I still remember walking into my grandma’s kitchen, with its scuffed-up parquet floors and antique wooden dining table, and pulling a spiral-bound community cookbook from a makeshift shelf in the corner. Maybe it was the writer in me, but I always loved to leaf through the names of the women who’d put the book together and picture them, like my grandma, sprinkling herbs into a bubbling pot over the stove or putting the finishing touches on a latticed holiday pie. At least for me, a big part of the magic in those books was the bylines.
Every dip, casserole, and suspiciously gelatinous salad came with a name attached, and those names were *chef’s kiss.* I unfortunately have no idea where my grandma’s collection of yellowing community cookbooks went, but thankfully the internet lives forever. I found and flipped through vintage collections published from 1947 to 1988 (from the deep South to a historic church in Hawaii), pulling some of the best first names off the recipe cards. Not surprisingly, many are straight-up coastal-grandma-coded (looking at you, Maude).
Others I’d never heard of prior to stumbling upon them. And how fun that there’s a sweet little origin story to go along with each one? If you name your baby Bea, you can tell people it was inspired by a woman who made very good baked clams in 1983.
So, with further ado, here are 32 vintage baby names straight from old cookbooks. Inspired by: Josephine Marner’s shrimp cocktail dip, Centennial Cookbook (1979) I’m a sucker for a name that's easy to shorten, and you can’t ask for an easier one than Josephine: Jo, Josie, even Posey or Fifi work here. Of Hebrew origin, it means “God will increase.” Inspired by: Ida Gilberg Spitzer’s braided egg twist, Heritage Cookbook (1975) This short and sturdy name most likely makes you think of Ida B.
Wells, a journalist, educator, and early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. And, really, who wouldn’t want a name shared by such an icon? German and Greek in origin, it means “hardworking.” Inspired by: Thora Hawkins Linebaugh’s butter flake rolls, Heritage Cookbook (1975) Any ‘90s kid will tell you this name has coolness to spare thanks to Hocus Pocus star Thora Birch.
But it’s also the feminine form of Thor, aka a Norse thunder god, which makes it feel a little tough, too. Inspired by: Maude Lyman’s chicken casserole, West Oakland Soul Food Cookbook (1963) Thanks to Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann’s daughter, Maude Apatow, this one reads less like a church potluck and more like It Girl these days. A medieval form of Matilda, it means “mighty in battle.” Inspired by: Viola Taylor’s deep-dish peach pie, West Oakland Soul Food Cookbook (1963) This name conjures up a lot: Shakespeare’s clever heroine in Twelfth Night, a flower, an instrument, and of course, our queen Viola Davis.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
