The vintage baby names returning to Britain

Jerusalem Post ^ | MAY 1, 2025 | DANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

[rdl6989]

While baby names go out of fashion every generation, Britain has seen a resurgence in classic baby names during the first quarter of 2025, according to Good Housekeeping and multiple British media reports. The first name making a comeback: James

While James has been a name of choice for many over the years, its popularity has dwindled in recent years.

The name has roots in Hebrew, according to ancestry.com, and is derived from the biblical name ‘Yaakov,’ meaning 'Supplanter.' James was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, making it a name of great religious significance in the Christian faith. Mary

Mary is another name that returned to popularity, with origins in the New Testament. It had once been the most popular name for baby girls in the 1940s and 50s, becoming the most popular choice of the decade.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Ok, now with cheating…

Interestingly, Tessa and Toby are friends of our son and they are brother and sister!

Top 20 Most Common Names Starting with T in USA and UK, 2025

Rank	Name	Gender	Country
1	Theodore	Male	USA/UK
2	Thomas	Male	USA/UK
3	Taylor	Unisex	USA
4	Tristan	Male	USA
5	Tyler	Male	USA
6	Tucker	Male	USA
7	Thiago	Male	USA
8	Theo	Male	UK
9	Trinity	Female	USA
10	Teagan	Female	USA
11	Tessa	Female	USA
12	Thea	Female	USA/UK
13	Talia	Female	USA
14	Toby	Male	UK
15	Travis	Male	USA
16	Tom	Male	UK
17	Trevor	Male	USA
18	Trent	Male	USA
19	Tatum	Unisex	USA
20	Tilly	Female	UK

[MayflowerMadam]

Nice names! (Elizabeth isn’t in the OT, though, AFAIK.)

On Mom’s side of the family, there are 17 of us cousins who are preachers kids, so a lot of Bible names. I even have a cousin Dorcas.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Good catch on Elizabeth. I looked it up and learned this…

Elizabeth is a name that appears in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), meaning "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance." In the Old Testament, Elisheva is the wife of Aaron, the high priest, mentioned in Exodus 6:23.The name Elizabeth itself is more commonly associated with the New Testament, particularly Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, in Luke 1. However, its Hebrew root and presence as Elisheva in the Old Testament confirm its OT origin.

It is always fascinating looking at the transformation of names through time, places, and cultures. The transformation of the Hebrew name Elisheva into the English name Elizabeth is a process rooted in linguistic evolution, translation practices, and cultural adaptation over centuries.

• Hebrew Origins: Elisheva, meaning "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance," appears in the Old Testament (Exodus 6:23) as the name of Aaron's wife. It combines "El" (God) and "sheva" (oath or seven, symbolizing abundance).
• Greek Translation (Septuagint): When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek around the 3rd-2nd century BCE (the Septuagint), Elisheva was transliterated as Elisabet. The Greek retained the core sounds but adapted the Hebrew "sh" to "s" and adjusted the ending to fit Greek phonetics.
• Latin and Early Christian Influence: The Greek Elisabet was carried into Latin in the Vulgate, the 4th-century Latin Bible, as Elisabeth or Elizabeth. Latin preserved the Greek form closely, but the spelling varied slightly.
• Anglicization in English: As the Bible was translated into English, particularly in the Middle Ages and with versions like the King James Bible (1611), Elisabeth became standardized. The spelling Elizabeth emerged by the early modern period, influenced by:
  
  • Phonetic simplification: The English tongue favored "z" over "s" in some contexts, and the "th" sound adapted the Greek/Latin ending.
  • Cultural naming trends: Elizabeth became popular in England, especially after Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603).
  • Norman French influence: Variants like Isabel shaped related names, but Elizabeth remained closer to the Latin/Greek root.
• Linguistic Adaptation: The shift from Elisheva to Elizabeth reflects broader patterns of anglicization, where Hebrew names were softened to fit English phonology. The initial "E" was retained, but the Hebrew "sh" became "s" or "z," and "sheva" was simplified to "-beth."

By the time English became standardized, Elizabeth was firmly established as the anglicized form of Elisheva, recognized through biblical translations and royal naming conventions.

[MayflowerMadam]

Those names sure do take a circuitous route. Another one is “Ann / Anne”, which I love. The root is “Hannah” — also beautiful. And then there’s “Anna” — also a relative name.

[Sirius Lee]

Was hoping to see Thaddeus or Phineas or Rupert or Nigel.

[unread]

Harold, Chester, Louis, Robert, William, Richard, Steven...

Now there's some handles a man can live with.. :)

[Larry Lucido]

You know what I like? There are two nuts named after people: Hazel and Philbert.

George Costanza

[Diana in Wisconsin]

(Movie) ‘Best in Show:’

Harlan Pepper:

I used to be able to name every nut that there was. And it used to drive my mother crazy, because she used to say, “Harlan Pepper, if you don’t stop naming nuts,” and the joke was that we lived in Pine Nut, and I think that’s what put it in my mind at that point.

So she would hear me in the other room, and she’d just start yelling. I’d say, “Peanut. Hazelnut. Cashew nut. Macadamia nut.” That was the one that would send her into going crazy. She’d say, “Would you stop naming nuts!”

And Hubert (his dog) used to be able to make the sound, he couldn’t talk, but he’d go “rrrawr rrawr” and that sounded like Macadamia nut. Pine nut, which is a nut, but it’s also the name of a town. Pistachio nut. Red pistachio nut. Natural, all natural white pistachio nut...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I used to have twin black cats named, ‘Tessa and Tilly.’

Their ‘fancy names’ were ‘Contessa and Matilda.’ They loved cheese. :)

[Larry Lucido]

The community of Pleasant Grove, Texas, used to be a city before getting Incorporated into Dallas. The northernmost part of Pleasant Grove was called Pecan Heights. Oh, and it was pronounced puh-KAHN.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Oh, and it was pronounced puh-KAHN.”

But, of course! ;)

[gundog]

Hazel and Philbert.

Am I the only one bothered that they’re the same nut?

[odawg]

Some time back I talking to one of her classmates, a few grades below her but he had a class with her. I had asked him about her; he was a just retired high Federal government official and had many contacts, so I just knew he could give me some info. He could not, however. He said the principal taught the class and sometime he would have to leave and he would give her his notes to write on the board. Each occasion was an exciting event, he fondly reminisced.

When I jokingly told him my designs for her, he gave me this wry, fatherly smile, and said, “You and everybody else.”