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Baby names

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

Names you think will not come back into 'fashion'.

208 replies

BloodiedGhouloshes · 28/10/2013 13:59

I am fascinated by the older style names that have recently come back into fashion.... Alfie, Stanley, Maisy etc. All gorgeous names. Not to mention George (almost the name of DC2).

We are thinking (just a little bit) about ttc again and I am day dreaming about names.

A DCousin recently named her little boy Phillip John on the idea that 'he will be the only one in his class'.

What nice names do you know that are unlikely to be around again any time soon?

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BikeRunSki · 03/11/2013 15:17

Derek
Jeffery
Ian
Neil

I just can't imagine looking into a crib and cooing any of those names.

RaRa1988 · 03/11/2013 15:15

Cynthia shudders

Interesting to hear Sarah/Rachel/Emma/Claire classed as 70s names - I was born in the late 80s and went to schools with LOADS of all of these, many of them a year or two younger. Also several Alices, Hannahs, and Charlottes. I know a couple of Amandas my age too.

The unusual names is my year group were - as I recall! :

Megan
Jade
Pearl
Greg
Darren

BeattieBow · 02/11/2013 06:49

presumably all these names will come back into fashion at some stage? our children will be using 1940s names (and we'll be aghast and gritting our teeth), and their children may be using 1960s/70s names. So the Sharons/Kevins will be back in fashion in the future.

I know a Fanny - I think it's a lovely name!

the really fashionable people won't be calling their children Edna or Ernie now (old lady chic probably is too trendy for them), they'll be using Barbara and Nigel!

JadziaSnax · 02/11/2013 00:47

Eleanor was on my name list for DD. I think it's a classic.

flatmum · 01/11/2013 01:54

Nigel
Barry
Wayne

Someone I worked with was called Nigel Barry - how much would you have to hate a baby to call them that? maybe it explains why he was such a miserable unhappy person.

TreaterAnita · 01/11/2013 01:51

My great grandmother's name (Mabel) is I believe now back in fashion (she'd be about 110 if she was still alive). Don't want to give too many other names away for fear of outing myself, but my grandma (93) and mum (64) both have names that you probably wouldn't call your child now, but I bet they'll come back. My other grandmother was Isabella which has obviously been popular for ages. Mine isn't really popular at the moment, but I think it is used and was very popular for quite a long period between the 60s and 80s as well.

Interestingly, my mum really wanted to give me a family middle name when I was born (from her side, she wasn't a fan of her MIL) but at the time (70s) they all seemed hideously old fashioned, whereas I'd happily have Mabel now.

In terms of men, all the older names in our family seem to be back already (James, Joseph, Frederick, Daniel). My dad's name I think might be coming back and husband's name is Welsh (because he is) which was very popular in England in the 70s/80s, but less so now.

I'm not a huge fan of made-up names, especially those beginning with a K, so wouldn't mind if those died a death past this generation, but I suspect that most names will probably get pardoned and resurrected.

My nephews are Aussies and they both have names which are traditionally surnames as their first names, which I'm guessing is a popular thing in Oz. I'd be interested to know from any Australian posters whether there is a huge US influence on kids' names there now, as we heard nephew 2's potential girl name, and it was such a horribly made-up, X Factor USA type name (that I have actually blocked from my memory) that we were practically ecstatic that he came out with a pair of bollocks...

cheekbyjowl · 01/11/2013 01:42

alan

BeigeBuffet · 01/11/2013 00:50

Lovainne
Marjorie
Dennis
Colin
Clifford
Marilyn
Ada
Jean
Ada
Valerie
Brian
Barbara
Barry
Bernard

All of these people were born as adults as far as i am concerned. I cannot imagine peering over a crib to say hello to baby Brian!!

marriedinwhiteisback · 31/10/2013 09:22

The thing is when I was a little girl and even in my 20s (I'm 53) it was unimaginable that names like Ruby, Grace, Edith, May, Evie, Alice would ever come back into fashion. They were the names from my Gran's generation and seemed like old lady names. But they did come back and they are lovely - I used one for my dd Wink

Alexandrite · 30/10/2013 22:16

It's funny that some names that are considered unusable on a baby are so similar to names that are quite popular for a baby. eg. Barry/Harry. Ryan/Brian. Keira/Vera

ZenNudist · 30/10/2013 22:13

Trevor
Kevin
Keith
I hate singling out names that are bad so am going to lay off. Poor Sharon & Tracy always get it in the neck.

Who knows what will be deemed sophisticated in 50 years?

firemansamsmam · 30/10/2013 21:57

Horace.

MrsAMerrick · 30/10/2013 21:50

When one of my friends had a baby 15 years ago and announced she was calling her Eliza, I was horrified that she was saddling poor baby with such an old fashioned name. Now it seems perfectly normal, I think names come and go.

Having said that, I'm prepared to put money on Maureen and Brian never becoming fashionable again.

runningonwillpower · 30/10/2013 16:57

and Alan

runningonwillpower · 30/10/2013 16:49

Maureen

mignonnette · 30/10/2013 16:46

I know a Gaynor. She is in her early forties. I love the name.

Angeleno · 30/10/2013 16:44

Don/Donald. Loads of Dons in their 60s now (in America anyway) but there haven't been many since! Might come back because of Mad Men though?

TeaAndCakeOrDeath · 30/10/2013 15:25

On these threads, I always take a guess how many posts before DPs name (in his mid-20s!) is mentioned - think PuppyMonkey got there first!

PipkinsPal · 30/10/2013 14:54

PuppyMonkey I didn't think my name Gaynor was ever in fashion. I never found my name on anything when I was a child.

Flowerybitch · 30/10/2013 14:54

I like Ethal for a litte girl :)

mignonnette · 30/10/2013 14:48

I meant that not being British makes my SIL less aware of British cultural and social nuance when it comes to naming!

mignonnette · 30/10/2013 14:47

Margery was in an Enid Blyton book- she saved Erica from a burning sanitorium.

That is the Margery I am most reminded of. Then there was Marjorie Proops, the agony aunt.

mignonnette · 30/10/2013 14:45

I have a niece named Eleanor who is nearly ten. One of her parents is not British though which makes her less aware of cultural and social nuance when it comes to naming. I love the name.

There was Lisa's aplenty in my school days. Plenty of Alisons/Allisons too.

Plus Diana/Diane, Sarah, Sally, Rebecca, Helen, Jennifer, Claire, Katy, Suzanne, Susan, Clara, Michaela, Kerry, Louise and Louisa, Anne, Meredith (love that name), Elaine, Ruth, Sandra, Camilla, Catherine, Fenella and Jane/Jayne.

Sounds like an Enid Blyton book.

sashh · 30/10/2013 12:35

I haven't heard of a Margery yet, but I do quite like it.

It will be, it's a game of throne's character. If people are considering Khalesei and Arya then Margery can't be far behind.

ohmymimi · 30/10/2013 10:59

Leslie/Lesley?

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