Baby Names From The '60s That Are Returning To The Zeitgeist Today

The 1960s marked an era of flower power, the civil rights movement, and sexual freedom. Everyone wore their hair long, and donned bell-bottoms and colorful prints. People were inspired by nature and freedom and rock and roll music — and their groovy names reflected that. Many baby names from the '60s are making a huge resurgence, likely due to their whimsical-sounding nature references, vintage style that feels fresh, and cool inspiration.

Whether you want to name your little one after a celebrity — these baby names inspired by legendary '60s models are a good place to start! — or you just want to bring back some of those peace, love, and happiness vibes from the decade, there are so many great options to choose from. Maybe your perfect baby boy or baby girl name comes from a song title, or maybe it's a beautiful French name. You'll find all those and more below, as we found some of the top baby names from the '60s that are coming back in popularity six decades later.

Expecting a baby girl? The '60s were full of iconic baby names that we are seeing a return to today. Many mothers in the '60s were picking names ending in "a" or "y," including Lisa, Kimberly, Linda, Teresa, and Kelly (according to the Social Security Administration). These names all made it to the top 1000 list of baby names in 2025 (per SSA), showing that parents are returning to this same trend.

Many other girl names that were popular in the '60s have also made the top 100 list of baby names in 2025, and they're totally charming. Charlotte, ranked number 2, is the feminine form of Charles and means "free." Evelyn, ranked number 8, means "desired child," "wished for," and "life," a beautiful baby name for your bundle of joy. Elizabeth, ranked number 17, is a Hebrew name meaning "pledged to God." Melody, ranked number 79, is of Greek origin and means "song" or music," and Audrey, ranked number 86, is an English name that means "noble strength." 

Other '60s-era names have seen a slower rise on the top 1000 list, but they are still gaining popularity in 2025. These include cute names like Heidi, Dorothy, Veronica, April, Frances, Loretta, and Gwendolyn.

Baby boys had many fabulous name options in the '60s as well. Some of the most popular names were strong and classic, like Michael, David, John, James, Robert, William, Jeffrey, Timothy, Kevin, Charles, and Kenneth (per the Social Security Administration). Every single one of these are still on the SSA's top 1000 list of 2025 — with James ranked number 6! It turns out, we haven't veered that far off from naming our boys over the last six decades. 

Some boy names were big in the '60s and have been on the rarer side over the years, although they are quickly becoming more popular as parents rediscover how great they are. These include Troy, ranked number 533 in 2025, Lawrence, ranked 520, Warren, ranked 240, and Edwin, ranked number 398.

Of course, you could also name your child after famous '60s icons, with names that made the top 1000 list at the time. These include Malcolm X, with Malcolm ranked number 272 in 2025, and Bob Dylan, with Dylan ranked number 41 in 2025 for boys (and number 808 for girls!).

The '60s were known for pop music, folk songs, and psychedelic rock 'n' roll, and it was the time of Beatlemania and Woodstock. Music that flourished in this decade is still listened to today — so it's only natural that we bring back some famous music-inspired names from the '60s, too.

For baby boys, Sonny (of Sonny and Cher fame) was on the U.S. SSA's top 1000 baby name list in the '60s and is making a comeback at number 298 on the list for 2025. The cute name simply means "son," but brings to mind sunshine and happiness because of its homophone, "sunny." 

One popular baby girl name of the '60s that reminds us of cool music is Penny, from the Beatles' 1967 song "Penny Lane," and is also the name of Kate Hudson's character in the film "Almost Famous." Penny was ranked number 104 most popular in the '60s and is coming back at number 740 in 2025.

Many French names were popular in the '60s and parents are once again falling in love with these beautiful names today. For boys, Andre was ranked 166 on the SSA's baby name list in the '60s and is coming back at number 368 in 2025. This French and Portuguese name means "manly" and "warrior," which is sure to give him bragging rights on the playground. Lance, meaning "land" or "spear," was another popular one in the '60s. This name has German and French roots and ranked number 157 in the '60s and is back at number 862 in 2025.

Jacqueline is a beautiful option for girls, which ranked at number 51 in the '60s and came back at number 558 in 2025. This French name means "supplanter," and it lends itself to cute nicknames like Jackie, Jax, or Kiki. Michelle is another pretty name of French origin that means "who is like God." It was ranked at number 9 in the '60s and is rising again at number 465 in 2025.