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Baby names

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

Original poster

Will these girls names come back into fashion?

87 replies

annacondom · 28/06/2021 12:55

Was just thinking about people I went to school with, or worked with in the '80s. I like some of these, and they seemed so normal at the time. But does anyone call their Dd these nowadays?
Gillian
Gail
Hayley
Alison
Dawn
Donna
Monica
Lynne/Linda
Janice/Janet
Jean/Joan
Julie
Angela
Barbara

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LadyEloise · 29/06/2021 17:26

I can't see
Gladys,
Maureen,
Pauline,
Doreen,
Ann,
Peggy,
Imelda,
Attracta,
Assumpta,
Maura,
Barbara,
Cynthia or Sheila coming back.

DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat · 29/06/2021 17:24

@VenusClapTrap

I know an 11 year old Hayley.

I like the old ‘een’ names, especially Eileen. It’s not that dissimilar from a lot of currently popular names like Isla, Ella, etc really.

Eileen? Come on….. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
MissyB1 · 29/06/2021 17:18

If I had a dd she would be Belinda.

Summerdayshaze · 29/06/2021 16:27

Angie is such a cool name. I know an 11 year old Hayley.

Mankyfruitbowl · 29/06/2021 16:23

Most names come back don't they? Unless a really famous association tarnishes them in some way.

Makes me laugh when people claim Top 10 names are the most popular "because they're just nice classic names". Parents in the 80s probably said the same thing about Gemma, Claire and Nicola.

MillionBells · 29/06/2021 16:14

I think the saint name ones will as they've stood the test of time and been around for centuries

TatianaBis · 29/06/2021 16:03

Joan is a very 1930s name - Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine etc.

WorriedWishingWell · 29/06/2021 16:01

I think Jean and Joan were unfashionable in the 70s and 80s?

MaleficentsCrow · 29/06/2021 15:52

Florence I've always loved as a "old fashioned name" DS would have been Florence if he was a girl.

I think at the moment everyone's trend for short "cute" names will die out and we will soon see the Alison's, Hayley's, Deborah and Gloria's back

OlivesTree · 29/06/2021 15:47

I know a Hayley (13) and a Maggie (7).

Evelyn has made a big comeback and I think this is of a similar ilk.

danascully96 · 29/06/2021 15:42

Alison, Monica, Margaret, Hayley (and its billions of spelling variations) could all come back! I’ll add Valerie too :)

tinselandlights · 29/06/2021 08:05

I love Gloria @ozzyfroggy, it's a gorgeous name!

celestebellman · 29/06/2021 06:29

Ella is today's Donna equivalent. Or maybe Mia.

I think these names are much more universal than Donna - Princess Anne’s granddaughter is a Mia, can’t imagine a royal Donna.
Though in defence of Donna I have worked with a lovely one!

Sssloou · 28/06/2021 23:20

@ozzyfroggy

I've got a soft spot for Barbara...

I'm due in a few weeks and she'll be Gloria!

I love Elaine, Jane and Margaret too.

How fabulous- I love the name Gloria - I frequently suggest it on these threads.
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 28/06/2021 23:07

Gillian - I know one under 20
Gail - hopefully not
Hayley - like Haley spelling but dont think it'll come back yet
Alison - nope
Dawn - yep
Donna - nope
Monica - probably
Lynne/Linda - Lynne maybe, Linda nope
Janice/Janet - nope
Jean/Joan - Jean yes, Joan no
Julie - no. Juliet yes.
Angela - yes
Barbara - David Mitchell and Victoria Coren Mitchell have one under 5yo

Nannyamc · 28/06/2021 23:05

Mary or Marie has always been in our family.
My nan my mam my sister my niece and my gran niece.
James was my ggf my gf my dad my brother my nephew and my grand nephew.

ScribblyBaller · 28/06/2021 23:01

Ella is today's Donna equivalent. Or maybe Mia.

ScribblyBaller · 28/06/2021 22:59

Maybe Donna is more likely to be an older woman's name in America because the Ritchie Valens song came out in the 50s and the Donna in question would have been a teen then.

SallyCinnabon · 28/06/2021 22:57

@MadisonAvenue

I’ve always found the name Donna so harsh and unappealing

I agree and it’s not helped by the fact that I’ve worked with three Donnas and two of them were really unfriendly and difficult to work with.

I was about to say the same 😬
celestebellman · 28/06/2021 22:50

I like Alison, Gillian, Angela, Pamela
Also think Amanda should make a comeback.
I don’t think Donna is in the same kind of league, and it’s more 70s whereas the others are 50s/60s as well.

thefirstmrsrochester · 28/06/2021 22:47

Just before covid hit I was in a church and was looking at the cradle roll and there was an ‘Elaine Susan’ amid multiple ‘Eva’s’, ‘Alfie’s’ and the rest of the top ten names. I thought it was absolutely lovely.

Junipersky · 28/06/2021 22:42

Its strange because I actually like the way some of those names sound - Gillian and Alison in particular - but I can't get my head past the association of older women with those names.
Having said that - if I met a baby or a toddler with one of those names I'm sure it would adjust my mindset and I would see the name in a whole new light (grow to like it).

Thewinterofdiscontent · 28/06/2021 22:35

@ozzyfroggy

I've got a soft spot for Barbara...

I'm due in a few weeks and she'll be Gloria!

I love Elaine, Jane and Margaret too.

Gloria is a fantastic name!
QuimReaper · 28/06/2021 21:32

David Mitchell and his wife have a daughter called Barbara. I was amazed when I heard that. But I know two baby Maggies (not Margarets as far as I know) and a baby Dorothy.

QueSeraSarah · 28/06/2021 21:05

I know an 11 Yr old Maggie and Hayley, and a few young Paulinas, they're mainly from Eastern European families.