Popular names when you went to school

I've never had an Anne in school friends, as far as I can remember.
An auntie Anne, though.

We had 7 Susans in my class in the early 1960s. I haven’t come across any babies with that name recently. A lot of Anne’s, too.

I love Jumping Nellie.

When my aunt was a little girl, she insisted that her new best friend at school was called Jumping Nellie. Her parents discovered eventually that she was Joan Pengelly.

I started in the early 60s.
By the time I left, I knew a Soraya, a Beverly, and a Paula.

Susan was the most popular name for girls followed closely by Gillian. Boys were David and Paul.

Lots of the others that have been mentioned were popular too - Ann(e), Debora (various spellings), Carol, Christine, Julie/Julia.
Graham, Malcolm, Alan, Andrew.

I started school in the middle 60s

My girl insisted her new best friend at playschool was called "HappyGal"

We had a Rupert. His sister was Ashley, so they were both quite unusual names.

Their parents were quite posh, I think.
No sneering, in case anyone thinks I am!

My Bruce was probably Bruce the younger.

Oh yes, I remember a Bruce as well.
But not the same one, obviously.

We had a Bruce at my infant school

There were quite a few Susans, Janets and Janices around when I was at school, a couple of Christines too. As for the boys , I didn't pay much attention to them in those days but I do remember that there was a Rodney, Roderick, Eric, Martin and a Russel .

They're the same names, more or less, decades apart.

1950s Deborah, Lynne, Pauline, Jean, Julia, Susan, Myra, Carolyn, Rosemary
Kenneth, Richard, Paul, Keith, John, Robert.
Traditional names. None of today’s made-up silly names.

I still have my autograph book from 1959 when I left primary school.

Susan, Pat, Carol, Cherie, Angela, Hilary, Deborah, Yvonne,
David, Michael, Fred, Christopher,
Richard. Malcolm.
There were 44 children in that one class so this is just a few.

Pamela, Patricia, Elizabeth, Carol, Carolyn, Gillian, Jennifer, Barbara, Valerie, Pauline, Susan, Margaret, Anne, Kathryn, Judith. Born in 1940 or earlier.
A friend was named Edna which she disliked, ‘Use your middle name, we suggested’ but it was Gladys, both after aunts.
My name was unusual then, became popular 25 years later. I didn’t meet another until I was 20 and have only ever come across 2 older than I am!

Pat. Sandra Jasmine Diane Marjorie Dorothy Anne

My name is Irish because we are Irish. When I went to grammar school, I SO wanted to be like the other girls. They were Sandra, Pauline, Diane, Susan and such like. I love my Irish heritage now.

Grannybags

I wanted to have a name that could be shortened to a boys name like George in the Famous Five. I used to pretend my name was Toni, Peta or Stevie!

Oh yes, there was a Petronella at my school too. Not in my year and I don't think anyone shortened it.

Maureen, Christine, Pamela, Patricia, Ann, Brenda, Pauline etc
with an occasional Gabriella, Fern, Aurora or Flora.
(If you recognise the last four you might have been at the same school as me).
Boys were Brian, Anthony, David, Andrew, Michael etc
with an occasional unusual name or two.

In my class at grammar school out of 29 students six were named Michael.

We had Lorraine, Karen, Julie, Susan,Lisa, Tina, Vicki, Jackie, Pauline, Anita, and Wendy. Boys names were Neil, Colin, Andrew, Vince, Paul, Nicholas,Mark and Simon.
I actually really like my own name, there were four others in my year with the same name.
My eldest Grandson has an old fashioned name, which we all love, and he's the only one in his school, with the name.

I liked Lavinia, too.