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Baby names

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

Original poster

Could you ever name your child after your mother? Pamela, Teresa, Denise, Brenda, Carol, Barbara, Sandra etc?

187 replies

another20 · 06/10/2017 09:56

Found these links to most common girls names born in 1940/50s/60s imagine they would be or becoming grand-parents now could you ever name your child after your mother? Seems older names (our grandparents) get used....

www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1940s.html
www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1940s.html
www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1960s.html

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grumpysquash3 · 02/12/2017 23:33

My mum is Jenny (age 72), I didn't use it for DD (now 14) but it would have been ok if I did.
Someone upthread mentioned how John was totally out of fashion. It absolutely is! Dad has spent his whole life surrounded by many Johns and yet my DC have never been to school with a John. DS2's middle name is Jonathan (sort of after my dad), which is considered unusual. Not in my family :)

mamaduckbone · 02/12/2017 23:07

It depends on the name, but my mum hates her name and would never have forgiven me if we’d used it! (Beryl!)

poisonedbypen · 02/12/2017 23:03

My class in the 70s the girls were K(C)atherine, Susan, Fiona, Amanda etc. Boys were Peter, Paul, Andrew, Richard etc

BakedBeans47 · 02/12/2017 22:20

My son is 9 and there’s a Lynn in his class which I find quite surprising.

thegreylady · 02/12/2017 22:16

As a child in the late 40s early 50s my friends were:
Girls
Olga
Shirley
Beryl
Valerie
Ruby
Olwen
Diane
Mary
Rosamund
Lynne
Susan
Judith
Mary

Boys
Raymond
Derek
Alan
Geoffrey
John
David
Paul
Peter
Billy
Craig

thegreylady · 02/12/2017 21:38

My mum was Ruth and mil was Sybil. I could use the first but not the second. I always regretted not using Ruth for dd.

toffee1000 · 01/12/2017 23:14

My mother is Imogen which wasn’t well known when she was growing up (70s), her ballet teacher called her Imagine for example. Now, of course, it’s very popular. I like the name, but wouldn’t give it to a child of mine because to me it’d be a bit odd giving them the same first name as a living relative.

Patal · 26/11/2017 16:26

My mum is called Hayley and although I wouldn't use Hayley as a name, I have thought about maybe giving my daughter a middle name with a nod to my mother, e.g Hallie

Melony6 · 24/11/2017 07:28

My DB and were in hysterics as children (60s) when we discovered Granny's name was Winifred Emily.
Someone must be doing a study of name choices, why do they go in and out of fashion so much?? I'd love to know.

qumquat · 24/11/2017 06:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

myrtleWilson · 24/11/2017 02:08

I love Rita, Irene, Jean... less so the male options I think

LordSugarWillSeeYouNow · 23/11/2017 11:34

I was born in 1978, my mum in 1957.
We have the same name, I hate it.

Always wondered why they couldn't think of a better name for me.

So the answer is no- I certainly wouldn't and didn't Grin

TheGoodEnoughWife · 23/11/2017 11:33

I did! Although Mum is known by a shortened/slightly different of the name my dd is called the same, and although she often goes by a shortened version it is a different shortened version! Did that make any sense?!

Helena17 · 23/11/2017 11:31

Of course. Names should have special meanings and if it should mean my mum's name why not. It's been an old practice and I think there's nothing wrong with it plus old mum names are like classic songs. :)

Turquoisetamborine · 23/11/2017 08:26

MIL is Marjorie, she hates it. It suits her to a tee!

Turquoisetamborine · 23/11/2017 08:26

My mam’s name is Helena, she’s known as Helen though. I love it. It was quite unusual for a poor mining town in the 50s.

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 23/11/2017 02:01

I think sometimes the shortening sounds more dated than the 'proper' name. So Viv, Kathy, Gill, Bev, Sue, Mandy would make me think of people about my mum's age, whereas I wouldn't be quite as sure with Vivienne, Katherine, Susan and Amanda.

I don't find Ruth particularly dated, but I'd expect you to be a churchgoer if you're under the age of about 45 and called that!

buttercup54321 · 22/11/2017 23:09

In my class 60s/70s we had names such as
Mandy
Karen
tracey
Debbie
Julie
Catherine
Jane
Louise
Fiona
Beverley
Gillian
Susan
Sarah

Andrew
Mark
John
David
Stephen
Ian
Paul
Peter
Philip
Michael
John
Richard
Martin
Kevin
Gary
Nigel
Clive

Cockmagic · 22/11/2017 22:43

I wish I did. My mams name is Marie and I quite like it now.

Wish I'd of used it for a middle name but I was a stubborn 18 year old!

evieboo · 19/11/2017 15:37

I used my mother's name for DD2, Rosemary. My mum's always been known by Molly but she loves her full name too so I used it. Coincidentally, my DD2 is the only person that refers to my mum as Rosemary. The other kids all call her Nanna Molly and my DD, Rosemary but she calls her Nanna Rosemary.

PhuntSox · 19/11/2017 14:56

I like Susan, Helen and Diana.

Movablefeast · 19/11/2017 14:10

My friend who has six children called one of her daughter's Susan after her mother. It really suits her, she is about 20 now and very outgoing, fun and vivacious.

LinoleumBlownapart · 16/11/2017 00:29

My mum was born in 1942 and my dad in 1940. They both have names that are not out of place these days. My grandparents on my mum's side both born in 1914, had names that are trendy now and come up on all the baby name lists. My grandfather on the other side has the same name as my dad but my grandmother was Swedish so her name doesn't ever come up on UK lists.

MammieBear · 14/11/2017 16:17

Don't see anything wrong with them in my opinion, I think it would be refreshing to meet a baby Pamela, very sweet.

MadameJosephine · 12/11/2017 08:27

My DD is named after my mum. She loves the fact that she has the same name as her nana and loves to ring her up and say ‘Hi Jennifer!’ And get a ‘Hi Jennifer!’ in return