At what point is it actually cruel to give your child an old woman/ man name

[Amandalockwood1007]

A lot of names are coming back from the 20s/30s and some of them are okay for 2022 like Alice, Elsie. But certain names sound so terrible to saddle a child with in this generation for example Edith, mary, iris, Maude etc. I just can’t help but feel awful for the children who will probably be bullied for having “old people names” when does it become mean to give a child a name with an time stamp on it from the 1800s🙄

I really like those ‘old lady’ names you’ve cited.

And yes, agree with PP that ‘old person’ names to young ears would probably be names that were popular in the 70s. Lisa, Nicola, Helen etc

“Cruel”

You’re making such a big deal out of a non-issue.

@purplesequins I'm a TA and currently have an Alan in my class. There's a Neil, a Dennis, and a Colin in the school also. Yet to meet a young Keith, but that generation of names looks like it'll be the next crop!

Don't be dopey, of course they won't be bullied, because they won't be old lady names to this generation, will they? They are the names they are their friends are called. They'll think Nicola, Melanie and Louise are granny names.

I'm 35 and there were four Alices in my year at school , and a Maude the year below. Never thought of either name as very old lady.

I thought Iris was super trendy too. Maybe I'm out of touch.

@waterlego

I really like those ‘old lady’ names you’ve cited.

And yes, agree with PP that ‘old person’ names to young ears would probably be names that were popular in the 70s. Lisa, Nicola, Helen etc

Oh come on, those of us born in the 70s haven't quite reached "old lady" staus yet! Give us a few more years....

@Amandalockwood1007

Yes but it’s not offensive for someone to say to a child “your names American” they would probably like it. if someone was to say “your name sounds like an old woman” that would make them feel weird and left out think its mean *@Itsnotdeep*

And they'd say, what, like yours Elsie?? Because lots and lots of names sound like old people names atm, and have done for ages so half the school will have them

Oh I know @AlexaShutUp, I was born in the 70s too 😂 Just trying to think like a young’un and imagine what sort of names they would find unfashionable!

Is this real? Surely it's so obviously personal taste. I'm pregnant now (don't know the sex) and both Maud and Margaret are on our shortlist for if it's a girl! Think they're beautiful and I actually like that there don't seem to be that many children with those names around. As an above poster said - much prefer classic names to trend-driven ones. Regardless, unless you're planning on naming your child something outright offensive, I don't see how any name can be considered 'cruel'.

And yes, the sorts of names described in the OP have been popular for quite some time. Grace, Alice, May, Frank, George etc came back into fashion about 15 or so years ago.

Old lady names: Deborah, Susan, Pamela, Valerie, Karen, Gillian, Helen. Jacqueline.

Old man names: Greg, Steve, Chris, Bob.

OP all the names you mentioned in your original post are beautiful classic names. Nothing old lady about them at all. My three children all have names that have been around since forever .

I wonder if the boomer/Gen X names will come back - Sandra, Lorraine, Debbie, Wendy, Claire, Tracey, Susan, Jennifer, Samantha, Karen, Joanne, Michelle, Sharon, Jackie, Carol, Hayley etc . I think on the whole people largely reject names from their parents and grandparents generation so I give it 20 years or so.

"Old people" were babies once

Disagree op. Whilst I can't imagine Eunice or Myra coming back the names you mention are lovely. Know a few Edith's, one of 22, Iris is becoming increasingly popular, and Maud is OK, Mary is timeless. DD's third name is Mabel and she's 23!

I think the names due a come back are: Shirley, Silvia, Joyce, Barbara, Anita, Patricia, Joan, Pamela, etc. For boys I fully expect to start hearing Julian, Jeremy and Timothy soon.

In any event, I think the op has her dates out. My gran and her sister 1910ish were Alice and Evelyn, their mother and aunts: Eleanor, Isabel, Marina.

I got my 15 year old to vet the list, and those are all unacceptably old-fashioned. Lisa, Nicola, Barbara, Melanie and Louise were deemed acceptable, if unusual.

Yep, names often go in cycles. Just heard today of a baby Reginald - I'm sure he suits his toothless grin down to the ground 😅

I would happily call a baby Barbara or Joan, or maybe Sylvia, or Jeremy or Julian for a boy.

@DaisyWaldron

Old lady names: Deborah, Susan, Pamela, Valerie, Karen, Gillian, Helen. Jacqueline.

Old man names: Greg, Steve, Chris, Bob.

These names were popular when I was at school in the 70s/80s. They will now be in their mid 40s to early 50s. Hardly old people!

What are your children’s names, OP? Maybe some people here will think they’re terrible and pity your kids for being saddled with them.

Ha ha, funny post op.
My dd has an old lady name, it was her great grandmother's actually. For the record my son has his great grandfather's name.
I was talking to a particularly vocal school mum when collecting a nephew from school, my dd "Aggie" was a toddler. The loud mum asked me where on earth I had found the name Aggie. I explained after grandmother, short for Agatha, bla bla bla. Loud mum went on to explain that her dd's name was D'Arcy, spelt with a ' to make it less common. She told me this was so much classier than my choice of a name. I just laughed and avoided in the future.
Is your dd called D'Arcy, by any chance op?

Those names are very fashionable in a lot of circles - and not old lady names to this generation!

@DaisyWaldron

Old lady names: Deborah, Susan, Pamela, Valerie, Karen, Gillian, Helen. Jacqueline.

Old man names: Greg, Steve, Chris, Bob.

Oy! I have one of the names and DH has another. Are you trying to say I'm old??????

( I am)

@purplesequins

I would love susan and keith and kevin and sharon to make a come back.

There's a little Sharon in my breakfast club - everyone was 😍 when she started

@DaisyWaldron

I got my 15 year old to vet the list, and those are all unacceptably old-fashioned. Lisa, Nicola, Barbara, Melanie and Louise were deemed acceptable, if unusual.

Does that mean the other names on the list sound the same to her ear as the old fashioned ones do to us? That's so weird to think about