Do you think some dated names are more loved than other dated names?

[oldnorsesaga]

Kind of weird theoretical question.
do you think, among general population, some people love some dated names more than others?
For example, Julia is dated, but people like it more than Sandra, because it is romantic and has some quality in sound which makes people like Julia over other dated names
or when people disliked Gladys more than Edith, so Gladys is still not revived, while some Victorian names are back, and some people like Enid as well.

what would be your dated names everyone loves, but you find dreadful? It can be revived name.

Julia is dated, but people like it more than Sandra
Julia isn't particularly dated and is a classic (Shakespeare) . The diminutive Julie was trendy in the 1960s (Julie Christie, Julie Andrews), then lost popularity.

Alexandra is a classic (Royal name), but Sandra is a diminutive. Alex replaced it as a diminutive.

Gladys was a form of Gwladys, an old Welsh name. It was fashionable around the end of the 19th century. The -ys ending was fashionable

Edith was a royal name.

Enid, old Welsh name from the Mabinogi and King Arthur. The Welsh name isn't pronounced Ee-nid.

Then what is it about Alison that is old fashioned, but Alice less so? Louise firmly 1970s, but Eloise or Louisa more current? Helen a 60s name, but Eleanor perennial? Edna absolutely horrible, but Edina rather lovely?

Alison is a French diminutive of Alice.
Louise is a classic but was massively overused as a middle name in the 1970s.
Eloise is French.

Edna isn't horrible IMO, and I think Edina is pronounced differently in different languages. I think originally it was ED-inna, not Ed-EEN-a

... it happens that the whole population changes the names they like in waves.
It's not the whole population, it's the generation that's having babies.

People think they are choosing names they love but really they are subject to cultural influences that they seem quite unaware of.
You hear names being used and they sound fresh and stylish, so they become more acceptable.

I think that if a celebrity with an underused name, there will be a strong association to that celebrity.

Any coincidence that Margot is currently so popular, and that Amelie became popular when the eponymous film was released?

A quite different name appears and it seems fresh. A name becomes popular, so you pick a similar one (Evie, Eva, Ava, Ivy, or Emily, Amelie, Amelia). The names start to sound samey.

I often read 'It's popular for a reason' on here. It's popular because it's fashionable.

Julia isn't particularly dated and is a classic (Shakespeare)

I'm sorry, but that name is firmly into 50 year old woman territory, irrelevant how classic it is. It IS dated. They are plenty of classic names that could be called Shakespearean, and were used through 20 century, but are still subject to fashions, just like any other name.

Name trends fascinate me.

Why is Alfie used but not Cyril - similar eras.

Also why was the a ending so popular when i was young. Gemma, tina, emma, sarah, julia, lisa, amanda but when my boys were young it was all ie/y - tilly, milly, mollie, gracie, holly, ruby, lily, evie.

Its seems to have headed back to A again.

Obviously some cross over.

I'm not sure it matters terribly but I do think Shirley, Tracey and Susan are very pretty names long overdue a comeback. I'm in my 60s and almost all my friends had an auntie Pat or auntie Joan. I can see Joan coming back, possibly instead of Jane. I can't see Joyce, Pat or Brenda coming back.

When I was at school there were lots of Helens, Janes, Susans, Deborahs, and every class had a Fiona, Alison, Julia, Heather, Claire, Cheryl and Lynne. Boys were: Philip, Mark, Simon, John, Anthony, Julian, Jeremy with an occasional Martin, David, Brian, Tim, etc.

What goes round comes around.

Mary has much stronger/ more widely known religious connotations than any of the other names you've mentioned.

I suspect that most people to whom they have religious connotations are themselves Christian (I'm assuming that's the religion they're associated with) - so it wouldn't be a negative. Whereas much like you don't have to be Muslim to know Mohammed you don't have to be Christian to know Mary. As such I wouldn't use Mary because to me it is a religious name, but I'd happily use any of the others (well, not Tabitha - to me that's a cat/witch's name)

My 3 DDs all have names from Downton abbey 😅

@oldnorsesaga I'm sorry, but that name is firmly into 50 year old woman territory, irrelevant how classic it is. It IS dated.
You're not sorry .
I know Julias older and younger than 50ish. There are hundreds of Julias being registered every year.

If I was about to meet someone called Julia, I'd have a vague idea that she might be in her mid to late 40s.

I've never felt disliked due to my name or thought it was a disliked name. Debbie Harry, Debbie Reynolds, Deborah Kerr etc, all good. It means "bee" and is ancient. It's not popular now, but I'm really glad of that.

@PudgeControlsTheWeather , Mary has lots of different variations. When a name has different variations, one tends to get used over the others.
Mary, Marie, Maria, Marianne, Molly, Polly, Miriam, Mia etc.

Mrs Patmore, Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson?!
Excellent.

Gwen, Edna and Baxter?

There seems to be a lot of "ditsy" girls names at the moment. Lottie, Dottie, Maisie, Daisy, Poppy. I suspect they'll fall out of fashion soon.

Gladys, Phyllis, Beryl, Susan are absolutely overripe for revival IMO.

@ShoesoftheWorld , I'll leave those names for you to use. Susan is nice but I've met a few toxic Sues.

It’s also strange that they stay popular in other countries but not others.

Central Europe here, and my son’s kindergarten if full of little Julia’s, David’s, Simon and similar.

@Caspianberg , names taken from other languages or cultures are usually names of adults in their original language. I realise that your list are international names.

I've pondered similar myself, but more about the class connotations (😬) - see Joanne/Joanna, Susan/Susannah, Julie/Julia.

@RichardsGear , I don't think Susan/Susannah compares with the other two sets. I'd say it compares with Helen/Helena.

Joanne, Julie and Susan were all very popular in the 1960s.

Yes, I know they were very popular in the 60s. My point was more that adding an 'a' sound to the end makes those names sound much more middle class, for want of a better term. Helen/Helena fits the same pattern and I think Susan/Susannah stands.

Maeve or Maebh is an old Irish name so a completely different name to Mavis so I think a lot is cultural as well

In that Helen and Susan are both classic, but seem a bit dated,
Joanne and Julie were probably imported and were very popular for a relatively short time.

Helen is an absolute classic, it hasn't dated at all imo

I have 4 kids aged from 20 to 11 and I worked in education for the past 25 years.
None of them has a Helen in their year groups. I have never taught a Helen.
That makes me think that it is absolutely out if favour.

This is such an interesting thread because it does seem like some names come back when others don't.

I know a couple of Ronnies and Reggie's which are names I didn't think would come back.

There doesn't seem to be the same sound trends that have happened in recent years where popular names sound the same (eg. Aiden, Jaden, Kaden, Brayden / Isla, Eva, Ayla, Ava).