Are we due a revival of obscure Victorian names?

[Delphigirl]

Just reading something where the protagonist is Alfrida. Her brother is Kenelm. I am really feeling both of them. I tried to persuade a niece to call her new son Sylvester a few months ago and I’m still feeling cross she didn’t leap on it. Is the zeitgeist moving towards these long-ignored names? Or maybe it is just me.
Let me know what names you would revive and please please if anyone has used a name like this recently would you share? I would LOVE to know.

Man with name badge yesterday: Ebenezer.

I tried to persuade a niece to call her new son Sylvester a few months ago and I’m still feeling cross she didn’t leap on it.

Really?

There are some excellent Victorian names out there and I would argue far better than calling your child after the latest pop star or something like Maddyson-Dyamonte. Many of them have already made a comeback, things like Theodora, Adelaide or Ezra.

Hepzibah is a good name. Heppie for short. (Although a bit close to hepatitis, maybe).

I do a lot of research in this period and there was a much smaller pool of names which parents regularly chose from - Mary, Janet/Jane, Elizabeth and Ann/Anna for girls, George, William, John, James for boys.

Sorrow, like Tess of the Durberville's baby.

I kind of like Euphemia and Jemima but Sylvester just conjures up images of a very mediocre and unintelligible actor.

I really hope so! There are some truly ridiculous made up names at the minute.

I was surprised how many Rosinas I came across when doing research using the census. Maybe that should have a come back? I also came across a Keziah (my 4x great grandmother) and a Kerenhappuch (who called her daughter Ann).

Euphemia was one of those names which cropped up several times in my family in the past. Usually known as Effie.

I think of a cartoon cat!

Isambard

Or a cartoon cat 😂

Theres a Septimus in my family tree.

All names are made up.

@Latenightreader, I work with a Keziah, she's quite young (in her 20s, so very young from where I'm standing!!!), I had't realised it was a Victorian name.

I have an Epsibeth in my family tree. Always liked it.

My DSis is a Rosina, and I also know a Keziah. I love Victorian names that sound like they’re from a book by Dickens. I found an ancestor while doing my family tree who was in a Victorian workhouse and her name was Fanny Cramp!

No, I tend to imagine the next set to come back on the 'cycle;' will be far more recent, and will be things like Barbara, Helen, Marjorie, Roger, Paul etc.

Someone in my family tree was call Amers

I like Jebediah (Jeb). There's a funny Horrible Histories sketch where a Victorian teacher calls the register. Apparently they're all real names! One is Princess Cheese..

Lettice is surely due a revival.

My friend has just had a baby Wilfred :)

DD is expecting no 2 and is leaning towards an old family name (not common but goes back a long way) for a boy and a Shakespearean name or a Greek Goddess for a girl . Her Dh wanted to name no 1 Isambard or Columbus if he was a boy, but DD vetoed those a a bit TOO out there!

DH had an aunt Lettice. Aunt Letty they called her and she was very grand.

My favourite book The Moonstone has Ezra Jennings as a terrific character. I liked the name Ezra very much for DS2. But we went with something much more staid of the sort of Robert / Richard variety sadly.

I really like Lettice, not sure I’d dare use it for a child.

I like this idea OP, yes some fabulous names!

Victorian flouncy names are well on the way out. It’s more the simpler names of the ‘20s and ‘30s now.