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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Older MNers who had kids in the 80s/90s

64 replies

PortSalutPlease · 19/10/2025 01:23

Why the fuck did we all get the middle name Louise?! Have just left a hen do, and of the 12 women there, 9 of us. NINE. Was there some kind of 80s rule about it?

OP posts:

PolishedBrussels · 19/10/2025 16:54

Child of 70s and have Louise as a middle name, apparently after my GM who was Louisa - why the hell they didn’t call me that in stead of the ubiquitous Louise!

I bet you can guess my first name too!

TheFormidableMrsC · 19/10/2025 16:56

mathanxiety · 19/10/2025 01:37

Marie is another uber popular middle name from that era.

That’s my middle name but I was born in 69’ and it was considered exotic at the time 😆

BouseHeutiful · 19/10/2025 16:56

PortSalutPlease · 19/10/2025 01:23

Why the fuck did we all get the middle name Louise?! Have just left a hen do, and of the 12 women there, 9 of us. NINE. Was there some kind of 80s rule about it?

Yes it was definitely a rule!

RubySquid · 19/10/2025 16:56

DrCoconut · 19/10/2025 15:24

It seemed like half the girls in my early to mid 80s primary school class were called Claire or Catherine, with Emma as a close third. Boys were Matthew, Paul and David. DS1 was born in the late 90s and I can't really remember what was fashionable. It was all "old man" names by the time my younger two arrived.

That covers most of our family names from 1973 til 2010 lol

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 19/10/2025 16:58

I've got three girls, born 1990, 1992 and 1996. Not a Louise among them. Nor in my family anywhere, although I do know a lot of Louises (ALL of them currently going by Lou). But all my kids have quite unusual names and I don't remember even giving Louise the time of day when we were choosing.

Shinyandnew1 · 19/10/2025 17:15

I didn't have kids in the 80s or 90s but have Louise as a middle name. It was a very popular middle name when I was at school!

Now, girls seem to all have Rose, Rae or May/Mae!

PopperBo · 19/10/2025 17:15

Nearly every single Emma I’ve met is an Emma Louise.

Same reason I guess as everyone having Mae/May or Rose as a middle/double barrel now. Trends take off but seem to be more prolific for middle names.

There will be those of us that are glad to have been spared the trend. Just wonder which name is next.

raininginlanzarote · 19/10/2025 17:26

Neither of my boys did… just sayin’

JillyJoy · 19/10/2025 17:27

And many of their mothers were called Sue, few insisted on Susan.

LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway · 19/10/2025 18:09

All the LOLz. Louise was a popular name back then hey?! 😆 It's my cousin's middle name, and my BFF's.

My DC have a first name AND a middle name that were hugely popular when they were born. (mid 1990s,) yet they don't know, and have never met anyone with the combination of the 2 names.

Both first names are very 1990s, yet they have only ever met 2 or 3 people with their first name - ever. They are 30-ish now...

Weird.

FKAT · 19/10/2025 18:11

I was born in the 70s but mum was 30 years ahead of her time and gave me the gen z middle name favourite Grace.

suburburban · 19/10/2025 18:11

Yes mine too, born in 60s but not my dds

BigGapMum · 19/10/2025 19:10

My grandmother who was born 1906 has Louise as a middle name, so that was a different time completely.

Cinaferna · 20/10/2025 01:54

SheSaidHummingbird · 19/10/2025 01:55

@PortSalutPlease It's a beautiful name!

It really isn't. It's a hybrid of Loo which means toilet and wheeze which means asthmatic breathing. I think it's one of the ugliest girls' names.

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