What names would you like to see more of?

[Skiesa]

We’ve been in the currently naming trend of ‘Ada, Eva, Eve, Evie, Mia, Maya, Miley, Layla, Lila, Isla, Arlo, Finley, Jude, Otis, Oakley, Luca, Theo’ for quite a while now and I’m anticipating that we may have a change of trends again soon.

What names would you love to see be used more?

Is that not perhaps a reference to the Royle Family ??

Barbara has a surge in popularity... Maybe Denise will join!

Names that aren't cute baby names and are suitable for a professional adult.

E.g Rebecca, Emma, Claire etc.

I agree cutesy names are now very dated but I’m not sure names like Russell, Lesley and Samantha are the answer; so drab and lifeless! I can think of nothing more soulless and uninspiring than naming a child with a view to them becoming a “professional”.

I’m hoping for a little more individuality instead of swathes of kids named Sophia and Olivia, or Leo and Theo.

2 of my DDs names have been mentioned by others on this thread. I feel like such a trend setter. My other DD is in my list here:

Frances/francis for boys and girls
Dominic
Alexander
Constance
Charlotte
Roberta

Agree with pps that I’d like to see more solid names, with actual consonants in - DD8’s peers all have the Isla/Ayla/Ada/Ava/Lila/Lyra/Lily/Milly names and they sort of merge together at this point. Nothing really sounds distinctive. Ditto for boys - fewer of the -ie endings would be nice, and more substantial, less cutesy options for both sexes.

I’d like to see Shakespearean names for girls making a comeback - things like Rosalind, Miranda, Celia and Viola. And saints’ names for boys: Laurence, Christopher, Peter, Edmund etc (we’ve been reading a lot of Narnia here recently!)

All those cutesy names (Alfie, Archie, Teddie, Ellie, Evie etc) already feel dated and will probably continue to decline in usage.

Personally I would love to see more solid names like

Cecilia
Antonia
Miriam

Edmund
Quentin
Christopher
Peter

I agree with many of the names here - apart from Nob and Pidcock, which are a lot to inflict on a child.

Some names from my childhood in Ireland in the 60s and 70s would be welcome:
Barbara
Caroline
Edel
Joan
Miriam
Denise
Anne-Marie
Mary-Clare
Anne-Louise
Christine
Paula
Laura
Margaret
Elizabeth
Judith
Susan
Helen
Pauline
Mary
Rachel
Ruth
Sonia
Louise
Rosemary

Irish names:
Mairead
Eithne
Eimear

Joe is a lovely name.

Names that don’t follow the 2 syllable, ending in “ee”, “ah” or “oh” trend (these seem to account for about three quarters of the names at DS primary).

And the resurgence of “classic” names that have fallen out of favour now somewhat - like John, Robert, Philip, Peter, Mark, Stephen, Matthew, Christopher, Caroline, Philippa, Julia, Susanna, Teresa, Ruth, Catherine, Georgina, Claire etc

Love these!
I actually had an Aunt Tets but she was Ethel rather than Elizabeth.

Dave
Steve
John
Matthew
Michael

Jean
Marie
Jennifer
Lynn
Janice
Maureen
Adele
Cheryl
Sandra

Longer names and no diminutives.

Simple long-lasting names. No cutesy diminutives as legal names. No imperialist parents prescribing in advance nicknames (these should arise organically from the child's own life).--

Anne
Clare
Jane
Helen
John
Paul
Peter
Stephen

Dated names like Nigel, Pauline, Kay, Laura and Gary.

I'm not sure what to call this category but names you would imagine on an American glamour puss like Veronica, Tiffany, Bianca, Vivienne.

Anglo-Saxon names like Audrey, Oswald, Edmund, Edith.

Uncommon biblical names like Enoch, Baraka, Junia.

Adding:

Jane

Shakespearean names like Cressida, Desdemona.

Literary names invented by British authors like Cadenus, Vanessa, Nerissa.

Andrew, David, Robert, James, Caroline, Emma, Amy, Emily

Desdemona means ill-fated so I can't see that one 🤣

What about Imogen
Samantha
Jessica
Rachael
Benjamin
Daniel
Jezza

I like all of those and would like to add Jane. I love Jane, especially as a first name - it's been a bit over-used as a middle name. I used to know a Jane Frances which I thought was a lovely combination.

Old classics that tend to get overlooked in favour of the more popular classics George, Edward, Henry, James.

So Edmond, Harold, Edgar, Peter, John and even Charles (as just Charles rather than the more ubiquitous Charlie.)

Jeremy and Peter.

Jennifer and Lucinda.

We’ve had the older generation names revival (Edith, Arthur, Ivy, Elsie etc), so how about a 60s revival?

Angela
Paula
Kathryn
Claire
Jane
Sonia
Lorraine

Richard
Andrew
David
Kevin
Darren

Steven, Helen, Clare, Ellen, Simon, Jane, Ruth

Positive meanings like Christmas, peace, natural spaces, light, bauble colour, mover of men ..

Turlough
Glenn
Cliff
Craig
Eolann

Christobel
Ellinor
Frith
Clare
Emerald

Biblical names - Solomon, Miriam, Esther, Abraham
Names like Peter, John, Edmund, Laurence, Helena, Susanna, Caroline