Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Do you think some dated names are more loved than other dated names?

105 replies

oldnorsesaga · 10/02/2024 18:28

Kind of weird theoretical question.
do you think, among general population, some people love some dated names more than others?
For example, Julia is dated, but people like it more than Sandra, because it is romantic and has some quality in sound which makes people like Julia over other dated names
or when people disliked Gladys more than Edith, so Gladys is still not revived, while some Victorian names are back, and some people like Enid as well.

what would be your dated names everyone loves, but you find dreadful? It can be revived name.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Suchardchoccy · 11/02/2024 17:48

@Maireas @KirstenBlest 🤣 Rose, Sybil and Ivy

NachosAndCheese · 11/02/2024 17:37

Nevaeh is a name that needs to quickly date and disappear. Forever.

It’s heaven backwards incase you didn’t know (everybody knows. We all fucking know).

Agnes and Agatha are such ugly names.

MissMuffetisin · 11/02/2024 17:28

My much loved Grandma was called Gladys . She hated it . I remember her saying ““how could they have looked in the cradle at a lovely little baby and thought
“ Gladys “

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 17:22

@TallandSkinny , @NachosAndCheese , you might not know any but I know several.

Helen is around in its other forms - Ellie, Helena, Elena, Eliana, Elin...

I like Doris.

NachosAndCheese · 11/02/2024 17:08

Maireas · 11/02/2024 16:53

Helen is an absolute classic, it hasn't dated at all imo

I work with children and have never met a Helen.

The Doris thread just made me think poor kid.

LolaSmiles · 11/02/2024 17:01

This is such an interesting thread because it does seem like some names come back when others don't.

I know a couple of Ronnies and Reggie's which are names I didn't think would come back.

There doesn't seem to be the same sound trends that have happened in recent years where popular names sound the same (eg. Aiden, Jaden, Kaden, Brayden / Isla, Eva, Ayla, Ava).

TallandSkinny · 11/02/2024 16:58

Maireas · 11/02/2024 16:53

Helen is an absolute classic, it hasn't dated at all imo

I have 4 kids aged from 20 to 11 and I worked in education for the past 25 years.
None of them has a Helen in their year groups. I have never taught a Helen.
That makes me think that it is absolutely out if favour.

Maireas · 11/02/2024 16:53

Helen is an absolute classic, it hasn't dated at all imo

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 16:38

In that Helen and Susan are both classic, but seem a bit dated,
Joanne and Julie were probably imported and were very popular for a relatively short time.

SparkyBlue · 11/02/2024 16:33

Previousreligion · 11/02/2024 07:59

I think it's curious that Maeve is super popular but Mavis is hated. Personally I hate both.

I prefer Gladys by far to Edith / Edie / Enid. The latter sound so ugly to me, but Gladys has "Glad" in it which makes me think of happiness. I quite like Doris too because I think of the beautiful Doris Day.

Agnes seems relatively liked but I hate the Ag sound in any name. I like Shirley but it doesn't get much love on here.

Maeve or Maebh is an old Irish name so a completely different name to Mavis so I think a lot is cultural as well

RichardsGear · 11/02/2024 16:32

Yes, I know they were very popular in the 60s. My point was more that adding an 'a' sound to the end makes those names sound much more middle class, for want of a better term. Helen/Helena fits the same pattern and I think Susan/Susannah stands.

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 16:28

@RichardsGear , I don't think Susan/Susannah compares with the other two sets. I'd say it compares with Helen/Helena.

Joanne, Julie and Susan were all very popular in the 1960s.

RichardsGear · 11/02/2024 16:23

I've pondered similar myself, but more about the class connotations (😬) - see Joanne/Joanna, Susan/Susannah, Julie/Julia.

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 16:17

@Caspianberg , names taken from other languages or cultures are usually names of adults in their original language. I realise that your list are international names.

Caspianberg · 11/02/2024 16:15

It’s also strange that they stay popular in other countries but not others.

Central Europe here, and my son’s kindergarten if full of little Julia’s, David’s, Simon and similar.

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 16:14

@ShoesoftheWorld , I'll leave those names for you to use. Susan is nice but I've met a few toxic Sues.

ShoesoftheWorld · 11/02/2024 16:09

Gladys, Phyllis, Beryl, Susan are absolutely overripe for revival IMO.

Maireas · 11/02/2024 16:01

There seems to be a lot of "ditsy" girls names at the moment. Lottie, Dottie, Maisie, Daisy, Poppy. I suspect they'll fall out of fashion soon.

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 16:01

Gwen, Edna and Baxter?

Maireas · 11/02/2024 15:58

Suchardchoccy · 11/02/2024 13:44

My 3 DDs all have names from Downton abbey 😅

Mrs Patmore, Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson?!
Excellent.

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 13:53

@PudgeControlsTheWeather , Mary has lots of different variations. When a name has different variations, one tends to get used over the others.
Mary, Marie, Maria, Marianne, Molly, Polly, Miriam, Mia etc.

shearwater2 · 11/02/2024 13:51

Meelo · 10/02/2024 19:59

Interesting. Some names are classic and still disliked, like Deborah for example. It's as classic as it gets but isn't used much anymore. Also Harold.

I've never felt disliked due to my name or thought it was a disliked name. Debbie Harry, Debbie Reynolds, Deborah Kerr etc, all good. It means "bee" and is ancient. It's not popular now, but I'm really glad of that.

KirstenBlest · 11/02/2024 13:45

@oldnorsesaga I'm sorry, but that name is firmly into 50 year old woman territory, irrelevant how classic it is. It IS dated.
You're not sorry Smile.
I know Julias older and younger than 50ish. There are hundreds of Julias being registered every year.

If I was about to meet someone called Julia, I'd have a vague idea that she might be in her mid to late 40s.

Suchardchoccy · 11/02/2024 13:44

My 3 DDs all have names from Downton abbey 😅

Yoyoban · 11/02/2024 13:38

PudgeControlsTheWeather · 10/02/2024 18:39

Yeah - I'm really interested in why so many granny names are back, but not Mary. I'm guessing it's the religious connotation - but then, why not Abigail, or Tabitha, or even Elizabeth?

That said: I'm not sorry that Mildred and Gertrude haven't had a comeback!

Mary has much stronger/ more widely known religious connotations than any of the other names you've mentioned.

I suspect that most people to whom they have religious connotations are themselves Christian (I'm assuming that's the religion they're associated with) - so it wouldn't be a negative. Whereas much like you don't have to be Muslim to know Mohammed you don't have to be Christian to know Mary. As such I wouldn't use Mary because to me it is a religious name, but I'd happily use any of the others (well, not Tabitha - to me that's a cat/witch's name)