At what point is it actually cruel to give your child an old woman/ man name

Yep, names often go in cycles. Just heard today of a baby Reginald - I'm sure he suits his toothless grin down to the ground 😅

I got my 15 year old to vet the list, and those are all unacceptably old-fashioned. Lisa, Nicola, Barbara, Melanie and Louise were deemed acceptable, if unusual.

Disagree op. Whilst I can't imagine Eunice or Myra coming back the names you mention are lovely. Know a few Edith's, one of 22, Iris is becoming increasingly popular, and Maud is OK, Mary is timeless. DD's third name is Mabel and she's 23!

I think the names due a come back are: Shirley, Silvia, Joyce, Barbara, Anita, Patricia, Joan, Pamela, etc. For boys I fully expect to start hearing Julian, Jeremy and Timothy soon.

In any event, I think the op has her dates out. My gran and her sister 1910ish were Alice and Evelyn, their mother and aunts: Eleanor, Isabel, Marina.

"Old people" were babies once

I wonder if the boomer/Gen X names will come back - Sandra, Lorraine, Debbie, Wendy, Claire, Tracey, Susan, Jennifer, Samantha, Karen, Joanne, Michelle, Sharon, Jackie, Carol, Hayley etc . I think on the whole people largely reject names from their parents and grandparents generation so I give it 20 years or so.

OP all the names you mentioned in your original post are beautiful classic names. Nothing old lady about them at all. My three children all have names that have been around since forever .

Old lady names: Deborah, Susan, Pamela, Valerie, Karen, Gillian, Helen. Jacqueline.

Old man names: Greg, Steve, Chris, Bob.

And yes, the sorts of names described in the OP have been popular for quite some time. Grace, Alice, May, Frank, George etc came back into fashion about 15 or so years ago.

Is this real? Surely it's so obviously personal taste. I'm pregnant now (don't know the sex) and both Maud and Margaret are on our shortlist for if it's a girl! Think they're beautiful and I actually like that there don't seem to be that many children with those names around. As an above poster said - much prefer classic names to trend-driven ones. Regardless, unless you're planning on naming your child something outright offensive, I don't see how any name can be considered 'cruel'.

Oh I know @AlexaShutUp, I was born in the 70s too 😂 Just trying to think like a young’un and imagine what sort of names they would find unfashionable!

I'm 35 and there were four Alices in my year at school , and a Maude the year below. Never thought of either name as very old lady.

I thought Iris was super trendy too. Maybe I'm out of touch.

Don't be dopey, of course they won't be bullied, because they won't be old lady names to this generation, will they? They are the names they are their friends are called. They'll think Nicola, Melanie and Louise are granny names.

@purplesequins I'm a TA and currently have an Alan in my class. There's a Neil, a Dennis, and a Colin in the school also. Yet to meet a young Keith, but that generation of names looks like it'll be the next crop!

“Cruel”

You’re making such a big deal out of a non-issue.

I really like those ‘old lady’ names you’ve cited.

And yes, agree with PP that ‘old person’ names to young ears would probably be names that were popular in the 70s. Lisa, Nicola, Helen etc

It's so subjective and changes regularly. I had Maeve classed as a fimly 'old lady name' but saw a couple of TV series recently where the 'cool' teem character was called Maeve - it changed my view of the name. (Sex Education maybe? And something else.) Same for Edie.
I also have a name which is derided on here are old fashioned when it comes up (rarely) but it's not old fashined to me cos it's my name!

The “old” names you suggested are actually rather lovely.

Much kinder than giving your child a name that is spelt in a way they are going to have to spell it out every time they give it for the rest of their life.

Haha, I disagree with you! I love Edith, and have a Mary 🤷🏻‍♀️

Name use goes in cycle so any name will always be labelled as an 'old lady/old man' name when it first returns to use after a few decades of being unfashionable

Charlotte and Emily were thought terribly old fashioned when they first returned in the 70s/80s but are now viewed as young people names again

There are only a few which I would class as cruel such as Fanny

Maud - without the ‘e’ - is one of my favourite English girl’s names. Wonderfully poetic. And Mary, Iris, Edith all bring to mind fabulously stylish, thoroughly 21st century women.

But it’s a big old world - can’t imagine how you’d cope with my totally un-English name, OP. I was certainly never bullied because of it.

I’m pretty sure you’re being deliberately goady.

We used one of the cruel names you mentioned, DD will just have to bear it as best she can I guess 🤷‍♀️

I know 3 Ediths, an Iris, 2 Marys' and a Maud. These names are so popular near where I live that honestly I wouldn't even think of them as odd