Another new year, another opportunity to test out the 100-Year Rule, a chance to look at the pop lists of 1912 to see if we can find some undiscovered gems to excavate and polish up.

　　Looking first at the boys’ 1912 Top 10, we see that it consisted completely of gold-standard classics: John, William, James, Robert, Joseph, George, Charles, Edward, Frank and Thomas—with William being the only one surviving on today’s Top 10. But since boys (names) will be boys (names), and more consistent in general (at least until recently, anyway), most of those names are still very much in play.

　　For the girls, the list was a little more idiosyncratic and time-linked, encompassing classics and semi-classics that have moved in and out of fashion over time: none of the Top 10 then– Mary, Helen, Dorothy, Margaret, Ruth, Mildred, Anna, Elizabeth, Frances and Marie is in the Top 10 today, with only Elizabeth ranking as high as Number 12.  But Helen, Dorothy, Ruth and Frances, in particular, are trying to obey the 100-Year Rule by coming into wider use.

　　Here are some names from the 1912 Top 500 that have abided by the Rule to appear stylish once more:

　　Girls

　　Adelaide

　　Adele

　　Adeline

　　Alice

　　Amelia

　　Audrey

　　Ava

　　Beatrice

　　Chloe

　　Claire

　　Clara

　　Cora

　　Daisy

　　Eliza

　　Eloise

　　Evelyn

　　Florence

　　Georgia

　　Isabel, Isabella

　　Josephine

　　Lila

　　Lillian

　　Lily

　　Lola

　　Matilda

　　Olivia

　　Ruby

　　Sadie

　　Sophia

　　Sophie

　　Stella

　　Violet

　　Willa

　　Boys

　　Anderson

　　Archie

　　Arthur

　　August

　　Austin

　　Axel

　　Brady

　　Eli

　　Emmett

　　Everett

　　Felix

　　Forrest

　　Harley

　　Harrison

　　Harry

　　Harvey

　　Henry

　　Jack

　　Jasper

　　Leland

　　Leo

　　Levi

　　Mason

　　Max

　　Milo

　　Oliver

　　Oscar

　　Owen

　　Rex

　　Riley

　　Roman

　　Riley

　　Rufus

　　Wiley

　　Wyatt

　　We’re wondering if, in the climate of pushing the envelope for fusty Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa names, the following not-yet-revived choices have any comeback potential to be in  the next generation of surprising encores.  The starred names were exiled onto the So Far Out They’ll Probably Always Be Out list in our very first book, Beyond Jennifer & Jason. The number in parenthesis is where the name stood in 1912.

　　Girls

　　Alberta (106)

　　Alma (62)

　　Beulah (80)

　　Dixie (410)

　　*Doris (#48)

　　*Edna (#16)

　　Elsie (42)

　　Elvira (256)

　　Enid (440)

　　*Estelle  (111)

　　*Ethel (#18)—especially if the current rumors of its being Lily Allen’s pick are true

　　Etta (192)

　　*Gertrude (30)

　　*Gladys (#19)

　　*Hester (277)

　　Hilda (104)

　　*Ida (45)

　　*Lois (63)

　　Lucille (32)

　　Madge (296)

　　Maxine (135)

　　Muriel (155)

　　Myrtle (50)

　　Odessa (300)–already a Berry choice

　　Ophelia (317)

　　Patsy (481)

　　Pauline (38)

　　*Thelma (26)

　　*Velma (88)

　　*Verna (126)

　　Wilma (99)

　　Winifred (162)

　　BOYS

　　Abner (608)

　　Alonzo (263)

　　Ambrose (388)

　　Bruno (336)

　　Cecil (76)

　　*Clarence (21)

　　Clyde (65)

　　Dudley (364)

　　*Edwin (54)

　　*Elmer (47)

　　Enoch (511)

　　Floyd (59)

　　Fritz (770)

　　Gilbert (115)

　　*Harold (13)

　　Horace (119)

　　Hiram (410)

　　Jerome (133)

　　Lemuel (505)

　　Morris (82)

　　*Mortimer (542)

　　Norris (379)

　　Otto (150)

　　Percy (174)

　　Reginald (323)

　　Roy (31)

　　Ulysses (460)

　　Virgil (111)

　　Waldo (444)

　　*Wilbur (92)

　　*Willard (105)

　　Wilson (131)

　　Do you think any of the above could make a comeback?  Would you consider them?

　　1912 was a year when nickname names like Annie and Rosie were in vogue; here are a few for girls that have pretty much disappeared, all in the 1912 Top 1000.

　　Audie

　　Bertie

　　Birdie

　　Dessie

　　Effie

　　Essie

　　Flossie

　　Gertie

　　Gussie

　　Lessie

　　Lottie

　　Lovie

　　Ludie

　　Maudie

　　Maxie

　　Mazie

　　Minnie

　　Nettie

　　Sudie

　　Tressie

　　Vallie

　　Virgie

　　Winnie

　　And here, for both girls and boys, are some other 1912 names that are more unusual, dark-horse candidates for following the 100-year rule:

　　Girls

　　Alpha

　　Alta

　　Ila

　　Iva

　　Floy

　　Garnet

　　Leola

　　Lilla

　　Marvel

　　Melba

　　Mozelle

　　Nola

　　Ouida

　　Ola

　　Petra

　　Thora

　　Vada

　　Verona

　　Zella

　　Zelma

　　Boys

　　Alton

　　Armand

　　Brown

　　Burl

　　Cleveland

　　Coy

　　Dock

　　Dorsey

　　Doyle

　　Early

　　Foy

　　Garland

　　Geo

　　Giles

　　Hollis

　　Ike

　　Loyal

　　Mose

　　Murphy

　　Noble

　　Olin

　　Smith

　　Sylvan

　　Taft

　　Theron

　　Thurman

　　Tyrus

　　Urban

　　What do you think?  Any that might be the new centurions in the next few years?