Are fifties names having a revival?

[Jusfloatingby]

In the last couple of months I've heard of a baby Jill, a baby Hilary and a baby Judy. I think of these as very fifties Enid Blytoney type names and am just wondering if the fashion for early twentieth century names like Edith, Iris and Ethel is now moving on to another stage?
I love the names Jill and Judy by the way.

This is great. Ii know a Darrell. He's in his 50s and American.

I'm a 70s baby and was one of four susans in my class. It's lovely to say people saying they like it as it was considered way too "Mavis" on MN a few years ago.

Reading this is like reading the register when I was at school!

Some names retain more popularity in some areas - like people mentioned earlier. We used to live in NW Scotland and I knew Donalds, Murrow, Malcolms, Alastairs of all ages. And Donaldas, Murdinas, Jeans, etc. Many, many Donald Macdonalds too!!

Murrow = Murdo

Alison was sensible feeble and silly because she didn't like racing around a lacrosse field in freezing cold weather.

She also used to have crushes on teachers and other girls, IIRC. Totally innocent of course. I'm sure she's a happily married grandmother now.

I am really sorry but Phylis reminds me of an illness

Jane
Barbara
Clare
Susan
Dotty
Maggie
Caroline

Wilhelmina - I would choose Billie

I'm a 60s girl - can't believe no one has mentioned Catherine/Kathryn/Katherine and all the variants yet. There were always at least 3 of us in every class I was in and I hated having to be identified by my surname.

My big sister was a 50s baby and had a typical name - Helen - she wanted to be a Penny.

Guess you're never happy with what your parents inflict on you...

I was at school in the 70s and popular names were Joanne, Rebecca , Rachel, Victoria, Susan, Robert, Richard, Stephen, Andrew, David, Louise, Sandra, Claire, Mark whereas my parents generation were Ann, Sylvia, Roger, Peter, Trevor, Kathleen, Sheila, Stephanie and Colin. My grand parents generation were Stanley, Florence, Marion, Percy, William, Gladys, Frank, Elizabeth, Ann !, and Lancelot (not heard of that one for a while). There were lots of Emmas a few years after me.

I thought Catherine was still popular though so can't be reveived in the same way as other names that have gone out of fashion

I think it's because Catherine has never fallen out of fashion.

Unlike poor Wilhelmina (!)

My mum is 60 and ALL her friends are called Linda, Sue, Kath/Cath or Anne.

Oh, I forgot Helen. That's another lovely 50s name. I vote for a revival of the following:

Helen
Susan
Jill
Judy
Anne
Janet
Sally

Diane and Nicola/Nicole were really popular when I was at school.

Funny, I've noticed 'older' people often call me Cath - which I HATE! Must be an age thing.

Not 50s at all but my favourite name for revival would be Maude - would have called DS that if he'd been a girl. DH wasn't too keen though.

Caroline was the most popular name at my high school. I still like it..and Clare. I think Clare is very pretty. Makes me think of County Clare in Ireland. Bit irrelevant to the thread really as I was at high school in the 80s.

if there is a revival I will blame Mr Bloom - Raymond, Joan, Margaret, Colin etc.

I am quite surprised that Maggie is having a revival. I would've thought it was in the same no-go category as Adolf! (not saying Maggie was the female Hitler but, well, still not good...)

my great grandmother was Ivy, I think it would suit the Victorian names revival without being too over-used. but we are not succumbing with pink bump :)

My 2 year old DD is called Isobel, my mother wasn't impressed :)

I fancy Iris or Elsie for my next one. Grace is my favourite but DH refuses me that one.

My granny was Jemima but she refused to be called that and called herself Nan [to everyone not just her grandchildren!]

I was at school in the 70s and popular names were Joanne, Rebecca , Rachel, Victoria, Susan, Robert, Richard, Stephen, Andrew, David, Louise, Sandra, Claire, Mark whereas my parents generation were Ann, Sylvia, Roger, Peter, Trevor, Kathleen, Sheila, Stephanie and Colin. My grand parents generation were Stanley, Florence, Marion, Percy, William, Gladys, Frank, Elizabeth, Ann !, and Lancelot (not heard of that one for a while). There were lots of Emmas a few years after me.

My 3 daughters born in late 80's- to late 90's names are in there.Plus my mums name and she was born in the thirties (not Gladys). When I was at school in the 70's there were lots of Alison's, Caroline's, Claire's ,Morven, Susans etc.

In my school year there were loads of Emma's and Kelly's. My own name has popped up in one of your lists OP, I hadn't realised it was popular in the 50s. I was named after a TV character my dad fancied!!!

I'm 36; at school 80s & early 90s; for girls born approx 1975-1979 these were the names of many girls in my classes:

Claire / Clare
Sarah
Emma
Donna
Hazel
Hayley
Katherine / Katharine / Kathryn / Catherine / Kate / Katie / Katrina
Shelley / Shelly
Deborah (Debbie)
Louise / Louisa
Nicola (Nicky, Nikki etc)
Victoria (Vicky / Vickie)
Caroline / Carrie
Sally
Kelly / Kellie
Anna
Natalie
Samantha (Sam)
Rebecca (Becky / Becci)
Belinda

Popular boys' names of the same age group in my classes:

James (Jamie / Jim)
Justin
Daniel (Dan / Danny)
Alan / Allan
Andrew (Andy)
Jason (Jay)
Nathan / Nathaniel (Nate)
Darren
Stephen / Steven (Steve)
Nicholas (Nick / Nicky)
Samuel (Sam)
Christopher / Christian (Chris)
Gareth / Garry / Gary
Richard / Ricky (Rich / Rick)
Carl / Karl
Matthew / Mathew (Mat / Matt)
Michael (Mike / Micky / Mickey)
Craig
Jonathan / Jon / John / Jonathon
Mark / Marcus
Paul
Lee

Some of these names are still popular now as Christian names or Second names.

If i had i baby now - too many of the Girls' names are too strongly associated with certain girls for me to want to use those names; a lot were or still are friends; alternatively some were quite bitchy.

I still like some of the Boys names & would consider those for a baby boy; maybe cos i didn't know as many of the boys at school so well!
I definitely like: James, Carl, Nathaniel / Nathan, & Daniel.

I forgot; there were quite a few of these girls at school: Helen, Rachel & Natasha.
Also these boys: Russell, Robert.

Some of my girl classmates had what were then very pretty & unusual names; some have since become very popular: Chloe, Aimee, Jaime; Holly.. & i'd use those particular names now.

Some of the Romany boys had unusual names that i've not heard since school: Sherren, Soren, Reuben, Blue.

I like 'Reuben' as it's biblical but a bit different.

Old fashioned names:

I've not heard this name at all; it's the name of a neighbour who lived until she was 102; she'd have been born in the late 1890s i think:

Henrietta (she was 'Hetty' for short).

I know a young woman called 'Millie' (which is very current) but her full name is actually 'Millicent' which is pretty - i've never heard of anyone else under 90 with that name; & i think it was always quite rare.

Foreign names

I worked with a Filippino woman called 'Sherry' who was nice & very pretty. I like that name & would use it as long as no-one thought i'd used it because of the drink!

The other pretty & unusual names i heard recently are those of colleagues with East European or Italian parents: Zorica, Tatiana, Loretta.

Also i have 2 Pakistani Facebook friends with 2 variations on the same name which i like & i've not heard it on anyone else: Tehmina / Tahmina.

Samantha was a popular name, when did that appear?

Am I ahead of the name curve as I have a Katherine (12) and Rachel (8)?

Never thought of them as 50s. I thought they were undateably classic!

I like the name 'Sherry' (because of the drink ) but I think it would be vetoed by DP instantly. He likes Esmé (pronounced Es-May and must have the accented 'e') but I'd veto that because of the Twilight connotations. It is a lovely name though. There's a lot of young Alfie's and Charlie's in my area at the moment, but names in their own right, and not short for Alfred/Charles. I wonder if there are any baby Barry's and Brian's though. No offence to anyone called Barry, but I look at lovely baby boys and just can't imagine anyone thinking Barry would suit them. I know a Terence and a Harold my age (26) but they usually go by their middle names.

I had a friend called Baz and always thought it was a jokey nickname with no relation to his name, then wondered if it was short for 'Barry', then found out it was actually short for 'Basil'. Most unusual but very interesting!

weegie - the Katherines & Rachels i knew were born in the mid 70s to early 80s.

They are good classic names that don't ever sound dated; so possibly would have around in the 50s too.

I remember: Zoe, Gemma / Jemma, Jennifer / Jenny / Jenna, Karen, were popular at school (80s / early 90s too). I keep remembering more names from school now, not sure i wanted to!

Danielle (Danni) was another popular name in late 70s / early 80s - i remember that because i recently learnt that one of my Great-Great Grandmothers in the 19th Century was called 'Daniele.'

I think of 'Diana' as a 50s name due to Diana Dors.