Are any 1930s baby names due a comeback?

[Firebird83]

After the thread about Joan, I was wondering what people think of some of the other names that were popular in the 1930s. Names are supposed to come around in roughly 100-year cycles, and we’re nearly in the 2030s now! Do you think any of these 1930s names are ready for a comeback yet? And are there any others you’d suggest?

Jean
Margaret
Sheila
June
Mary
Irene
Sylvia
Marjorie
Rita
Joy
Valerie
Hilda
Daphne
Mavis
Gloria
Enid
Freda
Peggy

Peter
Hugh
Edwin
Philip
Lawrence
Timothy
Walter
Raymond
Douglas
Eric
Bernard
Leonard

I have kids now late teens/early twenties and both went to school with kids called Peggy, Ethel and Edith.

I think a lot of these are coming back already. I know a baby Sylvia, Edwin, Peter, Douglas and a friend has Marjorie as a favourite for her baby who's coming in November

I had great-aunts called Edna and Gertie so they just conjure up old ladies for me. Also had older relatives called Myra, Enid, Marion and June (that is quite nice - Junie).

John was a popular name in the 1930s (amongst other decades) and must surely be due a revival?

My mum was born 1938 she was Gillian, my dad was Robert he was born 1937

Maud

There are all the -een sounding names too: Doreen, Eileen, Maureen, Kathleen, Pauline, Christine, Irene. It will probably be quite a while until they come back!

Named our cat Leonard but that was our boys name (but we have 4 now and last DC was girl!)

I have taught recently- Sylvia, Mary, Agnes, Enid, Ada, Dorothy, Gertrude, Nancy, Ann, Elsie, Ivy and Margaret.
Edwin, Edmund, John, Ian, Douglas, Stephen , Albert and Michael.

I know four Christines, ranging from 3 years old to 68

I don’t know why but the idea of a toddler called Rita has really tickled me!

I think lots of these named people are in their 70’s and 80’s rather than 100’s. Sheila much younger than 100!

I like Jean and Hazel. For boys, Peter and Lawrence.
Thinking of my own family members born in the 30s-
Ruth
Marjorie
Leslie
Douglas
Basil (!)
Minnie
Brian
Carol
Annie.

I went to school with loads of john’s in the 90’s. But that was a catholic school...

I know two Roland’s!

John
Desmond
Paul

Most of the women's names from your list seem quite chic to me. I like the men's ones too.

What region of the country do.you teach in?

Margaret - I think variants. Maggie is popular already

Irene - Iris instead
Sylvia - Know one
Valerie - no because of the song
Enid - already happening

Hugh - already popular
Edwin - already popular
Raymond - think this will get more popular
Eric - Simon Cowell killed this one
Bernard - nope
Leonard - Leo is top ten currently

Re: Enid, that Scrubs episode, Dr Kelso's wife, and his nickname for her is Bunny. I like that.

A lot of those are just names, surely? Not from a particular era? There’s a solid core of names-Royal Family/Times birth announcement names-that just go on forever with outliers at either end that just come and go.

Love Cecilia and Sydney - not as siblings though .

I was shocked to hear a newborn called Richard being called at children's outpatients a year ago

The top 10 girls names of 1934 were
Margaret, Jean, Mary, Joan, Patricia, Sheila, Barbara, Doreen, June, Shirley.
By the 1960s Margaret was a top 50 name but from the 1970s onwards it wasn't even top 100.
Even though it's a royal name it's barely used now (493rd in 2024)
Same with Jean, rarely used after 1950s, maybe 10 a year for the last 30 years.

Men's names have more timeless classics like William, George, Arthur, Henry, Charles, Thomas but Ronald, Donald, Dennis, Roy, Raymond, Norman, Leslie, Bernard, Gerald type names peaked in the 30s.

I read somewhere names come back in fashion about 90 to 100 years after their last time in fashion. If true then yes