20 Vintage Girl Names From the 1960s That Are Getting Popular Again

SSA rank in the 1960s: 12
SSA rank today: 852
Year-over-year increase in rank: 116 places
Meaning: "bee"

In the 1960s, Deborah, as in Vogue cover model Deborah Dixon, was coming down off its 1955 peak, when it was the third-most-popular name in the country. It stayed a top-30 name throughout the '60s, but continued to decline in the following decades. It never fell off the SSA list entirely — the lowest it got was No. 968 out of 1,000, in 2023 — and between last year and the year before, it had a huge bounce back, jumping up more than 100 places in rank. But the comeback only works for Deborah: Similar names or variants, like Debra or Debbie, which were both in the top 200 in the '60s, don't make the SSA list of the top 1,000 names today.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 174
SSA rank today: 677
Year-over-year increase in rank: 86 places
Meaning: "laurel"

A top-200 name throughout the '60s, Loretta — as in country singer Loretta Lynn — did fall off the list of the SSA's top 1,000 names after 1990. But, after a 30-year gap, Loretta re-entered the list in 2020 and has been climbing ever since. That could be because, thanks in part to Yellowstone, country-and-western baby names are big right now, and Loretta fits right in.

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SSA rank in the 1960s: 143
SSA rank today: 666
Year-over-year increase in rank: 76 places
Meaning: "drop of the sea," "bitter," "beloved"

Both Loretta and Marilyn — as in cabaret singer and Tonight Show regular Marilyn Maye — actually achieved peak popularity in the 1930s. But Marilyn continued going strong into the 1960s, where it stayed in the top 200 for the entire decade. Today, parents are more likely to go choose Madison (No. 43), Madelyn (No. 65) or Madilyn (No. 420) over Marilyn. But that doesn't mean the name isn't experiencing a comeback: Marilyn jumped 76 places in rank between last year and the year before, so the Madisons and Madelyns better watch out!

SSA rank in the 1960s: 99
SSA rank today: 832
Year-over-year increase in rank: 73 places
Meaning: "praised" or "woman of Judea"

In the first half of the '60s, Judith — as in Alvin Ailey dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison — was a top-100 name. In 1965, it slipped to No. 102 for the first time, and continue to decline for the rest of the decade and beyond. Until recently, that is — the named rose an impressive 73 places between last year and the year before, and more than 160 places since 2013, when it hit a low ebb of No. 994.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 154
SSA rank today: 593
Year-over-year increase in rank: 69 places
Meaning: "desired"

Last year, Eileen, as in British actress Eileen Atkins, hit No. 593 on the SSA list — the name's best showing since 1999. The resurgence could be powered by parents are looking for alternatives to the even-more-popular Isla (No. 34) and Ayla (No. 69). (Eileen is still outranking the similar-sounding Irene, which is at No. 638.) The name was also a top-200 name throughout the '60s, but hit its peak decades before, in 1943, when it was No. 68.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 150
SSA rank today: 716
Year-over-year increase in rank: 67 places
Meaning: "supplanter"

Gender-neutral names are in, and Jamie — as in actress and scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis — is as unisex as they come. It currently ranks on the SSA list for both boy names (No. 623) and girl names (No. 716), though on the boys' list it lags far behind the mega-popular James (No. 5). Jamie as a girl's name was on its way up in the '60s: The name rose nearly 60 places throughout the decade, and didn't wind up peaking until 1977, when it was No. 18.

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SSA rank in the 1960s: 71
SSA rank today: 605
Year-over-year increase in rank: 65 places
Meaning: "garden of holly"

Leslie, as in Gigi actress Leslie Caron, started off the 1960s at No. 92, and continued to climb throughout the decade and beyond, not peaking until 1981, when it was No. 56. Since then, it's had its ups and downs: It lost steam in the '90s, gained ground back in the early 2000s, decreased in popularity again starting in 2005, and so on. Now, it's on another upswing — but does it have what it takes to make it stick this time?

SSA rank in the 1960s: 137
SSA rank today: 361
Year-over-year increase in rank: 65 places
Meaning: "forest"

The peak year for the name Sylvia — as in R&B artist Sylvia Vanterpool — was 1937, so it's a good choice for parents who are drawn to old-timey names or "grandma" names. And Sylvia's comeback has been in the mail for a while now: The name bottomed out in 2010, when it was No. 557, and has risen nearly 200 places in the decade and a half since.

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SSA rank in the 1960s: 87
SSA rank today: 441
Year-over-year increase in rank: 61 places
Meaning: "beautiful"

Names that end in -ie are huge right now, like Ellie (No. 21), Sadie (No. 57), Sophie (No. 60), Millie (No. 86) and Josie (No. 88). Bonnie — made notoriously glamorous by Faye Dunaway's performance in 1967's Bonnie & Clyde — seems to be no exception. Not bad for a name that didn't even make the SSA list between 2004 and 2014! Perhaps it'll be able to achieve the same heights it had in the '60s, when it ranked between No. 71 and No. 128.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 114
SSA rank today: 510
Year-over-year increase in rank: 50 places
Meaning: "pure"

The -ie names like Bonnie may be on the rise, but the -ia names, like Olivia (No. 1), Amelia (No. 3), Mia (No. 5) and Sophia (No. 6) have been dominating since the last decade. And while that rising tide didn't lift the boat of Virginia, as in actress Virginia Christine, all the way to the upper reaches of the SSA list, it seems to be becoming more and more popular now, possibly with parents looking for an alternative to those ultra-popular names at the top of the chart. Place names are also big, so Virginia fits up there with Savannah (No. 107), Florence (No. 435) and Nola (No. 766). Plus, having peaked in 1950 at No. 33, it has that right mix of feeling retro without sounding old and fusty.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 10
SSA rank today: 826
Year-over-year increase in rank: 45 places
Meaning: "from Mount Kynthos"

Cynthia, as in one-time Beatle wife Cynthia Lennon, has been on the rise for the past three years, which means this could be another -ia name with the oomph to keep climbing. It would have a long way to go, though, to reclaim its former glory: It peaked just before the '60s, in 1957, when it was No. 7.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 33
SSA rank today: 378
Year-over-year increase in rank: 32 places
Meaning: "honeybee"

Melissa, as in ballet dancer Melissa Hayden, had a fantastic run in the '60s: It started out the decade at No. 109, and ended all the way up at No. 5. It didn't peak until 1979, when it was nearly in the top spot — it peaked at No. 2. It had a huge fall from grace since then, and hit a low point of No. 410 in 2023. But it bounced back to No. 378, which could mean that parents are looking to this classic name again.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 129
SSA rank today: 419
Year-over-year increase in rank: 32 places
Meaning: "holly tree"

Nature baby names are a trend right now, with parents taking inspiration from plants, shrubs, trees and herbs, so Holly — as in the iconic Holly Golightly, as portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's — fits right in with all the Violets (No. 15), Hazels (No. 19) and Lilys (No. 24) out there. The name was on a decline until Breakfast at Tiffany's came out in 1961, which started an upward trend that peaked in 1983, when it was No. 48. It's in the middle of the pack on the SSA list now, but perhaps the nature-name trend will bring it back into the top 100 again.

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SSA rank in the 1960s: 124
SSA rank today: 431
Year-over-year increase in rank: 31 places
Meaning: "gift of God"

The name Dorothy, as in actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge, peaked in 1927 at No. 2, and not even 1939's blockbuster Wizard of Oz movie could turn the name's fortunes around again after that. The name kept losing rank until it fell off the list entirely in 2007. But in 2011, it made a comeback at No. 927, and has been rising ever since — some might call even call it defying gravity.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 133
SSA rank today: 392
Year-over-year increase in rank: 19 places
Meaning: "bringer of victory"

Veronica — as in Veronica Bennett, aka Ronnie Spector of the girl group The Ronettes — was a name increasing in popularity throughout the '60s, and it stayed on an upward slope until 1983, when it was No. 68. (That was a few years before Winona Ryder was the sole Veronica in a group of Heathers in the 1988 movie Heathers.) Now, it's risen 19 places between last year and the year before, and it's up nearly 40 places since 2021, so it could be Veronica's time for the spotlight once more.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 166
SSA rank today: 416
Year-over-year increase in rank: 18 places
Meaning: "song"

Another unisex name, Carmen, as in Spanish actress Carmen Sevilla, is a name that wasn't just popular in the '60s, it actually peaked in the decade. It reached its highest point in 1968, when it was No. 141. It has mostly been on the decline ever since, bottoming out at No. 456 in 2022. But the name has made big jumps in the two years since, and is currently more popular than the similar sounding Cameron (No. 485), which could signal a comeback.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 101
SSA rank today: 654
Year-over-year increase in rank: 17 places
Meaning: "glory"

Gloria, as in feminist writer Gloria Steinem, always finds its way back into the spotlight. Whether it's hitting the top-20 names in the '20s, or inspiring a hit song by Patti Smith in the '70s, or being attached to glamorous celebrities like Gloria Swanson or Gloria Vanderbilt, the name really lives up to its meaning of "glory." As such, you can never keep Gloria down, and even though it hit a low at No. 671 in 2023, it bounced back 17 places the year after.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 168
SSA rank today: 304
Year-over-year increase in rank: 14 places
Meaning: "desired"

This one is a little bit of a cheat, to the tune of one letter: Evelyn, as in Peyton Place actress Evelyn Scott, was a top-200 name in the '60s. Today, Evelynn — with an extra "n" — is the name that jumped 14 places in rank. (How homophones of names affect their SSA rank is something the baby-naming website Nameberry explores in its "Playground Analysis," which aims to figure out which names you're actually most likely to hear called ou ton the playground, regardless of spelling.) It's one of many -lynn names that are on the SSA's list of the fastest climbers, along with Icelynn (jumped up 209 places), Maelynn (up 113 places) and Lakelynn (up 106 places).

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SSA rank in the 1960s: 175
SSA rank today: 442
Year-over-year increase in rank: 12 places
Meaning: "happiness"

Call it the Inside Out effect: After peaking in 1974, when it was No. 109, the name Joy — as in Born Free writer Joy Adamson — is back to make some new core memories. Then again, its resurgence can't all be attributed to Pixar, since Joy has been on the upswing since 2022 — parents may just be in the mood for more positive, optimistic names.

SSA rank in the 1960s: 188
SSA rank today: 91
Year-over-year increase in rank: 11 places
Meaning: "song"

Melody, as in F Troop actress Melody Patterson, is unique among this list because today it has actually surpassed its previous peak. In the '50s and '60s, it was a top-200 name, reaching as high as No. 155 in 1956. It surpassed that number in 2015, and when it hit No. 148 for the first time, and has kept climbing ever since, so now it's a top-100 name. And, with such a nice, musical ring to it, who wouldn't be charmed by it?