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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Elaine

34 replies

CorrieQueen · 12/04/2011 18:58

Is it nice or dated?

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hodgessucks · 23/04/2011 11:05

i like it. Very uncommon now days but that's not a bad thing really.

4oclockwakeup · 22/04/2011 11:06

my middle name is elaine and people never like it (including myself) i was born in 1971 and think it is a real 70s name. sorry another thumbs down. what about eleni (sp?)

ValiumBandwitch · 21/04/2011 19:07

Dated. I think Ellen is nice. But I know I am just being influenced by fashions here. There's no logical reason why Elaine must be unattractive when Ellen (to me) sounds lovely. Just fashions but I can't help disliking dated names.

missmelo · 21/04/2011 18:44

Elaine is a little plain and safe, not much music to it....sorry to all the Elaines out there ....You may not think much of my name either :)

purpledrops · 21/04/2011 14:58

I am another Elaine, and yeah I'm not 100% sure I like the name because it rhymes with so many words!! And since I live in the Mediterranean people do not always pronounce the E at the beginning correctly, and make it sound like the E in 'Elegant'.... Also when introducing myself I always have this feeling that it is quite soft and may sound a bit timid, when in actual fact I'm quite a bubbly person and sometimes I think that it may be a hindrince... But here where I live people LOVE it because it is a very popular local patron saint... but in actual fact the name Elaine is not that popular. My parents thought that I was going to be a boy so they did not have alot of time thinking of girls names! But when I lived in Liverpool I preferred my name because of how they pronounce it. I think what will be bad is if I end up changing my surname with one which is either or Italian origin or something like that because it would be a soft name linked with a very harsh sounding surname!! Btw I'm 22....

Bankings · 14/04/2011 21:20

It was my mum's name. I like it but maybe because it reminds me of her. I think it's a lovely sounding name, very similar to the popular Ella, Ellie, Elenor and so on. My mum's nn was Lenny and Lainey which I think are both pretty nice tbh!

candleshoe · 14/04/2011 20:27

Reminds me of Dustin Hoffman hammering on the glass and yelling 'Elaine!Elaine!Elaine!Elaine!' at the end of 'The Graduate'. Also a thick girl at school : Elaine lame brain!

SomethingSuper · 14/04/2011 20:25

Just to join in - noooooo.

everlong · 14/04/2011 20:22

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TortoiseVEasterBunny · 14/04/2011 20:09

Elaine the pain went to Spain in an aeroplane, in the pouring rain, was washed down a drain and never seen again!

iWILLdothis · 14/04/2011 20:00

Had a friend in primary school called Elaine....."Elaine the Pain who has no Brain"
But i still like it, fwiw.

turkeyboots · 14/04/2011 18:56

Don't inflict it on anyone! I'm another Elaine...

BikeRunSki · 14/04/2011 18:51

Is my niece's middle name. OKish.... hidden in the middle.

pilates · 14/04/2011 18:41

Elaine - very 70's and not nice

How about Elora?

TortoiseVEasterBunny · 13/04/2011 14:37

Nice to see other Elaine's. I'm 33.

myalias · 13/04/2011 13:12

Another EEElaine here - certainly not brassy, bit loud work in admin and have a fondness for bold prints. Who writes that load of tosh!!! Agree it is not a pretty name. I would have preferred to be named Eleanor.

nobodysmama · 13/04/2011 13:07

I'm 30 and agree that it is a name more often associated with older people. I didn't like it when I was younger, although I don't mind it now.

I am very precious particular about how it is pronounced. I'm from Scotland and people there tend to pronounce it Ah-laine which really, really annoys me. I'm an Eee-laine!

TortoiseVEasterBunny · 13/04/2011 09:00

Interesting seeing what people think of my name!
But, I don't really like it. I always get called Laine. Or the E gets over pronounced Eeeelaine!

randomimposter · 13/04/2011 08:51

Dated IMHO.
LOVE Eleanor which is a classic.

Bucharest · 13/04/2011 08:11

Elaine isn't ready for a comeback, because she's younger in name trend terms than Arthur. Elaine will be back when Karen, Michelle and Julie are.

thereisalightanditnevergoesout · 12/04/2011 22:30

The reason I don't like it is because it's the name of a girl who did unspeakable things to my boyfriend when I was 17. I'd still think it was dated, though.

Emelene · 12/04/2011 22:14

Dated. Makes me think of a middle aged secretary, sorry.

Similar names could be Alana, Helen, or the very pretty Elena / Eleanor already suggested. :)

illhaveashandy · 12/04/2011 22:14

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AuraofDora · 12/04/2011 21:23

elena
elin
are softer

MelinaM · 12/04/2011 21:19

Definitely dated! Elin and Elena are nice[smile[