Kushim is the earliest known recorded name of a person in writing. The name "Kushim" is found on several Uruk period (c. 3400–3000 BCE) clay tablets used to record transactions of barley.
So many great names are being wiped from history. We used to love Darren (Dazza), Wayne (Wayno), Warren (Wazza), David (Davo), Barry (Bazza), Gary (Gazza), Terry (Tezza), Larry (Lazza), Ian (shout-out to Kirky) and Eric (Ecca).
Along with August and Theodore, other vintage boy names in the US Top 200 include Abel, Arthur, Elias, Finn, Henry, Jasper, Miles, and Xavier. Rare retro names for baby boys on the rise include Linus, Caspian, Ned, and Ambrose.
Other classic boys' names with four letters include Abel, Adam, Amos, Carl, Eric, Mark, and Paul. Unique four letter names for boys on our recommended list include Beau, Cove, Elio, Ford, Hart, Huck, Land, Nico, Otis, Pike, Rafi, and Shaw.
Top 1700s boy names include Thomas, James, Joseph, and Henry. Unique 18th century names for girls include Hester, Mercy, Lavinia, Sophronia, and Theodosia. Unique Colonial names for boys include Amias, Hezekiah, Nehemiah, and Philomon.
Up on the board there's Stigz, Butch, Rat, Pook, Wozzel, Boof, Bullpit, Foxy, Snake, Sparra, Nobby, Froggy, Bear, Ferret and Stall. And it doesn't stop at nicknames for people.
Alain: Meaning “precious,” this name also has Old German roots. Alan: A traditional name we're familiar with, this means “precious” Almanzo: This name is a little more unique and means “precious man” Alvin: This name means “elf, friend” but may also mean “precious friend”
A century ago, the most popular names for boys were classic choices John, William, and James. For girls, it was Mary, Helen, and Dorothy. These names continued to stay at the top of the charts for years to come.
The oldest recorded English name
The oldest English surname on record was actually from East Anglia. Believe it or not, the oldest recorded English name is Hatt. An Anglo-Saxon family with the surname Hatt are mentioned in a Norman transcript, and is identified as a pretty regular name in the county.
THE OLDEST SURNAME IN WORLD IS KATZ (INITIALS OF THE TWO WORDS KOHEN TSEDEK). EVERY KATZ IS A PRIEST DESCENDING IN AN UNBROKEN LINE FROM AARON THE BROTHER OF MOSES 1300 B.C. BOOK 1.
More unusual choices among the Victorian royal baby names include Leopold, Ewart, Temple, Cecil and Feodore. Biblical names for boys were also very popular in the 1800s, including uncommon (in current times) boy names like Simeon, Jabez, Enoch, Hezekiah and Job.
Along with John and William, other 18th century names for boys in the US Top 200 today include Abraham, Alexander, Christopher, Elias, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, and Nathaniel. Unique colonial-era nicknames for boys include Cuddy, Dobbin, Fate, Hiley, and Quill.
In this group we'd put Ida, Alice, Clara, Florence, and Mabel for girls; Arthur, Ezra, Louis, and Oscar for boys. More unique 1800s baby names that feel new and cool today include Lula, Etta, and Alma for girls: Clyde, Otto, and Homer for boys.
The names of children with the best and worst behaviour have been revealed in a poll. For the 11th year running, School Stickers have revealed that children with names such as Ella, Joshua, Holly, and Benjamin tend to be naughty while Amy, Sophie, Harry, and Jack are the best behaved.
Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as “New Holland”, a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 (as Nieuw-Holland) and subsequently anglicized. Terra Australia still saw occasional usage, such as in scientific texts.
So, in the mid-1500s Richard was in the top 50 baptismal names for both boys and girls. Other names commonly used for both boys and girls included Philip, Nicholas, Alexander, James, Gilbert, Aubrey, Reynold, Basil, Eustace, Giles, Edmund and Simon.