"If you’re currently looking for a baby name, there’s no right or wrong way to choose one. I think the best part of the process is testing them out. In fact, there are several methods out there to make sure a baby name is the right fit. For starters, there’s the method of simply saying a name out loud. If it sounds natural to say, then it just might be THE name. Another method is to test out a first and middle name side by side. Try it. Yell the pair together—“Olivia Quinn!!”—if it rolls right off the tongue, then you can pencil it in as one of the top contenders on your “baby names” list.
There are many formulas out there to choose a baby name, like using an app, but my favorite method? Seeing if a name meets what I call the B.A.G.—Baby, Adult, Grandparent—method. How it works is deciding whether a name sounds cute for a Baby, for an Adult, and if it fits as a Grandparent name (AKA old-person baby names). Doesn’t “Grandpa Finn” sound so adorable across the board?
One labor and delivery nurse thinks so, too. Jen Hamilton (@_jen_hamilton_), an L&D nurse and mom-of-two, shared that she’s definitely advocating for “naming your baby something that an old person would be named.” Her viral video has garnered over five million views across Instagram and TikTok, with her detailing her thoughts on why vintage baby names are the names you want.
Why Old Person Names are Golden
Hamilton, who most likely meets many babies in one day, is no stranger to a “tiny” introduction. From a labor and delivery nurse point of view, she’s fond of being introduced to babies who may have the same name as your grandparent, and she gives a few reasons why.
Vintage Names are Equivalent to Vintage Dog Names
In the viral video, Hamilton shares that she once took care of a four-pound baby that was named “Bruce.” She then compares naming your baby with an old-fashioned name as “the equivalent to… naming your dog like a real human name. It just gets me all warm and fuzzy inside.” Have you ever met a chocolate lab or a golden retriever named “Greg,” “Brian,” or “Jennifer”? One Instagram user, @kitkat1957, commented, “Met a bulldog named Kevin once…” and “Our puppy’s full name is Linda From Accounting, but we call her Lindy 😂,” said @sarahgrone. It is pretty adorable.
An Opinion on Names Ending in L-E-I-G-H
In the 2010s, names ending in “leigh” or “ley,” like the names Rayleigh or Ainsley, made a notable rise. However, Hamilton points out, “We don’t need any more babies whose name ends in ‘L-E-I-G-H.’” The L&D nurse emphasizes that she’s “not saying it’s a bad name.” She notes that she personally wants the experience of, “When the baby comes out, and they’re crying, I want to be able to say, ‘It’s hard work being a baby in the morning time. Isn’t it, LUCILLE?’” Hamilton continues to say, “If a baby is having decels”—short for “decelerations,” a temporary decrease in a fetal heart rate—she wants to be able to enter a patient’s room and say, “What [are] you being messy for, ‘Walter?’”
Old Person Names are Too Cute
It’s no secret that trending baby names take on a common theme. Hamilton mentions she still thinks it’s cute if a baby name hits the top 100 baby names, but if you tell her that your baby’s name is “Gladys,” she won’t be able to control herself because she loves this trend so much.
When you’re drawing inspiration for old-fashioned baby names, go down your family tree for ideas or look toward Baby Boomer baby names. Maybe you want to pass down a name if it’s a family tradition. Whatever the reason is, just know you’re not alone. As user @hannah_dare wrote, “Give me them babies fresh out the womb with a name that sounds like they are already planning for retirement 😩😂.” Other Instagram users left thousands of comments with their favorite “old person names,” too.
Favorite Old Lady Baby Names
In fact, one follower, @ewestcooks, said, “Texting the wife currently ‘so if the next one’s a girl, Gertrude. No questions asked’ 😂.” Hamilton replied with, “And you could call her Gertie 🥹🥹🥹.”
As someone named Patricia, I constantly hear, “My grandma is named ‘Patty’”—I appreciate Hamilton’s advocacy to make this trend stay.
“My 4 year old is Evelyn and her preschool friends are Penny, Eleanor, and Ruth. I call them the Golden Girls.” —@allieanne89
“Last year in her 3yo class, my Hazel Evelyn had a Josephine and Vera 👵🏼😂.”—@lafalca
“My daughter is Eleanore May but I wanted her middle name to be Ruth! Eleanore and Ruth were my grandma’s names 😁.”—@mrsbuckmania
“My three girls are Harriet, Matilda, and Beatrice 👵🏼👵🏼👵🏼.”—@zahnfire
“I had a student named Elsie a few years ago… the same name as my 95 year old grandma!”—@emilyykushlaa
“@emilyroseart love Hazel. Had a great aunt with that name.”—@tabicat19
“We have a Mabel and Everett 🥰.”—@MrsLettau
Favorite Old Man Baby Names
“Omg I’m laying in the hospital bed with my 24-hour-old baby named WALTER!! ❤️”—@wendy_bronze
“My son is 9 and his name is Jack and his bestie is Harold. They are two little old men.”—@Kimgetsfit
“My grandson is named Hugh, and his classmates were called Wilf, Alf, George, and Elsie! I kid you not!”—@kazmck16
“My dad’s name is Wendell and all I can think about is a baby named Wendell.”—@re2thomp
“I’m a nanny to Walter, Rupert, Edward, and Frank.”—@aussienktobfan
“I have a Wade. Feels like it could be a grandpa but also he’s like a little grandpa 🫡.”—@michaela_elliott_
“I’m 36 weeks with Alfred Cecil 🥰.”—@Gem (Congratulations, btw!)
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.