Names so old it’s cute again

Yes you are spot on.

Monette is beautiful

I really like names that end in ette. They always sound charming and elegant to me.

I just base my taste on how I’d feel having the name myself. I’d be happy being called Deborah or Debbie. I would really detest being called Marjorie. I don’t have daughters (only sons) so never went through the girl name choosing. I’ve no idea what I would have finally chosen but I would have spent a lot of time agonising over the final decision (because I don’t like my own name).

I agree stick with Monette it is a beautiful name . Very unusual

Joan, an epic name !
Ah now, @littlebilliieyou’re having me on.

It's clearly a matter of personal taste.
Personally, I find Gwendoline, Daphne and Marjorie far more attractive sounding than Deborah, which sounds harsh and frumy to my ears. I think Gwendoline sounds beautiful.

I know Elsie and Mabel are popular now, thank you. I think they’re both frightful. There are plenty of classic names that have never been out of fashion without using old-lady names.

For girls, I have soft spots for Camilla, Clarissa, Elizabeth, Eloise, Eve, Felicity, Florence, Hannah, Honor, Joy, Leonora, Mary, Miriam and even Virginia (though I'm not sure a daughter would thank me for the latter). I also like the Welsh form of Mary (Mair), but I haven't heard of one of those in person yet.

For boys... well, I only like a few names, anyway! Aubrey, Edmund, Henry and Victor. John is a good solid name, too.

While teaching, I came across Rosa, Kitty, Kathryn, Vincent and Peter. I was not as much of a fan of Derek, though it always raised a smile when he got called out for certificates in assembly. One expected a 50-year-old to rise from the audience, not 5-year-old Derek!

I came across a baby Caroline, which surprised me, and a friend has a young Hector. It made him sound like he popped out in a flat cap and a pair of tweed plus-fours, but he's lovely!

I mean it’s because it takes a certain number of generations for names to stop being associated with a past generation.

So today’s 20-35 year olds (majority of new mums) didn’t know the Edith’s, Ivy’s, Ada’s, Mabel’s etc because that was our great grandparents names. Few will have any memories of that generation.

The names that came after are our grandmothers names and so they seem old - Shirley, Barbara, Betty, Ruth, Irene. And our mothers names seem mumsy - Tracey, Deborah, Sandra, Karen, Stacey, Anne.

But in the coming generations they’ll likely come back too to be followed again by the Rebecca’s, Hannah’s, Sophie’s, Bethany, Jess’s of the 90s.

My baby granddaughter has Alma for her middle, named after my mother. I’ve now heard of a couple of other babies with that name which surprised me as I thought it rather old fashioned.

More 60s/70s to get ahead of fashion with - Shirley, Janet and Gillian. A personal favourite of mine is Claire.

Kitty
araminta
celeste
joan
constance

epic names

Grandmas were Winifred (never Winnie - she hated it but liked to sign off as "Wyn") and Mabel. DM and DMIL were Joan/Margaret.
Both myself and my sister have names maligned due to public health messaging/social media.
We would have gone for Esme if we hadn't had boys. Grandpas were Alfred and Basil.
I think Florence and Elise are Frenchish?

In the 70s it was endless Julie and Susan. Plus Elaine, Elizabeth shortened to Liz, Christine, Ann, Patricia, Helen, Annemarie, Angela, Cathy, Joan, Mary, Barbara, etc.

There were four Julies in my class of 23.

Elsie is definitely a little girl's name now, in the top 10. And Mabel very popular.

Dorothy of your mum names is on the rise too.

I know Julie and Sharon are too dated to use now (and not old enough) but I think they're both beautiful. Not a fan of Debbie/Deborah or Tracy though. I think all of those names in your first bit will take a while to come back.

When I was at school in the 60s, it was all Debbie, Jackie, Tracy, Sharon and Julie.

Grandmas were called Elsie, Mavis, Madge, Mabel, Doris, Deirdre and Ida.

Mums were Maureen, Kathleen, Noreen, Sheila, Dorothy, Shirley and Joyce.

Don't miss any of those.

Don't we use the names from our grandparents generation? There are loads of Ada's, Edith's and Mabel's around. I'm waiting for the names from the 1940s to come around - Sandra, Pamela, Linda, Carole. Or Nigel, Kenneth and Gerald. These are the names that my children will use! (and I'll have to just nod and say, yes dear, like they did when I suggested Albert or Edith).

I wanted to call my last dd Deborah or Julia - both lovely names I think. (her name is on this thread).

Well lots- look at names that were popular 100+ years ago. Probably some of the more ‘up and coming’ I think:

dorothy
esther
stella
daphne
june
enid
edith
nora
winnie
betty
josephine
ida
pearl
audrey
agnes
sylvie/a
bridget

Aurelie
Bonnie
Constance/Connie
Clementine

Aurelie
Bonnie
Constance/Connie
Clementine

Patricia is a bit like Barbara, very much an older woman’s name (but not in the frumpy category). So I was quite surprised at the Lampards and the coren-Mitchells choices).

To me it’s the sort of name that might be ok if you lived in a very large house with grounds (as opposed to a garden). I put that in the posh pile 😁

I think Ophelie would be pronounced awfully, or offal-y. Not good.

They all seem much nicer than some of the girls names on here (Ethel, Hilda etc 😩). Though Ronnie reminds me too much of gangsters and Alf seems a bit too great grandpa with pigeons (though Alfie is fine).

Not the Dean and Darrens though. Are they more 80s names?