Will Elizabeth rocket up the charts...

[IAmFourEels]

... when the queen dies?

Slightly macabre thought, but Elizabeth is on our list of names - one of DH's top choices. I quite like it, but had always dreamed of giving my child a more unusual name, because my name is unusual and I love it. Elizabeth is currently no.56 in the charts, which I can live with (it is his baby too, after all, so I have to take his preferences into account!) but I'm worried it might have a surge in popularity in the next few years... if not sooner...

I would say so.

It's not particularly rare to meet an Elizabeth anyway. I work in a secondary school and there's a couple in most year groups. Timeless classic.

@holidaynearlyover

I think OP *@IAmFourEels* is saying she wants unusual but her partner wants Elizabeth. As Elizabeth is low on the charts she is happy to compromise but wouldn't be happy if it rocketed to no.1!

Yes that's exactly what I'm saying! And it would be a big compromise - Thomasina and Zora (as in the author Zora Neale Hurston) were some of the names he vetoed, to give you an idea of where my tastes lie.

I think the point about the wide range of nickname options is quite reassuring, if she does find herself in a class/work situation with another Elizabeth.

We know an Elizabeth in her 70s, one in her 40s, one in her 30s and one in her 20s, so would never be unusual, even if it were uncommon in her age group, and that would always irk me a bit, but I agree it is a lovely name and maybe I just need to get over myself.

I love the name Elizabeth (I was torn between that and the name we actually went with for our daughter). How do you feel about the nickname Liz? I used to work with an Elizabeth who hated being called Liz but loads of people still called her it.

My 2 daughters Katie and Elizabeth. DS is James Michael. I like classic names but didn't fancy Katherine so DD1 is Katie.

The point is you can never tell. It might increase in popularity but I imagine most new mothers are not that influenced by the Queen. Far more likely to be influenced by the latest z list celebrity or next TV sensation.
Elizabeth is a timeless classic like James.
It will wane in and out of the popularity stakes.
It isn't a name like Aurora or Raine which although uncommon in one sense can easily become very common in the other sense I f the word when they are popular for a very short period of time.
Rather than trying to second guess which names will be popular, and you never can tell, as who knows what name a celeb will choose or what name an author will give a character, choose a name you like.
Fwiw I much prefer your husbands choice than yours.

Yeah probably will

It’s my name. I don’t particularly like it and I never, ever use the full version because it feels so long and formal. However I do like that it’s classic and pretty much timeless. No-one would see my name written down and be able to ‘age’ me immediately just from my name. My brother has a typical 1960s-70s name that indicates his age pretty much instantly!

I love Elizabeth; it's strong and classic and won't date and sound naff in 10 years. I have a classic 1970s name and there were 4 in my class at primary school so I was always known as my name with the first letter of my surname added on, it was so annoying.

Elizabeth is the most classic/timeless girls name in England (not sure about Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland) - as far as I can tell it hasn't left the top 100 since they started keeping written records in the 1300's! She'll have some amazing historical namesakes...

Yes, this means there are a fair few about of all ages - but it's still not as well used as the boys timeless ones (Thomas, James, William etc), so even once she's working age and mixing more with other generations it would be unusual for her to meet that many, let alone when she's school age. Plus of course many will be known be a nn or variation of Elizabeth - it's the name that has the most choices (over 2 dozen when I last counted!).

I think when the Queen dies it might rise slightly in popularity for a couple of years - but I would be extremely surprised if it reaches top 20. It's length and style means it shouldn't get very popular as the fashionable girls names these days most commonly end in an "ah" or "ee" sound and/or are vowel heavy and often the short two syllable type as well (Mia, Maya, Molly, Millie, Mila, Isla, Ivy, Ava, Ayla, Ada, Lily, Lyra, Lyla, Luna, Lola, Eva, Evie, Elsie, Ellie, Ella...).

I love the Russian version, Elizaveta. I also like Eliza

the fashionable girls names these days most commonly end in an "ah" or "ee" sound and/or are vowel heavy and often the short two syllable type as well (Mia, Maya, Molly, Millie, Mila, Isla, Ivy, Ava, Ayla, Ada, Lily, Lyra, Lyla, Luna, Lola, Eva, Evie, Elsie, Ellie, Ella...).

I really don't like that trend. My hunch is those names will be the Sharon and Tracy equivalents for that generation.

I like Elizabeth, it’s a strong and classic name, but it isn’t unusual. It’s a relatively popular name. I think there is a middle ground between the common place Elizabeth and the very unusual Zora though, where there are less used but not very unusual names. Can’t think of any off the top of my head though!

I thought there might be a surge in Dianas when she died but there wasn't.

We called one of our children Elizabeth - but we never actually called her that. We chose it because we knew it would give her the chance to pick any of the shortened versions for the name she wanted to use.

A poster above has pointed out all the possible shortened versions. So even if the queen does not do the decent thing but lives for ever, and their is a surge in the name's popularity, there are lots of choices within it.

maybe

I wanted Elizabeth since forever. nothing to do with the Queen, just loved it.
had 5 boys before I could use it when DD was born in 2012 and I was a bit concerned the name might get suddenly overused because of the Queen's jubilee and that people would assume there was a connection for us.
but I can't say that in the 9 years since we've even met another Elizabeth that's DD age (or even older) through school.
the only I met was a baby at a craft show, a year younger than DD, born in the same month and had the same middle name too!
that's it.
we don't know anyone else!

Would people of childbearing age and especially younger generations be such hardcore royalists they'd name their kid after a dead Queen?
I don't see that. maybe as a middle name.

go for it OP.

I think Elizabeth has been gaining in popularity for a few years. I know Elizabeths of every decade, but quite a few in their 20s down to babyhood.

Elspeth

@TeenMinusTests

The thing with Elizabeth is there are so many nicknames, that even if she is in a class with another it is so easy to avoid them both being the same name. I only know 1 Elizabeth who uses the full name.

Liz, Lizzy, Beth, Bet, Betty, Eliza, Liza

Lisa Elsa Elsie Betsy Libby Lily Bess Bethan Bettina Elspeth

Ds would have been a 25 year old Elizabeth. We would have called him Libby. I still like it.

I think with Elizabeth you have to consider the nicknames and whether you like them, particularly Liz.

….her Libby….

Beautiful classic name that won't date and has lots of potential variants. I think it unlikely that it'll surge in popularity when the Queen dies. It doesn't tend to happen with deaths.

for DD we use her full name.

she has family nicknames though, none are related to her name.
although when she & DS6 play horses he has to call her Bessie🤣

Also Isabel, Isabelle, Isobel, Ishbel, Isabella, Elisabeth, Elisabet, Lisaveta
Lisabetta, Leusa, Lusa, Liesl...

Usually one form is popular at a time.
In my grandparents' age group it was Elsie or Bessie, parents' age group it was Betty, then Liz, in my age group Lisa, then Beth, then Isabelle/a, then Eliza, Libby and Elsie

i dont think so