Names in your class vs now

[Wambsgans]

I was in secondary school in the mid-90s. I was thinking about the names of kids in my class/year and whether I know any children born now (i.e. 5 or under, thereabouts) with the same names. Interesting little exercise when you're bored! Boys were called eg Adam, Mark, Ian, Jonathan, Andrew, Tim, etc. Girls were all Katherine, Emma, Anna, Vicky, Lucy, Kim, Claire, Karen etc.

So the only overlaps I have between boys in my year and boys of friends born recently are
Ben
Daniel
Tom
Peter
Edward
Nicholas

Girls I can only think of Katherine and Rea.

I guess boys' names tend to stay more 'classic' and girls' names are more changeable. I now feel quite old!

[SisterAgatha]

Kerry
Erica
Cassandra
Joanne
Susan (which seemed old even then)
Carly
Stacey
Jodie

You just don’t get kids called this these days.

[Wheresthebiffer2]

Early 1980s secondary school

John
Michael
Paul
David
Billy
Alan
Fraser

Karen
Jane
Tracey
Susan
Sharon
Wendy
Gillian
Elizabeth
Julie-Anne
Anne-Marie
Christine
Maureen
Lyn

[TinyMetalBirds]

The only overlaps I can think of between my primary school class and my kids’ classmates are Charlotte and Bobby. Boys I can remember were Steven, Ian, Andrew, David, Ray, Michael, Alan, Paul, Richard, girls were Kirsty, Leanne, Joanne, Zara, Cassandra, Louise, Clare, Rebecca, Catherine, Michelle, Emma, and there are none of those in either of my children’s classes.

[Franklinstein]

I'm in my mid 40s and have friends of my age and also know children called-

Girls:
Emma
Emily
Olivia
Charlotte
Lucy
Elizabeth

Boys:
James
Thomas
Daniel
Matthew
Benjamin
Anthony
Nicholas
Michael

[formerbabe]

Oliver, Jack, Harry...there's usually one of each in every class!

[EhUp]

My peers at school in the 70s/80s
Girls: Sarah, Nicola, Claire, Joanne, Helen, Louise, Vicky, Rachel, Andrea
Boys: Steve, David, Nick, Chris, Rob, Danny, Johnny

DC's peers (both teenagers)
Girls: Emily, Isobel, Maddy, Harriet, Megan, Ella, Abi
Boys: Tom, Ben, Sam, Jack

The only names I can think of that featured both then and now are Matthew, Daniel, Amy & Sarah

[formerbabe]

Most schools now are full of Avas and Evies

[FoolsAssassin]

Overlaps between me left late 80’s) and the DS’s classes (DD recently left, DS still there)

Charlotte
Lydia
Rebecca
Emma
Elizabeth
Alex
Phoebe
Esme
Sophie
Ellie

Matthew
Joe
Sam
Ed
Ben

[Spidey66]

I was in secondary school in the late 70s/early 80s. So lots of Marys, Lindas, Jacquelines, Janets, Catherines, Kims, Susans.

My secondary was a girls school but in my primary there was a lot of boys called John, Trevor, Martin, Patrick, Terence.

Those names are all so dated now!

[VenusClapTrap]

The only currently small children I know with names popular during my school days are:

Ben
Daniel
James
Robert

Lucy
Laura
Jenny

[VenusClapTrap]

Oh and Martin! I recently met a baby Martin. That surprised me.

[LioneIRichTea]

Then...
Boys: Mark, Matthew, Daniel, James, Christopher, David...
Girls: Rachel, Emma, Sarah, Claire, Sophie, Hannah...

Now...
I know of a Daniel, an Emma and a Claire... all 5-6 years old.

Maybe just me but I like all the above names, all classics imo

[rc22]

I was at school in the 80s and 90s. Lots of Sarahs, Joannes, Helens, Lauras and Nicolas. A few Catherines and Carolines too and absolutely everyone seemed to have Louise or Jane as a middle name.

The boys names I remember were Mark, James, Richard, Robert, Steven, Simon, David.

[rc22]

And another thread has just reminded me....lots of Debbie/Deborah's!!

[Annierose293]

Funny I was talking about this with my teen daughter the other day.
I started high school in 1987. She started in 2015.
We went through all the names in our school years. The only ones that we had the same in both our eras were Lucy and Emma.

[EuphieKat]

‘Crossover’ names from then and now are Kate, Emma, Elise, Beth, Laura, Lara, Lauren, Lucy, Joseph, James, Rhys, Anna, Matthew, Samuel. (I started reception until 1979).

[ifigoup]

I started school in 1985. Names in my school year that might still be used now:
Emma
Jackson
Caspar
Aimee
Katie

Names that definitely wouldn’t be:
Jacqueline
Gemma
Nicola
Angela
Melissa
Kelly
Robert
Gareth
Richard
Kevin

Then again, my now-reception child has classmates called Stephanie, Natalie and Laura, so maybe I live in a very 80s-throwback place!

[CatkinToadflax]

Crossover names from secondary in the early to mid 90s:
Lucy
Katie
Polly
Jessica
Ellie/Eleanor
Louisa
Heidi
Amy
Ben
James
Oliver
Sam
Josh
Andrew
Alex
Tom
William

Non-crossover names include Karen, Angela, Stephanie, Samantha, Susan/Suzanne, Claire, Rachel, Caroline, Mark, Dane, Ian, Shaun, Philip, Graham, Craig, Kevin.

[rosy71]

I think Daniel is the only crossover name I can think of.

[JacquelineLadyBugg]

I went to an all girls school!

We had a lot of Lauras, we had a Megan, a Heather, Rebecca, Alison, Claire, Jenny...Lindsey / Linzi / Lindsay, Louise, Erin, Rachel, Gemma, Jenna, Emma, Emily, Susan, Suzanne.

I do hear Megan and Erin quite a lot. I know a little Rachel, a little Jenny, a little Rebecca and a couple of little Emmas... Really not that many!

Among boys growing up, we had lots of Jamies / James, loads of Pauls, Neill, Peter, Charlie, Ross, Chris, Matt, David.

I know a few little James, loads of Charlies, a little Matthew and a little Ross. Again not that many the same actually.

[emilybrontescorsett]

Interestingly and rather strangely some of the boys names have made a comeback , and it's the names that were considered 'old fashioned' at the time.
Charles, Charlie, Arthur, Fred, Thomas.
None of the girls names have made a comeback.

[JacquelineLadyBugg]

Don't people say that people tend to dislike the names popular in their parents' generation, but they like the names popular in their grandparents' generation? Makes sense!

I did once tell my friend at school in the nineties, how I loved the name Henry and she laughed her ass off! It was considered a really bonkers name for some reason.

[Gorygloria]

Lisa Kerry Sarah Denise Tracy Mandy Tina Debbie Karen Vicky Paul Darren Mark James Ian Alex. Though I had dalliances with a Clint and a Myles.

My son's cohort are Max Cameron Ethan Aiden Ben Tom Ollie Mya Ellie Beatrice Evie Sophie Libby Hannah

[SugarHour]

I was at school in the 90s. Names of people I was at school with and know under 5s called...
Sophie, Emily, Katie, Olivia, Hannah, Rachel, Anna, Eleanor
Jonathan, Thomas, James, Oliver, Alexander, Ben

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Overlaps from the 80s to under-tens now:
James
Robert (making a bit of a come-back)
Alexander
Rebecca
Elizabeth

My school was awash with kids called Gary, Richard, Simon, Michael, Darren, Karen, Claire, Cathy, Emma, Sarah and Nicola.