Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

Slightly 1970s, slightly upper crust suggestions

169 replies

rosiechristmas · 13/06/2024 11:03

Hello

I am due in October, we don't know what we're having. We have a 4 year old Penelope and what I like about Penelope is the sort of 1970s Penelope Keith, Penelope Pitstop, Thelwell's Penelope, Penelope Mortimer vibe. (not the Kardashian connection which I was completely oblivious to until the midwife let me know at delivery!!)

I'm looking for a fairly classic name that has just a hint of upper crust, but not a Fenella or Araminta that would sound incongruous in most settings.

I like grown up names with cute nicknames.

Below are my current lists - a couple of these I can't get past DH so they are on the list more to show the style we are after.

We are planning not to name the babe until they are here and see what fits so looking for some more suggestions to add to the field from you clever ladies please!!!

On my list for girls is:

Susanna nn Suzie, Annie
Caroline nn Carrie
Jemima nn Mima
Josephine nn Josie

Boys:

Robin nn Bobby
Frances nn Fran
Jesse nn Jess (a bit of a wildcard this one I guess)

Thanks so much!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
RJnomore1 · 13/06/2024 14:27

Basil or crispin for a boy.

Mandarinaduck · 13/06/2024 14:24

Sebastian

Mandarinaduck · 13/06/2024 14:24

Venetia
Nadia
Helen or Helena

Hugh
Barnaby
Roland
Nicholas

greenstem9 · 13/06/2024 14:22

Judy
Jacqueline
Deborah
Jennifer
Kimberly
Angela
Stephanie
Patricia
Kathleen
Tonya
Melissa

MotherOfCatBoy · 13/06/2024 14:19

HRFT but I see Felicity has cropped up a lot - I think Penelope and Felicity together would be perfect! (Only those of us who know telly of that era would put two and two together). Both absolutely lovely names.

You could try Paul or Richard for boys obviously 😁

tolerable · 13/06/2024 14:16

christina(flambards)
georgina(famous5)
crystal(dallas)
farrah
faith

pootle (flumps...ok rule that out)

tristan

Crikeyalmighty · 13/06/2024 14:15

Boys
Sebastian (d'en)
Matthew (Matt)
Jonathan. ( Jonny)
William (will)
Tobias (Toby)
Alexander (Alex)
Edward (Teddy)
Dominic (Dom)
Francis (Frank)
Jeremiah (Jed)
Thomas (Tom)

BasiliskStare · 13/06/2024 14:14

My ultimate 1970s sitcom name will always be Barbara

Love this I think David Mitchell and Victoria Coren Mitchell called their first daughter Barbara and their second June

WinkyTinky · 13/06/2024 14:13

I love this! A 70s name baby would be really cool. I can't say what my favourite is, because it's my name 😅The only other people with my name are 40 or over, apart from my ex-colleague's daughter who he named after me!!! She will be about 14 or 15 now and I reckon she has the coolest name amongst her friends. Bring the 70s names back! Good for you OP 😁

Bignanna · 13/06/2024 14:12

Heard a very posh name on the radio today-Anunciata- Jacob Rees Mobb’s sister.

DownWithThisKindOfThing · 13/06/2024 14:10

Dorothy

ilovepixie · 13/06/2024 14:09

Philippa
Hilary
Caroline
Cressida
Camilla

miniaturepixieonacid · 13/06/2024 14:07

Apologies for not reading the full thread (80 replies in 3 hours is impressive!) but just had to say how much I LOVE your list. I wouldn't pick Caroline or Francis personally but I think all the others are fabulous and go brilliantly with Penelope. My favourites are Jemima and Jessie with Robin a very close second.

1970s slightly upper crust makes me think:
Annabelle, Alexandra, Belinda, Bryony, Cassandra, Clarissa, Calliope, Calista, Charlotte, Dominique, Eloise, Emmeline, Felicity, Francesca, Georgina, Gabriella, Henrietta, Harmony, Juliette, Joanna, Jacqueline, Jocelyn, Katherine, Liandra, Larissa, Miranda, Millicent, Melisande, Melissa, Natalie, Natasha, Philippa, Phoebe, Rosalie, Rosemary, Rosanna, Rowena, Selena, Saskia, Sylvia, Tamara, Vanessa, Veronica, Victoria, Virginia

Boys much harder - I suspect most of them were the solid, traditional boys names you still get. I think you've nailed it with the ones you have already but maybe:
Alistair, Benedict, Christian, Elliot, Edmund, Fergus, Finnian, Hugo, Hugh, Jasper, Jonathan, Justin, Jude, Jeremy, Mungo, Monty, Nicholas, Patrick, Quentin, Solomon, Silas, Timothy, Vincent, Victor, William

chouxfleur · 13/06/2024 14:06

Christina
Genevieve
Bonnie
Perdita
Teresa
Miranda

Sebastian
Miles
Guy
Nico
Kristen
Kester

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 13/06/2024 13:46

I am slightly 70s and moved in slightly upper crust circles. I'd suggest:

Arabella
Alice
Josephine
Xanthe
Felicity
Victoria
Camilla

Alistair
Benedict
Alexander
Francis (Frank)
John
Anthony
Barnaby

crazycatladie · 13/06/2024 13:46

Margo
Jerry

BasiliskStare · 13/06/2024 13:44

If you want adult names from the 70s and slightly upper crust - how about going down the Mitford sisters

Nancy
Pamela
Diana
Unity ( perhaps not so much 😊)
Jessica ( Decca )
Deborah ( Debo )

ChillinwiththeVillains · 13/06/2024 13:43

Talitha nn Tally

WhatThenEh · 13/06/2024 13:39

This reply has been deleted

This post has been withdrawn at the request of the user.

bloodyeffinnora · 13/06/2024 13:36

Cassandra - Cass, Cassie
Clementine - Clem, Clemmie
Samantha- Sam, Sammy
Alexandra - Lexi, Alex
Katherine - Kate, Katie

Alexander - Alex, Xander
Michael - Mikey
Jonathan- Jon, Jonny
Sebastian- Seb
Nathaniel - Nate, Nat, Nathan

Scissorsisters · 13/06/2024 13:30

Penelope is associated with the 1970s when these women came to prominence in public life, so look at baby names from the late 1950s/ 1960s.

Victoria
Elizabeth
Anne
Helen
Catherine
Abigail
Adrienne
Alexandra
Alison
Claire
Amanda
Antonia
Elspeth
Joanna
Francesca
Heidi

Cookerhood · 13/06/2024 13:21

In my 1970s class (born in the 60s),we had,:
Girls:
Fiona, Catherine, Amanda, Sarah,Rachel, Helen(a), Beverley, Belinda were the most common
Boys:
Peter, Paul, David, Michael, Edward, Simon, Richard, Andrew

IamaRevenant · 13/06/2024 13:16

rosiechristmas · 13/06/2024 11:03

Hello

I am due in October, we don't know what we're having. We have a 4 year old Penelope and what I like about Penelope is the sort of 1970s Penelope Keith, Penelope Pitstop, Thelwell's Penelope, Penelope Mortimer vibe. (not the Kardashian connection which I was completely oblivious to until the midwife let me know at delivery!!)

I'm looking for a fairly classic name that has just a hint of upper crust, but not a Fenella or Araminta that would sound incongruous in most settings.

I like grown up names with cute nicknames.

Below are my current lists - a couple of these I can't get past DH so they are on the list more to show the style we are after.

We are planning not to name the babe until they are here and see what fits so looking for some more suggestions to add to the field from you clever ladies please!!!

On my list for girls is:

Susanna nn Suzie, Annie
Caroline nn Carrie
Jemima nn Mima
Josephine nn Josie

Boys:

Robin nn Bobby
Frances nn Fran
Jesse nn Jess (a bit of a wildcard this one I guess)

Thanks so much!

I love Jesse¡

How about Jocelyn?

Pemba · 13/06/2024 13:16

Just to add, you can't go wrong with Susanna, gorgeous name and relatively unusual, with so many possible short forms, from Sukie, Susie, to Anna, Zanna, Annie etc.

londonmummy1966 · 13/06/2024 13:13

If you have Penelope for Penelope Keith then a girl should be Felicity - I like Fizz or Fizzy as a nickname. So a boy should be Richard or Paul

Swipe left for the next trending thread