Out of fashion baby names

[Linabobina]

Hi all! I am not originated in UK so I am finding it difficult to know which name would be completely out of context. I am aware in which names are irreversibly out of fashion in my birth country, but don't have tools to do it in UK. My husband is Portuguese, I am originally from Lithuania and looking for a girl's name, which would be quite ok to pronounce for our parents and families abroad, but at the same time would cause no trouble for our little one. I am not a big fan of owerly popular names and really need some advice how not to fall for a name which would simply sound ridiculous for a child in 2021... I have the name Eleanor or Michelle in mind. Also considering Salome, but I believe the pronunciation might be difficulty with this one. Any opinions or ideas please?

[LonstantonSpiceMuseum]

Ana is a name that is popular, not too popular and is in all 3 languages I believe?

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

Michelle was very popular in the UK back in the 70s and 80s.
Its virtually unheard of now and would certainly be classed as dated.
However dated to me also means refreshing and new again.
Eleanor is quite popular but not too much. Ive never heard of Salomi.
Some more suggestions
Emma
Tia
Ada
Maria
Sofia.

[RedMarauder]

The ONS has a list of top 100 baby names by approximate date here -
www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/dvc363/babyindex.html

At the moment in the UK baby names that were popular before approx 1920 are in fashion again e.g. Eleanor, Ada, Maria, Matilda, Alice, Sofia, Iris, Florence.

Probably the best thing to do is to come up with lists of names you both like from your respective countries. Check them with each other and then check whether there are any issues like being dated with British people.

[SeanChailleach]

Eleanor is classic.
Michelle is dated and won't be back for a generation or two.
Salome is very unusual in Britain. Selma would be better understood ( but still rare).

Simone would work well.

[Linabobina]

Its a lovely name, i regretted not to have given this one for my first daughter. Although its can not be added on my list due to personal reasons and its not to be mentioned in our house... but thanks for advice, it definitely would have been a spot on in other case!

[IWantMyHoney]

Eleanor is definitely a classic and is a lovely name.

[Linabobina]

Salome is a name quite popular in France and some European countries i believe. It's pronounced something like salomee or salomay. But of what i have read so far its associated with salmon or even salami in UK.

[SnowyBranches]

Salome would be unusual and people wouldn't be sure how to pronounce it, and I personally would associate it with Herod's daughter who asked for John the Baptist's head on a plate, but maybe that wouldn't be generally thought of.
Michelle is a name generally associated with those born in the 1970s and 1980s, so who are in their 40s and 50s now. There's nothing wrong with it though.
Eleanor is classic and doesn't have any particular date associations.

[Crunched]

I know Eleanor's from 94 years to 7 months so it really is a classic across many countries, although using various spellings.
Similarly Helen.

[BlueberryPancake21]

I like Eleanor - it's timeless, popular but not too popular and has variations you could choose (Helena, Elena) which would be more unusual here but would still be seen as normal and pronounceable names.

Do look at the link that was posted - you can see really quickly which names are a bit dated (Michelle is one of these I'm afraid) and which ones are popular right now but likely to go out of fashion if that bothers you (everyone seems to be naming their girls after plants at the moment - willow, ivy, poppy, lily - pretty names but you could make a garden out of most nursery classes).

[Synchrony]

Agree Eleanor is classic.
Michelle was popular in the 70s/80s but I think it's a nice name and would love to see a baby Michelle. I don't know any.
Personally I like Salome, and associate it with Herod's daughter. I have never thought of salmon. I would pronounce it Sal-OH-mee.

[VenusClapTrap]

Salome is nice, and pretty unusual.

There are loads of Eleanors around at the moment.

Michelle deserves a comeback. She’d certainly be the only one in her class.

[TheVanguardSix]

Lena or Lina/Milena
Nina
Anais
Sidonie
Arabella
Marina
Clara
Iris
Alisa
Matilde
Tabitha
Caterina
Carolina
Sara
Vanessa
Valentina
Larissa
Lara
Carina

[TheVanguardSix]

Oh! OP, I just noticed that you're a Lina.

[Jemimapuddleduk]

My ds has a Salome in his class (pronounced Sall-o-may). I really like it.

[gracelessladyhottramp]

Mila

[IamnotwhouthinkIam]

Like pp said Michelle is dated here - but no- one would laugh at it, just be surprised that the name doesn't belong to someone in their 40's/50's. Do you like similar Gabriella? That is less dated.

Salome is gorgeous (I prefer the Sal -oh - may pronunciation myself), but like Jezebel, the biblical connotations may be why it's not used much in the UK (for some reason Delilah is quite popular though!). Have you considered Selena instead? Or popular Esme?

Eleanor is very classic/traditional and a safe choice - while it's currently quite popular, it's nearly always been used to some extent in the UK.

I second pp suggestion of Nina or Marina (or Elena/Helena) - well known in the UK and in many countries so very useable, but not as popular here at the moment as Eleanor.

[partyatthepalace]

Lots of Eleanors around, nice though it is. Michelle very dated and a bit downmarket. Salome is rather lovely - it’s unusual but it’s being used more, but yes she would have to explain how to pronounce it a bit.

If you want something that’s easy to say across Europe then Julia, Maria, Alexandra, Serena, Cassia, Francesca, Joanna, Clara, Emma, Laura, Marina, Marianne, Madeleine, Hannah, Sarah, Diana might all work? I think Isabel/la, Sophia, Anna and Lara might too but there are a lot of them around. Helena, Claudia and Sara also are quite international but some variety in how they are pronounced.

[Woodlandbelle]

I don't think Michelle is one that will work. It's a bit dated. Though nice.

But names that are nice and old fashioned:
Ann
Claire
Jane
Maria
Julie
Nicole

[Kanaloa]

Although Michelle is a bit dated, I recently met a baby Nicole and I thought it was so refreshing and lovely. A name everyone knows but not likely to be lots in the class. Eleanor is lovely as well. I like Salome written but I’m not sure if I’m pronouncing it correctly, I’ve never met one before.

[daisypond]

Eleanor is lovely.
Michelle is dated now, but it’s a nice name.
Salome sounds lovely but the biblical story is very off-putting - like Jezebel/Delilah. Not a nice name.

[Badabingbadabum]

Eleanor is very nice. So is Michelle, and PPs are right; it is a name from the 70s and 80s but is doesn't sound anywhere nearly as dated as those names that were more 80s-90s like Kayleigh, Stacey, Melissa.

[ChilliChaos]

I quite like Michelle, I don’t think it’s downmarket at all.

Michaela/Mikayla is similar but more up to date I think.