"Old person" names are fashionable, BUT...

[gail734]

When I was at school, there were three Gillians in my class and three Alisons! You can guess how old I am from that. I suspect that if anyone had turned up in my class with what we would have regarded as an "old man's" name, say, Archie, we would have teased the poor soul relentlessly. However, these names are all over the place now. BUT do you know of anyone who has taken it TOO far? My cousin has called her little boy Walter. It's a family name, but I think it's just TOO old-fashioned!

I love Elsie as a name but it makes me picture old ladies. Such a shame!

Nora is a nickname. I liked Eleanor when pregnant with DD, nickname would have been Nora.

Oh maud will be fine, holy autumn! Surely old-lady-chic is not in the same category as made-up-name-shit.

I do like plenty of "old people names" just not Ethel. Ever. Even that pretty actress on Downton cannot make it appealing (the one who plays Ethel the maid).

I prefer polysyllabic names on girls so the oldies I like are more along the lines of Emmeline,Florence and so on.

Suppose all the names I like on boys are old in one language or another. Neither Jasper nor Aneirin are particularly modern for example.

I'd much rather meet a little Maud then I would another Madison.

Marjorie.

I quite like Madison.

Nigel Eric is the name DH's cousin lumbered her child with. I thought he was joking when he first told me! We've considered Eric as a middle name because it's a family name on their side but we'd have given him a much nicer first name! Sorry but it's just awful!

I have a definite line between old fashioned names I love and hate but I don't know what it is that makes me think of some as lovely and others not.

Ones that are over the line for me include:
Agatha, Avis, Alma, Bertha, Beryl, Betty, Betsy, Bessie, Coral, Doris, Delores, Doreen, Edna, Enid, Ethel, Eunice, Eileen, Elaine, Edwina, Freda, Fanny, Gertrude, Gladys, Gloria, Golda, Irene, Ilsa, Ida, June, Jean, Joan, Janet, Kathleen, Maud, Mabel, Mildred, Marjorie, Maureen, Nancy, Olive, Pearl, Queenie, Rita, Sally, Sheila, Shirley, Theresa, Una, Ursula, Vera, Wendy, Yseult

Arthur, Archibald, Alfred, Albert, Boris, Barry, Clyde, Douglas, Derek, Eric, Eustace, Frank, Gilbert, Guy, Horace, Herbert, Harold, Kenneth, Maurice, Nigel, Neill, Quentin, Roy, Ralph, Seth, Stanley, Sidney, Vincent, Walter, Wilfred

Wow, that's most of my relatives, if you add Colin and Neville, Marlene and Joyce :-)

Manicinsomniac you had both my first and middle names on your list of girls names over the line... Il give you a pound if you get the combination first time

Nigel is terrible! That's possibly worse than Maud

I have to say I don't agree with the following names being beyond the pale:

Olive
Rita
Sally
Freda (so trendy in Germany at the moment)
Nancy
Jean
Janet
Coral
Kathleen

Arthur
Alfred
Douglas
Eric
Kenneth
Neil
Sidney
Vincent
Walter
Wilfred

The others are an acquired taste maybe but still, nothing really ugly there.

Or am I weird?

What's wrong with Arthur and Eric?

And Alfie is so popular now,surely some people are actually using the full name? I would if inclined to use Alfie.

We have a noah and a Maisie and are expecting I like Arthur for a boy and Elsie or kitty for a girl is that too far?

I have a Meg (just Meg), and the only other ones I know are 70+. If I have another DC they will be something equally old - Sid, George, Sylvia

I think as we live in an age where Dhsksifn is an accepted spelling for John, there will be little to no bulkying where names are concerned.

Boniface - I kid you not.

I LOVE Maud Couldn't get it past DH for dd though
I really like most of the older old lady names, the ones I don't like are the next generation along, so probably the ones my dc will be picking for theirs!

I think, apart from Nigel and Fanny, most names on manicinsomniac's list are up and coming and make a refreshing change from all the cutesy baby names. My son's name is also on your 'over the line' list, actually .

there are twins in our library group Betty and Barbara, they are 4 i'm not keen TBH. i have a Violet though

I was only talking about a personal line!

Ones I like/love include:
Connie, Constance, Esme, Elsie, Elise, Elsa, Eliza, Edith, Edie, Dora, Florence, Frances, Grace, Hattie, Iris, Ivy, Josie, Josephine, Lily, Martha, Maisie, Nora, Polly, Ruth, Rose, Sylvia, Tessa, Verity, Violet, Yvette

Alfie, Archie ... hmmm, actually I like the old fashioned touch less on boys. Maybe because fashions change less with boys names (George, William, Edward etc are just classic not old fashioned?)

Other people might think some of those are over their line.

nomoremarbles - I don't know how old you are but ... Marjorie Elaine?

I love Elsie. The thing with old fashioned names is you can see the growing old with your child. I have real trouble imagining an elderly Tyreece, Teagan, Kylie, or Maddison.

Yeah, that's the thing. I don't think names like Bertha, Wilfred or Doreen are unpleasant names on an old person at all. They suit them and sound pleasant. But on a baby they just don't work for me at all.