Blast from the past.

* Doris and Gladys still to make a comeback though.*
I know a couple of small girls called Doris, but no Gladys as yet. Several called Mabel, Ivy and Violet. My mother was called Amelia after an aunt who died in childbirth. She hated it as horribly old-fashioned, longed to be called something like Irene, and cried when I said I was calling my own daughter Amelia after her Nana!

PS David Tennant has got another daughter named Olive - she is older than my GD

I have an eight year old GD called Olive - named after my mother who died two weeks before she was born. At the time it was quite unusual for a newborn and I was horrified with my DS and DILs choice. All I could think of was ‘Olive Oyl’ and ‘Olive on the buses’ but of course neither of them made this connection as it was well before their time.
I’ve grown to love the name of course and my DIL often says how much she loves the name Olive.
I have noticed that the name seems to be getting more popular of late.

There's a seventeen year old apprentice at my hairdresser's called Doris...

Not an Ena in sight then? I liked my name until Ena Sharples came along. I changed to my middle name at senior school and it is only lately when dealing with hospitals I have found it easier to use Ena again. I still like it.

My mum’s name was Ada and she absolutely hated it so changed her name unofficially to Anne. She would be bemused to think that her detested name was coming back in to fashion!

Calendargirl

Doris and Gladys still to make a comeback though.

And not heard of many named Phyllis or Winifred either.

Please put me right if you know any.

David Tennant has a daughter named Doris.

Maywalk

How about Amelia. Ellen. Florence. ?

I have a great-niece called Amelia, and my niece’s stepdaughter is called Florence. My youngest granddaughter is Lottie! (Not short for Charlotte, but as a name in its own right).

My grandparents were Elsie and Arthur - both right back in vogue now. My other GP's were Winifred and Travis! Not yet quite back in fashion.

I think my son goes to the same preschool ?

Musicgirl

Eleanor, Florence, Molly, Lily and Amelia have been around for some time now. Phoebe has also been popular for some years. I have taught an Ellen (which I like) and an Elsie and an Ada - names l don’t like but I liked the girls very much. Around four or five years ago, I taught a girl called Jane and it struck me that this was the first child called Jane l had heard of for years - it was one of the most popular girls’ names when I was at school and I like it. Names like Dennis, Bernard, Edith and Dorothy sound like old people to me but obviously not to modern parents. On Mumsnet a few weeks ago, there was a discussion on the next old-fashioned girls’ name to be revived and I was amused that there was so much agreement for my name, Elaine, and how pretty they all thought it was. That’s the fifty year cycle rather than the hundred so there is hope yet for all the Susans, Angelas, Lindas and Christines of our generations. I would not be at all surprised if Susan were not soon to be revived.

I absolutely love the names Susan and Jane. Also Helen.

Moggycuddler

How about Alma?

My best friend at school was an Alma, but I haven't met any others.
We have Lily, Rosa, Rosemary, Flora, Elanor, Ammabel and Martha in our little social circle, along with a couple of Sophias. Boys are Jack, Harry and Matthew.
I wanted to call my D Penelope but finally decided on a family name instead. We found finding a boy's name much harder somehow.

Jennyvg my granddaughter is Violet it’s very popular now

My middle name is Gladys after my beloved mum. It was her middle name too but her first name was Leonora and I use to chastise her for not naming me that. But now even Gladys is making a comeback. I love Nellie it’s my darling daughter-in-laws name I call her Nells.

Names like "Chardonnay" "Britney" and "Chantelle" reminds me of when I worked on a chat line. We used to invent the most absurd names we could think of because it was part of the fun and the fantasy.

Now (some) people actually lumber their kids with these footballer's wives type names.

My middle name is Violet, I have never liked it, I have not heard of any young Violets.

This conversation shows that many of us think the same.

Popular fashions in names are following the present fashion for individuality. The old names making a comeback are not very creative and they will be ephemeral.

I can imagine why these old names were attractive when first invented and it's rather pity they went down the social scale.

My mother and grandmother were both Minnie please don’t tell me any child is named that nowadays ?

My granddaughter’s best friend is called Edith. They are 10. My granddaughter has two middle names, one after me, and one is Olivia, which is very different from Olive, somehow.

I have a great niece called Elsie - she’s three.

I’d really like to see Susan return. I know of little girls called Susanna, but not Susan.

When I was a little girl - I’m 82 - almost all girls seemed to be called Margaret, Patricia, Judith or Jean. (Not me, I hasten to add.) Boys were David or John.

My parents were Welsh so of course, I have a Welsh name, Bronwen Cerys. I hated my name when I was a child but I love it now. There’s nobody I know with my name where I live!

My DGD is Harriet which I think is a throw back, my DGS is Elijah which I think is quite popular

Linda was a very popular name when I was at school - how many do your hear of now? Christine was another - how long before those come back, I wonder? Once those girls would have been celebrating their 115th birthdays, I suspect.

Must say I’ve often been thankful for a classic name that doesn’t date - all down to my mother, who was given a fashionable-at-the-time name that she came to loathe!

What about boys names?
Our son, nearly 40 now, has the middle name Ernest after grandparents of ours. I can't remember Grandma's first name now, to my shame, but was grateful we had a boy as we had agreed to use her name in the middle if it was a girl.
We did once ask our Simon if he wanted to change his middle name but he was proud to have the ancestral connection!

I know of a Jonah, a Noah, a Mary Jane and a Hortensia in our village all between 2 and 7 years. I too like (most of) the old names, it's nice to see them becoming popular again.

I chose very traditional names for my children...David William and Catherine Rose! Thankfully, they've carried on the tradition.. James David, Robin James Andrew David and Jacob Andrè (ok..Andrè was after my DiLs favourite uncle). However, another family member called their girls Morgan and Ellis...after designer brands!