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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsIt seems like all the old female names of 100 years ago are coming back.
I've run into a lot of little girls with names like Evelyn, Emma, Lilian, and Anna. What next, are they going to bring back Mildred???
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)Anywhere near 100. Yet.
begin_within
(21,551 posts)and my grandfathers, Eugene and Elmer. All E's...
redwitch
(14,946 posts)Pop Pops were Raymond and Paul.
Flaxbee
(13,661 posts)Margaret is still going strong, the other two, not so much.
I like "Elinor" - the spelling from Jane Austen's time
Momgonepostal
(2,872 posts)She likes her name.
Flaxbee
(13,661 posts)blue neen
(12,327 posts)or Thelma.
yawnmaster
(2,812 posts)blue neen
(12,327 posts)I am quite thankful that my parents didn't name me after a great-grandma.
yawnmaster
(2,812 posts)Mike, Dave, Mary, Rachel are about as old as you can get (yes I am speaking from a Euro-bias).
Now as to unappealing, that is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder.
And to that point I will agree with you, even though I'm sure some names will have different appeals between us.
newcriminal
(2,190 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,749 posts)It was my mother's name and she always threatened to disown us if we stuck a name like that on a kid. She wasn't joking! Judging by what my father called her, her name might as well have been "Honey".
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)LeftishBrit
(41,209 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)blue neen
(12,327 posts)Bertha, though...no can do. The one woman I know who has the name Bertha is a gorgeous, dignified lady in her 70's, but she has always despised her name.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)It used to be common down south.
ashling
(25,771 posts)she took her love to town?
Inspired
(3,957 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)kcass1954
(1,819 posts)my parents had picked out. She said that they just had to name me after my grandmothers, because it wasn't often that both grandmothers had the same name. My mother said, "No child of mine is going through life named Myrtle!"
(Thanks, Mom )
blue neen
(12,327 posts)It probably was considered a beautiful name in its time, I guess.
yawnmaster
(2,812 posts)Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)I'm obsessed with antiquity, so my kids' names will likely sound like the register of nursing home.
applegrove
(118,759 posts)Last edited Sat Nov 3, 2012, 03:11 AM - Edit history (1)
just before she was born. She changed her name to her middle name, Adeline, her first day of school when she was four. Glad I wasn't named 100 years ago.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)applegrove
(118,759 posts)Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)My grandmothers were named Lily May and Elsie. Lily maybe, but I don't see Elsie coming back any time soon.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)madinmaryland
(64,933 posts)Patiod
(11,816 posts)A friend from a large family, mom European, was named Gertrude, but goes by Trudy.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)I think if I were planning to call my daughter Trudy, I'd just name her that to begin with. It's much better than Gertie, which could also be a possibility with the Gertrude name.
We are Devo
(193 posts)That's my real full name, no Gertrude. I was born in '64 and it was old even then. My bro and sis were named Pam and Peter, I almost ended up being Portia or Patience. I think Portia would have been cool...Portia Penland.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)I loved my dad, Ernest, but I don't think I would have ever forgiven him if he had named me that. . Pleased to meet you, Trudy.
We are Devo
(193 posts)Sounds like you dodged a bullet! Nice to meet you too
Aristus
(66,446 posts)n/t
Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)Euphonious it aint. Another I heard in an old movie was 'Bloggett'.
Main those must have been somber times. Of course, the whole world was in black & white then too
ashling
(25,771 posts)She was younger than me, however, and for some reason that was a problem in second grade
I sill can't get this out of my head:
"John and Enid
sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G .....
I hated that
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Turns out she had cooties.
hunter
(38,325 posts)... but I don't think it's coming back.
cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)My name is Linda. When I was young there were always two and sometimes even three Linda's in all my classes, but you don't hear of too many little girl Linda's now. It's not a bad name, really. And I know there's not supposed to be an apostrophe there, but my iPad is grammatically challenged and I don't feel like fixing it.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)because it's a traditional Estonian name as well as popular in the early 1950s when I was born.
My name is not that common and I always disliked it.
But I guess the grass is always greener...
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)"beautiful".
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)I think Barbara was the most common name when I was in high school.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Growing up, my best friend's name was Mary Patricia.
I'm Patricia Mary.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)We had a one or two Mary Lous, Mary Anns and Mary Janes. It's possible the Marys in our town went to Catholic school, though
jumptheshadow
(3,269 posts)cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)Looks like it actually peaked in the 1920s and dropped off a fair bit during the 60s. Still, it spent a lot of time in the top 5, and still hasn't dropped off the top 100.
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=mary&ms=false&exact=false
(I know I keep flogging that website in this thread, but really, it is an amazing resource for anyone interested in naming trends)
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)I wonder what people would do if you named your daughter Jezebel and your son Pontius.
a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)all Boomer babies.
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)Connie, Donna, Darla, Julie, Janet, Susan, Diane, Deanna, Nancy, Joanne, Rhonda.
Guys: Steve, Mark, Mike, John, Larry, Jerry, Terry, Chuck, Ronnie, Raymond, Patrick, Don, Gerald.
Boomer names.
Barbara was popular thru the 30s, 40s and 50s. Betty was quite popular in the 20s and 30s.
Variations on Cheryl: Sheryl and Sherrill. (Sherrill Milnes is a famous male baritone.)
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)Joan, Lois, Beth, Jo-Ann, Beverly, Leslie, Annemarie and Marianne were fairly common too.
You never hear of anyone naming a girl baby Lois, Sheila, Susan or Debbie these days. Or Patricia, Donna, Susan, Nancy, Janet or most of the others. Those are grandma names now.
I never heard of anyone actually named Rhonda, just the Beach boys song. Of course it might have been a regional thing somewhere in the U.S. - I can only speak for New Jersey and the states near it.
As far as boys' names, Richard was a popular one for boys born in the '50s, along with Joseph, James and Paul. Barry, Glen, Harold, Gene and Martin/Marty were other names I ran across several times in college, etc.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)And there's Rhonda Shear.
Patiod
(11,816 posts)So I was sitting at a sushi bar in Los Angeles, and a middle aged brunette woman (much like myself) sits down next to me.
She said her name was Gina, and I told her two of my best friends were named Gina. She said "you must be from back East because NO ONE in LA is named Gina". I told her I was from SE PA and she laughed and said she was from NJ originally.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)Most boomer Kathys I know are really Katherine (or a various spelling).
Younger (under 40) Katherines seem to go by Kate/Katie instead.
LWolf
(46,179 posts)Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)class photo:
Jennifer, Jason, Jason, Jennifer, Jennifer, Jason, Jason
2nd row: Jennifer, Jennifer, Jason, Jason, Jennifer.......and so on.
Now all those
Jennifers are adults.
marzipanni
(6,011 posts)hunter
(38,325 posts)Perhaps I'm overly sensitive to the issue of schoolyard taunts.
But my name wasn't the reason I was an outcast. I was simply an odd kid.
Traditionally names are pretty fluid in my family. I'm not sure where that comes from. At least half my relatives don't go by the names on their birth certificates.
DearHeart
(692 posts)Not to mention, you don't have an entire generation of old women in their 60s and 70s with the names Tiffany, Heather, Amber, etc. At least with the old fashioned names, you can have a nickname (Debbie, Patty, Lily, etc.) when you're younger and when you're older, you can use the more formal name, if you choose.
Think of it...Grandma Tiffany, or Grandma Amber!
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)My niece will be 14 in January, so in 10 years my sis may be a grandma!!
DearHeart
(692 posts)has a wonderful ring to it!
Danmel
(4,921 posts)DearHeart
(692 posts)Didn't even realize I had made a pun until you pointed that out! Good catch!
pipi_k
(21,020 posts)the exact same thing.
Women in nursing homes with cutesy little names.
Not that the staff would call them by their first names anyway, but still.
cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2012/7/the-rise-of-liquid-names
So no, probaby not Mildred or Florence, yes on Amelia and Madeline (I know 2 of each below age 6).
That website, btw has a lot of interesting articles on naming trends, including a recent one about why the hell anyone would have named their child "Willard."
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)DearHeart
(692 posts)I also like the names Olivia, Grace, and Abigail.
I had a great grandmother with the name Zilpha (talk about old fashioned and odd!) and a grandmother with the middle name of Elva. Thought Elva was weird when I was younger, but now, I really like that name.
LeftishBrit
(41,209 posts)I've never met a Zilpha or an Elva of any age; though I know of the children's author Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
DearHeart
(692 posts)probably not too many when they were alive! Had another great grandmother with the middle name of Martelia, never heard of this name either! But, it's kinda pretty
PopeOxycontinI
(176 posts)if maybe there was some sort of cycle here. I just met an Isabel born in 1990.
The last Isabel I knew was my great aunt born in 1903. So in the 2060s or so, Matt
and Mike will become popular boys names again. Very common among guys born in the 70s and 80s, but not so much anymore.
AllenVanAllen
(3,134 posts)Mildred...not so much.
pipi_k
(21,020 posts)Evelyn is my middle name.
I've always detested it. Even more than I hated my first name.
It always sounded so...I don't know...awkward.
Then I heard it pronounced "Eve-lin" instead of "Ev-ah-lin" and decided that sounds way nicer.
AllenVanAllen
(3,134 posts)But I'm glad you found a pronunciation that sounds better to you, pipi_k.
JI7
(89,262 posts)LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)She was born in 1920, in Estonia.
My grandmothers, also in Estonia, were Pauline and Emilie
sarge43
(28,942 posts)I was named after my grandmother who was born in the 1890's.
It's a feminine name, doesn't lend itself to cutesy or silly nicknames, doesn't automatically date me like some of the fad names and wears well, suitable for a young girl or old lady.
Something to be said for the old names -- classic, stands the test of time.
S_E_Fudd
(1,295 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)It means gazelle.
rusty fender
(3,428 posts)I have a Dorcas in mine as well! In the 1800's I think.
eppur_se_muova
(36,281 posts)could arise by marriage.
marzipanni
(6,011 posts)had two middle names, one of them being Dorcas.
LeftishBrit
(41,209 posts)She'd be in her early 20s now.
She had a sister called Agnes.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Would work nicely for twin girls.
Baitball Blogger
(46,756 posts)I thought it was horrid. Now I think it's hip. And I remember how old I felt when Stephenie Meyer said she was looking for an old name that had fallen from use to name her one hundred year old Vampire, and so she named him Edward.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)Link:
http://www.babycenter.com/popularBabyNames.htm?year=1912
Girls: Mary, Helen, Dorothy, Margaret and Ruth
Boys: John, William, James, Robert, Joseph
MuttLikeMe
(279 posts)I've always liked that name. I think it's pretty.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,829 posts)goes away soon. Madison, for example. There are lots of Madisons now. Seriously, you named your kid after the capital of Wisconsin? Why not Albuquerque if you're going that route? And then there are all those trendy names that are actually last names, like Taylor. Ptui. Also, get off my lawn.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)I was named after James Taylor.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,829 posts)Interesting that your parents named you after James Taylor, though.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)It seems really common in the southeast with both male and female names. Never saw so many people who had first names that sound more like last names.
Don't even get me going on the biblical name thing....................
MrsBrady
(4,187 posts)It's awful. I agree.
But it's with both boys and girls....
many of them have last names for first names.
cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)Madison derives almost directly from Daryl Hannah's character in Splash. And the writers of that movie named her after Madison Ave. So all the Madisons out there aren't even named after a city, but a street.
And yeah, the last name thing annoys me too.
eppur_se_muova
(36,281 posts)Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)I know of a Madison in her late teens. She has a sister named Lexington.
I was waiting for the third daughter to be named Avenue of the Americas, but it did not happen. She's Waverly.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,829 posts)femmocrat
(28,394 posts)One is Brooklynn, though.
geardaddy
(24,931 posts)And occupation names...Hunter, Tanner, Thatcher, etc.
Yuck.
raccoon
(31,118 posts)the first name, and the surname for the middle name?
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)has an old classic name like that. It was my grandmother's name, who was born in 1911, and she's ten now. I think the trend for this started awhile ago, at least 20 years or more.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)There was a very special Priscilla who sat in front of me in 7th and 8th grades so maybe that's why. I loved calling her "Miss Priscilla" when I was a boy.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)madmom
(9,681 posts)HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)harmonicon
(12,008 posts)My grandmother (born about 100 years ago) was named Wilma. I doubt that will come back into fashion any time soon, unless maybe there's a successful Flintsones revival.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)So I COULD have been named Mina Williamina or Williamina Mina.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)Wilhelmina = Girl William
Mina is a pretty cool nickname though, mostly because of Dracula.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Her parents couldn't decide what to name her. Everyone called her Ina.
a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)My parents thought for sure they were having a boy, so when I popped out, the only name they could think of was a female version of the male name.
Sigh.
raccoon
(31,118 posts)MrsBrady
(4,187 posts)There's a lot of made up first names that I've never seen before
with both the girls and boys...
in fact I googled some of the kids' names cuz they are so weird and
I don't find them....so I don't know where the parents are getting
these freaky names.
I'm telling you they are made up, freaking weird names...
and I'm talking along all backgrounds/nationalities.
And there is also so much misspelling of traditional biblical names -- it's almost frightening
I can think of only one Steven, Two Alexanders and Two Charlies, and one Paul.
That's the only traditional names I've seen.
No Marys for girls or anything like that.
Although, we have several Emmas...but I think that name is going to be popular all the time.
No Johns or Roberts or Richards for the boys that I can think of.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,829 posts)Celia, Isabel, Hilda, Dorothy, Edna, Marian, Cora, Edith, Thelma and Vivian.
geardaddy
(24,931 posts)Pretty standard grandma names.
Patiod
(11,816 posts)probably because of Twilight - Belle or Bella. My favorite aunt was Isabel, and when I was little, she was "Aunt Belle"
I had a grandmother Agnes, aunts Mary, Helen, Isabel, Rita, Margreta, Rosemarie and Alexandra (and uncle Percival and Ed).
My cousins, from the 50s, are Christina, Judy, Barbara, Pat, and Marilyn.
The male cousins all have fairly timeless names: John, Andy, Tom, Gerry, and Richard (although he's still called Dicky, which wouldn't fly today).
kwassa
(23,340 posts)I have a family genealogy that goes back to early Massachusetts Bay Colony. Most names are still in common use, but the few that are not, that were common then were ...
Mehetabel and Dorcas for girls, and Zadok for boys.
edit to add:
My wife informs me that a friend of ours is named Dorcas, though she is known only as Dee.
Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) was a disciple who lived in Joppa, referenced in the Book of Acts 9:3642 of the Bible. Acts recounts that when she died, she was mourned by "all the widows ... crying and showing (Peter) the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them." (Acts 9:39). This may indicate that Dorcas was a widow, or at the very least that she joined the widows in their works of charity. The disciples present called upon Saint Peter who came from nearby Lydda to the place where her wake was being held and raised her from the dead.
eppur_se_muova
(36,281 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)and was surprised to find it in the family tree.
but no Archies throwing bricks at Officer Pup.
a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)Was named Narcissa. Damn.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)I currently have a Hattie, Sarabeth (I love that name), Donna, Isabel, Minnie, several Sophie or Sophias, and I'm sure some others will come to me later..... Olivia has seem to run its course right now.
We still have way too many Jaydens, Caidens, and Aidens among the boys, though. I can't keep all the crazy variations in spelling straight! LOL
kwassa
(23,340 posts)Of course, there is a 5 year lag time before they show up in your school.
Wounded Bear
(58,698 posts)although she went by her middle name, Lucille. Apparently there was another Mildred in the family that pre-dated her.
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)i've known women born in the early 1900s named Ruby, Opal, Pearl, Beryl
Interesting trivia: Lloyd Bentsen's widow, B.A., her actual maiden name was Beryl Ann Longino. My mother went to college with her in 1940 at Texas Woman's University. B.A. was beautiful & had her own featured page in the yearbook as one of the beauty queens.
GReedDiamond
(5,316 posts)...I had a great aunt who lived to 102, her birth certificate/official name was "Thresia" - her parents (turn of the 19-20th C German immigrants) were trying to name her Theresa.
She was forever known as "Trady."
ashling
(25,771 posts)my grandmothers
I can almost guarantee that between 4 classes scheduled for next semester I will have Brittany x at least 6 different spellings.
I like the old names.
eridani
(51,907 posts)Madison (Wisconsin?) Kennedy (Expressway?)
Patiod
(11,816 posts)Her parents were named Martin, and they were from Western PA. They were driving through Eastern PA and like the sound of one of the towns (Bryn Mawr) , so they called her Bryn --- Bryn Martin.
myrna minx
(22,772 posts)eridani
(51,907 posts)In South King County, WA, I wouldn't be surprised to hear someone say "Auburn if it's a girl, Renton if it's a boy."
Saphire
(2,437 posts)tjwmason
(14,819 posts)I've given them all names, Mildred is no more however - I now have Agnes and Gertrude.
geardaddy
(24,931 posts)Though, I think Emma and Anna have always been popular.
I've even seen little girls around here called Pearl and Daisy.
Paladin
(28,271 posts)....on high school cheer leading squads. I'll believe it when I see it......
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)not the cheerleader temperament though.
Walk away
(9,494 posts)Thankfully, they skipped my generation.
LWolf
(46,179 posts)I spend a little time each year outside our kindergarten classrooms looking at what will be coming up the stairs to me in 6 years.
Right now, I have an Emma and an Anna. I also have 6 Madisons, with 6 different spellings. About 7 years ago, it was Michaela and Briana; those are still around, but waning.
Currently, a lot of Coltons, Parkers, and Hunters. Several years back, Codies came in great waves. Dakota and Cheyenne are still popular, but beginning to wane. Austin is still popular. I have several versions of Kaylie and McKenna. Some Calebs, Tanners, Tylers, Wades, and Kyles.
I also currently have a Mabel, a Hazel, a Joe, an Elizabeth, which has been scarcer for a couple of decades, a Sarah, and a Veronica.
So I do see some names coming back into fashion. There are other names, common in my childhood, my mothers, and my grandmothers, that are not.
blueamy66
(6,795 posts)was Irene.
My niece named her 3rd daughter Celeste. Love it!
Quantess
(27,630 posts)femmocrat
(28,394 posts)That was my mother's name and she hated it. She always went by her nickname.
There is a young up-and-coming U.S. figure skater named Agnes Zawadzki.
LeftishBrit
(41,209 posts)Emma, Emily and Sophie have been popular for quite a while, though they seemed old-fashioned when I was a kid. More recently, I have started coming across across little girls called Flora, Florence, Lily, Clara, Amelia, Minnie and Maudie, and boys called Wilfred and Hugo. I even met a small girl in the late 90s called Dorcas.
Patiod
(11,816 posts)When we meet a guy named Ralph, we always ask if his dad is/was Ralph, and he always is/was.
He's bracing for "Wreck 'em, Ralph"
cherish44
(2,566 posts)I think it's pretty anyway
Qanisqineq
(4,826 posts)I like both Clara and Cora
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Clara is too Germanic sounding.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)A family member works in the agency that certifies/files birth data. She says people often misspell the name "BRIAN" and end up with "BRAIN". Oops. Too late! Brain Jones.
madmom
(9,681 posts)Molly and Sally. Know of no others with those names.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)twenty-five years ago. She was from the Deep South, though.
We are Devo
(193 posts)I always pronounce it Eloise though...
Caroline-Vivienne
(117 posts)I know a little bit about the recent trends in older girls names....
The Emmas/Olivias/Bella's of the past several years are due to popular characters in entertainment.
Emma was a baby from the TV show Friends
Olivia from the Law and Order Series -and- a popular children's book
Bella (Isabella) for Twilight
Celebrities naming their children also have an effect. Hence there have been more Ava's (Reese Witherspoon), Sophia's (Sylvester Stallone) and Lilys (Johnny Depp).
Child star Abigail Breslin has also helped 'Abigail' jump up the list these past few years.
Interspersed with these names are several remaining trends from the past couple of decades.
First you had the 'last name as a first name' trend, which is still prevalent with Madison (from Darryl Hannah's character in Splash), Riley, Peyton, Sloane, etc...
Then you have the 'place/location name' trend which broke out in the 1990's: Sierra, Dakota, Montana, Sydney, Savannah, Mesa, Eden, etc...
But I don't think those old-fashioned names are going away anytime soon.
Recent celebrity names (probable future trending names)
Jennifer Connelly's daughter - Agnes Wren
Tina Fey's 2 daughters - Alice and Penelope
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)When the Twilight books came out I expected a wave of little boys named Edward.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)Don't think that one's coming back.