"Old Lady" names which should never see the light of day ever again

Sybil always reminds me of Sally Field and her gushing Oscar speech "you like me, you really like me!"

My MIL is Elsie, my grandmother Freda and Dora so covered some of the names, although both grandmothers disliked their own names.

Don't really not like any except for Beryl and Maureen although Ethel and Ena aren't great either.

Oh dear. My 2 year old dd is an Aileen - but pronounced like Eileen. (Her father's family are Turkish and the name Aylin is pronounced the same in Turkish. We wanted something that everyone could pronounce and which would fit both cultures. It also happens to be my mother's name).

Most people look slightly confused when she tells them and ask me to confirm it. Then they change the subject....

Jean
Ethel
Audrey
Yvonne

Barbara

Maureen

Hate Joan, Jean, Mildred, Dot, Prudence,

Fellation, I know a little Daphne. A bit of a double-take name when you first hear it, but like all of them you get used to it, it's just her name, no longer an old-lady name. :)

I also kind of know a 5yo Doris ... but she is our sponsored child in Ghana, so free from the associations we have in the UK (though personally while my Doris-association IS little-old-lady, it's good little-old-lady as it was my grandmother's name).

I really quite like Sybil. Don't like Joyce, but I love Joy.

my nan and her sisters are sybil, ruby and eve which are all quite acceptable really and the have a brother called alf who everyone calls alfie which is another trendy name of the moment

I know a toddler named Sybil.

Sorry should have previewed my post - it should read "her little sister" although I also have a son!

Joyce - I love that name.

I wanted to call my first daughter 'Joyce' but was out voted. Then I wanted to call my second daughter Joyce, but my first daughter pleaded for his little sister to be called Evie. So I relented.

I fear the name 'Joyce' will never be revived. As I said, I love the name but many others hate it. When I first drew my name list for my first daughter, someone said, "where did you get your inspiration from? The old folks home?"

I agree with Ruby, that's a really sweet girl's name and I know a couple of Ruby girls (both babies and twenty-somethings) who it suits to a T.

Vera, Norma, Nora, Hilda, Marjorie and Margaret are too old-fashioned these days...

But, I kinda like Olive (if you can separate the name from popeye in your head, that is?!)

irrelevent i know but when i was pg with dd2 now 6 dh wanted to call her if a boy stanley. but we had a girl called sidney instead

On current form, the ones making a comeback when our children have children will be the names of the current late-middle-aged/early older generation. So - expect a lot of little Maureens, Doreens, Helens, Reginalds, Brians, Bettys, etc!

Oh, I think Olive, Elsie, Flossie and Agnes are very much 'in'. I am pitching for a comeback for Daphne, as well. Can't stand:

Ethel
Edna
Enid (but luuurve Edith)
Gertrude
Doris
Hilda
Gladys
Doreen
Beryl
Marjorie

Surely, it is each to his own? If we all used/had the same popular names there would be confusion and it would certainly be dull.
A name, once associated with a person - young or old - becomes synonymous with that person.
And as for

"I mean, do they conjure up a glamorous, beautiful or strong person? No. An old lady with wrinkly tights who smells of wee."

, you might well be there yourself one day - a little more respect for the elderly please!!!!

I know a couple of little Maud(e)s.

Thing is, I bet people were saying the same 20-30 years ago about

Alice
Phoebe
Eleanor
Matilda
Sophia
etc.

all very popular names now for girls in primary school.

I'll find it odd when all the boys' names from my class at school - John, Simon, Peter, Stephen, Paul, David, Richard, Wayne, Gary, Darren, Kevin, etc. - are all old men's names. Because almost nobody under 20 has these names now.

whoops missed your post tegan! my old next door neighbour was sybil, she was lovely:) just dont think it will be back!!! hoever i may be wrong:)

sybil

my nan is sybil and i have never heard it apart from on my nan but my other nan was nelly and i never knew until recently her name was actually elenor (spelt wrong i know)

Oh Brian the dog is fab aswell:o

You are very brave having 4 sections btw, I had 3 and it almost finished me off!

My name has been mentioned as one which will never make a comeback and it's 1960's but you never know. My DD has said it will be her DD's middle name and it may be popular again by that time.

Some of the popular old ladies names are quite pretty once you get used to the idea.

My friend was an Edith (Edie) around all the Alisons, Caroles, Kathryns and Jacqulines and she absolutely hated it.

wiltsmum..well, apparently my name dates me to about the 1920s so I wouldn't worry!

A bulldog in the park yesterday called Brian!

Love

the dog called trevor and rabbit called andrew:o