Girls names that won’t come back…..

[Rincoe]

Barbara
Gertrude
Muriel
Mildred
Majorie
Eileen
Geraldine

Lisa is one that rarely pops up any more. I have been in teaching an youth work for 25 years and I have never met a Lisa

These threads are always hilarious to me, I think most of the names mentioned can and will come back. Maybe not to the same popularity levels they once were at, but still.

I know two women who seriously considered Barbara.

My daughter is Enid and a second DD would likely have been Agnes. Only reason Maud wasn’t in the running is that one of my best friends has one.

Sybil and Joan are already back, if only based on babies I know.

Marjorie will for sure be back… it’s giving Margaret vibes but also there’s a Taylor Swift connection!

I know an Eileen, a Dorcas and an Agnes. All at primary school.

Would be surprised if Marjorie and Gertrude made a come back. But Gertie might.

one of those ghastly housemaids of yesteryear names

Glorious. Did they?

Two boys!

I’m pretty sure David Tennant has a Doris and an Olive.

One of my dad's aunts was called Effie, short for Evelynne. I find it surprising that it's come back into fashion, or the diminutive has - I just think it sounds a bit like 'eff off'. Another great aunt was called Ruby and I was amazed when that had a resurgence, but I just associated it with old battleaxes surrounded in B&H smoke (as she was).

I always thought that Mabel would never come back. To me, it is an entirely ugly name, along the lines of Ethel and Bertha. Yet THREE of my friends called their daughters Mabel - one is about 16 now and the other two are about 11-13ish. I don’t understand how they found anything nice about the name at all. I know we all like different types of names, but some are just too u got sounding to come back and I really thought that this was one of them.

That said, I remember an old colleague’s wife having a baby in 1997 and when he told me they’d called her Olivia, I thought it was such an ugly name. Couldn’t believe it when it then became the most common girls name in the UK for about 20 years running 😂 (I think it’s an ok sort of name now, just took some getting used to).

I don't think it was ever popular. I think the fact that it was unusual is what has made it stand out due to its unfortunate association with a monster. Rose West was just as heinous yet the name Rose remains popular - because it's not an unusual name.

It's Grizabella in Cats, not Grizelda

Erica - I think it's too Trumpy now.

Durr! 🤦‍♀️

I’m sure there was a Jilly Cooper character called Griselda.

Dorcas
Jennifer
Dawn
Mavis
Judith
Irene
Linda
Michelle
Myrtle
Doris
Ida
Glenys
Helen

I know of a junior child called Phyllis.

Your Emily story is very funny because my Dad (who is now 84) remembers as a child his great-grandmother, who was called Emma, complaining bitterly about her "old fashioned, embarrassing name". I found that hilarious as there were 5 Emmas in my class in the mid 1980s. It was just about the most popular name at that time. Less so now, but still a few little Emmas around and no one would say it was horrible or old fashioned.

Grizell - old Scottish name.

Spell it backwards and you have the name Senga. Don't know which is worse to be honest.

Didn't lily Allen have an Ethel?

I remember seeing a Network 7 ( ‘youth’ magazine programme) in the ‘90s discussing cycles of fashion in baby names and ‘imagine some time in the future there will be babies called Violet and Percy!’ And that’s what happened.

My great grandmother was also Hildegard! I jokingly pitched it to my husband as “an important family name” for our first daughter and he actually considered it!!! 🤣

However, he nixed my grandmother’s name (top 100) which I was actually serious about.

My nephew’s 14 year old girlfriend is called Farrah

There's an Irish politician called Hidegarde Naughton, who must only be in her 40s -- currently minister for education. I don't think I've ever encountered another.

Conjures up images of a big boned woman with a heavy face, in a tweed suit!