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.

I have a baby name book from the early 1990s that lists Adolf with the sentence, 'It has never been popular in Britain, and its association with Hitler has done little to improve its prospects.' The author wasn't wrong there.

No I don't, I think we're moving in to 1930s names now.

Loads of 20s style flapper names amongst current babies I know!

I know an Elfrieda, a Keziah, and a Jeddiah. The latter two are religious families and the first is Norweigan.

There are lovely names out there and agree we need less Kayden, Zayden, etc

We had some delights in our family tree.
Great Aunts gloriously called Euphemia, Erminitrude & Willamena
and no, they were NEVER known as Auntie Femi, Trudy of Minny... the full mouthful at all times.. 🙈

As for Great Uncle Aenus ... well why would you do that to a child ? No matter how much you loved Greek myths and the Trojan wars ? but as horrible little kids we got a lot of snigger value from it...

To me Sylvester is a cartoon cat who is always trying to catch Tweety pie.

Several generations of women in my family were called Parnell. It's apparently the female form of Peter.

I know a couple of Ivos -- late teens, early 20s. I like it.

Waldo I don't think I can get behind. It makes me think of Transcendentalism, which would probably be a bit much when you were four...

I have a Kezia in my family too - and a Comayne.

I encountered a Beulah the other week, which I think is lovely, it means "bride" apparently.

What are the 20s names? I don't know many babies.

Tristan is originally a Pictish name, Drest or Drust - several Pictish kings bore the name. It's related to the Brythonic word meaning 'tumult' or 'noise'.

As the name made its way through Celtic legends into French and English stories, it developed into Tristan, by association with the word for 'sad'.

We have numerous Grizzels in the Victorian era in my family tree. I'm not sure that one deserves a revival to be honest.

Some girls' names that I feel may be due for a revival are:
Marjorie
Beryl
Mavis
Brenda
Gladys
Glenys
Patricia
Daphne
Olive

I actually really like Lalage which I think of as Victorian because it features in The French Lieutenants Woman, don’t know how popular it ever was! I also imagine it’s the name of the unnamed Mrs de Winter in Rebecca as it makes a point of her having an unusual name.

I quite like Hezakiah.

Omg amazing - a middle name!

That sketch is hilarious!

Boys' names:
Cedric
Roland
Donald
Norman
Gordon
Dennis
Ronald
Gregory
Geoffrey

I was a VERY unhappy baby - my mum likes to point out that if she had been aware of the name when I was tiny it would have add to my name.

One of my grandmother's was Bertha too. She had a twin sister but not sure of her name!

Doesn't Boris Johnson have a penchant for these types of names? He's got a daughter with Lettice in there somewhere and he's also got a Wilfred, Frederick and a Milo Arthur (amongst others!) so form for Grandad-type old man names.

He's had his three with Carrie now, so I imagine that the number of the next woman who's taken a ticket from the Johnson-deli-counter machine will come up soon. He can go all on-trend and Victoriana with whatever he names those kids.

In a sea of George’s, Elizabeth’s and Henry’s there is a Thurza Livinia in my family tree.

I had an aunt Eglantine (which I think is the name for a wild rose) Unfortunately they called her Eggy.

Dhs Gt grandmother was called Mahalia and there is GT Gt uncle Moses and Macauley and Jonty. I love Zillah, Zenobia, Augusta. I wanted to call dd Hester but that got pooh-poohed by dh

I had a relative called Tedbar which I love as a name.