Most popular names from 1918 resurfaced in new study

When was the last time you met an Alpha or a Norris?

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A new study by alternative baby names website Nameberry has revealed the most popular names from a century ago - and almost all of them seemed to have vanished into an abyss of lost monikers, never to be uttered on the playground again.

1918 marked a momentous year for world events. Not only were British women over the age of 30 finally granted the right to vote, but Daylight Savings Time began and November 11 marked the end of World War I, with the armistice being signed.

Did any of these major events influence people’s baby name choices?

Perhaps, although topping the list are fairly generic names with perennial appeal such as John, James and Mary.

However, a deeper dive into Nameberry’s “100 Great Lost Names” list reveals a whole host of unique monikers that would most definitely be conversation-starters in a number of modern day settings, from dinner tables to dating apps.

If today’s saturated climate of Liams, Emmas and Avas leaves you longing for the nostalgic names of yore, why not bookmark Mamie, Dudley and Beryl for your future children?

Or, if you’re leaning towards a more multi-syllabic name, you could opt for something more majestic like Cornelius or Philomena.

For the full list, see below:

Top 100 boys' names in 1918

Abe

Alphonse

Ambrose

Archie

Barney

Benedict

Booker

Burl

Cecil

Chester

Claude

Clement

Cleveland

Cornelius

Dale

Dewey

Dorsey

Doyle

Dudley

Edmund

Ferdinand

Floyd

Forest

Garland

Grover

Hiram

Homer

Isadore

Kermit

Lemuel

Lowell

Lucius

Luther

Ned

Noble

Norris

Ollie

Perry

Pete

Roscoe

Rufus

Sol

Stuart

Thaddeus

Ulysses

Vito

Waldo

Wallace

Ward

Wiley

Top 100 girls' names in 1918

Agatha

Alpha

Althea

Augusta

Avis

Bernadette

Beryl

Bessie

Birdie

Carmella

Cleo

Delia

Dixie

Effie

Etta

Fay

Geneva

Gertie

Ida

Inez

Ione

Iva

Lelia

Loretta

Lorna

Lottie

Louella

Lucinda

Lula

Lulu

Mamie

Maude

Merle

Minerva

Minnie

Muriel

Myrtle

Odessa

Olga

Opal

Pauline

Philomena

Polly

Rosalind

Rosella

Roxie

Sibyl

Theda

Winifred

Yolanda