Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Timeless or trendy?

37 replies

greenglue · 19/05/2019 12:53

How do you see these names?

Timeless or trendy? Classy or downmarket?

Mia
Ella
Lily
Sophia
Amelia
Olivia
Isabella
Maia
Lara
Sara
Zara
Isla

TIA

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
SundayMorningSun · 19/05/2019 13:21

Is Tia one of the names or 'thanks in advance'? Grin

More seriously, they all strike me as very trendy/now but not at all downmarket. I know lots of very middle-class girls with all these names.

SundayMorningSun · 19/05/2019 13:23

Probably the 'trendiest' is Isla, which rocketed up from nowhere to become a top-5 name.

The ones with slightly more staying power are probably Sophia, Isabella and Sara.

namechan · 19/05/2019 13:23

Not sure if they're timeless/trendy but they all strike me as quite boring straight off the bat (sorry!!!)

Zara is the only exception for me, I think it's lovely.

LazyLizzy · 19/05/2019 13:26

Very common and overused.

Except for Lara and Zara, which are lovely.

BaconRolls · 19/05/2019 13:30

I think they are all nice, middle of the road names of our time. Not timeless, but perfectly nice.

Original poster
greenglue · 19/05/2019 13:31

Yes these names I think are all in the top 100. I am interested to see how they are viewed and which ones will stand the test of time and which ones are not considered downmarket. Nothing wrong with a popular name!

OP posts:
forkfun · 19/05/2019 13:38

Sophia, Olivia and Sara have probably the most staying power. There is a website that tracks names over time and gives you a pretty good indication of which names are flashes in the pan. I can't remember it, but Google will help you, I'm sure.

LizziesTwin · 19/05/2019 13:39

I have much older children but I know women & girls from 36 and down with those names. The new oldest Mia is 20 but other than that they are all mainstream classic names. Wasn’t Isla St Claire on the Generation Game? I knew an Islay in the 1980s who was from a v posh background.

SundayMorningSun · 19/05/2019 14:03

The website PP mentioned is: names.darkgreener.com/

All have increased in popularity in the last 25 years.

Here are there current rankings:

Mia - 7
Ella - 9
Lily - 10
Sophia - 11
Amelia - 2
Olivia - 1
Isabella - 6
Maia - 224
Lara - 126
Sara - 82
Zara - 70
Isla - 3

As you'll see, lots of your list is basically the current top 10. (Nothing wrong with a popular name, but that's why people are saying they've heard them a lot.)

sparklysunflower · 19/05/2019 14:50

They're all very 'trendy' and will eventually fall out of fashion.

I think Zara is the most 'class'

EmrysAtticus · 19/05/2019 14:54

I would consider Sara, Lara and Zara to be timeless, the others will date I think.

Crushedvelvetcouch · 19/05/2019 15:00

Sara and Lara are the only ones I would consider.

Mia, Ella, Lily and Amelia are especially 'lower socioeconomic group' nowadays.

steppemum · 19/05/2019 15:01

Mia, Maia, Lara
These three are really not timeless, they weren't around when I was a kid, so I think they will date a lot.

Most of the rest are very very popular, so, while they are timeless (Lily was very popular Victorian name for example) I think they will certainly date, in the same way that Ann and Mary is the name of the 40's and Rebecca and Wendy the name of the 70's etc

That isn't a reason not to use them though. I am a child of the 70's and my name reflects that, but it is a nice name (and coming back into fashion again now)

KindnessCrusader · 19/05/2019 15:06

I wouldn't use the word trendy but overused and a bit meh (oaabm) So, for me:

Mia-oaabm
Ella-timeless
Lily-oaabm
Sophia-timeless
Amelia-oaabm
Olivia-timeless
Isabella-oaabm
Maia-oaabm
Lara-timeless
Sara-timeless
Zara-timeless
Isla-oaabm

I have four children at three schools and Isabella and Isla are the most popular names by a long way in their classes.

KindnessCrusader · 19/05/2019 15:10

@steppemum I know a couple of very old Lara's, one mid thirties and 2 children. All very posh. I don't think it's a new name but of course it might be different in other locations.

steppemum · 19/05/2019 15:18

Kindness - no, probably not 100% new, but it isn't one that you come across on old family trees and in books much.
So I don;t think it is a timeless name.
However, it isn't currently an overused name either!

I like Sara, but I think it should be pronounced to rhyme with Lara and Zara, and hate the trend for it to be an alternative spelling of Sarah

Original poster
greenglue · 19/05/2019 15:19

That’s so much for your replies. It’s interesting to see how popular names are viewed. Especially as names get more popular their perception changes. I usually am hesitant to pick names that spring out of no where. But at the same time I think “popular” names are safe and risk averse.

Also kindnesscrusader I love your abbreviation!

OP posts:
Biancadelrioisback · 19/05/2019 15:21

My grandma was called Ella and she died this year aged 96. I'd definitely say that name was timeless

Original poster
greenglue · 19/05/2019 15:24

steppemum Lara’s from the classic book “Doctor Zhivago”! But I know what you mean...it’s no Jane Austen.

Maia also reminds me of Maya Angelou.

OP posts:
stucknoue · 19/05/2019 15:31

Lily
Sophia
Amelia
Olivia
Isabella
Sara

Are all quite classic but popular, the others are more trendy and popular.

We did the international compatibility test, as work had a 50/50 chance of taking us to a non English speaking country they had to be first names that worked in other languages easily, so we stuck with bible names which were the same or close in most European languages. The other test I had was the cv test, would their full name stand them out as (possibly) being a certain type of background? classic, timeless, and if you want something cute or sweet just have it as a nickname

HainaultViaNewburyPark · 19/05/2019 15:33

I think of Sophia and Isabella and possibly Sara as being timeless (although the current popularity of Isabella makes it more likely to fall out of favour - which is pretty much what happened to Sarah after the 70s/80s).

I don’t think Lara falls into this category (although Laura probably does).

Watersnail · 19/05/2019 15:42

I'd say these are classics - Lily, Sophia, Amelia, Olivia, Isabella, Zara. Some of these used to have a definite posh vibe, although less so now.

Ella is OK as a nickname for Isabella, Gabriella, Arabella etc. but is flimsy as a stand-alone name.

Mia, Maia, Lara, Sara, Isla are less classic IMHO.

Original poster
greenglue · 19/05/2019 15:45

stucknoue that’s very interesting, and a very good way to pick a name. Though thinking about it, I think all those names have an international feel, and you wouldn’t be able to guess where they are from....perhaps that’s why they are popular

OP posts:
userabcname · 19/05/2019 16:28

Mia, Maia and Isla are incredibly popular in my area currently so I think are going to date. I would consider Isabella, Sophia and Olivia to be timeless and although popular I wouldn't say over-used (obviously this does vary by area!). I would also say these three are the most elegant.

Proseccofuelled · 19/05/2019 16:44

All of them are exceptionally on trend - lots of vowels & floaty soft names unlike the Sharon Catherine Joan of the previous generation (& likely the future)

I don’t understand the obsession with timelessness though - you’re very unlikely to choose a name that doesn’t sound like a middle aged name when they’re middle aged unless you go for something that is the opposite of the current trend like Sharon etc.