Truly timeless: There's only one girl name that's remained in the top charts for the last 145 years

There are plenty of names we see as timeless, but only a handful are actually considered "timeless". 

Dr. Hannah Emery, a self-described "colossal name nerd" with a doctorate in sociology, says there are just six names – one of them a girls name – that meet this criteria. 

In 1880, the first US Social Security Administration started recording name popularity, and there are only a handful of names that have stuck in the Top 50 since.

Want the official inside scoop on MAFS, unfiltered and unseen? Watch After The Dinner Party here

During an interview with the US Today show, Dr Emery explained that names are a "cultural product". 

Names are expressions of identity that vary based on social groups, gender, culture and socioeconomic background.

Even with all of this factored in, there are only six names, five for boys and one girl's name, that have remained in the top US charts for the last 145 years. 

READ MORE: Why Aussie influencer blurred her son's face from family photo

READ MORE: Serious health problem hiding in baby twin's ultrasound

READ MORE: Aussie mum shares horror find in toddler's cot

The six names considered 'timeless':

David

James

John

Joseph

William

Elizabeth

Dr Emery also noted John, James and William have "actually been in the Top 20 for for the whole stretch."

But why are there so many boys' names in the list? 

Well, there are a few reasons, but the main one is there are simply less boy names to choose from, and boys are more likely to be named after relatives, which makes the pool smaller too. 

"The US historically has such a strong Christian influence, it's not surprising that most of our long-standing popular names are from Jewish and Christian scripture," she added. 

She thinks the name Ezra might even start to shoot up the charts this year due to the biblical associations, along with it being a different, but not too different name option.

Aussie parents have long leaned into timeless and classic style baby names, with many names staying in the top charts for years.

New data from BabyCentre released in March found there are quite a few names that have been sitting in the top 50 for both boys and girls for over two decades.

BabyCenter began issuing public reports on baby names in 2004 and this data has revealed the names that really have staying power, although we're not talking about close to 150 years like the names earlier.

While some trends take off quickly, they seem to fade just as fast, whereas these names for boys and girls prove they really do stand the test of time.

These are the names which have hung around in the top 50 for over 20 years, for girls there are 10 names and for boys there are 14 according to the BabyCentre data.

Girl names that have stayed in the Top 50

Ava

Chloe

Ella

Emma

Isabella

Lily

Mia

Olivia

Riley

Sophia

Boy names that have stayed in the Top 50

Alexander

Benjamin

Daniel

Elijah

Ethan

Gabriel

Jack

Johnson

James

Luke

Matthew

Michael

Noah

William

So, if classic names are your vibe, consider this your inspiration.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.