Traditional names that used to be normal but couldn't be used now!

[CoalCraft]

So I was thinking of that old film Meet the Parents and was inspired to look for first names that historically were seen as normal or classic but absolutely could not be used today... At least not without raising many eyebrows!!

Of course the Meet the Parents example is Gaylord... A real name of Norman origin meaning "joyful" (yes I googled it nerd ), but one that wouldn't be top of many parents' shortlists today

Anyone have other examples?

Job is such a dreary name.

It's glorious, isn't it! He was a lovely man. No idea if he stayed in the UK. I met him once or twice back in the late 80s.

Totally unusable: Adolph/Adolf/Adolphus.

My theory is that this and Myra are unusual names to start with, so when an individual with that name does something horrific, the name is tainted for at least two generations because everybody associates it with the monster. But if someone with a much commoner name does something equally as bad, the name carries on being used, because people have more varied associations with it. E.g.: Josef/Joseph (Stalin), Rose (West), Fred (West), Peter, Ian (Brady/Huntley).

@CoalCraft

I knew a very handsome, sweet Osama..he now goes by O.

Poor nice Osama :( Surprised he didn't go with Sam as the nickname

Agreed. Calling yourself O is a bit odd.

The American name Chuck wouldn't take off in the UK

Oh yes, and I forgot to add - David Tennant and his wife have four children called Olive, Wilfred, Doris and Birdie (plus Georgia's son Ty). So Birdie doesn't seem to be unusuable in some eyes.

David Mitchell and Victoria Coren-Mitchell have a daughter called Barbara, which I didn't think was unusable, but hadn't expected to see return for some time yet.

On the other hand, poor old Nigel appears to have dropped out of use altogether. Not quite sure why. I like it, but I appear to be alone there.

Boris Todger would be better, really. Clearer.

Which reminds me that the famous golfer Jack Nicklaus’ granddaughter recently married the gloriously-named Togder Strunk. Don’t see that catching on here

@GreyhoundG1rl

Job is such a dreary name.

We used to know an absolutely delightful little boy whose name was Jobie. This was in SE London. Let's just say that name wouldn't work in Scotland.

Arghh, he is of course Todger not Togder!

We used to know an absolutely delightful little boy whose name was Jobie. This was in SE London. Let's just say that name wouldn't work in Scotland.
🤣🤣🤣

I teach in a primary school. We currently have a Fanny. I think it’s short for Fatima.

Isis - she was a goddess and it is a nice name.

Harold.

On the other hand, poor old Nigel appears to have dropped out of use altogether. Not quite sure why. I like it, but I appear to be alone there

Wasn't there a lady in AIBU whose baby was called Nigel? And she was upset that her family wouldn't use it and just used silly nicknames instead? I actually like it too! Not my fave but a perfectly good name. But I do think it's an unpopular opinion

I was misremembering, the baby was called Brian!

@ffsilovecocktails

Becky is very American pop culture. I've also heard of Stacey (bimbo white woman), Shaniqua(ghetto black woman), Karen(middle aged racist ww), Felicia(ghetto bw), Becky(materialistic ww), Sharon(see Karen) etc.

Wikipedia says:
Becky is a pejorative American slang term for a white woman.

Actual US citizen here.

While you're blaming my country - or my continent? It's not clear from your use of "American" - for a load of sexist, racist, and classist nonsense - has it occured to you to wonder why no boys'/men's names are considered "pejorative"? Has it occurred to you that you're perpetuating racist, sexist, and classist stereotypes - often about names that are still in use in their countries of origin (for example, Karen is still very popular and Denmark and Estonia, where it's the local equivalent of Catherine) - and maybe should just STOP and do some research before pepetuating harmful stereotypes? And maybe you should stop blaming another country: if these vile words are being used in YOUR country enough that you notice and uncritically repeat them, then maybe YOUR country has a problem with racism, classism, and sexism?

Thanks very much for your conisderation. curtsies

Quite outing as it's so uncommon, but I teach a little Nigel. He is the most gorgeous little thing on the planet!

Definitely Alexa. There was an American lady on Jeremy Vine the week before last talking about how she was campaigning to try to get Amazon to drop it because her daughter was getting bullied for having the same name
BBC reported on it here; www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57680173

I know a little Colin. His parents are Polish.

[quote MrsMop1964]Definitely Alexa. There was an American lady on Jeremy Vine the week before last talking about how she was campaigning to try to get Amazon to drop it because her daughter was getting bullied for having the same name
BBC reported on it here; www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57680173[/quote]
She really thinks Amazon are the ones with the problem?!

@KibeththeWalker

Quite outing as it's so uncommon, but I teach a little Nigel. He is the most gorgeous little thing on the planet!

👍 Up the Nigels!

And maybe you should stop blaming another country: if these vile words are being used in YOUR country enough that you notice and uncritically repeat them, then maybe YOUR country has a problem with racism, classism, and sexism?
Well said.

Weird that people are happy to latch onto and perpetuate stuff whilst simultaneously denouncing them as "Americanisms".

Obama used to have an adviser called Randy Bumgardener

Kermit is definitely not a popular name in the US. I think it was the name of Teddy Roosevelt's son but it just isn't used now.

I know several Randys and Woodys here including a (now divorced) couple where she was called Randy and he was called Woody (a nickname but no one used his real name ever). Nobody bats an eye.

@Zarene

Obama used to have an adviser called Randy Bumgardener

Our local station used to have a weatherman called Mike Wankum