On trend names and attitudes towards them

[cathf]

Inspired by a thread a while ago, I find attitudes to names interesting on this board.
Someone asked what the next round of fashionable names would be and the general consensus was 1960/70s names such as Karen, Gillian, Paul etc.
I actually disagree, as I think we have the 1940s/50s names to come yet, but I digress.
Anyway, it set me thinking, as posters were saying how awful the 70s names were and they could never imagine they would be popular again.
However, I wonder if the posters who always proclaim such names as Albert, Elsie, Betty etc as georgous would have been so enthusiastic before that kind of name became a 'thing'?
Imagine if someone posted in 1980 they were going to name their baby Arthur? You would assume that it was a family name and there was no choice.
Our ears do get accustomed to hearing familiar names, don't they?

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER that is a fantastic insight. I never thought about Ruby that way. (Mind you, will Agatha ever make a comeback?!)

This reminds me of the girls I went to school with who were from Hong Kong. Those who were Christian tended to pick a name at confirmation or just before they got packed off to boarding school, and they (or their parents) often picked a name from a dictionary of names with no idea of the sort of context or any sort of connotations that might be attached.

So I was friends with:

Ginny
Ada
Eunice
and many more

and my dad couldn't believe how old-fashioned their names were. I was 12 so had no idea; I just accepted their names and got on with it, but he just couldn't get over it all.

Although, even as a 12 year old, I did did think Faustina had a particularly unfortunate name. She told me picked that one herself because she liked how it sounded strong! Which I suppose it does...

Eunice!!! Maybe they were looking for inspiration in really old school stories, like Daisy Pulls It Off! (Which was probably a play now I come to think of it, and a very funny take on the school story genre.).

When I was about 8 someone gave me a school-story book entitled 'Audrey, A New Girl'. That's one I hope will never back a comeback! The book was pretty rubbish, too.

As for Agatha, I can't understand anyone looking at a tiny newborn baby girl and saying, 'Yes, I think Agatha would suit her.' Ditto the once fashionable Gertrude - it was the name of a granny's neighbour and at over 80 my granny married her husband years after Gert (as she was known, ugh) had died.

Agree about the names from Hong Kong. I used to teach at a summer school for pupils from Hong Kong and also had a Eunice. Also remember a Prudence, Karen, Stella and Coco.

Also,I love Audrey! Would seriously have considered it if it hadn't been my parents' cat's name!

Audrey is actually increasing in popularity.

Around 15 yrs ago a colleague of mine called her son David Harry, which happens to be exactly the same name as my brother. I found it amusing when another cousin commented that Harry was OK, but David was a bit old-fashioned, because we'd thought the exact opposite growing up some 30 years earlier.

Sorry meant to say 'another colleague'

As someone who has a horrendously dated name from the 70s/80s... I bloody hate this trend of bringing back old lady names. Who has ever looked at a new born baby and thought "Oooh, you look like an Ethel!!"

Darren! I hadn't realised but I knew two Darrens in my primary school years - and none at all ever since. Near 40 years of no Darrens. How odd.

My cousin was born in 1997 and given the middle name Arthur. It definitely seemed an odd, very dated choice at the time

There are two little Audreys at my DD's nursery. It's still an 'old lady' name in my mind (particularly as it was the name of one of my grannies), but taken in isolation it does have quite a pretty sound.

You know, Karen is actually a really nice name...

Oliver was #6 in 2003!