For fun - school admissions list central London, children born c.1890

[Pocketfullofdogtreats]

I've been doing my family tree and came across a school admissions list for a relative born in 1890. It gives a parent name too (mostly dads), so born circa 20 - 30 years earlier, which were pretty much the same but with more Johns and Richards. The only name I can see which really wouldn't fit today is Herbert! Also there isn't an Eve, Eva or Evie.
There were multiple dch called William, Alice, Louisa, Henry, Dorothy, Richard, Florence, Emily, Elizabeth, Alfred, Rose. Here are the others (one of each):

Ivy
Thomas
Sidney
Annie
Susan
Violet
Charles
Charlotte
Maggie
Fred
Eliza
Laura
Ellen
Daisy
Laurence
Grace
John
Robert
Ned
Herbert
Caroline
Maud
Pearl
James
Ada
Lily
Benjamin
Joseph
Harold
Sophia
Minnie
Harry
Agnes
Frederick
Matilda
Frances
Edward
Jane
Jessie
Clara
Catherine
Albert
Alexander
Walter
Sarah
Madeleine
Rhoda
Helena
Celia
Amelia
Leonard
Harriet
George
Ethel
Esther
Joseph

Rhoda hasn’t been picked up in the crop of vintage names. Neither has Herbert!

Susan seems much more modern (as in 1950’s).

Esther is lovely.

Oh fascinating! My name, all my siblings, both my parents, my aunt and uncle, daughter, sister-in-law and both nephews are on that list. Classics, all of them…

So many lovely names!

What a lovely list of names, could be used for inspiration. Thanks so much for posting OP.

Susan was the 26th most popular name in 1850. By 1890 it had fallen to 80th, but still well within the top 100.

That's really interesting.

In fact very simple to registers now.

But the registers when I was at school in the 80/90's would have been very different.

Very much

Laura
Sarah
Gemma
Jenny
Louise

Samual
Daniel
Luke
Mark

Etc

Similar not simple!

Thanks for sharing OP its very interesting

Lots of lovely names

I know a 5yr old Herbert!

I’ve always loved the name Celia, sadly DH vetoed it

I know a Herbert as well. "Herb" suits him.

It's true, Herb is a great name. And maybe people wouldn't call a kid 'a right little Herbert' these days!

In my school (70s, 80s) there were some of the above names but also Michelle, Debbie, Sheila, Linda, Kevin, Danny, Jason, Julie, Joanne, Karen, Ingrid, Angela, Eileen, and creative spellings like Jayne. You wouldn't have got a Pearl, Alfred or an Ada. Makes me wonder if the trend in 100 years will be Jason, Kevin and Michelle!

My mum's name is on that list.

I was born in the early 80s went to school with multiple Lauras and Sarahs (also Emmas, Jennifers and Rebeccas and every possible spelling of Lynsey/Lindsay/Lindsey - which are not on the list). The boys in my year were all called Steven/Stephen plus a few Davids and Michaels.

Beautiful timeless names, much prefer all of these to silly spellings and nouns being used as names

It’s interesting how the list would not be out of place today at all. (My 1 year olds name is on there including quite a few others we shortlisted).

Shows how trends definitely come back around

Both my DC are on that list, and the majority of their class mates, other than a handful of virtue names (Catholic school).

All my DC and my sister and I are on that list. So interesting. Thank you for sharing.

Surprised there are not more Virtue names
Faith Hope Charity Constance Grace Mercy Patience Liberty etc

Not sure if Chastity will ever come round again

I guess that’ll be registers in 2050 too, it all cycles

Great post OP

I don’t think people in late 19C london were very religious, on average

Chastity - that’ll be a no, one would hope

There was a Grace. There was also a Patience on a previous page. It's only a snapshot, of course. It did occur to me that Louisa and Sophia later on dropped the 'a', also would be the same with Julia and Joanna, but now the trend is for the originals to return.

I had a Herbert in my family - born in 1895. He was always known as Bertie, which would fit very well today.

I read somewhere that during the mid 20th century the French versions, so Julie, Diane, Sophie, Louise etc, were considered very chic and sophisticated, and that now the Latin/Spanish forms like Sophia and Julia are considered more exotic and beautiful.

Interesting list. Not many mini Minnie’s around, or Mauds, but it definitely could be a current school register.

That's interesting. But here in the UK they weren't pronounced as they would be in France!