Which names are considered classic? Just biblical or royal?

[pizzacrisps]

What do you consider 'classic'? I guess Catherine and Elizabeth make the cut?

I think it’s fascinating that names like Parnell and Fortune have completely disappeared!

Even more interesting (to me, anyway!) is that these names are still popular among Afro-Caribbean communities, even though they have mostly dropped out of use among white British and American families

To me a classic name is a name that's been around for a long time but has never been very fashionable or trendy:

Anna
Antonia
Beatrice
Elizabeth
Catherine
Valentina
Helena
Charlotte

Frederick
Thomas
Quentin
George
Magnus
Vincent
Dominic

But there's lots more!

A name whereby you can guess the age is not a timeless classic.

I agree. Because such a name must have been trendy/fashionable at a time and therefore can't be a classic!

I think it also depends a little on how well known it is within society. A well known name, with a well established spelling, which is unlikely to raise any eyebrows when you say what your name is is more classic. So for instance Perdita I wouldn't say was classic. James, Alice, Anna, Matthew, I all would say are classic

Perdita is shakespearian rather than classic. I'd guess it to be an upper-middle class sort of name.

Perdita is more classic than Sharon or Evie for example. It's rare but known and has never been super fashionable.

It sounds like a dog's name to me for some reason

Lucy, Emma, Alice

George, William, Daniel

Pleased to see my children's names mentioned here over and over again! We chose them because we liked them, but we both happen to like classic names. My own is less classic because it's fallen out of fashion in the last few decades but it was mentioned above. My husband's name isn't here and I'm not surprised. First used in the 19th century, I think, never massively popular and now rarely used.

To me it’s names that never seem to go out of fashion, you’ll meet people of all ages called it.

Examples are George, Edward, James, Emily, Elizabeth, Charlotte.

Thomas is definitely a classic too. It’s a name that has stuck throughout the ages. Babies will still be called it in 2019 but you’ll also meet pensioners called it as well as people in their twenties.

Some very, very good and classic names mentioned here. It's nice to see and hear them.

I'd add Jonathan, Jeremy, Nicholas, David for boys. All my favourite girls names have already been mentioned. Paul and Paula are nice.

I always find it interesting that Matthew and John are true classless, classic names; Mark less so (anyone know any baby Marks right now? Or Grandad Marks?); and Luke is far rarer than the other three apostle names in any demographic

Sticking with the theme, Peter is another true classic name IMO.

Funny how the boy names are clearer than the girl names, isn't it?

Classic has nothing to do with class. Classic just means timeless, suitable for all ages as never really fashionable.

Judging by the number of Marks of my age (late 50s) there must be loads now who are grandfathers. More Marks of that age than Matthews.

Many of the names that we consider 'classic' today are remembered from when they were popular in the 18th century, eg 'Jane Austen' names such as Mary, Catherine, Emma, Elizabeth, and, indeed, Jane.

None of those names would be out of place at the court of Henry VIII, in fact they include the names of two of his wives, two of his children and his sister.

I think if the names have been in continual use for 400 years you can say they are classic.

Elizabeth is a classic name. Variations of it tend not to be - and there are many. My parents' age group had Betty and Liz, and I'm of the Beth(an) and Lisa age group. Nowadays it's Isabel(la), Elsie, Elsa, Lily, Eliza or Libby.
Similarly, Kathryn was popular when I was young but after a while Kate and Katie took over, then Cat and Kitty.

Names like Emma, Helen, Louise, Mark, Philip, James etc are classic because they aren't closely linked with an age group or social group.

Wikipedia
Emma of Normandy (c. 985 – 6 March 1052) was a queen consort of England, Denmark and Norway. She was the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, and his second wife, Gunnora. Through her marriages to Æthelred the Unready (1002–1016) and Cnut the Great (1017–1035), she became the Queen Consort of England, Denmark, and Norway. She was the mother of three sons, King Edward the Confessor, Alfred Ætheling, and King Harthacnut, as well as two daughters, Goda of England, and Gunhilda of Denmark. Even after her husbands' deaths Emma remained in the public eye, and continued to participate actively in politics.

@Bittermints Harthacnut is a corker😄
If anyone missed the link upthread
www.s-gabriel.org/names/christian/fairnames/givennames.html#women

In England in 1560 15% of women were called Elizabeth
Then
Joan 12%
Margaret 11%
Anne 9%
Alice 8%
Agnes 6%
Isabel 4%
Jane 3%
Mary 3%
Katherine 3%
Margery 2%

For men:
John 29%
Thomas 14%
William 14%
Richard 7%
Robert 6%
Henry 3%
Nicholas 3%
Walter 2%
Edward 2%

DH, me and our four kids all have classic names. We could easily be a family from Elizabethan times or Victorian times. In fact when I looked at my family tree, some of our kids had been given great, or great great grandparents names without us even knowing about them beforehand. Its kind of nice I think.

Thanks for that list, Clementine! My daughter, my son, my m-i-l, my mum and my dad and I all feature there.

What a lovely name Agnes is. I actually like all those names.

Is celine/ Celina a classic or trend?

@TinklyLittleLaugh I love obscure baby names but there’s something really lovely about sharing a name with people on the family tree.
@BitterMints Agnes is a great name. We know a little Agnes, who’s four.
@milasmummy I think Celine (Céline) is a traditional French saint name.

Sorry, posted too soon. Should have said, I don’t know if it’s considered a classic in France, or not.

I always thought my parents used quite classic names for us, but I've not seen mine on anyone's list so far! Mine's a minor Biblical name - the shortened version is more common I think.

My brother is David, which I've always thought was pretty classic, although not massively common at the moment.