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Colonial Names for Girls

Many colonial names have fallen out of favor for long enough now to sound fresh and even cool again. Early Americans used names from a variety of styles, including obscure biblical names such as Tryphena and Thirza, extreme virtue names such as Silence and Obedience, and extravagant American place names, such as Philadelphia and Tennessee. The most common girl name during colonial times was Elizabeth, followed by Mary, Sarah, Anne, and Frances.

Along with Elizabeth and Mary, other colonial names for girls in the US Top 500 include Abigail, Amy, Caroline, Charlotte, Hannah, Katherine, Molly, and Sabrina. Unique colonial-era nicknames for girls include Cleda, Hitty, Nonie, Thirza, and Winnet.

If you like historic baby names but want to move beyond the Victorian and biblical baby names we've heard so much of in recent years, consider these names culled from Revolutionary War rolls and eighteenth-century town histories. Below, our collection of colonial baby names for girls.

Nancy The meaning of Nancy is 'grace'. Nancy was o...
Origin:English diminutive of Ann
268
Tennessee The name Tennessee has its roots in the Cher...
Origin:Native American, Cherokee, place-name
4767
Jemima

Meaning: dove

Origin:Hebrew
608
Minnie

Meaning: of the mind, intellect

Origin:Diminutive of Minerva
355
Polly Traditionally a name of English origin, the ...
Origin:English variation of Molly
474
Betty

Meaning: pledged to God

Origin:Diminutive of Elizabeth
505
Henrietta

Meaning: estate ruler

Origin:Feminine variation of Henry
482
Magdalena

Meaning: from Magdala

Origin:Greek
547
Agatha

Meaning: good woman

Origin:Greek
419
Sophronia

Meaning: sensible, prudent

Origin:Greek
1835
Atalanta The meaning of Atalanta is 'balanced' or 'gr...
Origin:Greek mythology name
2095
Winsome

Meaning: agreeable, lighthearted

Origin:English
2291
Remember Remember is a baby name popularized by the P...
Origin:Word name
4373
Selah

Meaning: praise, pause

Origin:Hebrew
272
Martha

Meaning: lady

Origin:Aramaic
433
Damaris

Meaning: dominant woman

Origin:Greek
1919
Keturah

Meaning: incense

Origin:Hebrew
2055
Hepzibah

Meaning: my delight is in her

Origin:Hebrew
2325
Barbara

Meaning: foreign woman

Origin:Latin
693
Judith

Meaning: woman from Judea

Origin:Hebrew
896