lots of honest opinions on my girls list please!

[puddingpie]

Hi - i would love lots of honest opinions no matter how harsh .
i would like to know what you think of them as well as the sort of reputation it might have (downmarket etc), and whether there are loads of kids around with the same name that i am missing as i am one of those saddos that wishes to avoid the next Ruby or Olivia.
Thanks all

Gwendolen (nn Winnie)
Winifred (nn Winnie)
Iris
Dorothy
Cordelia
Penelope
Pearl
Polly
Prudence (i ike P's !)
Audrey
Phyllis
Enid
Sally
Mary
Esmeralda (NOT nn Esme though)
Margaret (Maggie)
Juniper
Jean

Any nice sibsets in the bunch for family planning purposes?

Thanks for your time. I'll probably remember some more later!

I only like polly, if you like the nickname Winnie, how about the name Bronwyn? I love it and it is often shortened to Winnie.

Winnie is awful, unless you want her to get called Pooh?
I have looked closely at your list. First reaction was I don't like any of them. However, these are ok:

Dorothy
Polly
Enid
Sally

Gwendolen - goody goody (Winnie pooh? witch? Mandela?)
Winifred - Little Britain old lady lusted after by David Walliams
Iris - like it
Dorothy - just no
Cordelia - hideously posh
Penelope - could be - if Cruz, not Pitstop
Pearl - middling
Polly - okish
Prudence - too big for little girl (nn Prude?)
Audrey - too old
Phyllis - ditto
Enid - aaaarggh!
Sally - that's better
Mary - too plain
Esmeralda - might grow (but what other nns poss?)
Margaret - quite like mags
Juniper - bit yurty
Jean - nice and clean

sorry, not many positives there, but I do really like Iris

How about Sadie?

oh I am not called Winnie

If you want honesty, the only ones on your list I like are Iris and Juniper, Cordelia is not too bad but I do think the others are a bit old fashioned and not in a cute retro way either.

Sorry but none of them do it for me.

I've heard quite a lot of people mentioning Polly as a possibility recently, so that one might be getting popular.

Jean is my MIL's name, so irredeemable that's just prejudice....

my name is fab

pick that

Loving Prudence - nn Pru.
Zelda as nn for Esmeralda?
My dds name on the list (both of them!)
Audrey - cant decide on this, some days like it some days i dont.
Gwendolen is lovely - nn Dilly/Dolly
Most are my taste - Mary and Jean a bit dull though.

Love Iris and Polly
I coudl be persuaded by Dorothy (agree Dorothea is lovely but my last estate agent was a Dorothea and she was a pain in the arse ....), Enid, Sally and Juniper.

They're quite old fashioned and grown up which can be hard to pull off as a little girl.

I really like Iris Penelope Audrey and Cordelia. Enid is actually quite nice too.

Polly is quite popular.

I think Jean is very 50s but Jeanie is nice. Gwendolen will get shortened to Gwen by others however much you use Winnie.

I love winnie. I have two aunt winnies and adore them.
pearl is gorgeous.
what about imelda?

I like

Penelope - nn penny
pearl
Iris

from your list

Beatrice is nice.

I love Constance too Hatrick - it was my grandmother's and great grandmothers name and we considered it for dd but chickened out... Will definitely consider it in the future (she says optimistically).

Audrey, I would like to think Hepburn but unfortunately i think woman off Coronation Street

I like iris, enid and sally - the rest are not what I like.

However i like old names but just not those. I like Edie, eve, evie, amelie, gwyneth, genevre, genevieve, charlotte, olivia........

I really like phyllis

I particularly hear the uncharitable Pitstop when I hear Penelope and also Gwendoline was the spoilt girl in the Malory Towers series

Some fab choices here but I have been super fussy, hope you don't mind :

Not v keen on Gwendoline as I think she'll get the nn Gwen rather than Winnie. Much prefer Winnifred/Winnie, I think Fern Brittain's dd also called this.

Big fan of Iris, Dorothea (rather than Dorothy) and Margaret though, really lovely names.

Cordelia & Prudence are also pretty but not overly fond of the nns that come to mind - Pru, Cordy, Delia - are there other alternatives?

Pearl is the upandcoming out of your P names.
I'm afraid I don't like Polly or Sally very much and I've never met a Penelope who liked her own name.

Jean & Phyllis are still too old lady for my taste. To many 'the bells the bells' jokes to risk Esmeralda.

Strangely drawn to Juniper/Juni.

Isn't Polly short for something else?

Like Mary, a lovely classic name, under-used.