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Baby names

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

What names can you foresee making a come back?

31 replies

aprilfools19 · 26/07/2020 15:56

My predictions are

Anne
Possibly Claire/Clare
Vera. It has the same vibes as Isla, Eva, Ava etc to me.
Heather
Rita
Caroline. Can’t see carol coming back but can see Caroline being a possibility

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Whatsyourflava · 26/07/2020 21:09

Oh Paul! Yes definitely! I can see this coming back.

Pauline though? Less sure!

@namechangedschoolquery ah I bet your kids love their names anyway? I think Ben/Tom type names are lovely classics. So is Nicholas but I prefer Ben and Tom!

daisypond · 26/07/2020 21:08

I know a teen who goes by Julie - she has a longer version of the name, but much prefers Julie. It has a French chic that we can’t see because it was commonly used in the UK in the ‘60s.

Whatsyourflava · 26/07/2020 21:07

Just met a baby Phyllis!!

Not sure if Pauline will make a comeback too?

Definitely less frilly girly names in future. I think names like Diana (which I hate 🤣) will make a comeback. I think they've done a study on how names go in cycles. Edith, Mabel, Elsie etc are all popular(Ish) now. So I guess in 20 years it'll be Debbie, Susan, Philip and Colin

namechangedschoolquery · 26/07/2020 21:05

I love the name Nicholas and wish I'd used it.

Also like Peter and Jonathan.

My DC have very boring Tom/Ben type names. Wish I'd been more adventurous

Bouledeneige · 26/07/2020 20:59

Honestly I can't ever see the following names ever coming back: Janet, Julie, Carol, Agatha, Phyllis, Beryl, Trevor, Phillip, Ronald, Donald.

From the 60s maybe Terrence, Stephen, Paul and Stephanie might re-emerge. I don't care for any of them myself though.

Of the granny names (and one of my Granny's name) Florence. Love it. And my Grandpa's middle name Gilbert or Gill.

Diverseopinions · 26/07/2020 20:35

I think girls' names without the 'a' ( especially A-a arrangement) or the 'y' sound at the end. ( Current favourites have the hard consonants but the 'y' or 'a' is making feminine: Ivy, Ada).
More consonants will be fashionable, I think, with a link to a 60s film star.
Marilyn
Natalie
Jocelyn
Vivienne
Simone
( And Susan, Jacqueline and Julie, as my choice in first post, above).

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 26/07/2020 20:27

John
David

I know young DC called Peter, Peggy, Mary, Frank, Iris, Stanley and Rebecca (from names given above).

I work in a school and I am done with girls' names starting with E - Emily, Eloise, Ellie, Evie, Esme. All perfectly nice names, but come on people!

Standrewsschool · 26/07/2020 20:19

I think more Granny names will be chosen as well, or great-grandparent names.

Eg,
Josephine
Cora
Edith
Dora

AntiHop · 26/07/2020 20:11

@justdontatme hilda is beautiful.

I'd also like Ethel to make a come back. I really wanted to consider that for dd, but absolutely refused.

daisypond · 26/07/2020 19:56

Yes to Hilda. I know a young Hilda. Fits perfectly into the Matilda, Edith vibe.

123Dancewithme · 26/07/2020 19:47

Leonard
Raymond
Eric
Frank
Ernest

Dorothy
Daphne
Audrey
Alma
Peggy
Sylvia

BatleyTownswomensGuild · 26/07/2020 19:15

Amused to see my own name on the 'comeback list' 😁

Angela
Helen
Valerie
Gail
Lisa

Peter
John
Timothy
Eric
Alec
Simon

NameChange84 · 26/07/2020 19:14

Christina
Daniella
Agatha
Julia
Marie
Laura
Claire
Louise
Monica
Rachel (not a coincidence lol)
Irene
Helen
Anne Marie
Alexandra
Gabrielle
Nicole
Rosemary
Rebecca
Esther
Dawn
Gwen/Gwendoline
Margaret
Pearl
Ivy
Maud

Still undecided on names like Deirdre, Linda, Alison etc

Walter
Douglas
Martin
Jonathan
Adrian
Peter
Arthur
I’d agree with Chester
Alfred
Edmund
Gregory
Darrell (actually for boys or girls)
Bradley
Stephen and Stefan
Bruce

Diverseopinions · 26/07/2020 19:10

Jennifer
Jacqueline
Susan
Julia
Dawn

But none of above shortened.

GoldenPlover · 26/07/2020 19:05

For boys I think it will be the types of names that were working class in the 20s/30s/40s that then became more posh in the 80s/90s/00s:
Cecil
Calvin
Edwin / Edgar
Herbert
Lawrence / Laurence
Ralph (already kinda popular)
Stanley (already kinda popular)

And surnames as first names
Chester
Watson
Everett
Floyd
Sterling

GoldenPlover · 26/07/2020 19:00

Claire is one of those names where although theres nothing wrong with it I just hate it so I hope it doesnt make a comeback! It's just a horrible sound!

I think other more old fashioned "ie" names may come back more like:
Trixie
Bonnie
Winnie

And I think more 1920s names (some of these are already in use obviously but I dont think theyve hit their stride yet based on friends and friends of friends kids) such as:

Pearl
Alma
Cora
Lois
Jane

justdontatme · 26/07/2020 18:54

AntiHop I know an Edna in her 30s. I haven’t got used to it.

I’ve long maintained that Hilda is a beautiful name.

One of my kids has already been named. Cutting edge... or named after a grandparent? Grin

AntiHop · 26/07/2020 18:49

Edna

GRW · 26/07/2020 18:48

For boys John and Alan
Girls Ada, Sheila, Patricia, Shirley, Joan.

justdontatme · 26/07/2020 18:22

Sadie and Edith (Edie) are back. So is Betty. I know a few Winnies.

It will be the names of the 50s. Janet, Barbara, Colin, Jonathan.

Grufallosfriends · 26/07/2020 17:36

Caroline
Dorothy

Christopher
Quentin

LittleRa · 26/07/2020 17:20

I already know a baby (well 2yo actually) Vera

Pantheon · 26/07/2020 17:16

Edith
Sadie (maybe already?)
Winnie
Eric
Peter

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 26/07/2020 17:13

I’ve heard Emma a lot recently so wonder if late 80s early 90s will come back: Lucy, Rachel, Hayley, Joanna, etc

reefedsail · 26/07/2020 17:11

I came to say Vera. I think it is lovely.