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Baby names

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

Original poster

Girls names that won’t come back…..

807 replies

Rincoe · 22/04/2026 20:06

Barbara
Gertrude
Muriel
Mildred
Majorie
Eileen
Geraldine

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Specialneedsnightmare · 22/04/2026 22:05

TaraRhu · 22/04/2026 22:03

lol I literally heard someone call out Boudicea in the park a few weeks ago. I thought it was a dog ... it was a child!

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🤣 poor kid!

drspouse · 22/04/2026 22:05

Ultravox · 22/04/2026 21:24

Maureen
Doreen
Sharon
Tracey
Margaret
Mary
Enid

My DD is one of these - after a relative. There were only 83 born in England in her birth year, but it's not zero!

Redmou · 22/04/2026 22:05

Rincoe · 22/04/2026 21:53

Bernadette
Beverly
Cheryl
Una
Bianca

Edited

Bianca never went anywhere. There’s multiple Bianca’s at my children’s primary school

WaitingForMojo · 22/04/2026 22:04

ImpressionOf · 22/04/2026 21:54

My DC’s teenage friend is Mabel. Beautiful girl with long auburn hair.

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There are LOADS of little Mabels

RubyFatball · 22/04/2026 22:04

Probably been done by PPs but:
Beverley
Elaine
Lorraine
Sylvia
Pauline
Janice
Janet
Bertha
Patricia (nn Pat)
Keith
Alan
Kelvin
Jason
Donald
Geoffrey

(Edit: OP asked for girls I know, but those two last are never, ever going to happen again)

HectorPlasm · 22/04/2026 22:04

Flower names will never go away

WaitingForMojo · 22/04/2026 22:03

Marjorie is lovely!

Fanny
Candida

frecklejuice · 22/04/2026 22:03

NotTerfNorCis · 22/04/2026 21:52

Mabel.

A new baby in the family narrowly escaped that name.

I work in a nursery and we have two Mabel’s!

Calliopespa · 22/04/2026 22:03

Charmatt · 22/04/2026 22:02

Families of African origin often use such names. They are very popular in their culture.

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There seem to be loads of Honors which i dislike.

I do like Constance and Clemency.

TaraRhu · 22/04/2026 22:03

Specialneedsnightmare · 22/04/2026 20:39

Boadicea

lol I literally heard someone call out Boudicea in the park a few weeks ago. I thought it was a dog ... it was a child!

SuperGinger · 22/04/2026 22:02

I know an Enid, Agnes, Joan,Wendy, Louise, Carolyn

Calliopespa · 22/04/2026 22:02

TeflonMom · 22/04/2026 20:22

Gayle
Dawn
Pauline
Maureen
Doreen
Shiela
Sharon

Maureen and Doreen I agree. The others just need a bit longer.

I think Hilda and Gladys and Mavis.

Charmatt · 22/04/2026 22:02

Elsvieta · 22/04/2026 22:00

All those puritan names after Christian virtues: Patience, Charity, Chastity, Constance, Prudence, Mercy, Temperance etc. Although Hope and Faith might cling on. And Grace.

Families of African origin often use such names. They are very popular in their culture.

Kizmet1 · 22/04/2026 22:01

I think some of the -elle names are done for:
Michelle
Chantelle
Giselle
Etc.

Owninterpreter · 22/04/2026 22:01

I think Sharon, Tracey, Karen, Joan, Kimberly and Jade are not coming back in a big way but maybe variations when people want to honour grandparents.

Redmou · 22/04/2026 22:01

My little girl is a Jacqueline named after my own mother.
Who cares whether a name is “old” unless it’s old and ugly which quite a few old names are like Gertrude and Ingrid

Elsvieta · 22/04/2026 22:00

All those puritan names after Christian virtues: Patience, Charity, Chastity, Constance, Prudence, Mercy, Temperance etc. Although Hope and Faith might cling on. And Grace.

NotAtMyAge · 22/04/2026 22:00

NotTerfNorCis · 22/04/2026 21:52

Mabel.

A new baby in the family narrowly escaped that name.

I know a teenage Mabel - granddaughter of a college friend. I would honestly say almost any name could come back at some point. Names go in and out of fashion over longish timescales, but are constantly rediscovered. When I was young, back in the 50s and 60s, the idea of name your baby boy Noah would have been laughed at. John was the most popular boy's name for a long time and I had lots of friends called John. Not many babies called John at the moment.

Loriclimbs · 22/04/2026 22:00

Fanny.

I had three! Great aunts called Fanny

FarmGirl78 · 22/04/2026 21:58

Fanny.

LuckyBitches · 22/04/2026 21:58

Edna

Htcunya · 22/04/2026 21:58

Tel12 · 22/04/2026 21:53

Give it time, they'll all be back. We just won't be here to see it.

Exactly. Most of the names listed will come back in a generation or two.

There’s a five-year-old Mabel in my street.

Nugg · 22/04/2026 21:58

Tracey

Shessweetbutapsycho · 22/04/2026 21:57

letmebetheone · 22/04/2026 20:17

Doris
Joan
Sheila
Agnes
Bernice

I know a few little Agnes’s

TheeNotoriousPIG · 22/04/2026 21:56

I have to say that I have been astonished when meeting young children and teens called Yvonne, Derek and Alun... and I overheard my aged 90+ GM's name once. Mind you, I remember the look of horror that I got from an old lady for answering to Florence (DM's pet name for me, nobody knows why, as it's nothing like my actual name, but I suspect it came from The Magic Roundabout), so I'm pleased that one came around again!

Agnes might gain more popularity as it's used in more films/TV (e.g. The Testaments). While I think it's fairly safe to assume that Dick and Fanny won't be back soon, I can't imagine a little Charity, Prudence or Patience. I'm not sure about the names that end with hard consonants, like Enid or Sharon, either. Tracy, Lorraine and Maureen will probably have to skip a few generations before they become fashionable again! I quite like Mary, though 😊