Fashionable names

I read somewhere once the advice to parents choosing a name for a child to think not at how nice a name for a baby but how it would look if the child when grown up and in his or her 40s were to be appointed as a High Court Judge.

My three year old granddaughter is a Harriet, I love it.

I love my GC names they are Lukas Simon Amanda and Johanna all Swedish names but can be used anywhere. My name is lovely people say but I like to shorten it and that’s what I am known by

Irismarle I thought it was only me who loved those "Susan"books. My favourite was "Susan pulls the Strings" which I still have.

silverlining48

A friend’s gs who is now 18 is called Arthur, not my business but I couldn’t understand why they would choose that name all that time ago, it was unheard of then, but it’s more commonly used now together with Stanley’s and other such ‘old man’ names. After a while we get used to them and you will do the same. Enjoy your little Arthur.

Thanks Silverlining. I think part of my problem is that it was my dad's name, and when he died nearly six years ago I was alone with him, and held his hand as he took his last breath. It still makes me sad to think of him, and hearing his name all the time brings it all back.

Susan was popular in the Yorkshire area in the 50s not just the south. Linda is another name I remember being popular
Both my children's names were ones that are classic but I know few people with them, subsequently, both are very popular, someone named her daughter after mine, but daughter's friend is a couple of years older and is the same, albeit spelled slightly differently, she is the oldest I know though. How did we manage to choose names that were becoming so popular I wonder.

There is only one mention of Brenda in all the comments, yet we had 4 in our choir. I have yet to meet a Brenda born after the 50s. I wonder if it will ever make a comeback.
My children have all had fairly conventional names. One of them has Susan as a middle name, but she doesn’t like it much. My GDs are Paige Rosa (Rosa from my mum) and Sophia Milana (Peruvian Dad) 1 GS has an ordinary name, and one is named after the road where I live, Ashton Heath!
My favourite ‘weird’ name is ABCDE, which is apparently pronounced Ab-suh-dee!

I was in a class of five girls named Linda and I disliked the name intensely. It was amusing for us as the teacher would call "Linda" and five heads would look up! Each had to have the first initial from their surname attached to 'Linda', so there was 'LindaB', LindaS', etc.

I have a group of friends and their names are Linda, Linda and Lynne. V confusing but demonstrates the way that names 'go around' and are cyclical - and shows our approximate age.

I have heard of a few new babies recently named Linda, well, one in the UK and one in Germany so perhaps this, too is making a return.

Our primary school class had a fairly full complement of Susans, too.

These names seem trendy to this baby-generating generation fed up with Charlotte and Olivia etc.

My children are Hannah & Joshua, both quite unusual when they were born but hugely popular a couple of years later. DDs middle name is Miriam which I think is a beautiful name & DS has Francis after his grandfather. DSs boys are Lucius and Troy - a bit unusual but not too whacky!! The one has Francis as a middle name and the other Stanley which was DDIL's maiden name.
I don't particularly like my first name, it's another that was hugely popular in the late 50s & I really don't like my middle name & don't associate it with me!! Someone mentioned the name Dorcas which I've always loved and DM had a cousin called Dulcie which I think is beautiful. My much younger friend has Lily, Daisy & Poppy, all with May as a middle name. When DD was born in 1984, Louise was the most popular middle name.

I have noticed people remembering what their dolls were called, as it was a way of using a favourite name that you hadn't been given yourself. I think I'll start a new thread....

Janetashbolt

I'd rather have Susan than some of the modern "made up names". Any Janet you meet is almost 70. There were 7 in my year at school. Never heard of a younger one.

I love the name Janet. In fact I like lots of those Enid Blytony names - Sally, Jill, Felicity, Hilary, Anne.
There's something wholesome and reassuring about them.

My moms name Was Gladys. Not sure that will make a comeback.

It must be ten years or more ago, a friend told me her new grandson was called Stanley, we just looked at each other, not quite knowing what to say, and then burst out laughing, it seemed so weird!
Now of course there’s at least one in every classroom.

Grandmama Jean.
Susan Pulls the Strings was my favourite book! My Godmother bought it for me instead of an Easter egg......I think from Boots?
She asked if I wanted the book because it had my name in the title, but I hadn’t noticed!

Love that old names are making a comeback. I’m a Jacqueline Linda married to an 8th generation Augustus Charles.
My grandson is Michael Anthony, Granddaughter Lily Violet and a great nephew and great niece named Hugo and Penelope.

I would like the names, Iris or Irene brought back. I cannot stand names being shortened though. I like Victoria but not Vicky, and Rebecca but not Becky, and I hate the name Alexandra being shortened to Lexi.

You never hear of baby girls being named Hilda,Beryl, Edwina or Maureen nowadays, or baby boys named Geoffrey, Colin, Gary, Trevor. I’d love to see Geraldine make a come back as I’m very fond of that name. I like Stanley, Wilbur & Nancy too.

I was named Lydia and have only ever met a few others with my name .

About five years ago I taught an eleven year old girl called Jane. She was the first child called Jane l had come across with this name for decades and I rather liked it. Jane was one of the most popular girls’ names when was at school. Even our reading scheme was Peter and Jane. We had many Julies, a few Marias (no prizes for recognising the blockbuster film that was around when l was a baby), lots of Helens, Philippas, Carolines and Fionas at the more academic end of the ability range and it was also the era of Sharon, Sarah, Joanne, Nicola and Tracey. Several Catherine/Katherine/Kathryns, Alisons, Karens, Susan/Susannahs and Elizabeths as well. Andrew was far and away the most popular boy’s name but there were many Marks, Davids, Stephens, Philips, Brians, Pauls, Jonathans, Alans, Roberts, Stuarts and Ians. As for revival, I think l would like to see Elizabeth, Caroline,Helen, Jane and Catherine for girls and perhaps Paul, Andrew, Robert, Philip and Stephen for boys.

Lydanne
I love your name, my son would have been Lydia if he’d been a girl.
I loved it from reading the book South Riding, I loved the character of Lydia Holly,

My granddaughter is names Lydia and it was my suggestion as I have always loved it

I was a bit horrified when my dd named her eldest Audrey. It had memories of a friends downtrodden mother. Now I can’t imagine her being called anything else. Her younger sister is called Martha and she suits it. There won’t be too many of them in school hopefully.

My nan e is Linda Jane and was very common when I was born in the 1950s... I much prefer Lindy my nickname... When I had my children I wanted old fashioned unusual names for my daughters so I names them Eleanor Lucy and Amy Jane which were fairly unusual in the late 1970s when they were born. My grandchildren are Amber Lily Lucy Made George Robert and Lydia Joyce. The name I quite like now to come back in fashion would be Genevieve and Rose or Rosa

Witzend
My DGD was given one of the names you mention and I was quietly horrified but she is so cute and gorgeous I no longer think of a whiskery old aunt. It's also becoming more popular

Grandma70s my dgd has Theodora as her middle name.