Nicola, Claire, or Laura

[diddlediddle]

Which do you prefer? I think they're all due to come around again.

@Teapotuser

Wow. I'm a Clare and my sister is called nicola. We are twins!

I went to school with twins Claire and Nicola

DD has a Laura in her class at primary school - there is also a Claire (although I don't know how it's spelt), and a Sarah!

Laura is the most classic. I’ve never met a nice one though!

Nicola is such a horrid sounding name (nick, nickle, knickers...) and Claire is nice enough but a bit too "of its time." I think Laura is quite classic.

Nicola is a male name in Italian and French. Nicoletta would be the female version in Italian and Nicole in French.

Nicola will always be Nic or Nicci...not nice. Clare is lovely. Not keen on Claire. I like Laura a lot though.

Laura (or Lauren)

I like Laura best out of the 3 and I agree with some of the others that it is probably the most timeless.

I like Claire but slightly prefer the spelling Clare.

Nicola... hmm, when it was popular in my young days I didn't really like it. Now I can see it is actually quite a nice name - I think I must just have met a few annoying ones. It's rare now, but not unheard of. I know of 3 under the age of 20 (the youngest must be about 10 now).

Laura is your best bet.

I have a name that was very popular in the 60's and 70's and I loathe it. It's definitely not time for those names to make a come back.

Clara?

Nicola! Don't mind Laura but I'm not a fan of Claire. If you like Claire, what about Clara?

Claire or Laura both lovely. And the Claire's and Laura's I've ever met have been lovely.

Definitely not Nicola, it ends up getting pronounced Nik-la. If you are in Scotland think of the political associations!

Hehe this thread is making me smile.

Two out of the three names are my first name and middle name.

My poor old first name isn’t coming out well. Cheers mum

Laura - good solid name
Claire - like it a lot - don’t see it as particularly dated
Nicola - I do think this is still quite 80s (?) less fond of this - think it is ‘thin’ or ‘hard’/‘brittle’ -sounding.

Laura is pretty and classic.
Claire/Clare is ok. I prefer Clara but that may be because it was my Nan's name
Not keen on Nicola

Laura is lovely and a classic.

Clare somehow feels less dated than Claire. Clara is even better but it’s having a mini boom at the moment and might date.

Not Nicola. Sorry. It will be a ‘mum’ name to children being born now, like a current twentysomething being named Susan or Linda. Names need to age a generation into ‘granny’ territory before they are ready to come back.

Laura is the most classic of the 3. Really dislike Nicola.

Disagree that they are due a revival. They are named of people in their late thirties and forties - ie today’s parents of primary school kids etc.
Revival normally happens to names of parent’s grandparents.

We’d have to go through the 50s and 60s names first before the 70s and 80s names come back. The 50s and 60s names will probably come back when our children start naming their children although I hope that the likes of Gary etc never become popular again.

I'm not a fan of any of them - as someone who was born in the mid--80s, they feel very overused to me and I knew loads growing up. Nicola, in particular, sounds very dated. Claire is ok. Laura would be my choice - much more classic / timeless, though I prefer Lorna, or even Laurel.

I don't think they are ready for a come back yet.

I know a baby Laura. She’s very sweet.

Laura. It fits with the Lyla, Lola, Lara, Clara, Elara, Elora, Layla names which are popular at the moment.

Claire and Nicole are nice names, but I think they won't have a comeback for a while yet.

Laura is my favourite.
I’m baffled by people saying they are 80s names. I was born in the mid 60s and they are all names of my generation - several in each year group.

Laura is my preference.

The other two names have a 70’s feel to them.

Op I don't think it matters what era a name was popular, it's all down to how much you and DH like it.
They are all good solid fairly classic names.

Although I don't like Nicola because of the way it gets said with a harsh Glasgow accent Nik-la

As a Nicola, I have to say I like my name. Mid twenties so when I was at school there was never anyone else with my name, it gives way to some nice nicknames although I tend to go with Nicola. I do like Laura too, I've met a few Laura's and they've always been lovely. Sarah I think is really underrated as well, great name.

I was born in the sixties, and went to school with lots of Claires and Nicolas, and I believe the popularity of these carried on into the 70s and maybe 80s? There were no Lauras at school though, the first one I knew was my niece, born in the 90s. So the three names are not of the same generation to me.

Laura and Claire are both classics, and I really like them, particularly Claire, although I really prefer the spelling Clare. Of course it is just as much a classic name as Laura, have you never heard of Saint Clare?

Nicola though, I don't mind it but it doesn't appeal that much and I think will remain dated in people's minds to the 60s/70s, possibly 80s. Slightly downmarket feel. Then, of course, Nicola is a male name in Italy. Nicole seems classier, but I still prefer Laura and Clare.