We know that hipster baby names are all the rage right now — Hellooo, to all the little Brooklyns, Elvises, and Arlos out there — and sure, we get their appeal. But what about vintage baby names? Names that have a little tread on the tires, but are still classic and cool. In fact, let's take a look back at one of our favorite decades when it comes to boys names: the 1960s. There's something about the '60s that's so iconic. Perhaps it was the changing social attitudes, the political strife, the emerging focus on the youth generation, but whatever it was, the '60s was an incredibly influential time in American history. So, of course, it's no surprise that many parents want to look back when comes to naming their babies and turn to the rocking '60s as their main source of inspiration.
For boys, the '60s were the source of many names that are still popular today — think Daniel, Michael, David, and John, and only a few names that have started to fall out of fashion — like Paul. There's nothing too fussy or complicated about '60s boys' names. Using data from the United States Social Security registry, we've found the top 20 boys names from the 1960s and compiled them all into one neat list that parents can peruse while trying to pick the perfect baby name. With 100% confidence, we can say that most of these baby names have stood the test of time. Most of them are just as popular today as they were way back when and would be a great name for 2020 and beyond.
MICHAEL
The first name on our list is a classic. Michael comes from Hebrew mīkhā’ē‘l, which means "Who is like God?" Michael was also the name of the archangel sent by God to carry out his judgments.
DAVID
Another name with Hebrew origins, David means "beloved." The name comes from the Bible, specially King David who was the second Israelite king. Dave is probably the most popular variation on the name, but Davey or Davie are cute, too!
JOHN
John is one of the most popular names … ever. But there's good reason why the name seems to be everywhere. The name originated from the Hebrew Yehanan, which is derived from yehōhānān and means "Yahweh is gracious."
JAMES
A name from way, way back, James comes from the Ecclesiastic Iakōbos, which is a version of the Hebrew Yaakov and means "supplanting, seizing by the heel." Other cute variations are Jimmy, Jim, or Jamie.
ROBERT
Whether it's Bob, Rob, or the full shebang, Robert is a name that has never gone out of style. Taken from Old High German Hruodperht, Robert is a compound name composed of the elements hruod, or "fame" and perht, meaning "bright."
MARK
There are so many variations of this name, Marco, Marcus, Markus, but for now let's focus on the classic: Mark. Taken from the Latin Marcus, it loosely means "manly" or if taken from the Greek malakoz "soft, tender."
WILLIAM
Taken from the Old High German Willehelm, William is a compound name composed from the elements willeo, meaning "will, determination" and helm "protection, helmet." So in essence, the name can be taken to mean "resolute protector."
RICHARD
Richard is a name that has dropped in popularity recently, but that doesn't mean it isn't a solid choice for a boy's name in 2020. Originating from the Old High German Richart, this is another compound name composed from the elements rík, rīc "power, ruler" and hard "strong, brave, hardy."
THOMAS
A name taken from the Bible, Thomas is derived from the Aramaic tē’ōma, which means "a twin." Although Thomas has dipped in popularity for the past couple of years, it's never a bad choice. Other variations are Tom, Tommy, or Tomas.
JEFFREY
Most people don't realize that Jeffrey is a modern spelling of the name, originally the name was Geoffrey and it's derived from the Old French Geoffroi. Jeffrey is of course the spelling we're all more familiar with, but Geoffrey is a nice twist.
STEVEN
A name with Greek origins, Steven was incredibly popular in the 1960s. In fact, throughout the '60s it was the 10th most popular name in the country. Originally the name was Stephanos, meaning "a crown, a garland."
JOSEPH
One of the most popular names worldwide — there's a reason why Joseph has endured so many years of popularity. Taken from the Hebrew yōsēf, the name means "may he add, God shall add," which is pretty special to us.
TIMOTHY
Sweet, sweet Timmy. A name that we love, Timothy has stood the test of time. Taken from the Greek name timē, meaning "honor, respect" and theos, meaning "God" the name therefore one could take the name to mean "honoring God."
KEVIN
Still one of the most common names throughout the US (and Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland, and Chile), Kevin is an Anglicized form of the Irish Caoimhín, which means "handsome, comely birth."
SCOTT
One guess where this name comes from. Yep, it's Scotland. Taken from the surname derived from the Old English Scottas, Scott originally meant "an Irishman," but was later translated to "a Scotchman, a Gael from Scotland."
BRIAN
Throughout the '60s (as well as the '70s) Brian was one of the most popular names in the country and even today, it's a name that is used often. Brian is of Celtic origins and loosely translates from the roots bri-, meaning "force, strength," brîgh "valor, strength," or bruaich "a hill, steep, high."
CHARLES
A name with Germanic origins, Charles comes from the name karl, meaning "full-grown, a man," which in turn is a version of the Old English ceorl, meaning "a man, freeman, peasant." But no matter where we come from, Charles is really great!
PAUL
Another name with biblical origins, Paul comes from the Latin Paulus, which originated as a Roman family name taken from the word paulus meaning small. Paul was also the co-founder of the Christian Church.
DANIEL
A name with Hebrew origins, Daniel was originally dāni’ēl and means "God is my judge." Of course, Daniel was also the prophet whose faith kept him from being eaten by a den of hungry lions.
CHRISTOPHER
Whether it's Chris or Christopher, this name is incredibly popular. Taken from the Greek Christophoros, the name is composed of the elements Christos, or "Christ" and pherein, meaning "to bear."
