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?

Barry

I teach 11-18 year olds. We have about 1000 girls on roll. We have several Paulas. I think 6 or so. We only have 1 Isla and 2 Avas but then perhaps they aren’t filtering through to us just yet and we’re going to have loads in a few years time. But then again… maybe not. Most mumsnetters seem to live in areas where young people have very different sorts of names to the girls that I work with in my corner of Greater London.

In my year at school we had:

Lucy x 2
Georgie
Kirsty x 2
Fiona
Lara
Laura
Julia
Marianne
Nicola x 2
Emily x 4
Rebecca
Stephanie
Eleanor
Suzan
Georgina
Katharine

Edward (Ted)
Jimmi (James)
Matthew x 2
Alex x 3
Christopher
Nick x 3
William
Michael
Tom x 4
Angus
Leo
Max

Most of the boys names seem fine on babies but I can't imagine a baby Stephanie, Georgina or Kirsty being born today!

I teach in a borough with a large Polish community and Veronica/Veronika/Weronika is a very popular name. I've taught several little girls called Veronica over the last few years 😊

I love how Stanley keeps getting mentioned - I ride a horse called Stanley and he has a very distinguished moustache

Susan. I don’t know why but the thought of a baby Susan makes me laugh.

Joan seems fresh and it's a simple.classic so I think will make a come back. I also think Shirley and Silvia are very pretty names along with Joy although not Joyce. I think we'll more likely have a resurgence of Patsy rather than Patricia.

My generation (late50s/early 60s) was awash with Amanda, Julia, Deborah, Joanna, Susan, Angela, Fiona, Alison, Claire. All perfectly nice names.

DD (mid 20s) had classrooms awash with: Alice, Imogen, Isobel, Eleanor, Rosie, there was always a Cecilia, Celia or Cicely, Olivia, and so many names either shortened too or in their own right: Milly, Molly, Ellie, etc.

DS (late 20s) Ben, Sam, Jack, Harry/Henry, Will, always a Christian, Max, Oscar, Ed, Nick, Tom, George, Freddie. I've realised that almost all the boys names were shortened.

Ian
Neil
Graham
Nigel

Lisa
Linda
Pam

My aunt is Veronica! She's in her late forties now but in Australia not the UK.

She also has siblings Cynthia and Magdelene.

This is like seeing my family roll call. My mum was a baby Linda (5 Lindas in her class - she was a post war baby). My grandma was an Edith and had a sister Hilda and a sister Veronica (plus many many others, she was one of 9).

We had 5 Clares 3 Emmas and 4 Sarahs in my classes at school (mid 70s born).

My dad was a champion of the unusual-he picked mine which is off the beaten track.

He spent quite a long time trying to convince me to consider

Lionel
Percival
Gertrude (his granny)
Honoria

He failed

My sons name but it’s too outing think like Gideon but actually he loves it and so do I - he was called like baby Gideon as a baby and then Gideon when older (it’s not Gideon but in that sort of range) he is nearly 10 and it absolutely loves it

It has been eminently interesting to read all of these responses..thank you all!

As a teacher these names are very common in my school atm:

Lexi
Lilly
Amber
Olivia

Boys:
Anthony
John
Carter
Bobby
Charlie

To the pp who mentioned the name Queenie., wonder if there'll be a resurgence with the Jubilee?

Roy
Geraldine
Janet
Walter
Malcolm
Joyce
Cyril
Brenda
Nigel
Margaret
Wayne

Its in 30 years time when Sharon, Tracy, Kevin, Wayne, Lisa, Dave, Sarah and Mark are elderly or just passed relatives that we will see the big revival in these names for babies.

'We called her Sharon Louise after my DGM and if we have a boy next, he's going to be called Wayne David after DHs great uncle Wayne and my DGF.

I know a teenage Paula and a 5yo Gary

It's definitely regional. Names like Ian, Keith, Malcolm, Scott or Donald have been used in Scotland for centuries and definitely don't have the middle-aged connotations they have elsewhere. My kids are teenagers and I have come across all those names among children or a similar age. My DD who is 16 has two girls called Jennifer in her year.

I find this thread baffling. I know lots of children with the names mentioned - some of them are actually quite popular and have been for years. Just from the last comment above mine, I know a young Walter, Joyce and Margaret.

I have a Jennifer in my class...she's 6...and I had one about three years ago too, so it isn't that unpopular 🤷‍♀️. It didn't even occur to me that it might be thought of as old fashioned to be honest.

Again...Edith is really popular in primary schools! We've got 5 in our school currently, and 3 Edie's (who might be Edith too 🤷‍♀️)

DH was telling me yesterday that a colleague of his has just had a baby, called Pauline! Neither DH nor the DC thought there was anything wrong with it... we're not in the UK, though.

I taught a 10 year old Sharon a few years ago which was a bit strange. I’d love to come across a baby Keith and Gary!

My boyfriend was named Keith in the 80s after his dad and I don't know what possessed them. He absolutely hates it as well.

I know lots of people named Paula who are in their 30s and actually think it would be a lovely name for a baby.

As a teacher these names are very common in my school atm:
Lexi
Lilly
Amber
Olivia

I would expect people with these names to be in their mid-late 20s, maybe having their own children now.

Dawn
Gail
Anne
Mandy
Trudy
Belinda
Lisa
Frances

Glen
James
Robert
Phillip
Greg
Christopher
Dennis
Idris

I know a 5 year old Susan and a 4 year old Robert.