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Baby names

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Original poster

Could you ever name your child after your mother? Pamela, Teresa, Denise, Brenda, Carol, Barbara, Sandra etc?

187 replies

another20 · 06/10/2017 09:56

Found these links to most common girls names born in 1940/50s/60s imagine they would be or becoming grand-parents now could you ever name your child after your mother? Seems older names (our grandparents) get used....

www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1940s.html
www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1940s.html
www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1960s.html

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OSETmum · 06/10/2017 19:05

My mum is Alexandra, which I think is a very big band for a little girl but I love Alex as a nickname. She goes by her middle name though, Louise, which I think is due a comeback.

As an aside, I saw a picture of a 4 year old Brian starting school the other day!

tarheelbaby · 06/10/2017 19:16

I think it really all depends. I was brought up to value family names so would choose them above others and was not really interested in 'trendy' names. Both DDs have v. traditional names and my mother's sisters all did too (Margaret, Frances, Elizabeth). DF had one sister whose name is a multi-generational legacy and, fortunately, pretty classic, which I have imposed on DD1. It is my sister's name too.

Yika · 06/10/2017 19:25

I love some of those names: Veronica, Monica, Yolanda, Gail, karen. Jean and Joan are both definitely on the cusp of a big comeback.

EKLInTraining · 06/10/2017 19:58

I love Yolanda too!

NotCornflakes · 06/10/2017 20:09

My name is in the Top 50 on that 1940s list linked upthread. I was born in the (very) late 70s. I've only ever met one other person around my age with my name, and she was as surprised as I was to find another one! Grin

WhenLoveAndCakeCollide · 06/10/2017 20:34

My (late) mother was named Helen. I like the name, but I didn't like her (long story), so wouldn't name a child after my mother for that reason.

My grandmothers were Rosalind and Lucille, which I would consider using.

WhenLoveAndCakeCollide · 06/10/2017 20:36

Posted before I was finished, so to add to above....

I'm often told my grandmothers' names stand out amongst typical grandma names of the time.

LynetteScavo · 06/10/2017 20:49

I love Shirley...could definitely call my DD Shirley.

At as teenager I thought I would call my DC Shirley, Arnold & Howard.

My DM has a very popular baby name, but I could not use MILs name. Ever. Bloody awful and DM pronounces it with the emphasis on the wrong syllable.

Mintybuttons · 06/10/2017 20:58

My Mum was born in the 40's and is called Daphne. I didn't know anyone who was called that when I was young but it is coming back into fashion I think ..?
My own daughter is Tess which I still love - has a fairly awful middle name though after Mil who passed away - poor girl hates it.

SuperBeagle · 06/10/2017 21:12

I've always liked the name Pamela. But I hate Pam, so would never consider using it.

My mum has a very unusual name, even by today's standards. I wouldn't use it because no one ever spells or pronounces her name correctly. But I probably wouldn't consider using many other names from the era (friends of hers include Deborah, Karen, Linda, Christine, Tammy, Jane).

Mrsknackered · 06/10/2017 21:58

I know a little Patsy after her grandmother, and I actually really like it.

My mum is Emma, so yes I probably would use it!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 06/10/2017 22:05

My family used to recycle the same names over and over again. Say they were Susan, Katherine and Mary (they weren't, but they were classic names of the same type):

One of my great-grandmothers was Susan
My grandmothers were both Mary
One great-aunt was Susan, one on each side was Katherine
My dad's sister was Mary
My mum's sister was [Another name] Mary
My mum's cousin was Mary
My mum was Susan Katherine
I'm Mary Susan
My daughter is Katherine Mary
My niece is Kate (i.e. on her birth certificate)

I rather like it. Meanwhile, another great-aunt was Euphemia (real name), Effie for short. My poor aunt got that as a middle name. A more distant cousin is called Phemie, which is the other shortened version of Euphemia. So glad I didn't get it.

My real name has been mentioned several times on this thread, without much enthusiasm. Grin I think it's irretrievably tainted, for a reason which has already been mentioned in connection with it.

Buntysoven · 07/10/2017 01:42

My mum's name is Angela and this bump will have mn Angelica after her...close enough but with a spin on it. Mum doesn't know yet!

UntilTheCowsComeHome · 07/10/2017 01:49

My mum was Meryl, she loathed her name but I think it's nice. I'd have considered it for a DD if my mum didn't hate it so much.

Highpeak · 07/10/2017 08:40

My mum is a Barbara and hates it, I agree with her. It's such a harsh name.
DD has late MIL's name as a middle name, Lorna. I like it.

NinjaLeprechaun · 07/10/2017 12:10

"My mum is a Barbara and hates it, I agree with her. It's such a harsh name."
Ouch. Grin I kind of hate it as well.

The main problem I have with my name is that it was in the top ten the year my mum was born and already out of fashion by 10-15 years when I was born. And I could NEVER find anything with my name on it as a child. That and when people hear my name before they meet me they expect somebody a lot older.
Given that experience, I wouldn't give my child a name out of the top 50 or so. My daughter was named after my grandmother but I 'updated' the name to a more popular at the time cognate. (Top 5 where we lived, but I didn't realize that at the time.)

Liadain · 07/10/2017 14:48

My mum was a Mary, I briefly considered naming a DD after her but too raw I think. Mary is a great name though!

Thinking about older relatives I have Olivia (overdone), Philomena (dreadful name), Halley (I like this!), Bernadette (also dreadful), Catherine (bit blah), Irene (pretty but not for me). A big range!

MikeUniformMike · 07/10/2017 14:55

Depends on the name.

JennyOnAPlate · 07/10/2017 15:13

My mum is Maureen. I don’t think it should have a come back.

weegiemum · 07/10/2017 16:23

My dd1 isn't named for anyone.

Ds has dh's GF and my Dad's names as middle names.

Dd2 was born 2 weeks after dh's Grandma died. She's called Rachel (though dgm always went by Ruby, which she didn't like, and loved being in hospital where they called her Rachel). We saw dgm about 2 weeks before she died and told her that if we were having a girl she'd be Rachel - she smiled and it was the last time before she died that she showed any emotion. Dd2 has my Gran's name, Jessie, as a middle name. Gran did not approve! "I wish I'd had a better name to give the bairn" was her response when we told her!

weegiemum · 07/10/2017 16:27

And I'm a Susan. Its a good name that I like but its not ready for a comeback quite yet!

Hoolit · 07/10/2017 22:07

My dm is Geraldine, she's not keen and I don't think she'd have liked me to call my dd after her as she's always said 's who looks at a cute tiny baby and thinks Geraldine!'

PaleAzureofSummer · 08/10/2017 15:20

I like Marion a lot. Lots born in the 40s

Morello444 · 08/10/2017 19:16

I love Joan and Rita, and Nancy too! My mum is Janette Valerie, I love Valerie but didn't use it for any of my children.

Kaykee · 08/10/2017 19:27

My mum is Gwynneth so no wouldn't use it
Sorry mum nice name and suits her.

Grandmothers charlotte and Thelma but no don't think I'd have used them either. I have 4 boys so didn't need to.

My girls name for all 4 (didn't find out what I was having) was Katherine Elizabeth