Think Verla, Blanch, Myrtis, Leatrice and Syble — names that sounded fresh on a 1920s birth certificate and feel wonderfully distinctive today. Nannie and Madge have an easy, cozy nickname feel, while Pearline and Emogene carry a lovely period elegance.

Boy names from the era

Morton, Eldred and Wilburn have a sturdy, dignified sound, while Elmo and Dock feel short, warm and approachable — the kind of name a grandfather might have gone by.

Every name below links to its own page with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, famous bearers, and a clear audio pronunciation — so you can hear it before you choose.

1920s Girl Names

Lucill#3711 in the U.S.Lucill is a shortened spelling of Lucille (also Lucile), the French feminine form of Lucius, fr▶Gertrue#3870 in the U.S.Gertrue is a trimmed spelling of Gertrude, from the Old High German ger, 'spear,' and trud, 'st▶Everlina#3989 in the U.S.Everlina most plausibly elaborates Everline or Everlyn, regional American variants of Evelyn, i▶Minola#5054 in the U.S.Minola has two honest strands. It is best known as a surname in Shakespeare's The Taming of the▶Oreta#5830 in the U.S.Oreta has no firmly documented root; it may echo the Spanish or Italian oro, 'gold,' or be a pu▶Veora#6069 in the U.S.Veora is an early twentieth-century American name, best read as a coinage joining a Ve- opening▶Verla#7290 in the U.S.Verla is an early-twentieth-century name most often read as an elaboration of Vera (from Latin ▶Dorotha#8328 in the U.S.Dorotha is a variant of Dorothea and Dorothy, from the Greek doron ('gift') and theos ('God') —▶Etha#8819 in the U.S.Etha is a genuine turn-of-the-century American name, most plausibly a short form tied to Ethel ▶Laverna#8841 in the U.S.Most likely a La- elaboration of Verna, from the Latin 'vernus,' 'of spring; springlike.' It al▶Ruthe#9454 in the U.S.An -e spelling of Ruth, from the Hebrew for 'friend; companion,' also read as 'compassion.' The▶Idell#9509 in the U.S.Most likely an elaboration of Ida, from a Germanic element read as 'work; labor; industrious,' ▶Jaunita#9691 in the U.S.A metathesized spelling of Juanita, the Spanish diminutive of Juana, feminine of Juan (John), f▶Blanch#10439 in the U.S.Blanch is a variant of Blanche, from the French blanc, 'white; fair'. Historically a name of me▶Dortha#10863 in the U.S.A variant of Dorothea (and its short form Dorothy), from the Greek 'doron' ('gift') plus 'theos▶Florine#11859 in the U.S.An -ine elaboration of Flora or Florence, from Latin flos, 'flower,' and florens, 'flourishing.▶Almeda#12518 in the U.S.An early-American girl's name, most often traced to the Spanish 'alameda,' a tree-lined walk or▶Myrtis#12582 in the U.S.Myrtis derives from Greek myrtos, the myrtle — a shrub long linked to love and beauty. It was t▶Nannie#12585 in the U.S.A pet form of Ann or Anna (and sometimes Nancy), from the Hebrew Hannah, 'grace, favor.' It was▶Oleta#13137 in the U.S.Oleta is an early-twentieth-century American name of uncertain origin. It is sometimes linked t▶Dorris#13578 in the U.S.A doubled-r spelling of Doris, from the Greek for 'Dorian woman.' In Greek myth Doris is a sea ▶Ardis#13757 in the U.S.Ardis is an early-twentieth-century name of uncertain origin. It is sometimes connected to the ▶Mozell#13876 in the U.S.An early-American girl's name, most likely a short form of Mozelle or Mozella, names sometimes ▶Emogene#13949 in the U.S.A variant of Imogen, a name first seen in Shakespeare's 'Cymbeline' and generally thought to be▶Earline#14087 in the U.S.A feminine elaboration of Earl, from Old English eorl, 'nobleman, warrior,' with the popular -i▶Leatrice#14652 in the U.S.A coined blend of Lea (Leah) and Beatrice (Latin, 'she who brings happiness'), popularized by t▶Syble#15011 in the U.S.Syble is a phonetic variant of Sibyl (Sybil), from the Greek sibylla, the title of the ancient ▶Arline#15441 in the U.S.Origin uncertain. Arline is best known as the heroine of the 1843 opera 'The Bohemian Girl'; th▶Delma#15771 in the U.S.Delma is an early-twentieth-century name of uncertain origin. It is variously linked to the Spa▶Easter#16536 in the U.S.A birth-at-Easter name drawn from the Christian festival, whose Old English name Eastre is link▶Lorine#16650 in the U.S.A name read either as a short form of Lorraine, the French region ('kingdom of Lothar'), or as ▶Vernell#16844 in the U.S.Vernell is generally an elaboration of Verna (from the Latin vernus, 'spring; springtime') or a▶Norine#16968 in the U.S.A spelling of Noreen, an Irish diminutive of Nora, itself from Honora, the Latin for 'honor.' A▶Velda#17342 in the U.S.Velda is an early-twentieth-century name of uncertain origin. It is sometimes linked to Germani▶Wilda#17604 in the U.S.Most likely from the Germanic element wild, 'wild, untamed,' or a short form of names containin▶Madge#17836 in the U.S.A pet form of Margaret, from the Greek margarites, 'pearl.' It was used as a standalone name in▶Pearline#18214 in the U.S.Pearline is an elaboration of Pearl, the gemstone name (from Latin perla), dressed with the gra▶Retha#18634 in the U.S.A short form drawn from names like Aretha (from the Greek 'arete,' 'virtue; excellence') or Lor▶Vernice#19426 in the U.S.Vernice is most often a variant of Bernice, from the Greek Berenike, 'bringing victory' (pherei▶

1920s Boy Names

Lindbergh#7672 in the U.S.Lindbergh is a Swedish surname meaning 'linden-tree hill' (lind + berg); as a first name it hon▶Morton#9404 in the U.S.From an English surname and place name meaning 'moor town' — a settlement on or by the moor, fr▶Normand#10174 in the U.S.Normand is the French form of Norman, from the Germanic elements nord ('north') and man ('man')▶Verlyn#10748 in the U.S.Verlyn is an American coinage of the early twentieth century, most likely joining Verl — itself▶Eldred#11199 in the U.S.From the Old English Ealdred, joining 'eald' ('old') and 'raed' ('counsel; advice') — 'old coun▶Hobert#11216 in the U.S.Hobert is a variant of Hubert (also blending with the surname Hobart), from the Germanic hug ('▶Hoover#11379 in the U.S.A German/Dutch surname (from Huber, 'landowner; farmer of a hide of land') given as a first nam▶Milford#11778 in the U.S.An English surname and place name from the Old English 'myln' ('mill') plus 'ford' ('river cros▶Columbus#12573 in the U.S.Columbus comes from the Latin columba, 'dove', and entered American given-name use chiefly as a▶Dock#12697 in the U.S.An early-Southern American given name, most likely from the everyday nickname 'Doc' (from 'doct▶Elmo#12773 in the U.S.An Italian short form of Erasmus (from Greek erasmios, 'beloved, desired'), best known through ▶Hobart#12927 in the U.S.A surname turned given name, Hobart is an English development of Hubert, from the Germanic 'hug▶Winfred#14079 in the U.S.From the Old English Winfrith, 'friend of peace' (the birth name of Saint Boniface, Wynfrith), ▶Wilburn#14215 in the U.S.An English surname turned given name, closely tied to Wilbur, from Germanic roots often read as▶

Explore More Themes

Uncertain Modern Rare Coinage English Vintage Hebrew American Surname-name Arabic All Themes →← All Baby Names

Frequently Asked

What are 1920s baby names?

1920s baby names are names that were common during the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age era of flappers, radio and Prohibition. They tend to have a warm, old-fashioned charm and a distinctive vintage sound that’s become popular again with parents seeking something rooted in family history.

What are popular 1920s girl names?

Verla, Blanch, Myrtis, Leatrice, Nannie and Pearline are classic examples of 1920s girl names — gentle, vintage and full of character.

What are popular 1920s boy names?

Morton, Eldred, Wilburn, Elmo and Dock are sturdy, old-fashioned boy names that were common in the 1920s.

Why are 1920s names popular again?

Many parents love the warmth and history behind names their grandparents or great-grandparents carried, and 1920s names offer that nostalgic feel while still sounding fresh and uncommon today.

How many 1920s baby names are on More4Kids?

More4Kids lists 53 1920s baby names, each with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.