"Old Lady" names which should never see the light of day ever again

[MrsSchadenfreude]

In my opinion. I give you:

Ethel
Enid
Edna
Doris
Maud(e)
Hilda
Ena
Elsie
Gladys

Sorry should have previewed my post - it should read "her little sister" although I also have a son!

I know a toddler named Sybil.

my nan and her sisters are sybil, ruby and eve which are all quite acceptable really and the have a brother called alf who everyone calls alfie which is another trendy name of the moment

I really quite like Sybil. Don't like Joyce, but I love Joy.

Fellation, I know a little Daphne. A bit of a double-take name when you first hear it, but like all of them you get used to it, it's just her name, no longer an old-lady name. :)

I also kind of know a 5yo Doris ... but she is our sponsored child in Ghana, so free from the associations we have in the UK (though personally while my Doris-association IS little-old-lady, it's good little-old-lady as it was my grandmother's name).

Hate Joan, Jean, Mildred, Dot, Prudence,

Barbara

Maureen

Jean
Ethel
Audrey
Yvonne

Oh dear. My 2 year old dd is an Aileen - but pronounced like Eileen. (Her father's family are Turkish and the name Aylin is pronounced the same in Turkish. We wanted something that everyone could pronounce and which would fit both cultures. It also happens to be my mother's name).

Most people look slightly confused when she tells them and ask me to confirm it. Then they change the subject....

Sybil always reminds me of Sally Field and her gushing Oscar speech "you like me, you really like me!"

My MIL is Elsie, my grandmother Freda and Dora so covered some of the names, although both grandmothers disliked their own names.

Don't really not like any except for Beryl and Maureen although Ethel and Ena aren't great either.

Only got to page 3 but Betty is v trendy atm - I know several - and Ruby has been popular for years.

I also know two Dorothys, a Maud, a Pearl, a Nora, an Agnes, an Ada, a Gwen and one of my DDs' has Joan as a middle name.

Hortensia.

And I had an elderly aunt called Mona. Why would you do that?

Norma
Barbara
Roma
Phyliss (just makes me think Syphilis )
Irene
Gertrude
Bessie
Vera
Marguerite
Myrtle
Thelma
Gladys
Elma

Surely Gertrude must be the ultimate worst...?

My mum is Maureen and I have an Aunty Barbara!!

My friends Aunt was called Pansy!

I like Gertrude - little Gertie is cute!

We're considering Joan for a middle name too but DH is worried its too granny or too 'auntie'. I feel its due a revival too. Joan Jet and the blackhearts? not granny

I know a Kitty and an Audrey... some of these are really common. How odd.

Yes we have a few Daphnes round here. Love it - " Spiffing, Daffers!"

We also have a few Maggies ( Margaret ) and loads of Rubys and Kittys.

A lot of the original op names would be good cat names, IMO. Our family friends had a massive ginger tom called Eric which suited him brilliantly.

My exMIL was miffed because I wouldn't call one of my girls Muriel. I called her Abigail instead.

And I hate Marjorie too:)

Am I wrong in thinking some of these old lady names are still pretty popular in Ireland? Like Nora, Eileen/Aileen and Marion for example.

I have friends in their twenties with these names and I know other friends with DDs who have these names and I'd never really thought of them as being old fashioned!!

Some old lady names are lovely!
Jean
Joan
Joy
Ada
and definitely Maud!
Gorgeous names. Could not bring myself to use Joyce as dd's middle name though (it's MILs name) so went for Joy instead.
Can be made less old ladyish but also maybe rather too twee if you add ie, Jeanie, Joanie, Maudie

Other good old lady names:
Dora
Dilys
Clarice
Audrey
Kitty
Lettie
harriet

Probably not:
Mildred
Hilda (Thatcher's middle name)
Can't bear Elsie (sorry, know it's popular)

um...onebatmother...MY 5 year old is called Joy! I also have another dd called Amelia (Milly for short)
I've never thought that they were old lady names at all! I've always thought they were very pretty actually.

Winsome
Pauline
Claudette
Yvette

I would have to say Phyllis, which really dissappoints me because my grandma's name was Phyllis who I loved dearly. I would have really liked to give the name to my DD who is due next week but I know that I couldn't inflict a name on her that may cause bullying. I have chosen to use my granma's middle name 'Mary' instead but would have loved to have had Phyllis if I could have got away with it