Why does 'timelessness' matter?

[Wolfgirrl]

Got way too much time on my hands in isolation!

Just wondering, but what is with every baby name on MN being critiqued for 'timelessness'?

Firstly I dont really see the point as having a timeless name wont make you look any younger, only seem it on paper.

Secondly, in their effort to avoid 'dating' names everyone is going for names like Ottilie, Ezra, Wilfred etc. Wont they just become the new set of 'dated' names further down the line?

A lot of the names which MN has said will date badly have actually been around hundreds of years, such as Freya (beautiful name, Norse mythology).

Just curious really! I didnt consider popularity when choosing DDs name, I thought either a name is pretty or it isnt.

I thought it meant not a fad...so not Savannah, etc

I think the majority of names have their time and then become dated and then go back into “fashion”. The only names I can see that don’t do this are classic royal type names like Elizabeth, George etc.
It certainly doesn’t bother we if a name isn’t timeless as it will be the same for most people!

@LexiM

George is having a moment right now- another one that might bite the dust on here soon!

I would say Elizabeth is a 'classic' name but still something that makes me think of a slightly older lady.

I guess all names have different connotations in peoples minds.

I just find it peculiar people thing they are dodging the dated/down market (hate that word 🤢) bullet by choosing something that will clearly become dated in future (e.g. ottilie).

I think it’s to avoid names like Darren, Sharon and Nigel that seem to have had a moment never to be repeated. Arthur has been in and out of the top 100 throughout history so whilst it is trendy now it won’t date in the same way

@plantpotting

Funny you should say that, my grandma said when she was younger names like Ethel, Mabel etc were totally old grannyish and she never imagined they would make a comeback!

There may be hope for Nigel yet...

in their effort to avoid 'dating' names everyone is going for names like Ottilie, Ezra, Wilfred etc. Wont they just become the new set of 'dated' names further down the line?

Yes.

A lot of the names which MN has said will date badly have actually been around hundreds of years, such as Freya (beautiful name, Norse mythology).

A friend's daughter (in her 20s) is Freya. Nice name, suits her. It was a bit unusual back then. Now you know several of them, the name is a bit meh.

every baby name on MN being critiqued for 'timelessness'
Some names give your age away - often they will be inspired by a celebrity (Debbie Reynolds, Kylie, Britney, Darcey Bussell). If a name has passed peak popularity and sliding down the name charts, you will seem a bit older than you are. Not ideal in a society that seems to be a bit ageist.

With names that are a full version and have nn, you can choose to be called by a nn. Elizabeth could be Betty, Liz, Lisa, Beth, Eliza... The nn might age you. Elizabeth is timeless, Betty a granny name, Lisa a mum name or whatever.

It's not about the youthfulness of the name, it's about them being not very fashionable at one point, but then as a result dated in the future...

@mikeuniformmike

But why is it meh just because a few others have it?

Either a name is pretty or it's not, surely?

The number of people that have it doesnt change the name per se.

I have a quintessentially late 70s/early 80s name. I didn’t come across many at school and work, but now I’m at the school gates tripping over women with my name. It’s an age thing. If you have this name you are around 40 - no exceptions

I also just chose a name for DD based on what I loved. Luckily, DH loved it too. I’ve seen it loved and hated on MN though. I don’t care as we still love it.

We should all just choose a name that we love and not care what others think (obviously the exceptions are names that will trigger bullying or are not really names).

When I was a child, in the 70s, there was a boy called Arthur. He was named after his father and his name was out of place amongst his peers who were Paul, David, John, Steven etc.

James is a name I think of as timeless.

I think it's just oversaturation? (is that the correct word?), like how Gangnam Style went from meh to horrible after being played a trillion times. If you keep hearing people having a certain name, it just gets dull.

Although I do like the name Freya.

Say I had a typical name for my age which was Louise. Yes it would be dated to late 20s/30s now but it's still nicer than my actual non-dated name if you see what I mean.

I have a dated name. It peaked in the 70s so it's not only dated but dated to the decade 10 years older than me, great!
That means people often assume based on my name that I'm slightly older. It's never really bothered me too much but I considered this when naming my boys as I would have preferred either a classic name or something more unusual.

I love it when someone introduces their baby with a name that has hit the sweet spot, different enough to sound refreshing but still a good solid name.

Lots of names are pretty. I think that Sharon is a nice name and I know some lovely Sharons. Lots of parents thought it was nice. It got overused and now datestamps any Sharon.

According to a search, it was no 17 in the name charts in 1974, but I'd guess that a Sharon would be in her late 50s.

I can remember thinking that Chloe was a fresh, pretty name, a bit more unusual than the usual Zoe. 30 years later, having heard several colleagues talk about their Chloe (often Chlo) it seems quite a drab name.

My search also gave me this link, which is worth reading: www.newstatesman.com/books/2013/11/curse-being-called-sharon

Interestingly over the past few days there have been a few threads about the way in which ageism and sexism have been targeted at certain women's names

Carol
Karen
Sandra
Janet

The reason its ageist is because its commonly understood that the person being mocked or eye rolled at is middle aged because these names have dated that way.

Elizabeth wouldn't be used in that context because it doesn't give the automatic contextual hint of the woman's age

Very much disagree about names like George.

George is more popular now than say 10 or 20 years a go but it’s (like most classic names) cyclical and never properly goes away. I know of young Georges and older ones, my age (30s), middle aged and old so I really don’t see how having the name George will signpost that you were born in 2010-2020.

Nigel, Sharon, Gary etc are more one hit wonders. All Garys are around 55 now.

I used to work with an Angela. You know from the name that she’s retirement age. That’s what I look to avoid when I name my children.

Ezra I think of as pretty faddy. There may have been a handful of Ezras before but it’s hardly a name that comes round and round and round again like Christopher, Matthew, Thomas, George..