Penney shape tile. Tin tile.

White subway tile works well in older homes.

Red distressed brick always looks nice in older homes too:-)

I love ukn8tv's idea of distressed brick! We went with a mosaic tile that has the appearance of being distressed and love the look of it. Here's something similar to ours:

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It depends entirely on your preference and budget. Home Depot does thin brick flats to replicate brick or you could use reclaimed brick from someone like Historical Bricks. There are a lot of choices out there, just make sure you see a sample in person as there are a lot of variations to choose from prior to making your decision.:-)

Check out Waterworks line of glazed brick--Grove Brickworks. Comes in lots of colors and is genuine brick with a painted finish, but shows all the texture of the brick. Would work great in a historical home. I think Ann Sacks also has a line of glazed bricks.