Uncommon but 'normal' names

[RiceorChips]

Sorry, I couldn't think of a better title (not sure uncommon or normal are the right words?!).

Anyway, linked to another thread about unusual names not being that unusual as we all have the same ideas - got me thinking of names that are unusual in that they are not that common /popular at the moment but are names that are 'normal', not faddy, not frilly, not made up, etc.

For example:
Erica
Nicole
Natalie

Justin
Gareth
Neil

To me these are all relatively nice names but I can't ever remember seeing them mentioned on MN (whether in a positive or negative vein) nor know of hardly any in RL.

Just wondered if you can think of other names that might fall into this category?

Philiip, I have a Phillip and you can't buy anything with his name on, poor boy!

We have a Catherine, not very common for small girls and Anastasia (NN Annie)

Most of you have just listed names from my school classes. So mid 80's to early 90's names :) Sound normal because there are tonnes of them about, just fell out of favour because they got too popular.

From this thread so far I know babies (between 0-18 months) named Emma, Luke, Frank, Anastasia, Robert, Samantha, Helena, Julia and Tamsin, oh and Cecelia but not Celia.
Maybe they are creeping back in?

Haven't heard:
Stacey, Tracy, Barbara, Hilary, Amy, Selina, Joanne, Wendy, Vanessa, Joy, Jacqueline, Kathleen, Claudine, Carolyn, Michelle, Gillian, Alison

Warren, Howard, Raymond, Christopher, Roland, Malcolm, Duncan, Gregory, Spencer, Alun, Lee, Jason

Peter

Angela

Ethel
Edna
Edith

There was a baby Simon at a group I went to when dd was a few months old and although not an unusual name at all it was really jarring to me (in a good way) because all the Simons I know are mid twenties and older.

We really like Nicholas for dc2 and again I think it's one if those names that everyone has heard of but not used very often.

Jay
Kim
Lorna

Yes Simon and Nicholas are definitely the sort of names I was thinking of.

Also thought of:
Shaun
Stuart
Scott

Helen
Carrie
Danielle

Love these kind of names! Also: Hugh, Jeremy, Raymond, Simon, Paul, Ian.

I have taught teenagers with these names, like from one generation back, and I think it's cool. Harder for a baby to pull off though.

Amanda
Lisa
Deborah
Michael
Craig

Jason

I have an Angie and a Shirley

Gemma, Rebecca, Hayley, Anna.

Lois.

I have a baby Michael, he's 12 weeks old

The names of my other kids have been mentioned on this thread, too.

Way too many names on this thread are just names from our generation or our parents, and so are a bit dated and just aren't being used any more.

I would include a couple of names from the OP - Nicole and Justin. They are quite faddy because they were very popular when our parents were naming us, and then went out of fashion.

I am guessing you are looking for more timeless names, where you couldn't automatically pinpoint the age of the person down to the decade, more or less. Which are harder to come by!

I think it's much easier to find date-less girls' names than boys - there are hardly any boys names which fall into this category. Even the true classic royalist boy's names are cyclical and go in and out of favour. George was out for quite a while, but has started becoming more popular in recent years. William is pretty solid, but still has periods of more and less popularity. Charles is out if favour now, while everyone opts for the more boyish, nickname-y Charlie.

And anyway, most royal names hardly fit the 'uncommon' requirement in the OP.

Thomas
Alistair
John

Susan
Louise
Melissa

Melanie, Jillian, Lindsay, Susan
Richard, Peter, Gregory,David

All three of my sons names have been mentioned on this thread. We chose them because we liked them but they aren't popular. We also had a rule that they wouldn't have Thomas the Tank Engine names...

Stephanie

Roderick
Ambrose
Gerald
Julian

Francesca
Jane (do not know any young children with this name!)
Danielle
April
Lilian
Vivian
Briony
Meryl
Tracy

I could go on and on! So many girls names I never hear used for young children!

I have a Francesca. She is 9. I think it is pretty timeless and classic without being too common.

I also love Emmeline as a name. Had it picked out if this baby was a girl but its a he.

We're going with Sebastian. Which I think os the same sort of name as francesca. Not common but not wacky or weird or fashionable in a certain time.