Emily or Hannah? Which is more dated to 2000s now?

[Sophcas7]

I like classic names and we are choosing between these two as I think they are still lovely but not overly common these days.

The only thing I am slightly concerned about is that Emily was the top name for much of late 90s/00s so I’m not sure if it could possibly sound slightly dated now even though it’s classic. Hannah was popular at that time too but was never as ubiquitous as Emily according to the ONS.

thoughts on what sounds more dated?

Love Emily! I know more Hannahs than Emilies.

Hannah is lovely can never be dated as it’s biblical, about as old as name could get.

Emily is fine too but it was obscenely common in the 2000s so it’s definitely timestamped to me even though it is still a classic of course but I don’t think it’s timeless, when I was a kid in the 70s it was rare and thought of as very old fashioned so there wasn’t many around.

I knew one Hannah so maybe that’s why it feels more timeless to me.

They're both classic names so I really don't think it matters.

I suppose because Emily was more popular in the late 90s/00s you could argue that it might sound more dated, but I'd be more worried that it would blend in to all the other popular names beginning with E that are around at the moment.

For that reason I think Hannah sounds a little bit fresher, and it's a lovely name too.

Hannah is very dated, Emily is still quite popular

Both very dated. Emily is far more popular though.

Both very dated - there are SOO many Emilys and Hannahs in their 20s!

There are 2 Emilys in DD’s year and she’s 8. I’m yet to meet a Hannah that would be under 30 today.

Emily is still fairly popular now, whereas Hannah has dropped right down the list. So in that sense Hannah would appear the more dated of the two, in that it's the one you'd least expect to hear on a newborn these days. It's still an absolute classic though.

Just go for whatever one you like the best or suits her the most.

Emma is another classic which would combine the sounds in both. Anna has a very similar vibe too. Lucy, Charlotte and Sophie might all appeal too if you love Emily and Hannah.

I would choose Hannah - it feels really fresh and unusual for a little one these days - it peaked longer ago than Emily and is also much lower down in the name charts (only 94th in 2023) so has a nice traditional but not overused feel.

I prefer Hannah it’s lovely

^This. I know young and baby Emilys, but haven’t heard of a Hannah since having DD (and DD is now 12). I think Emma never seems to date either.

I have an unreasonable dislike of the name Emily. Hannah gets my vote 🤣

I would definitely say Hannah sounds more dated and like a girl in her 20’s/30’s now whereas Emily definitely suits all ages and still sounds lovely on a baby

They both sound nice to me and not dated, perhaps a bit overused but still lovely names.
If you want a truly timeless classic you could consider Elizabeth as it never seems to get trendy but is always there.

I love the name Hannah, I think it's simple and beautiful. Emma on the other hand is a very late 70s and early 80s name along with Sarah, Rachel and Claire. They will come back but I'm just not ready. I think Emily was a little more used in the 2010s but nowhere near Olivia or Ruby or Lily

I'd pick Hannah. My DD, now 19, had so many Emily friends throughout school years and I saw through supporting PTFA work.

I know slightly more Hannah’s than Emily’s but I’d say neither are ubiquitous. I wouldn’t assume a Hannah or Emily were any particular age as I’ve known a few of varying ages. Whereas something like Sarah or Catherine I admit I would guess to be in their 40’s or 50’s despite being very classic - because so many of my peers at my (all girls) school had those names. Ditto Ann or Lynn as being in their 60’s/70’s as it feels like a quarter of the older women in my village have those names 🤣

But even back in the 90’s/2000’s the top names were being used less and less when compared to just 20 or 30 years before - so I say go for your fave out of Hannah and Emily as neither seem especially tied to a particular decade/s imo.

It doesn’t help your question about whether it is dated, but my name is Hannah (I’m mid 30s) and I love my name and I’ve always loved my name. It’s always felt a little whimsical to me, in a good way.

What are people defining "dated" as? I assumed it was like an old persons name, but are people using it to mean not as popular at the moment but still a great name?

FWIW I can only think of two Emilys that I personally know (and one of them has put me off the name forever so I'm unreasonably biased against it anyway) but Hannah is such a classic and lovely and interesting and palindromic name, it also wins on merit!

Personally I don't find either dated, but OP did ask which is more dated so I guess people can only go on which one is used a lot less these days. I don't see classics which are currently out of vogue as dated. To me, dated is something which came out of nowhere to be ridiculously popular, having never been so before, and then falling away again within a 10-20 year period. The name becomes dated to that generation.

Emily is nice for a child but a bit babyish for an adult. Hannah is just so dull and boring, I always think of brown when I hear Hannah.

What about Elizabeth or Harriet?

Emma hasn't gone anywhere? It's still around the top 50ish. Obviously nowhere near as popular as it was in the 70s/80s but it had a huge resurgence in the early 00s, due to Friends, and appeals a lot now to Eastern European families who are often drawn to traditional names as they'll fit in well here whilst also being recognised by family back home. We have 4 girls called Emma at my school (primary). It's a lot further up the charts than Hannah now, which also appeals to immigrants but seems more diluted due to the different spelling options. I know a Hanna and a Hana.

Emily is lovely, I don't think of it as dated at all. I know an Emily in her 40s (who was named after her grandmother), but also one in Y6 and one in Y1.

Hannah feels more dated to me, there were a lot at my school and I'm mid-40s. I prefer Anna, same vibe but prettier.

Hannah.

Some others..
Anna
Honor
Catherine

Both lovely names and not dated IMO. I prefer Emily.