Mumsnet Talk

I posted recently about my recent list for DD due in 11 weeks. I wanted Mabel, Maude, Iris and Florence on the list. All bar Florence have been outright rejected by DH. So our new current short list is:

Juliet
Diana
Susannah
Florence

I like the old-fashioned grandma names but DH doesn't. He honestly thought I was joking when I suggested Maude.

So this is the new short list. I love Diana and Susannah but are they a little dated? They are certainly not cracking the top 50 list in my neck of the woods where it's Olivia, Ava, Lily or Chloe.

Florence is the only old-fashioned one he likes. I have tried Edith, Esme, Mabel, Maude, Olive, Iris, Audrey. Nup. All rejected.

Our DS is George and so I wanted another old-fashioned name. However, unless it's Florence, it doesn't appear to be possible. Oh, he does like Rose however I rejected that on the basis of popularity.

Your thoughts, suggestions appreciated.

I love love love Mabel! Florence is enormously popular which would put me off. From your new list I like Juliet best.

George is to me a classic, and so not particularly old fashioned. It's also quite popular (just outside the top 10 for a good few years). Maude is very old fashioned on the other hand, one of the more obscure 'grandmother' names. Definitely not everyone's choice. I'm not too surprised by your dh's reaction, although I can see it makes you sad that he didn't warm to it.

I do think it's a little odd that you think Susannah and Diana might be dated, but Mabel and Maud less so! Personally I think that Susannah is a fantastic name, and I like Juliet too. I'm not so keen on Diana, and think that's still got a lot of attached baggage. I don't like Florence.

I adore the name Susannah!

Ooh Diana is a lovely name! Due for a revival I think

Juliet is beautiful and I like Susannah too. Diana is a great name but very associated with Princess Di still.

How about some more classic old lady names like Alice, Mary, Elizabeth or Rose? I feel sorry that your DH is vetoing the others... DD has a very old lady name and pending DS will be a little old man! Love your original list of Maude, Mabel and Iris!

I think all 3 of your new names are very dated.

PS I'm not mad keen on Florence either, sorry. It has had it's comeback moment now IMHO.

Florence is lovely, the others are really awful.

Ooh mixed responses here. It's so hard to choose.

bird - he loves Rose and Elizabeth but I think Rose is a bit "done" in terms of a middle name, although I do love it. Elizabeth - we sort of went off it. Not sure why. He has said no to Alice and Mary, both of which I like. Perhaps I need to revisit these and push a bit harder.

I live in Australia so Diana doesn't have the same connection here. However, I am just not sure.

Florence is not popular here at all, so I wonder whether it is still original enough? I suspect not...

Nooka - I know it's odd that I think they are dated whereas I don't think Mabel and Maude are - I guess it's just that old lady names are now back in fashion whereas the 1940s/1950s names are not really yet having a revival. So they still feel a little dated. They are the names of my parent's generation rather than my grandparent's. I don't want to saddle the child with a dated name - a friend of mine who is in her mid 30s is a Barbara, and I always think that's quite a dated name for my generation (born in 1970s). DYSWIM?

DH has also proposed Anna which I love, but I don't think it necessarily "goes" with George and his colleague/friend is also having a baby girl a month before us and is naming their baby Anna.

Juliet all the way. Truly beautiful name. Not keen on any of the others

I agree with your husband im afraid
Can't understand why you'd want to give a new baby an old lady's name but each to their own! I would just die if my name was Mabel or Maude...#changebydeedpoll!!!

My best friend at school is called Suzannah and she is cool as.....

What about Savana? Bit more modern?

They are all beautiful names.

My own personal preference would be:
Susannah
Florence
Juliet
Diana
In that order. Perhaps I am influenced by DD1's friend from school who is a very elegant, caring and sweet young woman called Susannah.

Popular names are popular because they are usually classic and timeless and lots of people like them and use them. I say this as the mother of two children with names in the UK top 10, and a third with a name in the top 100.

If you like Rose and you like Anna, have you considered Rosanna?

I really love Juliet and quite like Susannah/Susanna. I also think Alexandra is a great name - classic, but doesn't particularly date and isn't overly popular.

Anna is beautiful. Best of them all I think.

Ps think it goes well with George and unless she is going to be best friends with the other Anna, doesn't matter at all. Annie is lovely too

Anna is the best one out of those. what about anna-maria? I wouldnt not choose a name i loved if a colleague was picking it, unless he is your dps best mate

Anna and George is a delightful combination.

Agree that Florence has had its day. I like Juliet, would you consider spelling it Juliette?

Don't dislike Susannah but not made keen on Susie.

What about:
Margaret
Agatha
Philippa
Clementine
Martha
Laura
Mary
Constance
Gloria
Henrietta

Whoops didn't mind to hit send.

Whist my suggested additional names aren't old lady(ish) Roughly in the same vain as your list but nowhere near as popular

I don't know about names in Australia but like Juliet as much as Florence.

Other names that could go with George, (leap in the dark, may be completely unpopular in OZ)
Emma
Lucie
Alexandra (Alex, Lexy)

Thanks everyone.

Re the colleague/friend - we aren't that close to them but we have them over every now and then and they always bring a nice gift for our son. They announced some time ago that their baby will be called Anna after her mother who passed away. Hence I just wondered whether it would be odd that a month after their baby is born, we have our baby and say "guess what, we have gone with Anna as well!". I do love it though and it's lovely with our surname.

Donkeys - good suggestions. Emma is my name! Alexandra is nice but getting popular here and is the name of my DH's cousin.

I still like Susannah. More than Diana I think. I actually don't mind the nn Susie, but don't like Di at all. Juliet is ok but I don't think it's my favourite.

Perhaps I should just agree to Anna??

Hi Emma!


Now you have explained more about your friends and their reason for choosing Anna, if you see a lot of them I might personally go for a different name.

Try Susannah: George & Susannah, think family updates, shouting her name in the park, filling out forms with her name, writing your name and DH's and George and Susannah on your Christmas cards... Any good?

Susannah is nice. I'm Antipodean and know of a baby Susannah. I think spelling it with two Ss, rather with a Z makes it way less dated/more current. Susie is definitely not an inevitable nickname.

Florence is over, honestly.

Juliet and Diana are fine.

George & Susie.... Susie, Suze, ZanZan....

What about Rosanna? This is my DD1's name and is what I came up with after a close family member used Anna which I loved. DD2 due in 7 weeks was going to be George if she was a boy.