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Baby names

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

Original poster

Which names are surprisingly uncommon/unpopular?

86 replies

Cortina · 25/09/2009 12:03

Just musing after pondering Christabel.

Thinking of:

Sacha/Sasha
Mirabel
Clarissa
Angus
Susannah
Julia
Mark (don't know of any who are not 30 plus)
John (just getting popular again)
Louise/Louisa
Flora

Must be more!

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MrsSchadenfreude · 29/09/2009 15:13

"Eeeeeeeenid!"

You would probably hate my DDs' names. I think it's the screech factor that does it for me. Although personally I think Enid looks and sounds ugly. My mother has a lovely friend called Enid, and she has always loathed her name.

tummytickler · 29/09/2009 15:01

I love Enid - it was one of the names we were going to call ds2 2 years ago!

MrsSchadenfreude · 29/09/2009 13:28

Elsie to me is one of those screech names - "Elsieeeeee!" (or round here it would be "Ewsieeeee!") Like "Eeeeelaine!"

Elsa is better, IMO.

Mamazon · 29/09/2009 12:29

a friend is due to call her bump Elsie.
I think its lovely

MrsSchadenfreude · 29/09/2009 12:20

Enid, Elsie, Ethel and Edna are just plain cruel, IMO. They look ugly, they sound ugly. No, no and no.

All of my friends seem to be called Anne or Helen. It must be a generational thing. I don't know any small ones, but quite a few small Annas and Helenas.

cutekids · 29/09/2009 11:37

I know someone who named their dd Lily-Ann after their Nanna who was called Lillian.

needmorehoursinaweek · 29/09/2009 11:34

Hilda is still MT's middle name..... not dead yet is she!

needmorehoursinaweek · 29/09/2009 11:29

Hilda was Margaret Thatcher's middle name......Hilda would not be top of my list!

I'm older than most MNeters I think the names of some of the people I went to school with must be due a come back.

Angela, Lorraine, Julie, Alison, Jane, Bridget, Carol, Caroline, Carolyn, Christine, Karen (lots of those!), Nicholett, Brenda, Alison, Patricia, Jill, Gillian, Andrea, Gaynor, Janet, Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth (this was the middle name chosen for many), Susan, Lynne, Linda, Valerie, Shirley, Maureen, Beverley, Anne, Lisa, Rosemary, Pamela, Pauline, June, Avril, Brenda.

Mark, Steven, David, Michael, John, Richard, Christopher, Martin, Colin, Gary, Stuart, Angus, Timothy, Nigel, Douglas, Glyn, Kevin, Paul, Wayne, Darren, Shaun, Terrence, Peter, Nicholas, Barry, Bernard, Norman, Simon, Andrew, Robert, Karl, Jeffrey, Graeme.

Some of the girls names may come back into fashion if new mums choose to name DD after granny!
Some of the boys names are always popular. Many should only be rediscovered on a census!

tummytickler · 29/09/2009 11:03

Annie is lovely! I wanted to use it but dh has very red hair and sais a red head called Annie would be a bit mean.
What about Bernard? Has Bernie for a nn (similar to Alfie, Freddie, Archie etc).
I love it, surprised it is not more popular, maybe due a revival.
I might start a separate thread about it!
Also with Ruby and Jade being sooooo popular i thought Pearl may follow, but it doesn't seem to have done.

Sunshinemambo · 29/09/2009 10:18

I know a 3.5 year old Annie. It's very cute.

Original poster
Cortina · 28/09/2009 16:28

All together now 'Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love Ya, tomorrow, your only a day away'.

OP posts:
campion · 28/09/2009 16:22

Annie.
Used to be v popular in Victorian times but I've only known one and I rather like it.

JudeN17 · 28/09/2009 14:58

Top of my girls names list is Josephine and I was surprised (but pleased) that it is not in the top 100

pluto · 28/09/2009 14:09

Barry
Russel
Janet
Angie
Carolyn
Trisha

tummytickler · 28/09/2009 13:58

Cortina - what are your dc's names?
Joan and Hilda are top of our lists for dc5 (along with Juniper, Jean, Morag and Sally)

Original poster
Cortina · 28/09/2009 13:18

Hilda will always be Ogden for another 20 years or so.

I met an incredibly beautiful, funky 26 year old Joan the other day. I've always quite liked Joan. I am tempted by it to be honest. I might start a trend I've already done it once it seems. It's interesting isn't it, with one of mine everyone said 'you're nuts' choosing that name (not Tinsley I hasn't to add) and then the next thing you know people copy, one being out there with that name seems to make them braver

OP posts:
CaptainNancy · 28/09/2009 12:59

I have never met a child named Eunice.

Also was thinking yesterday that I haven't met any 'Andrea's for a very long time.

Lol@ Vera... Hilda hasn't come back either... though we know several 'Violet's

Drusilla · 28/09/2009 12:51

I know a Mark, a Timothy and a Michael, all under 5.

MrsBadger · 28/09/2009 12:51

[mines thread for ideas]

ToffeeCrumble · 28/09/2009 12:47

Meant to say that i have seen a couple of young Clares/Claires on CBeebies. One was on Nina and the Neurons and one was in Barnaby Bear on the beach with her sister Chloe. I look out for them and am always pleased when i come across another young Clare!

ToffeeCrumble · 28/09/2009 12:25

I've got a Clare in Year One. I have always loved the name and thought it pretty. I'm pleased that a couple of people have said it is nice, despite not being used any more as i do worry that we made a mistake and it will seem square, like Maureen would have seemed to my generation. Too late now, wish i had known about this board when i was pregnant with her to canvas opinions as everyone said it was nice when we told people we were going to use it. I do still really love it though and it suits her.
I will sit back and wait for everyone to say how awful it is now!

Original poster
Cortina · 28/09/2009 11:57

To AphroditeRocks I think you are exactly right. It's why Iris probably isn't more popular than it is (I know plenty of them born around 1945). There are a fair few but would think there 'should' be more somehow.

Most Violets (older generation) are no longer with us (most born around the late 1880s/90s it seems) so this is gaining in popularity. My mother was aghast at the name Violet, to her it is like Vera. She remembers in her youth all those called Aunty Vi etc.

OP posts:
AphroditeRocks · 28/09/2009 11:53

When I was at school there were an abundance of Sharons and Tracys, although I think the Essex girl connotations and a certain Viz comic-strip put paid to that. Ditto Sandra.
Also, there were plenty of Tinas, Sarahs and Catherines. Not so many now.
As for the boys - Martin and Brian don't pop up all that much, nor Anthony/Tony.

totalmisfit · 28/09/2009 10:51

think the problem with is that we nearly all have aunts/uncles/family friends with these names, whereas most of us don't have an Auntie Ava (although our parents might have had).

simplesusan · 28/09/2009 09:06

Diana- I always thought it would be far more popular.

Disagree about Mary I know 2 under 5s and also Sarah seems to be making a comeback.