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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Why are Albert, Stanley and Violet OK but.....

86 replies

seeker · 14/03/2009 10:55

....Brian, Kevin and Sharon aren't?

Is it that your Grandparents's names have gone round the clock and are cool again, while your parent's names have't, and the next generation will be populated by Tracys, Colins and Garys?

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pointydog · 14/03/2009 10:56

Purely the whims of fashion, nothing else

malfoy · 14/03/2009 10:58

I suspect you are right.

LackaDAISYcal · 14/03/2009 11:08

you're obviously much younger than me....it's my generation still that are sharon, colin and gary

and maybe not the next generation, but perhaps a couple after that...when shaniece, brooklyn, jayden and tyler are seen as just too passe.

lljkk · 14/03/2009 11:08

I quite like Kevin, I don't like any of the other 5.

Grumpyoldcaaaaaaaa · 14/03/2009 11:12

I was sniggering with someone the other day about calling my baby 'Barry' or 'Terry' or 'Pam' or 'Doreen'.

Obvious apologies to anyone with those names, they are just very of their time.

Original poster
seeker · 14/03/2009 11:15

Daisy - I skipped a generation to match the age profile of mumsnet - the names I chose as examples are the names of my cousins and dps siblings!

OP posts:
LackaDAISYcal · 14/03/2009 11:34

omg, am i too old for mn then?

schneebly · 14/03/2009 11:37

I have a 4 year old Alan which is pretty unfashionable. Poepl always think he is called Aaron.

Lemontart · 14/03/2009 11:37

My grannie was called Hannah Irene by her mother. She was so embarrassed by the name Hannah that, as a teenager, switched to using the then "cool" Irene middle name and is known by all as Irene! Apparently Hannah was terribly old fashioned then. Totally agree that names, just like all subjective and personal labelling devices (clothes, hairstyle, make up, food, interior design etc etc), are cyclical and only slightly evolutionary.

Original poster
seeker · 14/03/2009 11:38

I certainly am - I keep on wanting to say "When you're my age, you'll realize......."

OP posts:
Lemontart · 14/03/2009 11:39

schneebly - I love the name Alan and is a family name. My cousin?s baby is spelt Allan with the emphasis on the "llan" part and I love it. Used for several generation?s on my mum?s side and if I had boys I would use it too.

schneebly · 14/03/2009 11:44

He was named after my brother - to be honest I didn't nmame him, my DH did after we made a stupid, stupid agreement.

When we were first together and talking about babies we might have in the future he said "can I name any boys we have and you can name the girls?"

I agreed thinking that either I would have a girl or he wouldn't insist on sticking to the agreement. I was wrong I have 2 boys and he named both of them! I have one that sounds like a balding, middle aged accountant and one that sounds like an old Scottish farmer We are Scottish at least so it is not so bad.

Grumpyoldcaaaaaaaa · 14/03/2009 12:22

Lemontart

DH's Nana is Isabel Edith but uses 'Edith' rather than Isabel.

Schneebly at your descriptions of your boys' names

frazzledoldbag · 14/03/2009 20:42

Brian, Kevin and Sharon are what all the kids currently being called Ruby, Olivia and Alfie will call their children. I think that's just what happens.

frazzledoldbag · 14/03/2009 20:43

[secretly cringes at the thought of grandchildren called Doreen, Maureen and Trevor ]

piscesmoon · 14/03/2009 20:47

I don't think Albert, Stanley and Violet are OK. I hate that era of names.

Original poster
seeker · 14/03/2009 20:52

me too, piscesmoon - Stanley is a particular bugbear - but it's you and me contra mundum!

OP posts:
wombleprincess · 14/03/2009 21:05

i am always amused that harry is so common but barry is so hated... its just fashion at the end of the day.

edam · 14/03/2009 21:09

That's because Harry is an aristocratic/historical name. While Barry is the name of a less than classy part of South Wales.

RachieB · 14/03/2009 22:42

Stanley just reminds me of the book "Flat Stanley" lol

Nancy66 · 15/03/2009 11:01

It's more to do with class than fashion - Michelle, Trevor, Pauline, Barry are working class names. Now the working class prefer to have their own style of name - ie: Maddison, Riley, Taylor etc.

lunamoon2 · 15/03/2009 11:30

Agree with Lemontart and Grumpy.

My great aunt was called Isobel but only ever referred to as "Bella" as Isobel was seen as too frumpy. I grew up loving the name and it was very uncommon then!!!! now look what has happened.
Incidently my grandma was an Agnes and I wanted to use this as dds middle name but oh flatly refused as far too "old grannyfied" at the time. Sometimes wish I had stuck to my guns

woodenspoon2 · 15/03/2009 11:40

Steven Pinker's book The Stuff of Thought has a good analysis of this generational thing with names - why all scientists of his generation are called Steve eg....

piscesmoon · 15/03/2009 17:54

I expect that in another 20 yrs people will be saying that Brenda and Malcolm are lovely names! Nothing will surprise me after people thinking Ernest and Elsie are lovely!

wombleprincess · 15/03/2009 19:47

harry isnt historical. henry is historical.
harry is just posh nickname commonly given to people called henry, which now has imho become a posh wannabe name.