Karen

[lolianja]

Am coming up 10 weeks up the ol' spout with twinnies. 3-month-old son is a James aka Jimmy and as yet we (of course) are unaware of the genders of the twins. My mother's convinced it's two girls, I think it's a boy and a girl - although in fairness I was woefully wrong last time around.

Favourite prior to this was Alice for a girl but I've found myself warming to Karen in a big way. The youngest I know is a couple of years younger than me (I'm 20) so it's a little passé, but I don't think this will be a problem. I like retro!

Any musings? I'm going to be here a LOT over the next few months with my name-related flights of fancy!

When I was little in the late 70s I always wanted to be called Karen or Lisa so I still have soft spot for those names.

Of course they won't become really popular intil about 2030s when they will be the equivalent of the Mabel, Emily, Ruby names now (ie great-grandmother names!!).

Go for it.

I was at school with lots and lots of Karens so for me it isn't old or young enough iyswim.

Fimbo made a very good spelling suggesting on page one - Caryn i really quite like and doesn't seem 80's at all....Karen i do not like, yet they are the same name.....hmmm strange.

I like it.

I like your style
Alice is nice but a bit ordinary- Karen is really out there i love it

Hang on, you have a three month old and are ten weeks pregnant (with twins) and you are 20? Wow.

If you really like 70s names, how about Sharon and Tracy, or Michelle and Deborah?

Thanks for the input folks, interesting responses!

@edam - yes.

Not keen on Sharon or Tracy. At all - I was at school with a vile Tracy! Rather l.ike Michelle and Deborah though.

I used not to like Karen, but then the daughter in Outnumbered was called that I think and I warmed to it - is possibly coming back into fashion.

Sorry to all Karens but NO. It's so 60s/70s.

Alice is much, much nicer.

(Love Jimmy, btw. Cool name!)

'Tis my name and have always disliked it, loads around when I was at school. Am a bit that not many people like it tho' and hope I am not one who was hated (further up thread)!

'tis my middle name (my first is similar in feeling to Dawn and I'm not at all keen, but hey ho!) and I'm afraid I don't like it either - sorry - very retro but not nec in a good way. Having said that, if you love it definitely go for it. My parents and in laws hated the name we had for dd so we didn't use it (India with Rose as middle name) and have regretted it, AND hated the name we had for ds (Charles/Charlie) which we did use, and we love it and it really suits him, so I say go with what you feel is right and ignore everyone else. (Karen Elson is cool isn't she?)

Oops, sorry Harlot! I think everyone is saying ok for grown up but less good for baby these days.

My god - I can't believe the positive response towards karen. I think it's awful. I'd lump it in with Pauline, Joyce and Sheila. Dated and - sorry, I am a snob - a bit downmarket.

lolianja - blimey! Had a moment of thinking you must be 'aving a larf there.

you do know you've got plenty of reproductive life left in you, don't you?

Although you will have MUCH more energy than us old birds who wait until our mid-30s to have kids. Oh, to have the energy of a 20 year old while doing battle with night wakings... AND you'll still be young when your kids are teenagers.

Mind you, you'll also have three teenagers all at once, all suffering from mood swings and all doing exams at the same time. Don't envy you that!

@edam - all accidents! I got pregnant on my gap year with Jim. He's a pill baby - and I was thoroughly meticulous, never missed a single one! These two were conceived when he was a month old (ish) ... I took the MAP 9 hours after the deed to no avail. Not looking forward to the teenage "era" which of course is only too fresh in my mind!

@MrsEricBana - (love the nickname, second the sentiment!) I love the name Charlie, what a shame your 'rents don't like it. Karen Elson is indeed awesome, I worked with her once!

I'll probably do a 180 on all the names I like right now. But I am very fnd of Karen at the moment. Good to get some feedback though, pos and neg.

Oh loli, you really don't have to justify yourself to me! (FWIW my littlest sister had a surprise baby in her last year at university. All worked out very well, sister, husband and two gorgeous children are v. happy and I'm sure you are/will be too.)

Naw, I have tried and tried and can't like it. I like your boy names though.

My mother is a Karin (her father ws German) and has spent her LIFE explaining it isn't spelt Karen, pronounced Car-een, Corinne or cureen.

She has now changed it to Kay, for all intents and purposes.

Calling your children the names you grew up with feels to me like painting every wall in your house in Magnolia. It's just so dull!

Something new, something new...

Mind you if you are 20 you didn't grow up with those names...so you should be oK!!!

I did grow up with a few Karens, actually! The new batch of names that are in at the moment really are millennium/late 90s stuff. If you look at the baby name "Top 100s" even in the early 90s (and I'm a late 80s baby) names like Karen, Kelly, Helen, Gareth, Ian etc etc are still up there. I can't really associate them with being before my time, because I grew up with so many, if you see what I mean!

I'm just not keen on the new names. Most of them sounds so faddy and hideous . I can't stand made up names or "wacky" names or anything like that. My all time preference is for the timeless names (Tom, Katie etc) but I do have a penchant for the retro stuff too.

I like Karen.

My mum is called it....so I would say its more 50's/60's than 80's! She does get called Kaz/Kay, I think its an ok name, there are a lot worse out there!!

It's OK but abit 70s and will get Kaz. What about Carys, Victoria or Antonia?

Lovely name for lovely people