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Baby names

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

Names in your class vs now

67 replies

Wambsgans · 27/07/2020 17:06

I was in secondary school in the mid-90s. I was thinking about the names of kids in my class/year and whether I know any children born now (i.e. 5 or under, thereabouts) with the same names. Interesting little exercise when you're bored! Boys were called eg Adam, Mark, Ian, Jonathan, Andrew, Tim, etc. Girls were all Katherine, Emma, Anna, Vicky, Lucy, Kim, Claire, Karen etc.

So the only overlaps I have between boys in my year and boys of friends born recently are
Ben
Daniel
Tom
Peter
Edward
Nicholas

Girls I can only think of Katherine and Rea.

I guess boys' names tend to stay more 'classic' and girls' names are more changeable. I now feel quite old!

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ifigoup · 28/07/2020 05:54

I started school in 1985. Names in my school year that might still be used now:
Emma
Jackson
Caspar
Aimee
Katie

Names that definitely wouldn’t be:
Jacqueline
Gemma
Nicola
Angela
Melissa
Kelly
Robert
Gareth
Richard
Kevin

Then again, my now-reception child has classmates called Stephanie, Natalie and Laura, so maybe I live in a very 80s-throwback place!

EuphieKat · 28/07/2020 02:43

‘Crossover’ names from then and now are Kate, Emma, Elise, Beth, Laura, Lara, Lauren, Lucy, Joseph, James, Rhys, Anna, Matthew, Samuel. (I started reception until 1979).

Annierose293 · 28/07/2020 01:13

Funny I was talking about this with my teen daughter the other day.
I started high school in 1987. She started in 2015.
We went through all the names in our school years. The only ones that we had the same in both our eras were Lucy and Emma.

rc22 · 27/07/2020 23:07

And another thread has just reminded me....lots of Debbie/Deborah's!!

rc22 · 27/07/2020 23:03

I was at school in the 80s and 90s. Lots of Sarahs, Joannes, Helens, Lauras and Nicolas. A few Catherines and Carolines too and absolutely everyone seemed to have Louise or Jane as a middle name.

The boys names I remember were Mark, James, Richard, Robert, Steven, Simon, David.

LioneIRichTea · 27/07/2020 22:52

Then...
Boys: Mark, Matthew, Daniel, James, Christopher, David...
Girls: Rachel, Emma, Sarah, Claire, Sophie, Hannah...

Now...
I know of a Daniel, an Emma and a Claire... all 5-6 years old.

Maybe just me but I like all the above names, all classics imo GrinBlush

VenusClapTrap · 27/07/2020 22:48

Oh and Martin! I recently met a baby Martin. That surprised me.

VenusClapTrap · 27/07/2020 22:47

The only currently small children I know with names popular during my school days are:

Ben
Daniel
James
Robert

Lucy
Laura
Jenny

Spidey66 · 27/07/2020 21:58

I was in secondary school in the late 70s/early 80s. So lots of Marys, Lindas, Jacquelines, Janets, Catherines, Kims, Susans.

My secondary was a girls school but in my primary there was a lot of boys called John, Trevor, Martin, Patrick, Terence.

Those names are all so dated now!

FoolsAssassin · 27/07/2020 21:55

Overlaps between me left late 80’s) and the DS’s classes (DD recently left, DS still there)

Charlotte
Lydia
Rebecca
Emma
Elizabeth
Alex
Phoebe
Esme
Sophie
Ellie

Matthew
Joe
Sam
Ed
Ben

formerbabe · 27/07/2020 21:54

Most schools now are full of Avas and Evies

EhUp · 27/07/2020 21:54

My peers at school in the 70s/80s
Girls: Sarah, Nicola, Claire, Joanne, Helen, Louise, Vicky, Rachel, Andrea
Boys: Steve, David, Nick, Chris, Rob, Danny, Johnny

DC's peers (both teenagers)
Girls: Emily, Isobel, Maddy, Harriet, Megan, Ella, Abi
Boys: Tom, Ben, Sam, Jack

The only names I can think of that featured both then and now are Matthew, Daniel, Amy & Sarah

formerbabe · 27/07/2020 21:53

Oliver, Jack, Harry...there's usually one of each in every class!

Franklinstein · 27/07/2020 21:51

I'm in my mid 40s and have friends of my age and also know children called-

Girls:
Emma
Emily
Olivia
Charlotte
Lucy
Elizabeth

Boys:
James
Thomas
Daniel
Matthew
Benjamin
Anthony
Nicholas
Michael

TinyMetalBirds · 27/07/2020 21:49

The only overlaps I can think of between my primary school class and my kids’ classmates are Charlotte and Bobby. Boys I can remember were Steven, Ian, Andrew, David, Ray, Michael, Alan, Paul, Richard, girls were Kirsty, Leanne, Joanne, Zara, Cassandra, Louise, Clare, Rebecca, Catherine, Michelle, Emma, and there are none of those in either of my children’s classes.

Wheresthebiffer2 · 27/07/2020 21:47

Early 1980s secondary school

John
Michael
Paul
David
Billy
Alan
Fraser

Karen
Jane
Tracey
Susan
Sharon
Wendy
Gillian
Elizabeth
Julie-Anne
Anne-Marie
Christine
Maureen
Lyn

SisterAgatha · 27/07/2020 21:37

Kerry
Erica
Cassandra
Joanne
Susan (which seemed old even then)
Carly
Stacey
Jodie

You just don’t get kids called this these days.

Pantheon · 27/07/2020 21:33

Overlaps I can think of:

Zoe
Alice
Poppy
Emma
Thomas
William

Coffeeandteav · 27/07/2020 20:19

I was at school in the 90s. I am a teacher. Was surprised to come across a Susan in year 9 last year. We had a few in my year.

Also Rachaels and Rebeccas have a few of them in school. Katies too.

No Darrens. Lots of Ryans, Ellis, Harrys, Joshs.

Girls- Maisie, sophies and mias lots of unusual ones too.

sel2223 · 27/07/2020 20:08

I was at school in the 80's and 90's

Girls - Emma, Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Charlotte, Louise, Vicky, Claire, Gemma, Kerry

Boys - Alex, Nick, Michael, David, Lee, Andrew, Peter, Steven, Carl, Chris

That's just off the top of my head

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 27/07/2020 19:59

We had a couple of Vickies, a Louise, a Claire, an Elizabeth, a Jenny, a Lisa, an Amanda and an Andrea. Boys were John, Paul, John-Paul, Terry, Andrew and Gary. Obviously there would have been more, but those are ones I remember.

In DD's class there's two Elizabeths, a Sophia, a Maddy, a Chloe, a Tara, a Minty, an Eve, a Scarlett, an Anna, a Bella, a Grace, a Cora and a Zara. Boys-wise, there's a Josh, two Freddies, an Atticus, a Lucien, a Harry, a Guy, a Ben, and a Lucas.

(Waves at anyone from my kids' school who recognises those names!)

Don't know many of the kids in DS's class, but there's another Josh and another Freddie, a Tom, a Ryan, a Henry, and a Stratos. He rarely mentions girls, but I know there's an Anne, an Annie, an Anna and an Annabel!

Jamhandprints · 27/07/2020 19:58

90's too. Overlaps are: Katie, Molly, Holly, Elizabeth, Daniel, James, David (although none Uk born anymore), Ben and Robert.
No more Paul, Kelly, Gemma or Carls

FindingNeverland1 · 27/07/2020 19:50

Started secondary in 2001.
Boys - James, Michael, Ali, Billy, Carl, Mehmet, George, Daniel

Girls - Hannah, Lucy, Louise, Katie, Maria, Elif, Amber, Rosie

HelenaJustina · 27/07/2020 19:49

There were 6 girls called Sarah out of 60 children in my primary year group.
I work in a primary school now and there is not one!

Wambsgans · 27/07/2020 19:46

Pp have reminded me there is an Amy in our Reception class, and there were a couple in my year at school too, so that's another one.

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