Names like Mark, Richard, Peter, John etc

Emma has never gone away. It's still near the top 50 and is often posted about on here as a name people are considering. It's completely timeless.

Sarah is also not unheard of still, it's not far off the top 100 and I know the odd young one. I think it will return big time in 20 years or so when our own kids look to honour us or their grandmothers as so many women 30-60 are Sarah.

Claire and Michelle will probably come back around the same time, along with Rachel and Rebecca.

Wendy will return sooner I think as it's more vintage. Most Wendys are 60+ already so it's due a new cycle soon.

Karen has been forever tainted by the meme and will probably never return on a big scale as a result. Shame

There are a few John’s at my DCs school- year 7&8 so I don’t think it’s entirely died out. I think it was just SO popular for SO long because of its strong Christian associations that people just got bored of it.

Some of those are already back - especially John and Peter. I know some little ones called these.

Peter has never fully gone away. I know a few teens called Peter and a 6 year old. Peter Rabbit is very popular again so I think this could actually return to the top 100 again soon. Peter doesn't feel anywhere near as dated as the rest.

John, Paul, Mark and Richard are all very classic too so I'm sure they'll make a big return in the next 20 years or so. When our own children wish to honour their grandparents I imagine. I actually know 3 Richards of Primary age but they're all Eastern European. It seems to be very popular still in that part of the world.

Names of a similar style which I can see returning big time one day are Steven, Robert, Christopher, Matthew Andrew, David (another which is still very popular on the continent - I know lots of young Davids from Eastern Europe).

Gary, Nigel and Grant on the other hand are far less classic and therefore less likely to return big style (was Grant ever that popular to begin with?). They definitely belong in the past imo!

I would put Ian, Lee, Jason, Dean, Darren etc in the same category as Gary and Grant. Don't feel classic enough to return big time but could filter back a bit when those relatives are old enough to be honoured.

Nigel is more fuddy duddy. Similar to Brian, Barry, Norman, Colin etc. I hope these names never come back!

Babies called Emma, Claire and Sarah I know of. I see Emma and Claire being considered on here quite frequently also the ‘sister’ names of Sara/ Zara and Clara so I think moves are being made in that direction.

Do we have Claire, Sarah, Michelle, Wendy, Emma, Karen coming back yet? - they’re the same vintage. Bit early I think still.

Definitely Peter and John (love Jonathan too) - they sound great and are so underused!

I also think that these sound good -

Christopher
Timothy
Nicholas
Matthew
David
Adam

I think John for sure should make a comeback (and Jonathan). I’m at the wrong age to be much into the others. These were names of my male peers and so many of them! There seemed to be less variation in the boys names in the 70’s and 80’s than nowadays.

i also think of the ‘Guess Who’ characters. Obviously the version from about 1978 😂