old man/old lady names - which are nice and which are duff?

[oysterpots]

Seems like the names of our grandparents' generation are coming back in fashion but judging by some of the threads on here people have really strong opinions on the names that are lovely and those that really shouldn't be revived.

Which do you love and which do you hate? I'm a big fan of lots of them - Arthur, Violet, Percy - but I'm not so keen on some of the harder sounding names, like Ivy, Reg...

My nephew is called Wilfred after his grandfather - it was bone of contention as my DP and I chose it as a name before we had kids and when said nephew was born he was going to be called Elliot but then 3 weeks later they stole our name!!!

Our DS1 is called Hector.

My grandad is called Walter but DP wouldn't go for it for DS2 - so we have a Woodrow, which I find a bit american really but stuck with it now

I love Olive as a girls name.

I don't think Mavis, Maurice or Herbert are very useable but lots of older names are lovely. I like Archie and Elsie.

pippy, I LOVE Hector, well done

Girls I like

Mabel
Edith
Emmeline
Nancy
Dorothy

Boys I like

Arthur
Stanley
George
Seth

Honestly we will be walking into the playground soon and thinking we've taken a wrong turn into Age Concern.
Can't our generation make up some new names ?

My Grandparents were Lily, Annie, Thomas and Arthur, and their various brothers and sisters were Evelyn, Ada, Violet, Vera, Alfred, Dora, Charlie.

On my DH's side there's Kathleen, Dymphna, Roy, another Arthur.

My grandmother was Edith and I can't imagine using that. OTOH, grandfather was Adrian which I really like.

Emmeline is my imaginary next daughter's name@LadDiDaDi (do you like Slick Rick? Your name always reminds me of him!)

Not keen on that many other old lady names.

Bessie / Betsy
Mary
Moll / Nell
Dorothy

all quite nice...

Boys names - I like Reggie, but got told I was crazy for that one on another baby names thread

I have remembered another one - dh hates it, but i love it!

Prudence - so lovely, if a little pruney!
Also Vera - which dh does like!

I love Florence, Beatrice, Matilda, Edith, Stella and Martha

I've had grandfathers/great uncles etc. called Raymond, Lesley and Rennie and I'm not sure I'd use any of those

Florence is lovely, and I also live Flora, but DH doesn't like it. Sylvia was high on our list if DS had been a girl.

I hate virtually them all, sorry . Don't like any old man boy's names.

Do quite like Violet, Grace, Rose and Florence. Probably Florence is my favourite.

I like Stanley, Albert, Alfred, Arthur, Edward, Edwin, Frederick, George

And I like Mabel, Florence, Edith, Agnes, Constance, Violet, Ethel
Ladidah are you me ?

But that?s just me y?know. I mentioned that Agnes was going to be DS2?s name and a colleague squawked: ?good job he was a boy then!? She?s just rude tho .

FWIW I know or know of a child with most of those names. Never met a Mabel tho I lurrrve Mabel (not DD?s names as DH said NO)

dallas yes my mum hates these sort of names ?so old-fashioned dear? and prefers things like Karen and Nicola.

I know a Mabel

My DS's name is on your list Clary, and we definitely got a few odd looks from the older generation. Actually, from younger people too!

Oooh Clary, I must be you. I love Edwin too but it would be ridiculous with dp's surname.

Edwin was my dad - due a big comeback I reckon.

Oddly I know at least four 8yos called Edward, who'd have thought it?

My name is Nell, full title Helen...my lovely uncle (lots older than you'd think) was called Bun, but his given name was Hugh- I love so many of the old names, but I do think Hilda is unrecuperable!

Nooooo BitofFun - Hilda is fabby!
We plan on having a Hilda Primrose Mary!!!!!!

My dd has a friend called Edwin - i think it is fab too! I like most of the Ed names especially Edgar, Edmund and Edric.

We have 3 Edwards round here, a Woodrow (Woody) an Alfie and an Arlo !!

Blythe & Arthur are my favourites

I've got an Iris and a Verity, which is from Puritanical times - so they're my faves!

Also adore
Edith
Ellen
Blythe
Florence/Flora
Nell - although I like this name I'm not keen on just using the diminutive as a full and proper name. Nell was my aunt's nickname and she was a Margaret - as was my aunt Peggy.

Boys names I love
Seth
Silas
Wilfred
Edmund

Love the old turn of the century names particularly as it utterly bemuses people from the 2 generations older than ours who think we are all quite mad! My friend took her new baby who had an old lady name to see her very elderly granny who was on her way out. Practically her last words were "why on earth did you call her THAT".

pmsl @ Myrtle and Phyllis

you have got to be kidding !

My friend has just named her baby Stanley...I am not sure about it.

I don't like

Ivy
Ernie
Bert
Bob
Jim
Pearl

I have a baby Mabel, Bel for short. I wanted something 'vintage' and also french. It means Lovely, or My Beautiful. My parents weren't keen, but have had lots of compliments from peers. I live in an under 5 saturated area where most name pegs at nursery have to have the surname initial after the first names to differentiate between the Olivers, Oscars, Ellas and Poppys etc. They're gorgeous names, but I really wanted her to be a bit different after choosing a simple name for my son. I might have gone for Myrtle actually as it's quite cute I think, but didn't as she's the annoying, speccy, squeaky ghost in Harry Potter! Agree, names like Hilda, Mavis and Vera are just a bit harsh sounding for me. Apparently Penelope's popular again but Penny is so eighties to me!