Barbara?

[Missmodular]

It's got the exact ingredients I'm looking for, in that it's not remotely unusual and yet nobody is calling their daughters it any more. But I still can't take it seriously - must be the Barbara Windsor association!

But can anyone think of other girls names along this ilk?

veronica

gertrude
yvette
eleanor
velma

ugly and horrible. I like margaret and Belinda and Vivien though, which are also middle-aged chic

Oh sorry, you weren't seriously considering it!

Not a fan of Pauline, Polly for short and I could think mmm, ok. Paula is nicer.

I also like Lois, Susan, Nancy, Miriam...

Oh no, can't have that then A good friend's just named her baby Elsa, so it was probably off list anyway.

It's funny how the -nda names have dropped out of favour - like Belinda, Linda, Glenda, Brenda, etc.

Most of my relatives have names on this thread!

transexual in league of gentlemen for me

I also thought Elsie was rising in popularity.

I'm in my mid-30s and just thinking about the names of girls in my classes at school, most of them are simply not being used these days. Quite a few have been mentioned here already - Claire, Joanne, Debbie, Sarah, Kelly, Wendy, Julie, Lisa, Lyndsey etc - there were at least two of these at my school always.

More unusual options from that time:
Gaynor
Marianne (no-one uses Marie anymore either), Paula
Gloria
Andrea

Anyway, what I'm saying is, if you're about the same age I would look back at your old school photos for inspiration...

Annabelle/a
Aida
Eleanora
Esmaralda
Italia
Alexandra
Tallulah
Alexa
Rosanna
Clara
Cara
Be atrix
Emille
Amelia
Ava
Rosa
Claudia
Flora
Madeleine
Matilda
Esther
Lydia
Julia
Becca
A nna/Annie
Elena
Felicity
Philippa/Pippa
Henrietta
Daphne
Milly
Molly
May
April
Amber
Pegg y
Mabel
Norma
Nora
Thora
Elsa
Polly
Susanne/a
Theodora
Nell
Darcey
Dixie
Tabitha
Doroth y
Marianne
Marie-Claire
Lois
Lola
Nancy
Frances
Betty
Tamara
Xanthia
Emmeline
Emelina
Emiliana
Kat rina
Catalina
Christabella
Christina
Christiana
Christine
Chrissy
Kirsty
Kristy
Kirsten
Kr isten
Kiersten
Blair
Luca
Lorna
Lauren
Laura
Elspeth
Lucinda
Natalia
Melanie
Luisa
Stephanie
Bethany
Bethan
Lydia
Kitty
Lindsey
Fiona
Sian
Hannah
Helen
Helena
Sarah
Samantha
Gemma
Victoria
Joanne/a
Sa lly
Kerry
Kelly
Jodie
Jenna
Viola
Bernadette
Marcia
Claribel
Cressida
Hermia
Gertrude
Gr eta
Azure
Nerissa
Katherina
Kathy
Opal
Rosalind
Rosaline
Rosella
Verona
Dilys
Emerald
Am ethyst
Venetia
Octavia
Maude
Alethea
Mildred
Estella
Estrella
Seraphina
Drusilla
Priscilla
Dolores
Judith
Judy
Guinevere
Virginia
Valencia
Dinah
Diane
Posy
Mirabelle
Mirabella
Th eodora
Myra
Moira
Lene
Freda
Winifred
Alfreda
Ursula
Carlotta
Carolyn
Carol
Carola
Elewy n
Teresa
Xanthe
Xanthia
Gwendoline
Darla
Karen

Penelope
Rita
Mavis
Wendy
Irene
Eileen
Margaret
Sylvie/a
Jane
Belinda
Angela
Vivienne
Vi viana
Mariah
Doris
Rosemary
Francesca

Verity
Annette

Anita

Vanessa
Corinne

Ramona
Gillian
Bryony

helens good im a helen and get ellie and elle maud,muriel,nancy,betty,maggie,peggy,clarece,hazel,elsmith,sheridon,delila,joan,doreen, connie,samantha,debra,meryl,cordelia harriet,francesca,

Blimey Nappyaddict that is a list and a half! Thanks very much.

Am loving Thora but DP won't hear of it. Am going to mull over Ramona, Stephanie, Emmeline and Luisa as I've not thought of those before.

Thanks again

MissModular, I like Zelda, despite the DA ending. Some of these middle-aged names like Nancy, Susan, Lois, Belinda, Rosemary and Delia are RIPE for revival imo

The whole Amelia, Emily, Olivia type of super soft feminine sounding name (not to criticise those names specifically) will sound tired soon. Dated even.

Valerie. That's another one that I see coming back within about five years. Not in the top 100! But, there will be people looking for the next Esme Dulcie in five years.

I had a friend called Valerie and she hated it. It wasn't a popular name then and it isn't now and I think I can see why. Even worse, her parents had a barmy arrangement where the father got to choose the name if it was a girl, mother if it was a boy. Her mother also didn't like it!

I wish people would remember that they're naming a separate person who has feelings too.

I once temped in a team full of Valeries. I was the only non-Valerie in a team of six. I was also the only person under 45.

My old yoga teacher is Valeria which I think is a lovely name and really suited her - she's eastern European I think. Funny what a difference one vowel can make!

Rose
Linda
Sheila
Sandra

Edith

Oh I quite like Zelda, Delia, Delilah, Edith and Valerie.

Prudence (Pru for short?)
Paula
Christine
Diana
Nicola
Sharon (although i think it's a little yucky personally along with Tracey)
Mary
May
Lisa
Caron (instead of Karen perhaps)
Lorraine
Helen
Elaine
Jayne
Stephanie
Claire
Carolyn