Baby names that might date badly over time

I think there is a difference between going out of fashion (which is what happens to traditional, classic names like Edith or John that eventually come back round) and dating, which I think is more something that happens to names tied exclusively to an era, ie; that are completely new when trendy, rather than just revived.

So for me names like Brenda, Belinda, Rhonda. Current names that have not really been used in English until recently would include things like Jaxon, Sienna, Mia.

Dorcas is absolutely awful...

I’m not sure about dating badly but I was at the park recently and there were little kids called Ozzy, Goldie & Wilder. They all feel very now to me. Definitely not classic and a bit celeb inspired. Not bad names in my view just feel a bit on the trendy side.

It's Hephzibah. I like it (Silas Marner). I too know a Dorcas.

I like Hepzibah, but never was brave enough to use it on a child.

I actually know a Dorcas.

Suzanne is a 1970 name, Susan will come back but after Susanna(h)
Chloe has been replaced by Clara and Cleo. @merryhouse

I really like Dorcas.

I think it will be surname type names such as:
Hudson
Cooper
Jackson
Harper
Piper
Riley.
Plus all the ie names such as:
Alfie
Archie
Freddie
Millie
Ellie
etc.

New Testament? you mean like Dorcas?

Drusilla? Tryphena?

More seriously, the thread has had a whole load of people asserting that Chloe is dated.

Phoebe, Martha, Rhoda have all been considered old-fashioned; Susanna gave way to Susan and Suzanne (which themselves are fading); Joanna is pretty uncommon now

Haha yes - awful names.

Some names don't date badly. Some names don't say 'aged between 45 and 55'or something. Something that will date will be one that became popular quickly then pretty much falls from use. Shannon was no. 11 in 1996 Baby name explorer.

Isabella hasn't been in the top 5 at all, and wouldn't if combined with the variants.
Sophia hasn't either but if you combined it with Sofia then it would be number1. Sophie was number 1 in 1996.

I live next to an ancient graveyard (north east) and there are lots of Emily, Jane, Charlotte, Ann, Mary, Eleanor, Ann / Anne, Margaret, Hannah, Katherine, Martha, Emma, Alice, Eliza, Harriet, Isabel and Isabella (especially popular!) John, William, Robert, George, Albert, James, Joseph, Edward Henry and Ralph's. These date around 1820-1880...

There should be a few. But the key here is that choosing a baby name is a very focused expression of one's culture. So in certain groups there will be loads of a particular name b/c it chimes with that group's zeitgeist. Some names have cross-over appeal (e.g. Harry) but not many.

In 2010 there were 1,500 named Elizabeth/Elisabeth and roughly 600 of Katherine/Catherine. (For comparison there were just under 1k Sarahs about 2,800 Charlottes but remember that many of these will be 'hiding' as Lottie or some other diminuitive.)
Many of the young Elizabeths I know are called Lizzie (I think to match the 'cottage' trend of Milly/Ellie/Annie)
I know at least 2 Katherines under 20 and they go by Katie and Kaz so it may be that there are plenty who are hiding in plain sight.
Presumably Isabella and all its variants and Oliver will be dated since they have been in the top 3 for at least a decade.

Jude. Theo. Jenson. Ezra.

Dead certs are names of the current pop star or footballer.

I can think of Olivers, Leos and Georges much older than 30. Not many though. They were classic names but not fashionable.

OH was named after him by his mother. She named all her children after actors/actresses.
I've actually met 3 Garys in our little town. All of similar age but not originally from here.

They haven't though. There were very few Archies or Freds my age. Fred was a 'dad's name', a friend and her Scottish husband had a baby Archie in the 1990s and everyone was 'Archibald?!'
Baby names since 1904: how has yours performed? - Office for National Statistics

Gary's popularity was from Gary Cooper (super dooper 🎶) . Garry Glitter probably made it less popular.

Anything that goes from being unusual/unheard of (for babies) to being top 10/ top 20.

Someone up thread said Oliver was a classic - no, it fell out of favour (no Olivers at school with me, only old men called Oliver) to being very popular for the last 30 years or so. So it will date. Likewise there wasn’t a single George (old man’s name), or Florence, or Grace, or Emily.

So best to just pick a name you love, don’t try and pick an unusual name for the sake of being unusual or try to be ahead of the curve, because that usually means many others are thinking the same thing.

They’re all going to date. Don’t delude yourself. Names perhaps dated less up to a century ago because they were mostly trad family names/Biblical.

George, Jack and Harry definitely come in cycles. Popular in my grandparents ' generation. I don't think there are many of these in my parents' generation and there were no Harrys or Jacks at all in my primary or secondary schools.

George I'd guess under 50, and Jack and Harry as under 35. (There will be exceptions obviously, but in general.) I think Jack will fade out again soon.

For boys William and Thomas are more timeless. James probably next most timeless. Alexander and Henry similar to George.

I'd heard the name but I didn't realise he was that old. Thanks.

Gary Cooper was a famous film star 1901 - 1961 !

I know Gary has all but gone these days but I truly thought it was only a 70s/80s thing. I was so shocked when I met a nonagenarian Gary through work! I've also met an 80+ Kevin which again surprised me.

I'm surprised about people thinking Freddie/Archie type names will go because they've been around forever.