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Baby names

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Original poster

Too old fashioned?

107 replies

fluffysprout · 20/04/2025 17:20

Happy Easter everyone!

Me and DH are expecting a daughter in July, and today we were asked by SIL if we had a shortlist. Silly us, as we did tell her. We got told our names are “old fashioned” and setting our daughter up to be bullied. Me and DH are both genealogists by profession, so our names do come from our family trees, anywhere from 2-5 generations ago. I can’t see her point and I think she’s being a bit dramatic so any opinions would be appreciated, a fresh set of eyes would be useful.

Here is our shortlist.

Mary,
Josephine,
Christina,
Rosina,
Elizabeth,
Alexandra,
Alice.

Mary and Josephine are our top two but we’re still fond of the others.

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Marcipix · 21/04/2025 01:25

I’m not keen on Christina to be honest.
But your list is very classic and except for Rosina, unremarkable.
Rosina is very pretty.

Mistyglade · 21/04/2025 01:21

They’re all beautiful, best list of girls name’s I’ve seen on here.

ilovemyfriends · 21/04/2025 01:11

You cannot go wrong with Elizabeth and Mary …both names are timeless. Congratulations.

Pemba · 21/04/2025 01:05

I really like Christina actually, very pretty name, and just because it had a surge in popularity in the 1980s,doesn't stop it from being classic.

Queen Christina (of Sweden I think) was very famous and there was a classic film about her. Christina Rossetti the poet. Etc

username462025 · 21/04/2025 00:49

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

mathanxiety · 20/04/2025 23:39

Names are a little different in Ireland but your SIL is still wrong. And she's wrong about the cause of bullying as well as the likelihood.

Christina is still the only one I'd drop from the list.

BlondeMummyto1 · 20/04/2025 23:22

Very dated and ugly names imo.

DramaAlpaca · 20/04/2025 23:21

I love classic names and your list is right up my street.

I don't see Rosina as being classic exactly, but it's pretty and would grow on me.

mathanxiety · 20/04/2025 23:20

And you need to tell your SIL that children don't get bullied because of any trait or detail pertaining to themselves.

Children are bullied because bullies are miserable or insecure or have never been trained to be kind.

You cannot bully proof a child.

mathanxiety · 20/04/2025 23:16

All of those names are popular and/ or completely normal right now. Your SIL is completely out of touch. Possible exception - Christina.

uncomfortablydumb60 · 20/04/2025 23:08

Alice was my girls name but I had sons so that is my favourite
The only one I don’t like is Christina

Mudkipper · 20/04/2025 23:00

Love Rosina and Alexandra. Less keen on Mary and Josephine. They

Original poster
fluffysprout · 20/04/2025 22:55

As you’ve all deduced me and SIL have two different styles. Without naming her son, her style would be names like Atlas, Rowan and Mason. As for Mary being a Catholic name, we’re both from Catholic families living in Ireland so we’re all good there! I’m glad to know I wasn’t going insane as to my shortlist being normal. I just couldn’t see her point at all, particularly about being bullied over a name.

OP posts:
Cynic17 · 20/04/2025 22:40

They are all lovely, classic names. Of course she won't be bullied.

AmiablePedant · 20/04/2025 22:38

fluffysprout · 20/04/2025 17:20

Happy Easter everyone!

Me and DH are expecting a daughter in July, and today we were asked by SIL if we had a shortlist. Silly us, as we did tell her. We got told our names are “old fashioned” and setting our daughter up to be bullied. Me and DH are both genealogists by profession, so our names do come from our family trees, anywhere from 2-5 generations ago. I can’t see her point and I think she’s being a bit dramatic so any opinions would be appreciated, a fresh set of eyes would be useful.

Here is our shortlist.

Mary,
Josephine,
Christina,
Rosina,
Elizabeth,
Alexandra,
Alice.

Mary and Josephine are our top two but we’re still fond of the others.

A child would be bullied for being called Alice or Mary or Elizabeth? What kind of world does your SIL live in? (We had a Josephine as an outlier name in my year when I was 15 back in the Pleistocene but nobody batted an eyelid!)
And these aren't old fashioned names; they are simply names that have been around for ever. Growl.

AvonCallingBarksdale · 20/04/2025 22:34

Your SiL is odd 😂. I have an Alice and can confirm no name bullying has ever occurred. They’re all lovely names and quite popular around here. If you’re somewhere where most names are Lily-Mae, Darcey-Mae, Madison-Mae etc then people may see your list as missing a hyphen… 🤷‍♀️

RuthW · 20/04/2025 22:28

All lovely names and certainly not old fashioned. Tell your sil she’s behind the times.

Josephine is my fav but I love all of them except Alexandra.

DelphiniumBlue · 20/04/2025 22:26

I work in a primary school and have taught children with all of these names in the last 5 years except Mary and Rosina. I have taught 2 Marias and several Rosas. None of them have been teased for having old-fashioned names. In fact I've never heard a child being teased by peers because of their name. We live in a multicultural society and there is a huge variety of names being used. The children really don't care what their classmates are called.
Call your baby whatever you like.

TryForSpring · 20/04/2025 22:26

DisplayPurposesOnly · 20/04/2025 17:24

All lovely names and as a strictly amateur family historian I would definitely be mining my family tree if I were naming children!

Only slight hesitation is Christina as that feels a bit 70s/80s to me. Not vintage enough 😄

Wish I was a genealogist by profession!

I love Christina. Seems quite timeless to me.

Firsttimebabymummy · 20/04/2025 22:22

Mary,
Josephine,
Christina,
Rosina,
Elizabeth,
Alexandra,
Alice.

What a lovely list! I have a 1year old Alexandra and just love the name (obviously!)

Josephine and Elizabeth were both also on the list and if we have another daughter it would be between those 2 names I think!

Mary Josephine is a gorgeous name.

EducatingArti · 20/04/2025 22:20

I know a little Elizabeth and a little Alexandra. Their sister's middle name is Alice.

I think these are all perfectly lovely names and you should use whichever you want. Josephine makes me think of Little Women!

Whoarethoseguys · 20/04/2025 22:14

She won't be bullied for having any of those names. They are all nice names.
I don't think children tend to be bullied for tenor name now anyway especially in a city where every school has a huge variety of names.
But also hasn't your sister in law realised that older names are very popular now.

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 20/04/2025 22:09

They are mostly popular so ignore her

Rosina is a bit random, Rosanna is much nicer I think, but other than that I like them. Although Christina will likely be Chris so depends how you feel about that

YourWinter · 20/04/2025 21:51

I don’t like Rosina (it was a great-grandmother’s name, i never knew her), but the other names are all really lovely.

SareBear87 · 20/04/2025 21:49

Ignore SIL! Our DD has an “old fashioned” name. Whenever we tell people it they usually say “oh I had a lovely great aunt/great gran/elderly female relative with that name!” Or “I haven’t heard that name in a long while!”
We wanted something traditional but uncommon.