Page 9 | At what point is it actually cruel to give your child an old woman/ man name

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Atla · 05/01/2022 18:06

I think 'old lady names' for this generation's babies are actually things like 'Jean', 'Sue', 'Val' and 'Jen' and 'old man names' are things like 'Chris' 'Mike', 'Frank' and 'Neil' - realistically that's what most of their grandparents will be called.

Edith and Maude are sweet names (French?) and Iris is nice too.

I do know a young Wilfred which I thought was a bit much, but no child has batted an eye at it - he gets called Fred or Freddo.

runningfromtheoutlaws · 05/01/2022 18:06

You're being ridiculous, Iris is definitely back and the others are fine. My daughter has an old lady name and at nearly 13 has never been teased only complimented on it!

LaBelleSausage · 05/01/2022 18:04

It definitely depends how old you are.
I have no issue with Edith, Iris, etc, I know a few.

Can't imagine babies called Ian, Derek, Janet or Lesley though

Noworneverever · 05/01/2022 18:03

@Amandalockwood1007

Yes but it’s not offensive for someone to say to a child “your names American” they would probably like it. if someone was to say “your name sounds like an old woman” that would make them feel weird and left out think its mean *@Itsnotdeep*

Try not telling children that, then you won't upset them.

mumofEandE · 05/01/2022 18:02

@freelions

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

My name is one of the ones you wrote (born Early 70s) - I stood out in all the Sarahs / Nicolas / Joannes / Claires - I used to get really annoyed that when shops sold those personalised pencils / pencil cases etc they never had my name on it! Now there are so many under 2Os with my name I feel like I still stand out! But at least I have a personalised pencil case

MrsTophamHat · 05/01/2022 18:01

Thise aren't 'old' names at the moment. You wouldn't have got many Florences or Graces when I was at school but theyre everywhere now.

The oddest names for children at the moment will be from the 1950-70s. So things like Linda, Shirley, Pauline, Angela, Helen, Patricia, Kathleen would be really strange to give a baby girl born today.

3mealsaday · 05/01/2022 18:00

I like Edith and Iris much better than Alice and Elsie (and I would have said Elsie was more 'dated' than Edith, which is more classic). It does seem to come down to personal taste...

SleepingStandingUp · 05/01/2022 17:57

@CaMePlaitPas

I'd find it far more interesting a child being called Maude or Edith than a child being "originally" called Lucifer or Belle.

Lucifer is a beautiful name though

Hoppinggreen · 05/01/2022 17:55

@Amandalockwood1007

Yes but it’s not offensive for someone to say to a child “your names American” they would probably like it. if someone was to say “your name sounds like an old woman” that would make them feel weird and left out think its mean *@Itsnotdeep*

I would be more offended to hear my name was American than like an old woman’s Some of the names you listed are lovely in my opinion

CaMePlaitPas · 05/01/2022 17:55

I'd find it far more interesting a child being called Maude or Edith than a child being "originally" called Lucifer or Belle.

Exhausteddog · 05/01/2022 17:54

To me names like Agatha, ada, Marjorie, Bernard, Geoffrey, Brian, Gertrude, don't suit a small baby or child... (I don't think my own name does) but at some point someone did (or still does) Also young children will probably not know any older people with those names so won't think of them as old people names, just simply a name they might not have heard of before.

Some names seem to transcend age - Jack, George or James could be 4 or 94!

HansChristianAnderfuck · 05/01/2022 17:54

Those are lovely names though.

Unlike Hilda, Mavis, Edna, Myrtle, Winifred.

LowlandLucky · 05/01/2022 17:54

@Amandalockwood1007

A lot of names are coming back from the 20s/30s and some of them are okay for 2022 like Alice, Elsie. But certain names sound so terrible to saddle a child with in this generation for example Edith, mary, iris, Maude etc. I just can’t help but feel awful for the children who will probably be bullied for having “old people names” when does it become mean to give a child a name with an time stamp on it from the 1800s🙄

You do realise that babies don't stay babies forever and one day they will be old. Even Jaxon will be an old man one day.

Wheresmywoolyjumpers · 05/01/2022 17:53

I know several Iris's and love it. I think the names that will really date will be things like Kylie, or Daenerys.

StopStartStop · 05/01/2022 17:53

Edna, Bertha, Ethel... great names. Winifred. @DaisyWaldron, you missed Julie.

IntermittentParps · 05/01/2022 17:52

I really like Edith, Mary, Iris and Maude!
Don't like all 'old-lady' and 'old-man' names (Arthur comes to mind) but can't say it's 'worse' than any other. It's just personal taste.

RaoulDufysCat · 05/01/2022 17:52

No child born now is going to be bullied for being called Edith, Iris, Maud or Mary because there are absolutely tons of all of them around!

Anythingbutsnow · 05/01/2022 17:51

@DaisyWaldron

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.

Does that mean the other names on the list sound the same to her ear as the old fashioned ones do to us? That's so weird to think about

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 05/01/2022 17:51

@purplesequins

I would love susan and keith and kevin and sharon to make a come back.

There's a little Sharon in my breakfast club - everyone was 😍 when she started

Ratched · 05/01/2022 17:49

@DaisyWaldron

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

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

Oy! I have one of the names and DH has another. Are you trying to say I'm old??????

( I am)

Severntrent · 05/01/2022 17:49

Those names are very fashionable in a lot of circles - and not old lady names to this generation!

ANameChangeAgain · 05/01/2022 17:49

Ha ha, funny post op.
My dd has an old lady name, it was her great grandmother's actually. For the record my son has his great grandfather's name.
I was talking to a particularly vocal school mum when collecting a nephew from school, my dd "Aggie" was a toddler. The loud mum asked me where on earth I had found the name Aggie. I explained after grandmother, short for Agatha, bla bla bla. Loud mum went on to explain that her dd's name was D'Arcy, spelt with a ' to make it less common. She told me this was so much classier than my choice of a name. I just laughed and avoided in the future.
Is your dd called D'Arcy, by any chance op?

VodselForDinner · 05/01/2022 17:49

What are your children’s names, OP? Maybe some people here will think they’re terrible and pity your kids for being saddled with them.

Housewife2010 · 05/01/2022 17:48

@DaisyWaldron

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

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

These names were popular when I was at school in the 70s/80s. They will now be in their mid 40s to early 50s. Hardly old people!

DaisyWaldron · 05/01/2022 17:48

I would happily call a baby Barbara or Joan, or maybe Sylvia, or Jeremy or Julian for a boy.