To think Barbara is a lovely name.

[Misscromwellrocks]

A friend's daughter has just called her new daughter Barbara. A few people have wrinkled their noses, but I think it's a lovely vintage Enid Blytonish name.

AIBU?

I really don't like it I'm afraid. I think some older names are beautiful and work really well now (they say it takes three generations for the names to come back in use) but there are some I really can't imagine ever being fashionable again. Pauline, Claudette, Noreen, Denise etc being a few that spring to mind, along with Barbara, Dennis, Brian, Derek and Ian. Ian always surprised me as a bane choice for some reason.

We have neighbours with a young Barbara, Dorothy and Betsy. I love these names.

No. I’m not ready for Barbara. People called Barbara are my mother’s age.

Regarding Nora(h)

Every time I hear that name I think of this twitter.com/bonesnorah/status/1136536882261778432?s=21

Judy is another name I think is due a revival.

Thirty years plus ago, names such as Grace , iris, George, Harry, Henry, were considered fuddy duddy and you would have got people frowning if you named a baby that name. Now look at how things have changed.

Names such as Barbara are cue a revival. Yes, there is the association with Barbara Windsor at the moment, but all names have negative connotations if you look eg? Nancy - Nancy boy, George - Georgie Porgie (= fat child), Betty - ooh, Betty ( from a tv programme), isis, Etc

I'm waiting for Claire to have a revival.

Cant help it, really not keen, but am sure if you know some lovely Barbaras then it will be fine. And certainly not so awful as Lesley!

A new generation of parents will barely remember Barbara Windsor. Those associations die out.

My era was all Karen, Sandra, Sally, Joanne, Caroline, Julie - I don’t think any of them have had a revival.

What about the lovely and very sad Jacques Prévert poem Barbara? That does make it cool. Pretty much anything sung in French by Yves Montand is going to sound cool.

@olivertwistwantsmore

Actually, tigeronatrain, it is pretty rude to e.g. use the vomit emoji about a name. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Who used the vomit emoji? I certainly didn't!

A guy at work has a new daughter called Audrey and everyone went "aaah cute". Twenty years ago the reaction would have been 🙄☹️

Let's remember that many people are named after their grandparents (including Christine Lampard's DD) so it's probably kinder not to be rude.

In 25 years time, people will say that Lily, Molly, Olivia, Noah, Jayden and all the rest are 'old fashioned' names. They will call their children Karen, Claire, Jason and Gary, after their own parents.

Not a fan of Nora, but love me some Cora, and, as a young child, though Dora was one of the most exotic names I’d ever heard of. 🤯

Barbara - it’s a no from me, I’m afraid.

I’d never think badly of anyone I came across with a name I didn’t like, but I can’t warm to names beginning with b or g (unless it’s a j sound)

Barbara - nn Biba much nicer than Barb.

Horrible

I think it depends on the age of the observer.

To me (nearly 60), Barbara was friends with my mum, so it's an older lady's name. To my kids' generation, it's an unusual name. Names like Jaqueline and Deborah (girls I was at school with) are therefore 'mum's friends' names to my kids and it will be the generation after them that use them as names for their children.

I look forward to my grandchildren naming their children Carol, Karen and Derek.

I like it! I know someone in her mid twenties called Barbara and she doesn't fit any of the old lady stereotypes.

I like it - it's my mum's name!

I'm called Barbara. I don't think it is a bad name and due for a revival. I think I'm a nice person. Doris is a worse name to have!!??

Vintage not in a good way.

My mother's best friends from school were Barbara, Anita and Marion. I have a delicious picture of them with bouffant hair and and capri pants in Sorrento circa 1958. They were deliciously glam. Auntie Barbara still sends me a £5 Boots voucher on my birthday. I'm nearly 60. Auntie Barbara was utterly lush and is still divine . She and mother used to buy stiletto winkle pickers from Mondaine in Bond Street - mother still has hers.

Barbara - it has a certain style; rather like Sylvia who was mother's other friend.

I have a young Italian colleague called Barbara, she is lovely and it sounds beautiful pronounced with her accent. Names are truly what you make of them.