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

I'm not sure it matters terribly but I do think Shirley, Tracey and Susan are very pretty names long overdue a comeback. I'm in my 60s and almost all my friends had an auntie Pat or auntie Joan. I can see Joan coming back, possibly instead of Jane. I can't see Joyce, Pat or Brenda coming back.

When I was at school there were lots of Helens, Janes, Susans, Deborahs, and every class had a Fiona, Alison, Julia, Heather, Claire, Cheryl and Lynne. Boys were: Philip, Mark, Simon, John, Anthony, Julian, Jeremy with an occasional Martin, David, Brian, Tim, etc.

What goes round comes around.

Name trends fascinate me.

Why is Alfie used but not Cyril - similar eras.

Also why was the a ending so popular when i was young. Gemma, tina, emma, sarah, julia, lisa, amanda but when my boys were young it was all ie/y - tilly, milly, mollie, gracie, holly, ruby, lily, evie.

Its seems to have headed back to A again.

Obviously some cross over.

... it happens that the whole population changes the names they like in waves.
It's not the whole population, it's the generation that's having babies.

People think they are choosing names they love but really they are subject to cultural influences that they seem quite unaware of.
You hear names being used and they sound fresh and stylish, so they become more acceptable.

I think that if a celebrity with an underused name, there will be a strong association to that celebrity.

Any coincidence that Margot is currently so popular, and that Amelie became popular when the eponymous film was released?

A quite different name appears and it seems fresh. A name becomes popular, so you pick a similar one (Evie, Eva, Ava, Ivy, or Emily, Amelie, Amelia). The names start to sound samey.

I often read 'It's popular for a reason' on here. It's popular because it's fashionable.

Julia is dated, but people like it more than Sandra
Julia isn't particularly dated and is a classic (Shakespeare) . The diminutive Julie was trendy in the 1960s (Julie Christie, Julie Andrews), then lost popularity.

Alexandra is a classic (Royal name), but Sandra is a diminutive. Alex replaced it as a diminutive.

Gladys was a form of Gwladys, an old Welsh name. It was fashionable around the end of the 19th century. The -ys ending was fashionable

Edith was a royal name.

Enid, old Welsh name from the Mabinogi and King Arthur. The Welsh name isn't pronounced Ee-nid.

Then what is it about Alison that is old fashioned, but Alice less so? Louise firmly 1970s, but Eloise or Louisa more current? Helen a 60s name, but Eleanor perennial? Edna absolutely horrible, but Edina rather lovely?

Alison is a French diminutive of Alice.
Louise is a classic but was massively overused as a middle name in the 1970s.
Eloise is French.

Edna isn't horrible IMO, and I think Edina is pronounced differently in different languages. I think originally it was ED-inna, not Ed-EEN-a

I really like Thora. I don’t see how it’s too out there as it’s similar to Flora and other similar sounding name.

There's an element of people choosing their grandparents' names as well, I think.

I adore Gladys, I think it sounds both chic and happy, and makes me think of gladioli.

I know a Thora! She really suits it

Poor Hazel.
I think it's a pretty name. I teach a lovely yr10 girl called Hazel. Ponytail, no perm.

I too find this fascinating. Also the way that two names that sound very similar phonetically can have completely different vibes as names, while two very different sounding names can have the same 'feel'. I think that the way a name sounds plays quite a small part in people's perception of it, and it is almost entirely about the cultural associations that a name carries.

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.

I've met a Lettice, she was rather old and this was in the 1980s.

It can be pronounced like the leaf but also like let-eesh like Leticia without the a.

In my family tree there is a 'Squire'.

I think it is when a name becomes popular over a short period of time. If you grow up with 5 people with the same name in one class you are going to go for something different for your own children.

In the 1970s it was virtually law for each family to have a Simon or a David and a girl with Louise as a middle name.

I blame Rodger Moore for the sudden popularity of Simon due to the TV series 'the saint'.

Neils were almost all born shortly after the moon landings.

@VeggiJ it is a real name :)

Lettice? Dunno if this is a joke, I'm stupid and it is a real name or the best vegan name ever lol

Is Julia dated? I think it’s a name that’s been used throughout history, whereas names like Tracey and Leanne are dated because they’re more attached to a specific decade, so if you met a Leanne you could guess they were probably born in the 70’s/80’s or a Tracey would most likely be 60’s.

I can’t stand Cora, Hazel or Maud. Which just autocorrected to Maudlin.
Noah and Jonah are pretty depressing.

I do like Lettice, Jane, Elijah and Samson.

I actually love most of the old names. I find once you meet someone with one who isn't elderly you quite quickly fall in love with it. It becomes cute, classic and interesting all at once. Names like.... Beatrice, Miriam, Betty, Mary. I will however, never love Maud. It's sound so drab and ugly.

Someone posted the name Doris recently and there quite a few negative comments. But that’s no worse or better than Grace, Lily etc.

Names such as Harry, and George were once considered really old fashioned.

TV programmes can definitely influence names, and Downton Abbey made Sybil and Cora more acceptable.

It’s also associations with people I think. Julia Robert’s is beautiful and a widely known woman, even if just in the back of your mind. So the connotation is positive.

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.

@TallandSkinny

I think it’s partly just cycles but it’s also what’s going on for that generation. Post war/mid century I think we had a lot of faith in the future so a batch of snappy shortish practical sounding names, some without much history, were appealing.

Now I think we’re pretty terrified of the future so cottage core type names are appealing (you can see the Victoriana is now extending into 30s type names and I’m sure Jane, Peter, Janet and John won’t be long - Joan and Jean are already around). I think the fashion for nature names is the same - it’s comfort.

I think Julia and Sandra are quite different names

Julia has a long literary tradition, Sandra is a pet form of Alexandra (a classic like Julia) but in itself became faddy/fashionable in the mid 20th century like say Denise and Dawn and Tracy, so fell into a group of names that were fairly quickly seen as low end. That’ll change I am sure but needs more time.

It’s true not all names get revived though - I’m always surprised Thora hasn’t been. Gladys I can see sounds quite harsh. Mary I think it’s because of the very strong religious associations.

Sandra has been used in U.K. since 13th century, as a name and a female name for Alexander

I think Edith, Margot and Maggie are awful and cannot understand the appeal.

And Hazel, to me it’s a frumpy person with a bad perm.