Names not of their era

[pitterypattery00]

Do you have a name that is unusual for its era (in that it's usually associated with people born at a different time)? Did you like having a 'different' name. If it subsequently became more popular, was that a positive thing?

My own name firmly dates me to my era (late 70s/early 80s) so I don't have personal experience. But as a child I knew children my age called Dorothy, Edith, Frances, Roy, Ronald, and Norma. They generally disliked their names and other kids viewed them as very uncool names. There was also an Olivia - her name was seen as unusual and very posh!

I ask because on baby name threads it's often seen as a negative if names are very popular/trendy/rising up the charts, and one of the reasons given is that it will become dated. But maybe children are happy having a name that is similar in style to their peers?

I had a schoolfriend called Vanessa, she was very chic. I would have preferred a chic name to an old lady name.
I hate having to give my name on the phone.

I am an 80s Helen and have been twenty years too young for my name all of my life. I'm currently in a phase of meeting lots of school gate grandmothers who share my name. I like my name but my experience is why I would never call a 2021 baby Jack or Lily.

I went to school with a Maureen who really, really hated her name.

In the early 70s when I was born all my friends were Joanna/Nicola/Claire/Sarah

I had an 'old lady' name that us now v popular- I never met another one throughout Primary / Secondary school/ University!

But.... I really wanted to go into a shop and buy pencils / pencil case / key ring etc with my name on it !

These threads are pointless as people hardly give the name!

My name was very rare growing up in the 90s. I liked it. Maybe sometimes as a teen I was slightly conscious of it. But by my 20s I love it. And it's become quite popular with this generation of babies.These days there is a lot more name diversity so I can't see it being a negative thing to have a popular name or a rarer name.

My school.friends were largely: Susan, Sally, Julie/Julia, Alison, Debbie, Jane Helen, Fiona and Amanda, and of their time: Emma-Jane, Sarah-Jane, Mary- Anne, etc. Not too many Sharon, Traceys, Kims! I think Tracey is much maligned - such a pretty name.

I was born in the 90s. At primary school, there was a Diane I knew in the year below me, which didn't strike me as odd at the time, but it does now. Her mother was about thirty years "late" to use that name!

I sometimes find "old-fashioned names" threads a bit amusing because often people bring up the names of my 90s-born classmates like Peter and David as names that "young people don't have".

Me! And I'll tell you my name.

I am an Abigail born in 1971 and at the time my name was really unusual.

I used to get called posh and when I was young I didn't really like my name. In fact I sometimes pretended my middle name was Clare just so I would have a nice normal 70's name.

I am though very happy, as an adult, with my name and am glad I'm not Sharon or Tracey or Michelle!

I was given a granny name and although I like it, I did feel it marked me out as being a bit strange. I didn't mind the not having plastic tat with my name on it.

There was a small number of us with dated names but those names are fashionable again now

I agree.

Interesting though

Yes! My name was last popular in the 1950s, about 20 years before I was born. It’s really plain and boring too, and I used to long to be a Sarah or Rebecca or something normal for my age group. I go by a nickname version of it now, which is slightly better.

That said, I think there’s a much more diversity in names now. My children go to a primary school in London and anything goes; there’s a little Lisa there, and I doubt she’ll ever notice her name is a bit “dated” in amongst the vast array of names from different cultures and influences.

I'll say mine, Lucinda, born 1980. I hated it growing up and went through a whole ream if nicknames, including Cindy! I have only met 2 others and it's a bit weird! I am generally known now as Lu, and people who have only ever heard it rather than seen it written down always assume I'm Louise.

I think it's an ageless name though, it's often suggested on baby name threads

I would but as there weren't many with my name, it would probably out me.

I never liked the name Tracey. I don't dislike it but can't see the appeal. I don' like Nicola or Claire either.

I felt sorry for the kids who had the less popular spelling of their name, so the plastic tat was with the usual spelling and not Tracy, Michele, Darrin, Lynsey, Karin etc

Thanks for all the responses - really interesting to hear everyone's experiences.

@Snoopsnoggysnog I don't find it pointless as I'm not interested in what people's names are per se, I'm interested in how people felt as a child/feel now about having a name that was unusual for their age group, but common at other times.

@MumofSpud oh yes it was always exciting to find a pencil with your name on it. But good point @DuchessOfSausage I never considered that some poor kids with common names with multiple spellings would miss out on such delights 😂

@Nogardenersworld good point about names being on the upturn versus end of trend. My own name is very much towards the end of a trend - I think mine peaked early 70s, I was born late 70s and by the mid 80s it had all but disappeared. I may have inadvertently given my son a similar name only time will tell.

@eggandonion Vanessa is indeed very chic! Not sure I could have pulled off such a stylish name 😂 - I'd have been happy being an Emma or Caroline I think!

I remembered that in my late 20s I had an appointment with a mortgage advisor named Mr. Norman Smith. I was anticipating an older guy in his 60s. Turns out Norman was in his mid 20s and a very handsome young man indeed! Instead of focusing on my mortgage options I think I spent most of appointment thinking 'I can't believe he's called Norman', 'why did his parents call him Norman?', 'poor Norman, what an awful name' 😂😂😂

I gave my second DD (born in 1990) her great grandmother’s name. GG was born in the late 19th century, so her name is actually Victorian!
It is a bit quirky and anachronistic nowadays, but it is full of character, as is DD, and it’s unique among her friends and peer group. DD moaned a bit when at primary school age, but is happy with it now she’s an adult.

my name is typical of the 1970s, but it is a nice name, and actually a classic.

There were none aroudn when mum names me, as I was born late 60s. By mid 70s it was really popular.

I love my name, but I am really glad that she was ahead of the game, so there were no others in my class. When I went ot uni, on our corridor of 10 girls there were 4 Sarahs 🙄

So with my kids I tried to do the same, classic name that isn't super popular, but is not out of its era. It seems to have worked (although ds name is now REALLY popular, it wasn;t when he was named).

I have a middle name that's popular with babies born in the last 10 years.

When I was a child I didn't like it because it was old fashioned but by the time I was an adult I was indifferent to it.

I am also late 70's early 80's. I went to school with a Joan. My own Mum is named Joan, and thinks it was old ladyish for her born in the 50s as most that she knew were the generation before her.

I have one of the most common girls names, always in the top 100 has been since records began 😂

I cant say I've ever really thought about my name. It's easy to spell, easy to pronounce and people and me just think "yeah common girls/woman's name" I think. Professionally it just works, again because everyone knows it, knows how to spell it and pronounce it. In school it was also easy to learn to write it so that was a bonus.

My mother didn't really go for "out there names" or tried to be "trendy", just gave me and my brother simple, biblical classical names, and I'm glad she did. I've no want to "stand out" suits me.

Simple, timeless but "boring", but it works so can't complain 🤷🏻‍♀️

Just realised, that wasn't the question 😂 ignore me.

I suppose my name is "always of the era" because it's always popular. It has declined in recent years though, so may come back up in to the top 50.

Are you Mary? Anne has vanished, my poor sil is Ann which is even more vanished!

I'm in my 40s at went to secondary school in the 90s with a Beverley, which at the time was much more of a name for our parents' generation, so that was a bit out of it's time.

My own name seems relatively unusual in my generation and seems to have made a bit of a comeback in recent years - it's more common in girls about 30 years younger than me.

I thought Jane