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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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Allseeingallknowing · 22/04/2026 21:48

OneFineDay22 · 22/04/2026 21:35

I know a young girl Eileen! I think names have fashions. In 50 years, all the Amelia’s and Olivia’s and all that will be grandma names and people will want something that sounds different.

Eileen - open to teasing, with “come on Eileen!”

Mumofgirls2017 · 22/04/2026 21:47

Imo

gertrude
bertha
fanny
karen
maureen
veronica
prudence
gail
blanche
muriel
moira
lesley
sharon

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 22/04/2026 21:47

Boadicea

pinkpony88 · 22/04/2026 21:47

Fgfgfg · 22/04/2026 20:26

GGM sister was called Tryphena

My great auntie had this as a middle name but used it as her first name. I’ve always loved it.

grrrlatrix · 22/04/2026 21:47

Hard disagree. These are all cute.

Pyjamatimenow · 22/04/2026 21:47

Patricia
Hyacinth
Priscilla

CheddarCheeseAndCrispSandwich · 22/04/2026 21:47

Heyhelga · 22/04/2026 20:18

Peggy

I can see Barbara making a comeback though.

I have a Peggy! 🥰

tooloololoo · 22/04/2026 21:46

I know a 3 year old Peggy

Notforthefirstorlasttime · 22/04/2026 21:46

stacey
tracie
lacey
kayleigh
susan

853ax · 22/04/2026 21:45

I bumped into someone I knew recently Caroline. My children thought it was such an unusual name, never heard it before and thought it was really cool.
From that can see how the names cycle goes around

ThatshallotBaby · 22/04/2026 21:43

Anita, Dawn and Donna I can see coming back, also Karen. Also maybe Andrew, Paul, Richard and Stephen

Left · 22/04/2026 21:42

Birdie
Bessie
Melvina
Minerva
Delmar

Actually these all seem Agnes adjacent so maybe they could come back 🤷

ThatshallotBaby · 22/04/2026 21:42

Gaynor, Hayley, Tina, Beverley, Nigel, Neil, Ian, Graham, Deanna, Derek, Leslie/ey, Lindsay, Michelle, Darren, Paula,

PfizerFan · 22/04/2026 21:41

I reckon Karen will be "reclaimed" at some point

ParkingNightmares · 22/04/2026 21:41

Yvonne Pauline Karen Elaine Julie Mavis Hilda Jane

LBFseBrom · 22/04/2026 21:40

I like Barbara and Geraldine isn't bad.
Ethel will not return, I think.

Carla786 · 22/04/2026 21:40

AgnesMcDoo · 22/04/2026 20:31

Senga
Linda
Sharon
Terri
Sonya
Sheila
Tracy

Edited

Sonya, why? Seems lovely to me & it's still popular in Slavic communities.

HectorPlasm · 22/04/2026 21:39

Think I've mentioned this before- my great aunt was called Nova Scotia because she was born on the SS Nova Scotia in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

ibeka · 22/04/2026 21:39

As a teacher I have come across over half of these names 😅

My vote is Jacqueline

Carla786 · 22/04/2026 21:38

Leavelingeringbreath · 22/04/2026 21:36

Plenty of names listed here I can absolutely see making a comeback as they aren't fundamentally ugly sounding names eg:

Hilda
Julia
Sybil
Dulcie
Agnes

I think the ones that won't come back were the ones that got quite a 'common' association and aren't going to be seen as 'classy' now.

Other than that names go in cycles I would never have thought in my teenage years that my peers would have been wild keen on names like Ava, Margot, Beatrice, Alfie, Hugh and Wilfred!

Yet absolutely these names regained popularity. Who knows what future generations will think!

Have names in the past recovered from being seen as common, though? It's probably sometimes possible.

Apparently the Queen vetoed the name Annabel for Beatrice as she saw it as 'yuppie'. Was this just her, or common in the 80s? It seems a lovely name to me.

ibeka · 22/04/2026 21:37

Suchardchoccy · 22/04/2026 20:37

I have a Sybil

It was on my list 😊

HectorPlasm · 22/04/2026 21:37

Mildred might come back but it would be badged as Millie

OvertiredAndEmotional · 22/04/2026 21:36

Allseeingallknowing · 22/04/2026 21:13

Ernaburga? Who would saddle a girl with a name like that!

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My friend’s sister is Walburga, which is just as bad.

I found a Dulcibella in my family tree. That will be my next cat.

Leavelingeringbreath · 22/04/2026 21:36

Plenty of names listed here I can absolutely see making a comeback as they aren't fundamentally ugly sounding names eg:

Hilda
Julia
Sybil
Dulcie
Agnes

I think the ones that won't come back were the ones that got quite a 'common' association and aren't going to be seen as 'classy' now.

Other than that names go in cycles I would never have thought in my teenage years that my peers would have been wild keen on names like Ava, Margot, Beatrice, Alfie, Hugh and Wilfred!

Yet absolutely these names regained popularity. Who knows what future generations will think!

Carla786 · 22/04/2026 21:36

pollyhemlock · 22/04/2026 21:35

Mavis. This was my Mum’s name ( born 1923) . Even she didn’t like it.

I like Mavis! It's a shame she had a name she didn't like, though.