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Baby names

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

Original poster

Michelle, Deborah, Angela

104 replies

Chl80 · 29/07/2018 22:15

Yes I like retro unfashionable names!
These three are on our list. What do you think?

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Gacapa · 05/08/2018 01:10

I absolutely love the name Angie. It’s so utterly cool.

LithaFest · 04/08/2018 17:17

Not a fan of Angela, I'm afraid. To be honest these names wouldn't be in my top choices. Out of all of them I'd probably pick Michelle. Deborah is ok.

5LeafClover · 04/08/2018 01:03

Angela pretty and unusual without being odd. Debbie for a little girl would be lovely.

redfairy · 03/08/2018 23:22

I'm.pretty sure I read that the worst female bosses to work for were called Debbie. Complete cows by all accounts!
I still prefer Deborah over Angela and Michelle.I always thought Maxine was a nice retro name.

Baubletrouble43 · 03/08/2018 23:05

Melissa is loads nicer than michelle

Baubletrouble43 · 03/08/2018 23:04

Angela is ok. Not keen on the others. There are better retro 70s names. Zoe? Alison? Caroline?

Cosmoa · 03/08/2018 22:24

I can't even... 😂

foxtiger · 03/08/2018 22:03

I like Deborah and it's rare enough now to be quite an interesting choice. For some reason I think Debbie as a short form suits an adult better than a child - I'd stick with Deborah while she was little.

Michelle I've always thought of as a very cheerful sounding name somehow. A lot of names with French feminine endings like -elle, -ette, -otte have that feel for me. I think people might comment that it seemed old-fashioned at first, but to me that's not a deal breaker, and they'd soon get used to it as your child's name. It's not as if it has a horrible meaning or associations.

Angela is the one I really can't imagine using, but that's only because I'm not religious at all, and I feel like it might be disrespectful to use a name with an obviously religious meaning. (I really like Christian as a name too, but could never use it for the same reason.) Angela is a pretty enough name in itself.

I think Deborah is probably the least dated seeming of the three, because it has such a long history, and will probably come in and out of fashion lots more times over the next few hundred years!

Jeece · 30/07/2018 19:04

I’m a Deborah and I LOATHE my name. I’m 40 but it makes me feel 60 and like a big frump. Awful.

Deborah and Michelle are DEFINITELY not ready for a comeback. Angela is better and passable.

Viebienremplie · 30/07/2018 19:01

Nope. I'm just not ready for 80s names to come back. I think it'll be 20 years before these names are palatable again!

daisypond · 30/07/2018 18:55

I really like Angela, and Deborah too. Not keen on Michelle - it has a downmarket vibe to me that Angela and Deborah don't have. Michaela?

Pixel99 · 30/07/2018 18:55

I have one of these as a middle name - still not keen sorry. That said they will probably be the height of fashion in a couple of years!!

Hangingaroundtheportal · 30/07/2018 18:51

Yes they are very 70s/80s aren't they? But too soon for a revival I think....

Having said that, when you objectively look at the name Michelle, it's actually quite pretty.

Claricestarling1 · 30/07/2018 18:44

Of all the beautiful names in the world..these three? 😟

blinkineckmum · 30/07/2018 18:40

I love Susan, Janet, Lynne.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 30/07/2018 14:59

I like all of them.😄

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 30/07/2018 14:00

I find Angela very harsh sounding and it reminds me of Angie Watts!

bluechameleon · 30/07/2018 13:54

I like Deborah, not keen on the others.
Joanna
Susan/Susannah
Natalie
Lindsey
Caroline

LeeMiller · 30/07/2018 13:44

Angela

MikeUniformMike · 30/07/2018 13:42

I think Angela is a pretty name, but it peaked in the mid 1960s, as did Deborah. Mchelle peaked in the late 70s.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 30/07/2018 13:31

Angela was popular long before Angie Dickinson! My grandmother was called Angela, it was one of the Queen Mother's names, it was in PG Wodehouse etc etc. Not just a random celeb name!

MikeUniformMike · 30/07/2018 13:23

Michelle became popular in the 60s, probably aided by The Beatles.
Angela - Angie Dickinson,
Deborah - Deborah Kerr.

These are names of people in their 50s now.
Celebrity-inspired names tend to date.

Debinaround · 30/07/2018 13:22

I'm Deborah but am always called Debbie or Deb/Debs. My dad named me after Debbie Harry but put Deborah down on my birth certificate in case I married a prince. He said that princess Debbie wouldn't sound right Grin

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 30/07/2018 13:18

I know a Deborah, people pronounce it Deb-ur-ah.

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