"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

(it's Fanjo so i can't really complain)

We (me and BF) have christened a certain section of M&S as 'the Mavis section'.

I was in the park the other day with my dc's and a little girl going by the name of Linda...

I know babies called Edith, Freda and Mabel. Am thorowing a Brenda into the mix. Baby Brenda anyone?

I personally prefer some of these lovely old names to some of the new fave names that are about. For example, my next door neighbour's teenage daughter is called Chanelle (not sure of spelling), but urgh it is a horrid name.

And I don't like many of the names that were popular when I was a kid like Claire, Karen, Rachel etc, they all seem a bit boring. I much prefer traditional names, although I must admit I would go for names such a Gertrude or Mavis, simply because I don't like the sound of them, not because they are old fashioned.

I know a Ruby, an Amelia a Nancy and an Jessie.

My gran was Hetty and my family were all when my cousin called his DD after her. His DD (nearly 3) was born only a few weeks after her death and I guess he (my cousin) wanted to remember our gran in this special way.

Interested that no one has mentioned Hetty so far. Maybe its not that awful.

my faves girls name has always been AGATHA(yes I can hear your gasps of horror) but when we had our dd my dh pint blank refused to let me call hr that :( so settled on PHOEBE instead which was old-fashioned name but now v popular thans to friends!

I have at least 6 of these on my names shortlist!

I know a Cora, an Edith, two Mabels, a Nora and probably several other girls with names listed here - all of whom are primary school age or younger.

There is nothing wrong with Phoebe or Lily or Evie (all of which some might have considered too old-fashioned not long ago) but they are two-a-penny. There's nothing wrong with choosing a name which is two-a-penny either.

What I hate though is spiteful lists like this.

Jenai, your name is freaking me out, as it was a hilarious in-joke amongst me and my friends in French lessons at school twenty years ago.

You too?

I like Edith - would shorten it to Edie

Indeed, tethers

Goodness - do you think we know each other IRL?

We couldn't have been the only teenage girls to have come up with this (ahem) hilarious pun, surely?

I do sort of think that folk who only associate those names with old women must have a pretty limited frame of reference . For instance, lots of them (Edith, Ethel etc.) are Anglo Saxon names that remind me of myth & legend & romance etc. Edith makes me think of Edith Wharton. And Edwardian names like Beryl etc. make me think of strong-jawed beautiful women campaigning for women's suffrage whilst still rocking bloomers and a bonnet. Cora is the name of the heroine in The Last of the Mohicans. Blance was John of Gaunt's first wife. Beatrice is a funny, feisty, sexy heroine in Much Ado About Nothing.

People that can only think of their Nanna just don't read enough in my view

Disclaimer: I have chosen an old-fashioned name for my potential baybee, I admit...

That is actually freaking me out. You weren't at school in hertfordshire, were you?

I really like old fashioned names so don't find this thread at all offensive.

frogs, my mum was desperate for me to call my third philomena:o it was a boy though...

pleasde explain the pun

Old lady chic is very now, and virtually over.

Potential namers(?) should be thinking of looking back to the forties and fifties and getting in there quick!
Beryl, Joan, Phyllis, Gloria etc.

I'm just trying to put people off as I don't want my DDs names becoming REALLY popular!

welliemum, you have said exactly what I was going to put

My opinion is that a anme is a name and if you love it, then use it, if not then don't! Most children really grow into their names and 99% of the time, they simply couldn't be called anything else!

My nan is an Iris Violet, which would have been classed as an old lady name when i was younger, but it is pretty!

I am a Beryl lover, and a Joy lover, and an Angela lover, an Enid and Ethel lover!
I cannot see why they are hated so much, I really can't!

Well all I can say is they are waaaay better than some of the names I hear nowadays!

SPB
J'en ai marre
He plays guitar

hilarious indeed

Tethers - no, not Herts. You can stop fretting

I am imagining lots of mothers on this thread with Daniels, Emmas, Emilys and other dull as shite names.

I love

Elsie, Mabel, Maude, Maggie, Gertrude, Ruby (although done to death), Olive, Minnie etc etc.

Gladys
Ida
Blanche
Barbara
Sheila
Patricia
Alma