Slightly 1970s, slightly upper crust suggestions

[rosiechristmas]

Hello

I am due in October, we don't know what we're having. We have a 4 year old Penelope and what I like about Penelope is the sort of 1970s Penelope Keith, Penelope Pitstop, Thelwell's Penelope, Penelope Mortimer vibe. (not the Kardashian connection which I was completely oblivious to until the midwife let me know at delivery!!)

I'm looking for a fairly classic name that has just a hint of upper crust, but not a Fenella or Araminta that would sound incongruous in most settings.

I like grown up names with cute nicknames.

Below are my current lists - a couple of these I can't get past DH so they are on the list more to show the style we are after.

We are planning not to name the babe until they are here and see what fits so looking for some more suggestions to add to the field from you clever ladies please!!!

On my list for girls is:

Susanna nn Suzie, Annie
Caroline nn Carrie
Jemima nn Mima
Josephine nn Josie

Boys:

Robin nn Bobby
Frances nn Fran
Jesse nn Jess (a bit of a wildcard this one I guess)

Thanks so much!

Dominic
Benedict
Peter
Lance
Tristan
Timothy

Pandora

Going by the Jilly Cooper suggestions

Pandora and Penelope.

Or Octavia

Antonia
Patricia
Rosamund
Verity

When I saw your title, my immediate thought was I am going to suggest Penelope 🤣

I really like the way you've described your name requirements!

Peter
Joss
Anthony
Robin
Dominic
Gareth

Genevieve
Joanna
Tabitha
Lysette
Pandora
Adrienne
Vivian
Lydia

Rowena
Amanda
Prudence
Jacqueline
Pamela

Pamela, Barbara, Margaret

Jasper

Penelope Keith played Margot and Audrey, good 1970s names!

Cordelia
Daphne
Corinne

Felicity - flick

Felicity
Camilla
Henrietta
Harriet
Jennifer
Lorna/ Laura
Davina
Georgina
Annabelle
Helena
Vanessa

Came on to say I didn’t think the OP was looking for 1970s baby names - that would be my era and that was very Emma/Joanna/Louise focussed!

My ultimate 1970s sitcom name will always be Barbara

I loved the name Pamela as a kid. I wished I’d remembered that when naming mine 😁

Miriam, nickname; Miri, Mim, Mimi.

Tabitha

I was at school in the 1970s, other girls typically had names like Claire, Sarah, Alison, Tracey and of course Karen.

Then we moved to a village that was considered quite posh, my dad was impressed that the teacher asked a girl named Celia to look after me as a new pupil! Other girls from posher families included Frances, Felicity, Louisa, Elizabeth, Serena, Selina,Victoria, Theodora, Philippa, Isobel (which was unusual at the time), Lucy.

Pamela is typically the name of women born in the 1930s, 40s and possibly 50s.

Daphne
Toby

If you have Penelope for Penelope Keith then a girl should be Felicity - I like Fizz or Fizzy as a nickname. So a boy should be Richard or Paul

Just to add, you can't go wrong with Susanna, gorgeous name and relatively unusual, with so many possible short forms, from Sukie, Susie, to Anna, Zanna, Annie etc.

I love Jesse¡

How about Jocelyn?

In my 1970s class (born in the 60s),we had,:
Girls:
Fiona, Catherine, Amanda, Sarah,Rachel, Helen(a), Beverley, Belinda were the most common
Boys:
Peter, Paul, David, Michael, Edward, Simon, Richard, Andrew

Penelope is associated with the 1970s when these women came to prominence in public life, so look at baby names from the late 1950s/ 1960s.

Victoria
Elizabeth
Anne
Helen
Catherine
Abigail
Adrienne
Alexandra
Alison
Claire
Amanda
Antonia
Elspeth
Joanna
Francesca
Heidi

Cassandra - Cass, Cassie
Clementine - Clem, Clemmie
Samantha- Sam, Sammy
Alexandra - Lexi, Alex
Katherine - Kate, Katie

Alexander - Alex, Xander
Michael - Mikey
Jonathan- Jon, Jonny
Sebastian- Seb
Nathaniel - Nate, Nat, Nathan