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Baby names

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

Original poster

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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EldritchCleavage · 30/10/2013 10:25

I love Dorcas.

cafecito · 30/10/2013 01:54

I knew a Dorcas. Very elegant very clever. How about... Fenella?

volestair · 30/10/2013 00:29

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looki · 29/10/2013 21:42

Has Eleanor ever gone out of fashion? I consider it a classic?

alemci · 29/10/2013 21:29

wasn't dorcas in larkrise. only time I have heard this name.

CheerfulYank · 29/10/2013 17:15

I think in the future we'll see women named Pearl and Eleanor having kids called Brandon and Tammy. :o

volestair · 29/10/2013 16:34

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Howlsmovingcastle · 29/10/2013 14:38

I know two little boys (brothers) called Alfred and Harold. They are (somewhat inevitably) Alf and Harry for everyday use, but I think their names do suit them. Mind you, I like old-fashioned names....

looki · 29/10/2013 13:18

I'm too lazy to scroll - has anyone said Janice yet?

Trevor, Karen, Barry, Geraldine, Gerard, Jason, Nicola, Yvonne, Linda, Lorraine, Michelle all spring to mind.

Every so often I read a post on MN saying a name can't be dated and what does it matter if it can be dated. I think the answer is that all of the above names are victims of a resurgence that dipped as quickly as it happened.....

alemci · 29/10/2013 10:01

I worked with someone who had 3 children in the late 80's, very nice man but Percy, Mabel and Doris for your children. he said he wanted something different.

Other names that sound dated to me

Dora, Ada, Marlene

Bernard, Malcolm, Brian, Barry

relative of mine called Marjorie but it was shortened to Babs - what?

I like Mark and Marcus but they are unusual nowdays

greenhill · 29/10/2013 08:27

Harrison, Jasper and Katherine are popular.

Harry = old fashioned Harold
Alfie or Fred = old fashioned Alf or Alfred

comeandgo · 29/10/2013 08:25

The names you think will never come back will be the names your dc will be using for their dc.

Be prepared for a whole generation of grandchildren called Sharon, Tracey, Claire and Lisa.

Also be prepared for a bunch of you posting in AIBU about your DD/DIL's choice of name Wink Grin Grin

marriedinwhiteisback · 29/10/2013 08:23

I think Alison is a lovely pretty name - it's certainly from my era (53) but it is a variant of Alice and I think Alice took over. When dd was at primary school (she's 15) there were lots of Alice's.

shrieklesoda · 29/10/2013 08:17

sorry, re-emphasised my point about those names, not because I don't believe other posters that Rachel was popular in the 70s Blush just because reading that yesterday made me ponder what names I associate with my childhood.

shrieklesoda · 29/10/2013 08:15

I'm late 30s and as I mentioned further up the thread, I don't know any Rachels, or Emmas for that matter, my age. To me those are young names Grin Although interestingly, my 80 year old mother feels very sorry for girls called Emma because when she was a child it was such an old fashioned name!

It got me thinking, what were the names that were popular in my peer group at school? Lisa was probably the most common, there were loads of Lisas. And Kathryn/Catherine, it was very popular although all the differing spellings made it perhaps stand out less. And for boys, there were a lot of Pauls and Peters and Gavins. You don't hear those name so much these days?

shrieklesoda · 29/10/2013 08:00

I know a little toddler called Jane. Hadn't thought much of it until reading this thread, but you're right, its a name you don't hear much these days.

headoverheels · 29/10/2013 07:05

Hoover?! When was that ever in fashion??

BabyMakesFour · 29/10/2013 07:01

See, to me Barbara is barbaric. But then I know Violet is on trend now - I just hear violent...

smithwillsam · 29/10/2013 05:38

Bradford
Brogan
Crawford
Easton
Foster
Harrison
Jasper
Hoover

FlabbyAdams · 29/10/2013 05:27

We very nearly called our now 12yo Barbara. I still like the name but felt it didn't sound right with our surname.

BabyMakesFour · 29/10/2013 03:44

Surely Jane has to come back? It's such a pretty name!

sleepingbeautiful · 29/10/2013 03:23

I know small children called some of the names listed: Andrew, John, Margaret, Pearl, Edwin, Colin, Susan. I also know other babies/littlies with 'old'/unfashionable names: 2 Desmonds, a Stella, a Ruth, two Samanthas, Frank, Amy, Scott, Frances, Ray.

I haven't heard of a Margery yet, but I do quite like it.
I doubt Priscilla, Norma, Carmel, Brenda, Bernadette, Bernard, Mortimer, Brian, Norman or Norbert will come back to fashion.

FixItUpChappie · 29/10/2013 03:17

Considering some of the names I see on here I'd say never say never to anything making a resurgence.

....Sharon was on my girls list for example.

Alexandrite · 29/10/2013 01:55

Some of the names mentioned have been around for so many years, that it is hard to imagine that they would never be used again. eg. Rachel, Sarah- Biblical. Clare/Claire - 12th and 13th century saint name.

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 29/10/2013 01:30

Interested in views on Rachel. I like it but there do seem to be a lot of 30 something Rachel's. When I was at school, there were 2 in every year group all the way up the school ( mind you our class had 5 Emma's so the Rachel's didn't dominate). I also meet a lot of Rachel's now- in a playdate group I'm in there are 3 Rachel's out of 6. It just doesn't seem to be as popular now or even amongst 80s/90s children. Possibly it's regional. I think it's one of those names that will always be used but I don't know if it'll ever be as popular as it was.