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Original poster

Do you like the name Olive?

79 replies

SpookyyPumpkinss · 01/10/2017 18:32

Or do you prefer Alice?

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Lemondrop99 · 02/10/2017 09:55

I'm not keen on Olive for all the reasons already identified above
It's a horrible colour
Olive Oyl
On the Buses
It's a food

To me, it does feel old fashioned and frumpy. Although, it does seem to be making a come back so others out there must like it.

I much prefer Alice. Elegant, classic and suits a person right through from babyhood to old age.

elpth · 02/10/2017 07:31

My middle name is Olive (after my granny on one side and great grannie on the other). As a child in the 80s and 90s I hated it as I always got teased about it, mainly Popeye and Olive Oyl related. Never On The Buses related (I'd never heard of that til a previous Olive thread on here).
But as an adult I've come to appreciate the family link, especially since my granny died. It was actually her middle name too but she chose to use it instead of her first name so she liked it!
I've noticed Olive has become more popular in recent years, so much so that I haven't even received any gentle teasing about it for a few years (and I still did less than 10 years ago).
So yeah I'd say go for it Smile

OyyVeyy · 02/10/2017 07:29

Love Olive!

Androidsdreamofelectricsheep · 02/10/2017 07:17

My DMiL, born 1920, was Olive. I always felt sorry for her having such an awful name and I have no idea why anyone would revive it for all the reasons given above.
I suppose there is a link with peace, in that we talk of holding out an olive branch, but otherwise, no.

TheNaze73 · 02/10/2017 07:08

Just think of On The Buses, like others have said

Mmzz · 02/10/2017 07:04

Also Olive lends itself to all sorts of crude jokes later...

Mmzz · 02/10/2017 07:02

One thing that can be said in favour of the name Olive is that it's unlikely to be popular (if the straw poll on this thread is anything to go by).

Alice is a lovely, classic name. Nicer still because it doesn't end in A, isn't a female version of a boys name and isn't named after a flower or a virtue. It's a female name that is good for a child or a woman and it is classless. Your DD could be anything she wants to be without her name seeking out of place.

MissJSays · 02/10/2017 02:01

My great Nana was named Olive, I think it’s beautiful.

I never met her, she died years before I was born but I am told she was one of the softest, gentlest and most kind ladies you could meet.

longestlurkerever · 01/10/2017 22:54

This was my grandma's name. I have to say it always seemed like a pretty terrible name to me but I know a few babies called it now, along with other mothball chic names of that generation. I like Olivia, and don't come across many, despite the name charts

AnnieAnoniMouse · 01/10/2017 22:53

Sorry. No.

Another On The Busses fan!

UsernameInvalid66 · 01/10/2017 22:52

Olive still sounds very old-fashioned to me and not in a good way. There's no logical reason why it shouldn't have come back along with other names of the same vintage like Elsie, but to me it's one of the ones that doesn't feel very likely to become popular again, like Edna or Gladys. Olivia is much prettier in my opinion, although it's so popular I can see that could be a bit of a drawback. And yes, I do like Alice - very much!

TurquoiseChevrotain · 01/10/2017 22:52

@pipilangstrumpf definitely different... There's olive trees, etc. so it's a bit like Willow.

Neuroticwoman · 01/10/2017 22:52

I had an aunty Olive. She had a blue rinse. Having said that I quite like the name, although you might as well call a child Caper or Anchovy.

LostwithSawyer · 01/10/2017 22:51

Makes me think of popeye.

AtSea1979 · 01/10/2017 22:47

I like Olive.

I love watching ...the other reindeer in December.

Sophronia · 01/10/2017 22:45

I prefer Alice

Happydays21 · 01/10/2017 22:29

Not keen at all on Olive. For me it is a really harsh sounding name.

pipilangstrumpf · 01/10/2017 22:28

Don’t you think of an olive? To me it’s like calling a child onion or caper? But maybe that’s just me...

Alice is much nicer!

Pottytoes · 01/10/2017 22:02

bash street kids in the Beano

Pottytoes · 01/10/2017 22:01

Alice. It's classic.
Olive to me is the dinner lady in the Bad Street Kids

SuperBeagle · 01/10/2017 21:05

I suspect Olive will date, as much as I like it. It was out of fashion for close to a century, and will likely have a burst of popularity now/over the next few years, before returning too its out-of-fashion status.

Alice, on the other hand, is timeless.

Alison100199 · 01/10/2017 20:45

Alice is lovely. Olive is a bit grim, very old fashioned and not only something you eat but an ugly colour.

mmzz · 01/10/2017 20:41

As in Olive Oyl, Popeyes girlfriend

Mrsknackered · 01/10/2017 20:41

I love Olive. I like Alice

pipilangstrumpf · 01/10/2017 20:38

Olive? As in a black or green oily olive? Really?!

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