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.

My DD's MIL is called Buddug. Pronounced Bithig.

Found a Tamsyn, a Pascowe (both girls) and an Orphew (boy) in my family tree - born between 1600 and1614. How about we go further back to Tudor or Stuart times for inspiration?

I have a female in my tree called Wyburn Clout!

I’m looking forward to children being called Lettuce, again.

Unfortunately Laetitia shortens to Titty (as in Swallows and Amazons) so not really a good idea these days.

Gob-net, stress on the first syllable. 6th century saint, Abigail and Deborah used as English equivalents.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobnait

The 'real' Titty was named Mavis (Altounyan). I think a 21st century Letitia could assert her right to be abbreviated as Letty without too much opposition.

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 wish Daphne du Maurice had left an envelope to be opened after her death containing the second Mrs de Winter’s first name.

Same here!

@Latenightreader are the names you mentioned from a Romany line in your family ?

We have Adolphus, Creighton and Cornelius all pre 1914.

My grandmother had a sister called Buddug. She used to say it was Welsh for Boadicea.

It is, or rather it developed through regular linguistic changes from Boudicca, 'victorious woman'.

Among all the Williams in my family tree I have a male ancestor called Elkhannah.

Another Old Testament one, Hannah's husband, Samuel's father.

And re Sorrow, Tess's baby in Tess of the d'Urberville, the character of pious Mercy Chant was introduced in the novel to contrast with Tess in her social downfall. I've always thought it was fabulous, hence my username!

The ones I think of are the likes of Algernon and Aloysius. I'm sure we have something like that in our family tree but can't quite remember.

My grandmother came from a big family of sisters...most have been mentioned but Cissy was one from Cecilia I think, and I think there's Thomasina which can be shortened to Ina but i think that's from Edwina too.

Hardy did some great names! St John as a first name pronounced Sin-jun.

We did Tess for O level (yes that long ago) I remember it blew my mind that St John was Sinjun.

Olive is becoming more popular (obviously the parents are not acquainted with On The Buses otherwise they’d never go there lol).

Some of those names are pretty 🥴 I can’t see Beryl or Mavis (or Brenda, Gladys, Glenys) ever seeing the light of day.

I can't remember a St John in Tess? Please can someone jog my memory if I've misremembered!

St John Rivers is a character from Jane Eyre.

Ohhhh you're right. I've mixed my classic novels up! 🙈

I think I did both at A Level!

But the rules are made up. All language was made up. Just because its been around a very long time does not make it any less "made up" when it came into existence. If humans didnt "make up" language then where did it come from?

I've got a couple of Marmadukes in my family tree (father and son) 😁😁

My grandfather born 1899 in Bristol was Percy. He changed it to Robert.