How popular is the baby name Sylvia in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Sylvia and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Sylvia.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Sylvia

Number of Babies Named Sylvia

Born in the U.S. Since 1880

Posts that Mention the Name Sylvia

Rare Girl Names from Early Cinema: Letter S

soava
Soava Gallone
On the hunt for a rare girl name with a retro feel?

Here’s a big batch of uncommon female S-names that are associated in some way with early cinema (i.e., each is either a character name or an actress name).

For those that have had enough usage to appear in the national data, I’ve included links to popularity graphs.

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Saba
Saba Raleigh was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in England in 1867. Her birth name was Isabel Pauline Ellissen. Saba was also a character played by actress Myrta Bonillas in the film The Claw (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Saba.

Sabel
Sabel Jackson was a character played by actress Wynne Gibson in the film Nothing But the Truth (1929).

  • Usage of the baby name Sabel.

Sabra
Sabra de Shon was an actress who appeared in one film in 1915. She was born in Massachusetts in 1850. Sabra was also a character name in multiple films, including Cimarron (1931) and A Man Betrayed (1941).

  • Usage of the baby name Sabra.

Sada
Sada was a character played by actress Anna May Wong in the film The Devil Dancer (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Sada.

Sadi
Sadi Bronson was a character played by actress Julia Faye in the film The Great Moment (1921).

  • Usage of the baby name Sadi.

Sagrario
Sagrario was a character played by actress Nydia Westman in the film Cradle Song (1933).

Sahande
Sahande was a character played by actress Dorothy Dalton in the film Law of the Lawless (1923).

Sahki
Sahki was a character played by actress Verna Mersereau in the short film The Dance of Death (1914).

Saidee
Saidee McCall was a character played by actress Carmel Myers in the film The Last Hour (1923).

  • Usage of the baby name Saidee.

Saina
Saina was a character played by actress Olive Borden in the film Yellow Fingers (1926).

Sairy
Sairy Ann was a character played by actress Dorothy Gish in the film Children of the Feud (1916).

  • Usage of the baby name Sairy.

Salita
Salita was a character played by actress Velma Whitman in the film Turning the Table (1913).

  • Usage of the baby name Salita.

Salka
Salka Steuermann was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) in 1889. Her birth name was Salomea Steuermann.

Sallie
Sallie McPherson was a character played by actress Wanda Hawley in the film Double Speed (1920).

  • Usage of the baby name Sallie.

Sallyann
Sallyann Weatharby was a character played by actress Arlene Dahl in the film A Southern Yankee (1948).

Salomy
Salomy was a character name in multiple films, including Salomy Jane (1914) and Wild Girl (1932).

Salti
Salti was a character played by actress Beatie Olna Travers in the film A Romance of Old Baghdad (1922).

Samanthy
Samanthy was a character name in multiple films, including The Uneven Balance (short, 1914) and The Lonesome Heart (1915).

Samaran
Samaran was a character played by actress Julia Faye in the film Fool’s Paradise (1921).

Sanchia
Sanchia Percival was a character played by actress Dorinea Shirley in the film Open Country (1922).

Sari
Sari Maritza (SHA-ree MAR-ee-tsa) was an actress who appeared in films in the 1930s. She was born in China in 1910. Her birth name was Patricia Detering-Nathan. Sari was also a character name in multiple films, including The Virgin of Stamboul (1920) and The Stolen Bride (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Sari.

Sarie
Sarie McCoy was a character played by actress Aline MacMahon in the film Roseanna McCoy (1949).

  • Usage of the baby name Sarie.

Sarissa
Sarissa was a character played by actress Eugenia Gilbert in the film The Man from Downing Street (1922).

Sarita
Sarita was a character played by actress Teddy Sampson in the film The Pretty Sister of Jose (1915).

  • Usage of the baby name Sarita.

Saturnia
Madame Saturnia was a character played by actress Ethel Griffies in the film Castle in the Desert (1942).

Savina
Savina Grove was a character played by actress Alma Rubens in the film Cytherea (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Savina.

Saxon
Saxon Roberts was a character played by actress Myrtle Stedman in the film The Valley of the Moon (1914).

  • Usage of the baby name Saxon (which debuted in the data the year The Valley of the Moon came out).

Schatzi
Schatzi Sutro was a character played by actress Joan Blondell in the film The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932).

Scheherazade
Scheherazade was a character played by actress Maria Montez in the film Arabian Nights (1942).

Scylla
Scylla was a character played by actress Fritzi Ridgeway in the short film Where Glory Waits (1917).

Scholastica
Sister Scholastica was a character played by actress Celeste Holm in the film Come to the Stable (1949).

Seena
Seena Owen was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Washington in 1894. Her birth name was Signe Auen.

  • Usage of the baby name Seena.

Seessel
Seessel Anne Johnson was a child actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1930s. She was born in California in 1920.

Semadar
Semadar was a character played by actress Angela Lansbury in the film Samson and Delilah (1949).

Semphronia
Semphronia Benson was a character played by actress Justine Cutting in the film A Self-Made Widow (1917).

Sephora
Sephora was a character played by actress Helena D’Algy in the film Confessions of a Queen (1925).

September
September was a character name in multiple films, including A Bum Mistake (1914) and Good Sport (1931).

Sequin
Sequin was a character played by actress Yvonne De Carlo in the film River Lady (1948).

Serama
Serama was a character played by actress Gladys Brockwell in the film Conscience (1917).

Shalmar
Princess Shalmar was a character played by actress Dorothy Lamour in the film Road to Morocco (1942).

Shamrock
Shamrock O’Day was a character played by actress Edith Roberts in the film Saturday Night (1922).

Sharlee
Sharlee Evans was a character played by actress Winifred Greenwood in the short film In the Shuffle (1916).

Sheba
Sheba Miller was a character played by actress Alice White in the film Playing Around (1930).

  • Usage of the baby name Sheba.

Sheelah
Sheelah Delayne was a character played by actress Sally Crute in the film A House Divided (1919).

Shelah
Shelah Fane was a character played by actress Dorothy Revier in the film The Black Camel (1931).

  • Usage of the baby name Shelah.

Sherida
Sherida was a character played by actress Phyllis Thaxter in the film The Sign of the Ram (1948).

Sherin
Sherin was a character played by actress Kathleen Key in the film A Lover’s Oath (1925).

  • Usage of the baby name Sherin.

Shireen
Shireen was a character played by actress Virginia Brown Faire in the film Omar the Tentmaker (1922).

  • Usage of the baby name Shireen (which debuted in the data the year after Omar the Tentmaker came out).

Shirlene
Shirlene May was a character played by actress Gale Robbins in the film The Barkleys of Broadway (1949).

Shona
Shona Royale was a character played by actress Annette Kellerman in the film Venus of the South Seas (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Shona.

Shosho
Shosho was a character played by actress Anna May Wong in the film Piccadilly (1929).

Sibby
Sibby was a character played by actress Zasu Pitts in the film Aggie Appleby Maker of Men (1933).

Sibley
Sibley was a character played by actress Patricia Roc in the film The Farmer’s Wife (1941).

  • Usage of the baby name Sibley.

Sibyle
Sibyle Fane was a character played by actress Rosemary Theby in the film Hicksville to Broadway (1921).

  • Usage of the baby name Sibyle.

Sidonie
Sidonie Du Val was a character played by actress Marie Doro in the film The Lash (1916).

Sieglinde
Sieglinde Lessing was a character played by actress June Lang in the film Music in the Air (1934).

Signa
Signa Herrick was a character played by actress Peggy Hyland in the film The Girl with No Regrets (1919).

  • Usage of the baby name Signa.

Signe
Signe Hasso was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1970s. She was born in Sweden in 1910.

  • Usage of the baby name Signe.

Sigrid
Sigrid Holmquist was an actress who appeared in films in the 1920s. She was born in Sweden in 1899. Sigrid was also a character name in multiple films, including Transatlantic (1931) and I Remember Mama (1948).

  • Usage of the baby name Sigrid.

Silda
Silda was a character played by actress Renée Adorée in the film The Exquisite Sinner (1926).

Silk
Silk Cantrell was a character played by actress Adele Mara in the film Traffic in Crime (1946).

  • Usage of the baby name Silk.

Silver
Silver was a character played by actress Wynne Gibson in the film The Devil is Driving (1932).

  • Usage of the baby name Silver.

Silvery
Silvery was a character played by actress Helen Gardner in the film The Strange Story of Sylvia Gray (1914).

Simonetta
Simonetta was a character played by actress Loretta Young in the film Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928).

Simplicity
Simplicity was a character played by actress Maxine Elliott Hicks in the film Lovers’ Lane (1924).

Sinfi
Sinfi Lovell was a character played by actress Mary Dibley in the film Aylwin (1920).

Singoalla
Singoalla was a character played by actress Viveca Lindfors in the film The Wind Is My Lover (1949).

Sisseretta
Sisseretta Simpkin was a character played by actress Louise Fazenda in the film The Gay Old Bird (1927).

Sissie
Sissie Flynn was an actress who appeared in one film in 1932.

  • Usage of the baby name Sissie.

Sitahbai
Sitahbai was a character played by actress Doraldina in the film The Naulahka (1918).

Slade
Slade Kinnicott was a character played by actress Una Merkel in the film Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935).

Smyrna
Smyrna was a character played by actress Martha Sleeper in the film Should Sailors Marry? (short, 1925).

  • Usage of the baby name Smyrna.

Soava
Soava Gallone was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Poland in 1880. Her birth name was Stanislawa Winawerowna.

Sofonisba
Sofonisba was a character played by actress Italia Almirante-Manzini in the film Cabiria (1914).

Soledad
Soledad Jiménez was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1950s. She was born in Spain in 1874.

Solveig
Solveig was a character played by actress Myrtle Stedman in the film Peer Gynt (1915).

Sombra
Sombra was a character played by actress Carol Forman in the film serial The Black Widow (1947).

Sonora
Sonora Cassidy was a character played by actress Marjorie Main in the film The Harvey Girls (1946).

  • Usage of the baby name Sonora.

Sookey
Sookey was a character played by actress Heather Angel in the film Self Made Lady (1932).

Sophronia
Sophronia was a character played by actress Bessie Eyton in the film Lend Me Your Name (1918). It was also a character (nicknamed Phronsie) in the Little Peppers films of the early ’40s.

Sophy
Sophy was a character name in multiple films, including Old Wives for New (1918) and The Peace of Roaring River (1919).

  • Usage of the baby name Sophy.

Sophya
Aunt Sophya was a character played by actress Lucy Beaumont in the film Resurrection (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Sophya.

Sourna
Sourna was a character played by actress Manora Thew in the film A Romance of Old Baghdad (1922).

Soya
Soya was a character played by actress Laska Winter in the film Rocking Moon (1926).

Spangles
Spangles was a character played by actress Fern Andra in the film Spangles (1928).

Spring
Spring Byington was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. She was born in Colorado in 1886.

  • Usage of the baby name Spring.

Squabina
Squabina was a character played by actress Louise Fazenda in the short film The Mystery of a Taxicab (1914).

St. Clair
St. Clair Van Tassel was a character played by actress Gloria Swanson in the film The Untamed Lady (1926).

Stacia
Stacia de Napierkowska was an actress who appeared in films from the 1900s to the 1920s. She was born in France in 1886. Her birth name was Renée Claire Angèle Élisabeth Napierkowski.

  • Usage of the baby name Stacia.

Stacie
Stacie Kanares was a character played by actress Ella Raines in the film Enter Arsene Lupin (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Stacie.

Stancia
Stancia was a character played by actress Mary Doran in the film Their Mad Moment (1931).

Starlight
Starlight was a character name in multiple films, including In the Long Ago (short, 1913) and The Iron Trail (short, 1913).

Starlina
Starlina was a character played by actress Raquel Torres in the film Red Wagon (1933).

Stascha
Stascha was a character played by actress Marlene Dietrich in the film Three Loves (1929).

Steena
Steena Iverson was a character played by actress Dot Farley in the short film Mrs. Gay Life’s Visitors (1911).

Steenie
Steenie was a character played by actress Dorothy Kelly in the short film Rip Van Winkle (1912).

Steffi
Steffi Duna was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1940s. She was born in Hungary in 1910. Her birth name was Stephanie Berindy.

  • Usage of the baby name Steffi.

Stephana
Stephana Martin was a character played by actress Ruth Stonehouse in the short film The Romance of an American Duchess (1915).

Sterlita
Sterlita Peluffo was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1940s.

Sucal
Sucal Hurrin was a character played by actress Belle Chrystall in the film Poison Pen (1939).

Sudan
Sudan Ainger was a character played by actress Stephanie Bachelor in the film Secrets of Scotland Yard (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Sudan.

Suellen
Suellen O’Hara was a character played by Evelyn Keyes in the film Gone with the Wind (1939).

Sugar
Sugar was a character name in multiple films, including Sleepytime Gal (1942) and The Magnificent Rogue (1946).

  • Usage of the baby name Sugar.

Sultana
Sultana was a character played by actress Gypsy Rose Lee in the film Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937).

Sul-Te-Wan
Madame Sul-Te-Wan was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1950s. She was born in Kentucky in 1873. Her birth name was Nellie Conley.

Sumurun
Sumurun was a character played by actress Jenny Hasselquist in the film Sumurun (1920).

Sunbeam
Sunbeam was a character played in multiple films, including The Sunbeam (short, 1912) and The Coming of Sunbeam (short, 1913).

Sunday
Sunday Wilshin was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1930s. She was born in England in 1905. Her birth name was Sundae Mary Aline Horne-Wilshin.

  • Usage of the baby name Sunday.

Sunnie
Sunnie O’Dea was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1940s. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1918. Her birth name was Martha Bonini.

  • Usage of the baby name Sunnie.

Sunya
Sunya Ashling was a character played by actress Gloria Swanson in the film The Love of Sunya (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Sunya.

Suretta
Suretta Brenton was a character played by actress Patricia Dane in the film I Dood It (1943).

Suzel
Suzel was a character played by actress Simone Bourday in the film In Old Alsace (1933).

Suzette
Suzette was a character name in multiple films, including as Daring Hearts (1919) and Man and Maid (1925).

Svea
Svea Nord was a character played by actress Ann Little in the film The Source (1918).

  • Usage of the baby name Svea.

Swana
Grand Duchess Swana was a character played by actress Ina Claire in the film Ninotchka (1939).

Swifty
Swifty Forbes was a character played by actress Gloria Swanson in the film Prodigal Daughters (1923).

Sydell
Sydell Dowling was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s.

  • Usage of the baby name Sydell.

Sylvaine
Sylvaine was a character played by actress Lilyan Tashman in the film The Matrimonial Bed (1930).

Sylvina
Sylvina was a character played by actress Elisabeth Bergner in the film Stolen Life (1939).

Symphorosa
Princess Symphorosa was a character played by actress Billie Bennett in the film One Romantic Night (1930).

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So which of the above names do you like best?


Rare Girl Names from Early Cinema: V

valli valli, v names, baby names, girl names, actress,
Valli Valli (1882-1927)
Here’s the next installment of uncommon female names collected from very old films (released from the 1910s to the 1940s).

Vail
Vail was a character played by actress Vivian Rich in the short film Via Cabaret (1913).

  • Usage of the baby name Vail.

Val
Val Lorraine was a character played by actress Evelyn Brent in the film Attorney for the Defense (1932).

  • Usage of the baby name Val.

Valda
Valda Valkyrien was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Iceland in 1894. Her birth name was Adele Eleonore Freed.

  • Usage of the baby name Valda.

Vale
Vale Harvey was a character played by actress Shirley Mason in the film My Husband’s Wives (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Vale.

Valentine
Valentine Grant was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Indiana in 1881.

Valeska
Valeska Suratt was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Indiana in 1882. Valeska was also a character name in multiple films, including For a Woman’s Honor (1919) and Broadway Scandals (1929).

Valette
Valette Bedford was a character played by actress Margaret Sullavan in the film So Red the Rose (1935).

Valia
Valia Venitshaya, often credited simply as Valia, was an actress who appeared in films in the 1920s. She was born in England in 1899.

  • Usage of the baby name Valia.

Vallery
Vallery Grove was a character played by actress Dolores Costello in the film Second Choice (1930).

Valli
Valli Valli was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Germany in 1882. Her birth name was Valli Knust. Alida Valli, often credited simply as Valli, was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 2000s. She was born in Italy (now Croatia) in 1921. Valli was also a character played by actress Margaret Livingston in the film What a Widow! (1930).

  • Usage of the baby name Valli.

Vallie
Vallie Martin was a character played by actress Marin Sais in the short film The Man in Irons (1915).

  • Usage of the baby name Vallie.

Vanda
Vanda Muroff was a character played by actress Greta Nissen in the film Danger in Paris (1937).

  • Usage of the baby name Vanda.

Vanina
Vanina Vanini was a character played by actress Alida Valli in the film Passione (1940).

Vanna
Vanna was a character name in multiple films, including The Romance of a Movie Star (1920) and Vanity’s Price (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Vanna.

Vantine
Vantine was a character played by actress Jean Harlow in the film Red Dust (1932).

Varda
Varda Ropers was a character played by actress Claire Du Brey in the film A Man and His Money (1919).

  • Usage of the baby name Varda.

Varlia
Varlia Lloyd was a character played by actress Helen Vinson in the film Transatlantic Tunnel (1935).

Varvara
Princess Varvara was a character played by actress Dorothy Revier in the film The Red Dance (1928).

Vashti
Vashti was a character played by actress Thelma “Butterfly” McQueen in the film Duel in the Sun (1946).

  • Usage of the baby name Vashti.

Vedah
Vedah Bertram was an actress who appeared in films in the early 1910s. She was born in Massachusetts in 1891. Her birth name was Adele Buck.

  • Vedah, who died of appendicitis at the age of 20 in 1912, “became the first noted film player to be mourned by the movie-going public.” According to the San Francisco Call, her East Coast family had not been aware of her film career. “Hoping to keep her actions from her friends and relatives, she assumed the name under which she has been acting.”

Vee
Vee Newell was a character played by actress Olive Borden in the film Hello Sister (1930).

  • Usage of the baby name Vee.

Veeda
Veeda was a character played by actress Lois Collier in the film Cobra Woman (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Veeda.

Veerah
Veerah Vale was a character played by actress Mary Thurman in the film Love of Women (1924).

Vee-Vee
Vee-Vee was a character played by actress Nora Swinburne in the film A Girl of London (1925).

Velda
Velda was a character played by actress Elissa Landi in the film The Inseparables (1929).

  • Usage of the baby name Velda.

Velma
Velma Whitman was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Ohio in 1885. Velma was also a character name in multiple films, including The Greatest Menace (1923) and The Lone Wolf’s Daughter (1929).

  • Usage of the baby name Velma.

Velvet
Velvet Brown was a character played by actress Elizabeth Taylor in the film National Velvet (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Velvet.

Venetia
Venetia was a character name in multiple films, including The Story of the Rosary (1920) and Week Ends Only (1932).

Venice
Venice was a character name in multiple films, including Lady with a Past (1932) and Outcast Lady (1934).

  • Usage of the baby name Venice.

Vera-Ellen
Vera-Ellen was an actress who appeared in films in the 1940s and 1950s. She was born in Ohio in 1921.

Verbena
Verbena was a character name in multiple films, including A Darktown Wooing (short, 1914) and Should Sailors Marry? (short, 1925).

Verebel
Verebel Featherstone was a character played by the actress Dorothy Christy in the film Sierra Sue (1941).

Vergie
Vergie was a character name in multiple films, including The Impalement (short, 1910) and Heaven on Earth (1931).

  • Usage of the baby name Vergie.

Vermuda
Vermuda was a character played by actress Martha Sleeper in the short film Sure-Mike! (1925).

Verna
Verna Mersereau was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in 1894. Verna was also a character name in multiple films, including His Temporary Wife (1920) and Here Comes Carter (1936).

  • Usage of the baby name Verna.

Verne
Verne Drake was a character played by actress Iris Adrian in the film I Killed That Man (1941).

  • Usage of the baby name Verne.

Vernie
Vernie was a character played by actress Anna Q. Nilsson in the film Babe Comes Home (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Vernie.

Verona
Verona Babbitt was a character played by actress Maxine Elliott Hicks in the film Babbitt (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Verona.

Veronique
Veronique Sauviat was a character played by actress Louise Vale in the short film The Country Parson (1915).

Verree
Verree Teasdale was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1940s. She was born in Washington in 1903.

  • Usage of the baby name Verree.

Vesta
Vesta Tilley was an actress who appeared in films from the 1900s to the 1910s. She was born in England in 1864. Her birth name was Matilda Alice Powles. Vesta was also a character name in multiple films, including The House in Suburbia (short, 1913) and The Duke of Chimney Butte (1921).

  • Usage of the baby name Vesta.

Veya
Countess Veya was a character played by actress Myrna Loy in the film The Climbers (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Veya.

Vianna
Vianna Courtleigh was a character played by the actress Ruth Clifford in the film Mothers-in-Law (1923).

  • Usage of the baby name Vianna.

Vicki
Vicki was a character name in multiple films, including I Loved You Wednesday (1933) and A Star Is Born (1937).

  • Usage of the baby name Vicki.

Victoire
Victoire was a character name in multiple films, including Arsene Lupin (1917) and Just Married (1928).

Victorine
Victorine was a character name in multiple films, including Paris at Midnight (1926) and After the Ball (1932).

Vilda
Vilda was a character name in multiple films, including The Return of the Riddle Rider (1927) and Timothy’s Quest (1936).

  • Usage of the baby name Vilda.

Vilma
Vilma Banky was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Austria-Hungary (now Hungary) in 1898. Vilma was also a character name in multiple films, including Federal Agent (1936) and Meet the Boy Friend (1937).

  • Usage of the baby name Vilma.

Vima
Countess Vima Walden was a character played by actress Madge Evans in the film Heartbreak (1931).

Vincenza
Vincenza was a character played by actress Rose Tapley in the short film An Infernal Tangle (1913).

Viney
Viney was a character name in multiple films, including The Last of the Hargroves (short, 1914) and The Overland Stage (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Viney.

Vinnie
Vinnie was a character played by actress Irene Dunne in the film Life with Father (1947).

  • Usage of the baby name Vinnie.

Vinuella
Vinuella was a character played by actress Anita Hendrie in the short film The Road to the Heart (1909).

Violante
Violante was a character played by actress Mrs. A. C. Marston in the short film The Ring and the Book (1914).

Violantha
Violantha Zureich was a character played by actress Henny Porten in the film Violantha (1928).

Violey
Violey was a character played by Loretta Weaver in multiple films, including Jeepers Creepers (1939) and Grand Ole Opry (1940).

Virgie
Virgie was a character name in multiple films, including Lend Me Your Husband (1935) and The Littlest Rebel (1935).

  • Usage of the baby name Virgie.

Virginie
Virginie Harbrok was a character played by actress Marguerite Courtot in the film The Unbeliever (1918).

Visakha
Visakha was a character played by actress Lotus Liu in the film The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938).

Vittoria
Vittoria was a character played by actress Gladys Hulette in the film Enemies of Women (1923).

Viva
Viva Hamilton was a character played by actress Edna Flugrath in the film A Dear Fool (1921).

  • Usage of the baby name Viva.

Viveca
Viveca Lindfors was an actress who appeared in films from the 1940s to the 1990s. She was born in Sweden in 1920.

  • Usage of the baby name Viveca.

Vivette
Vivette was a character played by actress Evelyn Dumo in the film The Strange Story of Sylvia Gray (1914).

Viviette
Viviette was a character played by actress Vivian Martin in the film Viviette (1918).

Voine
Voine was a character played by actress Greta Nissen in the film Rackety Rax (1932).

Vola
Vola Vale was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in New York in 1897. Her birth name was Violet Irene Smith.

  • Usage of the baby name Vola.

Vonia
Vonia was a character played by actress Eva Novak in the film The Man Who Saw Tomorrow (1922).

Vonnie
Vonnie was a character played by actress Minna Gombell in the film Sob Sister (1931).

  • Usage of the baby name Vonnie.

Vroni
Vroni was a character played by actress Esther Ralston in the film Betrayal (1929).

Vultura
Vultura was a character played by actress Lorna Gray in the film Perils of Nyoka (1942).

*

Which of the above names do you like best?

Sources:

Rare Girl Names from Early Cinema: Letter Z

zaza, movie, gloria swanson
Gloria Swanson as Zaza (1923)
Looking for an under-the-radar girl name with a retro feel?

A few years ago I combed though a bunch of IMDb pages looking for interesting female names associated with old films (1910s-1940s).

Most of the names I spotted — names like Mabel, Maisie, Hazel, Hattie, Elsie, Selma, Bessie, and Betty — were ones I expected to see. But I did manage to collect thousands of rarities, many of which have never appeared in the SSA data before.

Want to check out all these unusual names? I thought so! To make things interesting I’ll post the Z-names first and go backwards, letter by letter.

Enjoy!

Zabette
Zabette de Chavalons was a character played by actress Bebe Daniels in the film Volcano! (1926).

Zabie
Zabie Elliot was a character played by actress Mary Alden in the film The Broken Butterfly (1919).

Zada
Zada L’Etoile was a character played by actress Sylvia Breamer in the Cecil B. DeMille-directed film We Can’t Have Everything (1918).

Zadee
Zadee Burbank was an actress who appeared in films during the 1910s and 1920s. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1867 with the name Sarah Pyle Watt.

Zahanna
Zahanna was a character played by actress Marie Walcamp in the short film The Girl and the Tiger (1913).

Zahrah
Zahrah was a character played by actress Gene Gauntier in the short film The Fighting Dervishes of the Desert (1912).

Zahrat
Zahrat was a character played by actress Betty Blythe in the film Chu-Chin-Chow (1923) and by Anna May Wong in Chu-Chin-Chow (1934).

Zalata
Zalata was a character played by actress Ruth Stonehouse in the short film Ashes of Hope (1914).

Zalea
Zalea was a character played by mononymous actress Armida in the film Congo Bill (1948).

Zalia
Zalia Graem was a character played by actress Virginia Bruce in the film The Garden Murder Case (1936).

Zalla
Zalla Zarana was an actress who appeared in films during the 1920s. She was born in Slovenia in 1897 with the name Rozalija Sršen.

Zamina
Zamina was a character played by actress Edna Eichor in the film The Roughneck (1924).

Zana
Zana was a character name used in multiple films, including Tonight Is Ours (1933) and Call Out the Marines (1942).

Zanda
Zanda was a character played by actress Laska Winter in the film Shipwrecked (1926).

Zandra
Zandra was a character name used in multiple films, including Carnival Lady (1933) and Good Dame (1934).

Zarika
Countess Zarika Rafay was a character played by actress Rosalind Russell in the film The Night is Young (1935).

Zarita
Zarita was a character played by actress Julie Suedo in the film King’s Mate (1928).

Zarmi
Zarmi was a character played by actress Julie Suedo in the three short films The Queen of Hearts (1923), The Man with the Limp (1923), and The Golden Pomegranates (1924).

Zarrah
Zarrah was a character played by actress Violet Horner in the film A Daughter of the Gods (1916).

ZaSu
ZaSu Pitts was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1960s. She was born in Kansas in 1894.

Zavia
Princess Zavia was a character played by actress Alice Joyce in the short film The Theft of the Crown Jewels (1914).

Zaza
Zaza was a character played by Pauline Frederick in the film Zaza (1915), Gloria Swanson in Zaza (1923), and Claudette Colbert in Zaza (1938).

Zedorah
Zedorah was a character played by actress Mayo Methot in the film Counsellor at Law (1933).

Zee
Zee was a character name used in multiple films, including Jesse James (1939) and Man from Texas (1948).

  • Usage of the baby name Zee (which debuted in the data the year Jesse James came out).

Zeetah
Zeetah was a character played by actress Bessie Eyton in the short film The Totem Mark (1911).

Zeffie
Zeffie Tilbury was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1940s. She was born in England in 1863.

Zeleekha
Zeleekha was a character played by actress Mary Duncan in the film Kismet (1930).

Zelia
Zelia de Chaumont was a character played by actress Ruth Chatterton in the film The Rat (1937).

Zelie
Zélie was a character name in multiple films, including The Rat (1925) and The White Black Sheep (1926).

Zell
Zell was a character played by actress Mollie King in the film Fate’s Boomerang (1916).

Zelle
Zelle was a character played by actress Anne Cornwall in the short film The Roughneck (1924).

Zelma
Zelma was a character name in multiple films, including Charity Castle (1917) and Turkish Delight (1927).

Zema
Zema was a character played by actress Louise Vale in the short film The Debt (1912).

Zena
Zena Dare was an actress who appeared in films during the 1920s and 1930s. She was born in England in 1887. Zena Keefe was an actress who appeared in films during the 1910s and 1920s. She was born in California in 1898. Zena was also a character name in multiple films, including The Code of Honor (short, 1916) and The New York Peacock (1917).

Zenia
Zenia was a character name in multiple films such as His Friend’s Wife (short, 1911) and Centennial Summer (1946).

Zenobia
Zenobia was a character name in multiple films such as Secrets of Chinatown (1935) and The Crystal Ball (1943).

Zephne
Zephne Lamont was a character played by actress Edna Murphy in the film The Man Between (1923).

Zephyer
Zephyer Redlynch was a character played by actress “Miss DuPont” (born Patricia Hannon) in the film One Night in Rome (1924).

Zephyrine
Zephyrine was a character name in multiple films, including The Suicide Club (1914) and Women Everywhere (1930).

Zerelda
Zerelda was a character name used in multiple films, including Jesse James (1927) and Jesse James (1939).

Zerilda
Zerilda James was a character played by actress Dorothy Sebastian in the film Days of Jesse James (1939).

Zerlina
Zerlina was a character played by actress Lucile Browne in the film The Devil’s Brother (1933).

Zetta
Zetta was a character played by actress Zalla Zarana in the film The Lady Who Lied (1925).

Zilah
Zilah was a character played by actress Ruth Miller in the film The Sheik (1921).

Zilla
Zilla Riesling was a character played by Cissy Fitzgerald in the film Babbitt (1924) and Minna Gombell in Babbitt (1934).

Zillah
Zillah was a character played by actress Eulalie Jensen in the film Fighting Love (1927).

Zinida
Zinida was a character played by actress Paulette Duval in the film He Who Gets Slapped (1924).

Zira
Zira was a character name in multiple films, including Heart of Flame (short, 1915) and The Fortieth Door (1924).

Zita
Zita was a character name in multiple films, including The Master Mystery (1919) and The Great Flirtation (1934).

Zixi
Queen Zixi was a character played by actress Juanita Hansen in the short film The Magic Cloak (1914).

Zizi
Zizi was a character played by actress Maudie Dunham in the film Circus Jim (1921).

Zohra
Princess Zohra was a character played by actress Edna Maison in the film serial Under the Crescent (1915).

Zoila
Zoila Conan was an actress who appeared in films during the 1930s. She was born in Mexico in 1903.

Zoldene
Zoldene was a character played by actress Gretchen Lederer in the film Black Friday (1916).

Zonia
Zonia was a character played by actress Eugenie Forde in the film The Light (1916).

Zoradi
Zoradi was a character played by actress Myrtle Gonzalez in the short film The Thief of the Desert (1916).

Zorah
Zorah was a character name in multiple films, such as The Cry of the Captive (short, 1914) and Samson (1914).

Zorina
Vera Zorina, often credited simply as Zorina, was an actress who appeared in films during the 1930s and 1940s. She was born in Germany in 1917 with the name Eva Brigitta Hartwig.

Zudora
Zudora was a character played by actress Marguerite Snow in the film serial Zudora (1914).

Zuleika
Zuleika was a character played by actress Maria Montez in the film Raiders of the Desert (1941).

Zuletta
Zuletta was a character played by actress Lucille Young in the film The Spell of the Poppy (1915).

Zulika
Zulika was a character name used in multiple films, including The Greed of Osman Bey (short, 1913) and How the Earth Was Carpeted (short, 1914).

Zulima
Zulima was a character played by actress Blanche Cornwall in the film Fra Diavolo (1912).

*

Which of the above names do you like best?

Five-Name Friday: Girl Name Containing the Letter V

five name friday, girl names

You’re sitting alone at a table in a restaurant, waiting for the rest of your friends to arrive. To fend off boredom, you strike up a conversation with a woman similarly stranded at a nearby table (her friends have all left to use the restroom). She mentions that she’s pregnant and on the hunt for a baby name. Here’s the gist of what she’s looking for:

I want my daughter’s name to have a V in it, but not start with the letter V. So I’m looking for names like Sylvia, not like Victoria.

“Do you have any suggestions?”

You’re a name lover, and you could potentially give her dozens of suggestions on the spot. But her friends will be back soon, and yours will show up eventually, so you only have time to give her five baby name suggestions.

But here’s the fun part: Instead of blurting out the first five names you come up with (which is what you’d be forced to do in real life) you get to press a magical “pause” button, brainstorm for a bit, and then “unpause” the scenario to offer her the best five names you can think of.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you brainstorm:

  • Be independent. Decide on your five names before looking at anyone else’s five names.
  • Be sincere. Would you honestly suggest these particular baby names out loud to a stranger in public?
  • Five names only! All names beyond the first five in your comment will be either deleted or replaced with nonsense words.

Finally, here’s the request again:

I want my daughter’s name to have a V in it, but not start with the letter V. So I’m looking for names like Sylvia, not like Victoria.

Which five baby names are you going to suggest?

[To send in your own 2-sentence baby name request, here are the directions, and here’s the contact form.]

Gaiety Girl Names – Ellaline, Florence, Moya

Gaiety Girl Camille Clifford
Camille Clifford
Before there were Follies girls, there were Gaiety Girls.

These were showgirls appearing in Edwardian musical comedies at London’s Gaiety Theatre during the 1890s.

There’s no definitive list of all the Gaiety Girls, but here are a few of them:

  • Alice Delysia
  • Billie Carleton – birth name Florence
  • Blanche Massey
  • Camille Clifford – birth name Camilla
  • Cicely Courtneidge – birth name Esmerelda
  • Connie Gilchrist – birth name Constance
  • Constance Collier – birth name Laura
  • Denise Orme – birth name Jessie
  • Dorothy Minto
  • Eleanor Souray
  • Ellaline Terriss – birth name Mary (Ellaline was her middle name)
  • Evelyn Laye – birth name Elsie
  • Florence Smithson
  • Gaby Deslys – birth name Marie-Elise-Gabrielle
  • Gabrielle Ray
  • Gertie Millar – birth name Gertrude
  • Gina Palerme
  • Gladys Cooper
  • Irene: Irene Desmond, Irene Richards
  • Jessie Matthews
  • Jose Collins – birth name Charlotte
  • Kitty Gordon – birth name Constance
  • Lily Elsie – birth name Elsie
  • Mabel: Mabel Love, Mabel Russell
  • Mamie Watson
  • Marie Studholme – birth name Caroline
  • May: May Etheridge, May Gates
  • Moya Nugent
  • Olive May
  • Phyllis Dare
  • Rosie Boote – birth name Rose
  • Sylvia: Sylvia Grey, Sylvia Lillian Storey
  • Zena Dare – birth name Florence

Which of the above names do you like best?

Sources: Gaiety Girls – Wikipedia, Gaiety Girls exhibition – National Portrait Gallery
Image: Camille Clifford – National Portrait Gallery