Down to two names!

[ClaraBean]

We both love both of the names but dh strongly favours one, and I strongly favour the other 😁
Which do you prefer, and why? (I won't say which is my favourite!)
Shirley or Susan
Middle name will be Jean

Other names that we seriously considered, but we're discarded are Barbara, Gwen, Maureen, Moira and Roberta.
Opinions please (so I can report back to dh 😁)

What decade are we in?

Barbara Millicent Roberts is Barbie's full name.

Can I offer up Elaine or Linda as further suggestions? About time those came back in!

Susan if I had to pick but all are extremely outdated and I would never pick

They're very normal names - for older women. So many old names have come back, but Shirley hasn't yet. Shirley's are 50-60. Might come back one day, but not yet .

Same here!

It's the best of the lot.

Moira is a lovely name.
So is Maureen.

Susan.

None of them! Are you expecting a baby or a 60 year old?!

Susannah is nice though

We would have said that 30 years ago about names like Agnes and Alfie.
I think she's ahead of the curve.

Is this post a joke or a social experiment? 🫢

I have an Aunt Shirley who is late 80’s. She’s the only one I know. I reckon it’s time for a comeback!

OP Shirley was on my list as were Roberta and Gwen. I think Susan is a bit bland but Susie is a cute nickname.

You don't NEED to know 'any babies' in order to work out what names are currently considered popular/mainstream/current (or even 'alternative' but still 'not that unusual')

Don't saddle your child with Shirley (unless you're living in a closed religious community where children have no knowledge of societal 'norms'). Susan is bad enough, but Shirley is simply awful!

This is a joke right. If it's not don't be cruel to your child

This. Don't saddle your child with any of them names. Google the top 100 for Christ sake of this decade. Not 60 years ago

I say bring back Doris!!👍😁

Well it’ll never come back without people choosing to use it again, will it? And someone has to be first so why not OP?

I prefer Shirley over Susan, but prefer Susie to Shirl when it comes to shortenings.

Susan with Suzie as a nickname

Susan is great. I really like it. It fits well with Jean. It’s simple and cool these days. Your name styles are the sort that’s coming back in style and you are at the vanguard. I know children with these sorts of names -they are about up to age five now. I also like Barbara and Roberta. I’m not keen on Shirley or the others though. Gwen is OK.

Susan isn’t cool. It was never cool and never will be!

I don't think Pearl and Shirley go very well together to be honest. They're too rhymey.

Susan is okay and Susie is a cute nn, but I wouldn't have liked to have been saddled with either Shirley or Susan. Gwen is much nicer from your discarded pile.

Susan over Shirley, but I love Barbara.

I’ve known some lovely women called Shirley. The eldest died recently aged 90. It was regarded as a boy’s name until Shirley Temple made the name popular.
That said, it’s not the worst name and not as old sounding as Gladys and Agatha and there are no negative associations that I know of. Maybe get Pearl to help you convince DH.
Good luck

Susan Jean sounds best to me.

also lovely are:
Jean Susanna
Barbara Jean
Gwen Barbara
Helen Susanna