Names that shouldn’t be considered classics?

[Thatgirl1990]

I’ve been having a debate about the name Emily. Emily is so early 2000s and dated now I worry it’s the Karen of 2040 especially because not many kids are being named it now.I get really confused why people call it a “classic” it was practically unheard of until it became the top name in America. For example emily doesn’t fit into the bracket of timeless names Elizabeth, Hannah, Sarah. Emily reminds me of a blonde mean girl in a American film. Does anyone else agree?

Emily Bronte
Emily Dickinson
It's a beautiful classic in my opinion.

@Flutterflybutterby

I don't think it's classic either.

But do you think it the "Karen" of 2040? 🤣

Of course Emily is a classic name!

Controversial comment time - can America have classic names when much of its population is descended from relatively recent immigrants?

I don't think Emily will ever really go away. It's not excessively popular at the moment, but if I heard of a new baby Emily I'd think "oh, that's a nice name, not heard it for a while" rather than "oh now, how passé!" It has a soft, gentle sound and I think that will stop it from ever really being unpopular.

Emily is definitely a classic

Emily’s not a classic. It would’ve been an “old lady name” in the 70s. The US charts show Emily hasn’t been consistently popular, which is a requirement for a classic, no? Elizabeth, Katherine/Catherine, Anna, etc. are true classics, but I’d say Emily’s a vintage revival.

Actually, having looked at this link: www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2014/08/emily.html, Emily’s more of a classic in the UK than in the US since it’s stayed consistently popular in the 19th and 20th century except for one drop out of the top 100 in the 20th century from 1924 - 1974. So, I’d say it’s pretty classic in the UK. There are some different classics in the US v. the UK.

My great great grandmother may disagree.
Names come around and disappear then come back again.
I remember at primary school (1970s) meeting a Hannah and a Charlotte and thinking they sounded like something from a bonnety costume drama. Within ten years they were both top 10.

I'd say Emma was "more" classic than Emily tbh, but it depends on your definition of classic.
I'd say classic is timeless, in that if I told you Emily was next door, she could be 200 or 3.

I know loads of Emilys born in the 70’s. It wasn’t an old lady name when I was growing up. I have an old lady name. One that still isn’t back in fashion 😂

I don’t know what constitutes a classic but it’s a name like Anna or Sarah that you could use at pretty much any point for hundreds of years and it be considered normal.

I would say Emily is classic. I know one who is in her 30s, one in early 20s and one who is 3!

My DGM was Winifred Emily born around 1900.

I'm not sure there has been a 'Karen' before - the internet and rampant misogyny saw to that.

Emily is definitely a classic English name

@TheHolyPotato

Names come and go. Except John and William which dominated (in England) for boys for centuries.

When was the last time you heard of a child being called John?