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I like 'dated' names

136 replies

VAVAV00M · 13/04/2013 07:45

I love the name Karen with middle name Claire.

Should I just time travel back 40 years or am I safe to name GrinGrinGrinGrinGrin

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Wannabestepfordwife · 13/04/2013 12:22

I think Karen and Claire are lovely just maybe not together.

Dd is Jennifer or Jenny for short if I have a boy in the future he will be Joseph or frank and if I have another girl I really like Stephanie

CelticPixie · 13/04/2013 12:29

I'm 30 and growing up there was always a lot a of Claire's, Sarah's, Emma's, Rachel's, Lisa's and Amy's. For boys there seemed to be a lot of Craig's, Stephen's, Andrew's, Lee's and Mark's. Talking about names that are old fashioned for the time period though when I was I High School in the 90's there was a girl in my year called Margaret which seemed very old fashioned. A lot of people used to take the piss out of her and call her "Maggie Thatcher".

As for liking old fashioned names I've always liked Audrey for a girl and Stanley for a boy. But my mum says Audrey reminds her of Audrey from Corrie lol.

Names go in and of fashion though. When I as born in the early 80's it would have been very old fashioned to call your child Ruby or Jack, but now those are top ten babies names. I often wonder of the likes of Kevin and Debbie will ever come back in one day?

SarahAndFuck · 13/04/2013 12:33

As a ten year old, I suggested Jasper as name for my teacher's new baby and she laughed at me. Turns out I was just 28 years ahead of my time.

I like Clare and if I was having another baby I would use it as a middle name for a girl, which would make my SIL very happy as it is her name (she's 38).

FreudiansSlipper · 13/04/2013 13:11

sorry not mad on the name Karen or Caroline

I always think its an odd choice of name for the little girl in Outnumbered has spent too much time wondering why they choose that name Verity would be better

I do not have a dated name it has become more popular but will never be that popular as it is one of those funny foreign names

SinisterBuggyMonth · 13/04/2013 14:57

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HappyMummyOfOne · 13/04/2013 15:18

I like some of the older names but not all. I. Like the thought of doing a family tree to see how many repeat through history.

I'd rather see the older names than some of the ones you hear nowadays. Its the child that has to live with the name for a long time and I do feel sorry for some.

Iheartcows · 13/04/2013 15:26

"oh my Karen, oh my Karen, oh my computer wife Karen"

As sung by Plankton in Spongebob.

Every time I hear that name I break into song.

it was even in my head at my DH's aunty's funeral Blush

marriedinwhiteagain · 13/04/2013 15:34

My name's a little better known today but please all teachers on here, if a child has an unusual name don't do what one or two of mine did and say "why on earth did your parents call you that". It is hard enough to carry a commentable monika without your teacher, when you are 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 actively encouraging teasing. I would have done anything to have been called Susan, Helen, Jane, Julia, Amanda, Fiona, Caroline, etc.. Anything that people wouldn't comment on really. That's why our children "sparkle"

zukiecat · 13/04/2013 16:06

This reply has been deleted

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MrsGrowbag · 13/04/2013 16:19

In my class at school there were 3 Alisons, 2 Sarahs, 2 Janes and 2 Helens. One of my friends now has a daughter called Sarah, but it's quite unusual. I don't think I've met an Alison, Jane or Helen under the age of 35. But maybe they will come back into fashion. My DH was keen on the name Helen when I was pregnant with (what turned out to be) DS1, but I wasn't keen as it felt dated.

marriedinwhiteagain · 13/04/2013 16:20

I can remember my class:

Sally, Susan, Abigail, katharine, Beverly, Hilary, Jane, Denise, Helen, Julia, Jane, Helen, Charlotte, Fiona, Kim, Amanda, Elizabeth, Margaret, Helene, Cheryl, Karen, Debbie, Debbie, Karen, Helen, Lynne, Heather, Drusilla, Married.

Am nearly 53.

quizzywizz · 13/04/2013 16:23

What about Jennifer?

That was way up on the popular names list but I don't know any!

Alliwantisaroomsomewhere · 13/04/2013 16:23

Why does no one EVER say: "I really love Judy"! Grin

SayMama · 13/04/2013 16:26

I like a dated name!

DD1's isnt 'old' (Faye), but her middle name of Margaret is!
DD2's is Laura Carolyn (she's 1) and I'm surprised by how many Lauras I've come accross, it must be in vouge again!

SayMama · 13/04/2013 16:28

Happy Margaret is our family name, it goes back many generations! The only problem was I was the first mother to have two daughters and it caused a bit of angst on my part!

marriedinwhiteagain · 13/04/2013 16:31

Because they know they will bet a punch alliwantisaroomsomewhere. Actually I do really like Judith - a nice sensible, strong name.

AmandaPayneAteTooMuchChocolate · 13/04/2013 16:40

I am always amazed by the number of people who suggest that currently popular names are 'classic' and names popular when they were growing up are 'dated'. The number of names that people claim are lovely and classic now that would have been dated when I was a child is enormous. People would have found Jack a real old man name when I was a child. And the current 'old lady' names would have been considered monumentally dated.

The only real 'classic' names are the ones that have been continually popular for the last 100 years or so - mostly male names like James and William, but a few female ones like Elizabeth too.

I remain convinced that my own children will be rolling out the names of my parents generation - come back Pauline, Carole, Sue, Malcolm and Colin!

mrsjay · 13/04/2013 16:48

we have Margaret as a family name dd2 has it as her middle name my cousins dd has it in hers 2 of my cousins have it as a middle name my aunt is Margaret and my nana was Margaret and my G grandmother was margaret ,

SarahAndFuck · 13/04/2013 17:18

I've been rereading the thread and muttering "Granny was a Fanny" to myself and laughing.

DH is Hmm but knows better than to ask.

Wannabestepfordwife · 13/04/2013 17:34

sarah where I used to live years ago there was a fanny fiddling in the graveyard it cracks me up every time. You wouldn't be able to get away with that now

mrsjay · 13/04/2013 17:44

no way poor mrs/miss fiddiling Grin

SarahAndFuck · 13/04/2013 17:48

Oh dear Grin That's a very unfortunate name.

I love the You Tube clip of Bradley Walsh laughing at the name Fanny Schmeller.

invicta · 13/04/2013 17:48

When I was growing up, names such as George, Henry, Lily, Grace, etc were all considered old fashioned and were the names of our grandparents. They're the names in vogue now.

Popular Class names from the 80s includes:
girls : Claire/Clare, Helen, Susan, Rachel, Rebecca, Nicola, Sarah,
Boys: Andrew, Paul, Mark, David, Peter, Daniel, Adam,

mrsjay · 13/04/2013 17:49

I saw that on itll be all right on the night sarah Grin

georgettemagritte · 13/04/2013 18:00

I'm late 30s and the most common girls' names in my classes at school were Sarah, Jane, Alison, Claire/Clare/Clair, Helen, Victoria, Rachel, Caroline, Angela, Julie, Jenny, Katie. For my sisters, a few years younger, they were Katie, Rebecca, Alexandra, Hannah, Beth/Bethan, Helen, Emma, Sophie, Jessica. I don't even think of most of those as dated; in fact in my NCT group recently half of the babies were had names out of this list!