Names like Mark, Richard, Peter, John etc

[CleopatraTheGreekPsycho]

With regards to names like Mark, John, Philip, Paul, Grant, Richard. Even names like Gary or Nigel.

Could it be that they are on the brink of making a trendy comeback or do they seem rather old-fashioned and out of vogue to you?

I think John for sure should make a comeback (and Jonathan). I’m at the wrong age to be much into the others. These were names of my male peers and so many of them! There seemed to be less variation in the boys names in the 70’s and 80’s than nowadays.

i also think of the ‘Guess Who’ characters. Obviously the version from about 1978 😂

Definitely Peter and John (love Jonathan too) - they sound great and are so underused!

I also think that these sound good -

Christopher
Timothy
Nicholas
Matthew
David
Adam

Do we have Claire, Sarah, Michelle, Wendy, Emma, Karen coming back yet? - they’re the same vintage. Bit early I think still.

Babies called Emma, Claire and Sarah I know of. I see Emma and Claire being considered on here quite frequently also the ‘sister’ names of Sara/ Zara and Clara so I think moves are being made in that direction.

Peter has never fully gone away. I know a few teens called Peter and a 6 year old. Peter Rabbit is very popular again so I think this could actually return to the top 100 again soon. Peter doesn't feel anywhere near as dated as the rest.

John, Paul, Mark and Richard are all very classic too so I'm sure they'll make a big return in the next 20 years or so. When our own children wish to honour their grandparents I imagine. I actually know 3 Richards of Primary age but they're all Eastern European. It seems to be very popular still in that part of the world.

Names of a similar style which I can see returning big time one day are Steven, Robert, Christopher, Matthew Andrew, David (another which is still very popular on the continent - I know lots of young Davids from Eastern Europe).

Gary, Nigel and Grant on the other hand are far less classic and therefore less likely to return big style (was Grant ever that popular to begin with?). They definitely belong in the past imo!

I would put Ian, Lee, Jason, Dean, Darren etc in the same category as Gary and Grant. Don't feel classic enough to return big time but could filter back a bit when those relatives are old enough to be honoured.

Nigel is more fuddy duddy. Similar to Brian, Barry, Norman, Colin etc. I hope these names never come back!

Some of those are already back - especially John and Peter. I know some little ones called these.

There are a few John’s at my DCs school- year 7&8 so I don’t think it’s entirely died out. I think it was just SO popular for SO long because of its strong Christian associations that people just got bored of it.

Emma has never gone away. It's still near the top 50 and is often posted about on here as a name people are considering. It's completely timeless.

Sarah is also not unheard of still, it's not far off the top 100 and I know the odd young one. I think it will return big time in 20 years or so when our own kids look to honour us or their grandmothers as so many women 30-60 are Sarah.

Claire and Michelle will probably come back around the same time, along with Rachel and Rebecca.

Wendy will return sooner I think as it's more vintage. Most Wendys are 60+ already so it's due a new cycle soon.

Karen has been forever tainted by the meme and will probably never return on a big scale as a result. Shame

John, Philip and Richard yes because they are very early to mid 20th century. John did seem to have a mini revival in the early 2000s but it didn’t stick.

The rest are more mid to late so probably need a bit longer.

I think Marcus might start to appear quite soon though, as it sounds so similar to Lucas, Rufus, Magus and Miles all of which are popular.

I know 3 Johns under the age of 13 and 2 Peters.
I hope Timothy never goes back that is such a wet name.

I think the following are ripe for a comeback:

Matthew
Andrew
Christopher
Robert
Neil
Martin
Patrick

Angela
Valerie
Natalie
Helen
Louise
Sarah

Emma has never stopped being popular.

I’ve noticed a few little Sarahs recently, and I imagine Clare won’t be long.

Michelle is less of a classic so I think it’ll need a bit longer till the Michelles are proper old. Karen I think might need a good 30 years because the generation that remember it as an insult won’t use it.

Wendy is probably ripe for revival, but I think it’s too marmite to get very popular.

Quite a lot of little Peters in our neck of the woods. John is criminally underused, and I can’t remember the last time I heard of a baby Michael or Mark.

100 year rule. Names come back after then as all the people with those names aren’t around to influence them. Look at Stanley, Archie, Reggie; Elsie, Evelyn, ivy, violet

What about Cliff, Clive or Kevin? It's hard to imagine any babies being called any of those names.

I am a Brit but live in Canada and am always surprised at the number of young Kevins (and Trevors) there are here @Goddessonahighway !

I like Peter and John.

I am surprised these names are coming back so soon as they are the names of all the kids I grew up with. I thought we were still on the Reginald, Alfred, Ada and Maisie generation which were my grandparents era.

@Pickles91 maybe it's the start of a trend for Kevin to pick up in UK. Could imagine Kevin's in their 20s or 30s with the popularity of Kevin Costner perhaps.

DD is 9 months and two of the other babies in her room at nursery are called Allan and Graham.

I love and think will be due a revival:

Simon
Stephen
Peter
Michael

Never liked:
Paul
Gary
Mark
Andrew

For girls:
Nicola
Caroline
Stephanie
Joanna
Amanda
Kirsty

Never liked:
Tracey
Karen
Michelle
Jennifer

Marcus and Michael are such good names.
I know a 13 year old Richard and another 13 year old Peter. They’re out there, those names. DS22 hails from the Thomas/Jack/Archie/Charlie era. I don’t hear those names at all in DS9’s primary school.

I have heard that Kevin is also used by the poorer population in France as well. I think it may seen as an exotic aspirational British name, similar to how we might view the name Margot.

Nobody has mentioned James, Jamie. That was popular at one time

Cliff could slot into the trend for ‘rugged nature’ baby boy names along with Forest, River, Bear etc.