Is Emma dated?

[AlanaMay]

Talking baby names with colleagues today as one is expecting a DD later this spring. I suggested the name Emma and colleague burst out laughing saying it was as incongruous as calling a baby Kevin or Steve. This surprised me, as I see it as a fairly timeless name - I've always loved it. Or is she right? Options please!

It's one of my favs and on my list for this baby (if it's a girl)
Definitely wouldn't class it along with Steve 😂

I've got a 4 month old Emma 💕 so I'm biased but I've had no negative reactions to her name x

I am currently snuggling my Emma, she is 2 months old💖

The lady in the recovery ward said she hadnt heard of an emma for ages

I chose it as in my opinion it is timeless and very hard to mis spell (im dyslexic so thats important)

Beautiful name she is so wrong x

I think for people born in the 80s it is dated because there were SO many Emmas. It is nice but it does feel dated to me.

I prefer Emily if that helps?

Slightly dated but not in a bad way

They're talking nonsense: it is timeless and beautiful.

It's quite 70s but in a good way.

Yep, weird colleague.

On the other hand I have 17 Emmas in my phone and they are all over 40...time for a revival though - nearly all of them are lovely!

I think of Emma as a classic name and Emily more of an “every other girl born in the 1990/early 2000’s” name. But I think I thought it the other way round back in 1995!

It's a lovely name!

I can't stand the current vogue for old-fashioned names, but Emma isn't one of them - it never really went away. Go for it!

It's a fairly ordinary, straightforward and solid name. And it means "universal" which is pretty awesome.

It's a classic.

Your colleague is an idiot. Emma is fairly timeless.

Thanks everyone. Good to know I'm not alone in my perception! It's a simple and beautiful name; "timeless" is the right word.

I think it’s a classic. Not as popular perhaps at the moment as all names go through cycles, but I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at hearing a baby announcement with that name. Definitely not a Kevin or Tracey!

I don’t think it will ever date but it is very boring.

One of my DP’s colleagues is about to have a baby and she is naming her Emma because she is Polish and she, quote, ‘wants a plain English name so she doesn’t get bullied at school’ (due to long Polish surname).

It's a classic- but a bit of a tired classic. It will never go out of 'fashion' as such, but it's not the best classic name.

I know a few Emma’s that are under 6. I work with 6 Emma’s and it does get confusing 😂 age range 18-43!

It's no 52 in the UK popular list in 2017, so not dated I think. Maybe she is referring to the fact that it has been popular for a few decades now?

I see it as a classic and it feels a bit refreshing atm too. The youngest Emma i know is 6

There's a Emma in my dd reception class, I don't mind it wouldn't use it myself though

It's ok. A bit boring like Emily

It's a classic name that was a bit too popular in the 1980s.

My DD, ~20, had 3 Emma's in her class at secondary school.
Some names are perennials - Catherine/Katherine is another example.

I reckon you can't really go wrong with names which were either royals or used by Austen and the Brontës.