To think its an old fashioned name!

[Mammyloveswine]

Talking with a colleague lately about common names from the 80s and 90s... the usual., Sarah, Laura, Becky, Lydia, Lindsay, Louise, Emma etc..

We then got talking about more unusual names we went to school with "Hester.. Paula..Hermione (way before Harry Potter 😂).."

I just cannot imagine a baby or small child being called Paula! I can't even imagine a person my age (30s) being called Paula!

Any other names you just cannot imagine as a baby/small child?

I know an 11 year old Cynthia and think it really suits her.

They come back when they are your grandparents or great parents names normally so go in cycles

There’s a Fanny St in a town near me. Wife or daughter of some Victorian councillor I imagine. Must be a bit embarrassing giving your address if you live there.

Very old fashioned names seem to be in vogue at the local infants - Poppy, Polly and Arthur all being called to by Boden mums. Kind of Victorian nursery names.

My long gone grandparents' generation included Ada, Ede, Maud, Edwina and Gladys.

I recently heard a little girl called May talking on the radio, (was a children's competition), and I was surprised at how much I liked it.

My second name's Elizabeth, after my grannie. Wish it was my first. I went to school with a girl called Hilda back in the 1970's and her sister was called Beryl.

My 2 month old grand nephew is called Henry, after his great grandfather.

Walter
Maud

I love the name Maud.
Dh vetoed it and dd is very glad.

I work in a paediatric clinic and we’ve recently had a baby Barbara and a baby Eileen come in.

Clytemnestra

It's just so loaded...

I worked with a toddler Paula, but she's Eastern European so it's pronounced like Paola. I really like it.

Actually the Eastern European community use a lot of names that seem old-fashioned in English, I've worked with a Polish baby Margaret and a little Denis.

Surprised to hear people turning their nose up at Albert, it's incredibly commonly used at the moment.

I recently met a 5 year old Dorothy!

I'm a primary school teacher, and agree.

In the last few years I've also known a Paula. I've also had a Keith, Colin, Stephen, Michael, Brian, David, Kevin, and more. They are all first generation Eastern European or black African.

My kids have been classmates/playmates with Sybil, Lillian (not lily), Stanley, Mary, Maud, Edith, Dora, Arthur, Lancelot etc. The first time i heard them I thought "how old fashioned" but rapidly they just seemed entirely normal. I actually really like Dora!

Popular names from my school era you don't seem to hear much for kids: Joanne, Sarah, Nicola, Jennifer, Mark and Jason. (Emma was very popular and still a few baby Emmas though.)

From my mum's era: Gillian, Susan, Patricia, Barbara, Linda and Colin, Roger, Keith, Kevin. I do know one Barbara in her 20s but she is Spanish.

They may well come round again.

Despite the revival for Victorian names I've never met a baby with any of my grandparents' names - Edna, Joan, Frank and Harold. I do know some Frankies though, both male and female.

My dad (who is now 80) had a grandmother called Emma and she hated the name as it was "so old fashioned" apparently!

I think it's safe to say 'Myra' won't be having a resurgence for several generations. This is actually a shame. The connotations are horrendous but it's actually not a bad name; much prefer it to the Barbaras, Pamelas, Patricias and Judiths also popular with that generation.

The very similar 'Lyra' is also quite popular these days. I suspect 'Hester' is also making a comeback because of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, which although 20 years old is currently midway through a fantastic TV adaptation.

Have to say it's probably a good thing that most of the silly names in 'The Hunger Games' remained where they belonged: between the pages of a book.

I went to school in the early 80’s. A lot of Joanne’s, Leanne’s, Laura’s, Pamela’s. The most popular names were Louise, Kirsten, Kerry and for some reason a ton of Gillian’s. I have an unusual but nice name that I have always loved. I was surprised in secondary to meet another girl with the same name. I always get stupidly excited in my 40’s if I find my name on Keyrings etc as I was always disappointed as a child. The boys were Graham and Colin, we had a ton of them. If I see Grayson of Colin I always expect them to be mid 40’s.

we did have a few Paula’s.

Sally, Nicola, Louise, Karen, Hayley, Fiona, Simon, Richard, Philip

In the past year I have met a baby:
Kevin (2 of them).
Ian
Agnes
Mabel
Laura
Anna
Stanley

Bernadette
Geraldine
Maureen
Rita

Barry
Nigel
Trevor
Keith
Sandra
Joan

Phyllis, Hilda, Linda, Maud, Madge, Gladys, Joyce, Jacqueline / Jackie, Ada, Agnes, Stanley, Alfred, Martin, Brian, Phillip, Anthony/Tony, Keith all dated names at the moment

@ArmyBoat There was a baby Rita at a baby group I used to go to 8 years ago. Her parents were Italian though so it kind of sounded prettier the way they said it!

Lorna. Was very popular in Scotland (and maybe elsewhere!) but would now be unthinkable to meet a baby Lorna.

My cousin has a friend called Paula - 21.
Also know someone who called their baby Clive 😕
DD 4 has an Ethel in her class.
Some names that are considered old like Elsie (Elsie Tanner from Corrie), I think are still nice for a baby now.

Some of the old-fashioned names which I think have a antique charm to them, but others like Gladys, Nigel, Tracey, Samantha, Karen etc are of their time and I don't see ever making a comeback.

I love the name Samantha. I bet that will definitely come back into fashion in 30 years or so.