Common American Names / Nicknames that will never make a comeback

I had a Filipina co-worker who named her daughters Karen and Linda. I guess nobody told her those are old lady names.

They are soon-to-be-old lady names. Lois, Linda and Karen's parents are dying off but Lois and Linda are still active late-middle-agers.

Denise.

I have ancestors’ named Lois from the early 1600s. I think it is derived from Louis, King of France. So, it’s old as dirt, not really mid-century.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Nancy was actually a nickname for Anne.

Judith is a common Jewish name. Judy seems like a natural diminutive. Barbara is a Catholic Saint, and traditional Catholics choose a Christian name for their child. Eileen, Cathy, Maggie some of the others are common Irish names.

Anne is medieval, not mid-century. It comes from Hannah, which is even older.

I pity any kid called Mildred. That's a frickin huge handicap right there from birth.

Sarah, Rachel and Lisa are a generation of names behind the Lois's and Joanne's, but they're also distinctly uncool.

Here are some names I’ve seen in my ancestral New England town that seem unlikely to come back:

Annis, for a woman.

Ebenezer (ruined by Charles Dickens)

Mercy

Remember

Fear

Twisden

Knott

Seaward

Jemima

Uriel

Eleazer

Mehitable, for a woman

Enock

Deliverance

Ambrose

Humphrey

Winslow

Osmon

Patience

Bethiah

Lot

Henchman was an old first name. I’ve only heard it used to refer to a 19th century person’s “fixer”, but it was actually a first name.

I know of a ten year old Edith, a seven year old Susannah and a nine year old Yvonne. These are all names I associate with over-60s.

You don’t hear of many people named Pauline or Annette any more. Also Jeanette, Joan, Lynette, Doreen or Patsy.

They'll come back around again. Just when they seem they are dying off, they come back into fashion. Even some of the names you NEVER thought were coming back are very popular now, like "Florence" and "Matilda."

Once all the Boomer and Gen X Lindas and Jennifers start dying off altogether , they will come back in fashion.

Btw, "Lisa" is an old nickname for "Elizabeth," and "Nancy" for "Ann" (Anne"). They are out fo fashion now but will come back around in twenty-thirty years.

Debbie and Carrie.

[quote] Anne is medieval, not mid-century. It comes from Hannah, which is even older.

Anne goes back even further than the medieval period .

St. Anne was the mother of the Virgin Mary.

Love this thread as I've always been fascinated by the popularity (or lack thereof) of names in American culture.

After all the centuries of St. Joan's notoriety, what suddenly made it such a popular name in the late 1920s? Was it because of Joan Crawford?

Why did Ava, Cary, Clark and Lana not become popular names? Those were 4 very popular actors. Too much to live up to? Yet Elizabeth, Audrey, Grace, Ava, mysteriously, is now suddenly very popular. What about Hedy? That one never caught on.

Was Susan Hayward responsible for the popularity of Susan in the late 1940s/early 1950s?

Bette Davis, Betty Grable and Betty Hutton were huge stars in the 1940s but that was around the time Betty/Bette became an unpopular name for baby girls. Hmmm......

Sorry, meant to point out above that unlike Ava, Lana, Cary and Clark, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly's reputations never seemed to intimidate the naming of baby girls.

Monica. Kim. Chuck. Fred

[quote] After all the centuries of St. Joan's notoriety, what suddenly made it such a popular name in the late 1920s? Was it because of Joan Crawford?

Actually, it was not at first because of Crawford. It became trendy first because of the canonization of St. Joan of Arc by Pope Benedict XV in 1920 (which was very late, given that Joan of Arc lived during the Hundred Years War and had a cult about her ever since).. This spawned a craze for Joan of Arc in Western Europe and North America throughout the 20s--statues of her went up in many cities (including my city of Portland, OR); George Bernard Shaw wrote the play "Saint Joan"; and "Joan" became one of the most popuar names in the US for baby girls.

MGM had their contract player Lucille LeSueur enter a naming contest run by the magazine [italic]Movie Weekly[/italic] because Louis B. Mayer did not like the name "LeSueur." ("It reminds me of a sewer," he told her). The then-very-trendy name of "Joan Arden" won the contest, but another actress had recently taken that very name as a screen name, so the studio changed it to Joan Crawford, and LeSueur had to take it, even though she thought it was inelegant. But after she took it, she became a star, and so she kept it.

Bertha. Never coming back.

[quote] Yet Elizabeth, Audrey, Grace, Ava, mysteriously, is now suddenly very popular.

Elizabeth became popular again not because of Elizabeth Taylor (born in 1932), but because of the current Queen Elizabeth II (born in 1926). There was so much press obsession around Princess Elizabeth of York (as she was named when she was born) that the name boomed in popularity in the late 20s and early 30s, and Elizabeth Taylor's British parents were probably influenced by that popularity when they chose it for their daughter. Princess Elizabeth was the first grandchild born of George V, and though it was certainly not expected at birth she would ever inherit the throne, just because it had been so long since a baby had been born to the House of Windsor, the press was obsessed with her.

Though I feel sorry for baby girls named Mildred, I think Milly is a very cute name.

"Millie"/"Milly" is a popular name for small girls these days, but they are more usually fully named "Matilda" or just "Millie"/"Milly" rather than "Mildred" or "Millicent."

I read the obituary of an elderly lady and her name was Flora-Belle. Outdated needless to say.

Royal baby names are now a huge influence on names. Both "William" and "Harry" (and Harry's proper name "Henry") became popular again when Princess Diana chose them. (Most Williams up until that time in the early 80s had gone by Bill or Billy, but William and Will became popular forms of the name again.) Supposedly there has been a huge resurgence in the popularity of the names George, Charlotte, and Louis since Kate named her babies those names (or, more likely, was instructed to give her babies those names). But this does not translate to lesser royals: neither Beatrice nor Eugenie became popular as names after Fergie gave them to her daughters.

I grew up with a girl named Ethel. Never hear it anymore.

Ethel Potter.

We never forgot 'er.

My name is David. It's been around for centuries and will never go out of fashion. Know lots of other David's.

I’m Doug.

We are a rarity now.

Most popular names for boys in the 1950s (at least in the Northeast): Steven, David, John, Jeffrey, Daniel, Mark, Bill (never Will), and Robert (usually Bob or Bobby, never Rob until The Dick Van Dyke Show). That hasn't changed, has it? There all still very popular.

But also popular then and mostly disappeared: Ira, Marvin, Melvin, Howie, Arnold, Harvey, Norman, Guy, Larry, Gary, Stuart and Stewart.

James has long been popular though once usually called Jim or Jimmy.

I don't think we'll see many Donalds for next few hundred years.

Loretta briefly became a very popular name in the 1930s after the advent of Loretta Young. Did anyone famous have that name before her?

It's odd when movie stars make a difference in names (which is not often).

One of the biggest ever was from Gary Cooper: "Gary" was thought an exotic and unique first name for boys (it was much more often thought of as a last name or the name of a city in Indiana) before he caught on as a star, and then his name just took off and became one of the most popular boy's names in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. But "Cary"never really caught on.

"Debbie" became very popular after Debbie Reynolds.

Will "Bernadette" ever make a comeback?

r30, I was born in 1949 and went to school with many Debbies, Deborahs and Debras, who were all named before anyone heard of Debbie Reynolds. But I do wonder why the name was so popular in 1949.

And did you happen to read my post upthread about Ava, Lana and Clark as well as Cary? It's a mystery!

Shirley.

Now there's a name that won't be making a comeback any time soon.

Jean and Jane seem to have vanished, along with Joan

Stephen or Steven seems to have had a huge wave, and now it's gone. I remember my Uncle Steve about it and him lamenting that even there were at least two or three others in every class at school. He was born in the early 60's but the Steve Wave must have started in the 50's.

I know a woman named Mercy! In New England.

Also a 13-year old named Barbara. That blows my mind.

Dorothy, Deirdre, Shelley, Angela.....gone!

But Beatrice is suddenly very popular.

Mamie, Grace and Louise are all very pretty names!

Barbara was popular among the Polish of a certain age.

My mother was named Marjorie and mostly known as Margie or Marge.

Will Roger ever make a comeback?

I know a sheep named Baaabraaa. She’s Australian.

Ebenezer, Elizur. Ezekial, Isaac, Ichabod, Gideon, Lot. Levi, Noah, Eliphalet, Amos, Phineas, Salmon, Peletiah, Job, Elijiah, Hezekiah, Josiah, Moses, Ira, Selah, Gad, Seth, Solomon,Nehemiah..... I come from old New England Mayflower colonial stock and those male names were very common in the colonial era. If you are a WASP and study genealogy your male ancestors will have some of those names, I guarantee.

Only Amish, some Mormon or other Christian fundamentalist families give their boys those names now.

I was reading Jane Austen and realized how common/popular the name Fanny was, in both England and the US (I believe) in the 1800s. Now, fanny means butt in American English and vulva in Great Britain. How on earth did that happen? Fanny’s never coming back into style.

Bobby Lee

Nellie seemed to have been a fairly commonplace name in England/Scotland.

I live in NJ. John has been replaced by Jonathan. At Starbucks, my cup often reads Jon, John, or Jhon. I’m not sure of the origin of Jhon. My area has large populations of Filipino, South American, and Vietnamese.

Second and third generation Indian guy should are getting American names. Ryan seems very popular.

Peter

Sydney

Lionel

Peter

Paul

& Mary

Wasn't Nell originally a nickname for Ellen? Like Nan and Nancy were for Ann?

Harry, Sam, and Max were my friends' father's names. Now they're my friends' sons' names.

Is Matthew the most popular boy's name of the last 20 years?

I wonder how kids with names like Edith (Edie) or Maisie who are toddlers now are going to cope when they're 13, fat-faced and squeezing into some cut-off denims and a bandeau. I bet they'll wish their parents had at least given them a decent middle name like Alison or Rebecca that they can switch to, but nope it'll be something gut-churning like "Edie-Mae Rose' or 'Maisie Grace'.

[quote] Ebenezer, Elizur. Ezekial, Isaac, Ichabod, Gideon, Lot. Levi, Noah, Eliphalet, Amos, Phineas, Salmon, Peletiah, Job, Elijiah, Hezekiah, Josiah, Moses, Ira, Selah, Gad, Seth, Solomon,Nehemiah..... I come from old New England Mayflower colonial stock and those male names were very common in the colonial era. If you are a WASP and study genealogy your male ancestors will have some of those names, I guarantee.

Honey, the Jews STILL use many of those names.

[quote]"Debbie" became very popular after Debbie Reynolds.

As well as Tammy from her Tammy movies.

Mom, Thelma and grandmothers Della and Annabelle aren’t coming back, the latter because of that demon doll.

Marilyn became a popular name in the 1920s but faded in the 50s when Marilyn Monroe was at the peak of popularity.

Annette! That's another baby boomer one I don't see happening.

Susan was pretty big. Now, nothing.

Janice.

Jane is having a comeback. I know a 4 year old Jane. That's also a classic. It cuts across eras. The midcentury names, not so much.

Emma has been a staple. Sometimes it becomes very popular, sometimes not so much, but it's never out of tune. It's never been super era-specific, like a Nancy or, oh man, Dierdre!

Gary and Roger. But I do know a 40 year old Gary. Very conservative background though.

Robert is an old name that will probably ebb and flow. But in the midcentury, the nickname was Bob. Now it's fully Robert, or it's Rob, but not Bob.

What about Donald?

Annabelle is COMPLETELY coming back. So is Annabella. However, I don't think of those as common midcentury names. I see Annabelle as more in the vein of 10-15 years ago, when all these wholesome farm type names were popular, like Molly. And yes, Fanny and Anna.

Doris

Edith and Maisie are very aristo names. Bohemian. Edie Sedgwick, for example. It can be stuffy and grandma, or SO stuffy and grandma it loops around itself and becomes cool. Both of those names are of today.

Bertha, though, I can't see EVER reappearing. It had to have been horrid even in the era when people actually named their kids that.

Mary has made a comeback, but that's not really midcentury. It's nursing home.

All it takes is one clever celebrity to revive the mid mod names. Charlie Sheen has come closest with his son “Bob.” Getting boring with all the Hazels and Phineases.

A-HEM, R42.

My mom was Edith. My dad had sisters named Myrtle and Edith. His brother's wife was also named Myrtle. Those are two names that are never coming back.

Edith has already come back. Edie. It's back.

Myrtle, I wouldn't hold my breath.

I'm not black, but I've noticed popular millennial names for black guys include Ryan, Patrick, Kevin, Colin and Kurt.

Craig, Scott and Ken. You can almost see the teak finish and sharp angles they’re so mid century.

I'm a middle school teacher and have had three girls named Annabelle in one class. Lots of girls named Bella, Ella, Angelica, Angelina..

I had one class of thirty students with four girls named Sophie.

Angela and Levi are still popular, though they were posted in this thread.

Nell, Nellie, Ellen, and so many others come from Helen.

I had an aunt named Helena, pronounced he-leen-ah. People called her Nelly or Lena

My niece named her daughter Evelyn.

My cousins are twins. They are named Patricia and Leticia. I doubt them names will make a comeback anytime soon.

Connie will always be valid as long as we have Chinese immigrants.

Ronald Roland Arnold

My grandma's first name was Ruby but she preferred her "exotic" middle name which was Nadine. She pronounced it Nah-dean.

[quote]Mary has made a comeback, but that's not really midcentury. It's nursing home.

Mary never left!

If I were to pump out a kid just to start a name trend, I'd love to make old-timely 'Z' names happen - Zipporah or Zuleika.

Do it, R74. May I also suggest Zerelda?

Some of these posts are hysterical.

I like Zelda.

[quote] Elizabeth Taylor's British parents were probably influenced by that popularity when they chose it for their daughter.

Elizabeth Taylor's parents were American.

Adolf is never coming back.

[quote] But also popular then and mostly disappeared: Ira, Marvin, Melvin, Howie, Arnold, Harvey, Norman, Guy, Larry, Gary, Stuart and Stewart.and

This poster lived in East New York or Howard Beach.

Some of the 'floral' names such as Poppy, Rose. Lily, Heather seem to have remained evergreen and in usage across the last century at least.

An annoying example would be 19 year old Lily Rose Deep! Is Sophia as popular in the english speaking world, here in Spain it's become overly used and it's getting tiring.

I love Jeanette, Angelique and Ambrose.

Excuse me?

[quote]Why did Ava, Cary, Clark and Lana not become popular names?

I was surprised at first hearing the names Bella & Celeste - they seem uniquely current yet still old-fashion to me.

Horace and Clarence

Shecky, Soupy, Lee Harvey, Sirhan Sirhan.

Harvey will certainly NOT make a comeback

R79, except among the alt-right, for whom it sadly seems all too popular a concept.

Would be surprised to see Ruth, Mavis, Hilda, Gertrude, Enid, or Bessie make a comeback.

But I never expected to see Hazel, Mabel, Sophie, Florence or Hannah...

Bruce seems like such an odd name.

For girls, I'm seeing Mary again in my classes and also Frances. They're both very pretty names.

Ada, Flossie, Georgina, Marie

I had a student named Bertha (nice pregnant Hispanic girl, heavily pregnant, really good student).

Arlene/Marlene/Darlene -- dead forever?

Norma

I wonder if Agnes will come back. Former "old lady" names like Olivia return.

Corneila? Hi, I named my child after the mother of the Gracchi. I just love those Stoic Roman matrons.

Brenda

Gloria

Sure about that r81?

How about Maude and Leah? My great aunts.

Hilda is Germanic. Helen is a pretty name. Is that coming back?

About the Royal Family: I know girls named Diana who were born in 1981 and 1997, respectively.

I have an American-born Filipino friend who named her daughter Camillia, but I think it was a family name. Didn't stop me from asking, "But what if the other kids call her 'the Rottweiler'?"

R95 in medieval times, Maude was a variant of Matilda. With the resurgence in popularity of Matilda, I've been hoping to see more Maudes too, but nope.

Judy. There were a lot of girls named Judy growing up. My grandmother was named Ethel. My mother was named Audrey.... my father, Stanley. Audrey seems to still be used today. Down the road, these names could make a comeback.. who knows.

My Dad worked with a lady named Minerva Texas Snodgrass.

My grandparents were Ethel, Elmer, Eugene and Evelyn - all born before 1900.

Nan

Darlene

Gary

Denny

Erna, Muriel, Cristal.

Andy, Anderson, Ralph for men.

Whitey.

Jennifer was considered a fusty old maiden aunt name until Jennifer Jones' popularity in the 1940s. It became an enormously popular name for baby girls then and well into the 1950s, 60s and 70s. But is it no longer popular?

Most Jennifers I know now prefer to be called Jen or Jenn.

Over 100 posts and no one has mentioned CHERYL.

Hepzibah

Eleanor.

I know two little girls named Eleanor

I think they'll seem fresh, yet classic to the next generation of parents. The 50's aren't quite far enough away in history for current parents to feel they're pulling some grand name out of time. Today's Liams and Emmas will be the parents of tomorrow's Donnas, Bobbys and Karens.

Eleanor and Helen used to be old lady names. My father had two cousins, sisters, named Eleanor and Helen. Are these names coming back? I used to call a bus that took one down the Magnificent Mile in Chicago the Eleanor bus if one took it during the day, because it was filled with old ladies going shopping downtown.

Beulah's not coming back

Anthony, pronounced Antony, is now quite popular. Don't ever call them Tony! Also, Alexander, Alex and Alec. Don't ever call them Al!!

Phillip, Peter and Paul have never gone out of style. Don't ever call them Phil, Pete or Pauly!!!

Lucas Hedges will create a mania for Lucas, just wait and see.

Much like Tobey Maguire did for Tobeys and Jake Gyllenhaal did for Jakes.

Kind of sick of Josh and Seth. Lots of those in their 30s now. Always thought Gary was a sexy name.

Jennifer is a mom name now. I was born in 1979 and went to school with so many Sarahs, Amys, and Jennifers. Matthew and Jeremy for the boys.

Marion, Barry, Trevor, Francis, Gloria, Lorraine, Sharon, Colin, Brian, Derrick.

Lori was popular at my grade school back in the 60's (anyone know why?), but it seems to have been completely replaced by Laura.

I keep hoping Henry will make a comeback. Henrys always seem like decent fellows, reliable types you can depend on in a pinch.

As a Richard who has been called Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky, Dick, and Dickie, I have endeavored to introduce myself as Dick, but people are not inclined to call me that. Pity, I love Dick as a name for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it has become such an unpopular choice for a nickname. But the biggest reason for liking being called Dick is that my Dad died when I was relatively young, and I can still hear his voice called me Dickie.

sorry for error above. should be "calling me Dickie."

Speaking of names, why don't gays use nicknames? Straight guys can be Mike and Dave and Jeff, etc but gays are always Michael and David and Jeffrey, etc. Anybody got a semi serious answer for this?

How did Bruce become a stereotyped gay name?

I went to college in the 70's with this really hot blonde guy named "Dick." It was very weird even back then. Whenever you tried to call him Rick or Richie or whatever, he'd go "No man, call me Dick." Sadly, I never got to suck (all together now) Dick's dick.

Benignity

Prudence

I hope Stephen (not Steven) makes a comeback.

Florence. Too bad, as Flo is such a fun nickname.

My friend named her daughter, now age 6, Julie. Not a bad name, but I don't think it's used much these days.

Julie has been replaced by Julia.

[quote]Lois and Linda are still active late-middle-agers.

How are we defining “late-middle-agers?” I’m 50 and I’ve never met a Lois less than 20 years my senior.

Cindy. Although, Cynthia is Ok.

Cynthia always sounded like a bitch.

Matthew and Colin are still ridiculously popular.

[quote]How did Bruce become a stereotyped gay name?

Bruce, Lance and Julian were the strongest names we had. And now they're just queer.

Might be some cultural differences....Florence, Ada, Georgina and the flower names are not uncommon baby names in the UK.

Cynthia was the archetypal rich bitch name in the 50s and 60s.

I always liked Pamela. There are very few Pammys around today.

r105 I love the name Cheryl

It STINKS r135.

Does anyone still name their babies:

Betty

Veronica

Archie

Reggie

Jughead

Moose

Midge

Gladys

Phyllis

Paula

Gene

Elsie

Ena

Mavis

Lindsey

Eric

Percy

Robert

Mark

R128 I know a 64 year old Lois. It's a pretty senior name, granted, but 64 is still "young old" not"anicent old".

Knew so many Cheryls and Loris growing up. Can't picture these names coming back. Maybe some cherry picking, but some are gone forever, IMO, mostly because they didn't even exist prior to the mid-century. Where did Gary COME from, for example? Sure, Stephen will come back. It has been around for centuries. But names that just seemed to spring up from the 1940s-1960s sound weird and overly specific.

Jughead’s real name was Forsythe Pendleton Jones III.

R141 it’s common in both Scots and Irish Gaelic from at least the Middle Ages. The original spelling is Garaidgh but phonetically pronounced Gary. I only know this because it was my uncle’s name and he had a little wall hanging thing with the origins of each of his siblings and children’s names.

Judd apatows daughter is named Maude. Also I know a millennial couple who named their young children Maude and Henry.

My hair stylist in LA is English and even though she's lived in the US more than 30 years, her daughters (who are now college age) are named Lily, Maudie, and Lucy, which were not popular American names 20-25 years ago (still not--maybe Lucy is now?) but must have been quite popular in the UK at the time. So, yes, there's a big difference between English and American names IMO. I've never met an American named Fiona or Reg(inald) for example. I think Reg must be very old-fashioned over there (or is it making a comeback in the toddler set?). Arabella--that's another non-American name.

And Gail....who would ever name a baby girl Gail (or Gale) now? What were they thinking back then? What was appealing about that name which was very popular in the 1940s and 50s.

Most Patricks that I know who are in their 20s and 30s are nicknamed Paddy and seem to like it, believe it or not.

I've met several 20-something Patricks just recently (both Asian). One was called Pat and the other Patrick. Never heard of a guy called Paddy (except in old Irish movies).

Lots of Shakespeare heroines' names have recently become very popular again. Clearly this is a trend:

Juliet

Portia

Miranda

Hermione

Celia

Emilia

Julia

Jessica

Kate and Katherine

Beatrice

Imogen

Olivia

Viola

Isabella

Mariana

Bianca

Cressida

Phoebe

Charmian

Maria (pronounced Mariah)

But no Ophelia, Gertrude or Desdemona. Perhaps they're simply too tragic by connotation.

And though Regan and Cordelia have become popular names for girls, I've never met a Goneril.

Eugene

Mabel

Where have all the Chucks, Chets, Charlenes, Wendys, Cindys, Randys, Bobbies, Billys and Brendas gone?

Guys named Chick, Ellis, Cletus.

Zooey Deschanel named her daughter Elsie

WHET the name Kelly?! Graduated HS in the 80's and there were a zillion girls named Kelly. Also, Michelle! I wonder if they will ever make a comeback??

A name I'm seeing recently a lot of is Natalie.

The absolute most hideous name I think in the history of girl's names is Addison, I hope it phases out soon and never comes back.

R139. Ena! I work with an Ena and a Dyan. They share an office right next to me and they are both constantly having to spell their names when calling people. I had a great grandfather that was named Heber Reginald and he was born in the US but his parents were British.

R120. I know 2 gay guys that go by Dave and a Jeff.

But do any of you know of 1st gen Asians who name their kid a nickname AS the name? I know several. Danny, Billy, Sam. NOT Daniel, William or Samuel. What's up with that? The Billy was a second son of an American (white) guy and a Thai woman. The older son was named Christian. He didn't introduce himself as Chris because "My parents named me Christian, not Chris". Everybody called him Chris (including me)

Norma is gone for good.

^ And so is Norman

My name is Greg (Gregory) and this was a relatively popular name for boys born in the 40s and 50s until about 1970 or so. (Always in the top #25 during those years) Now you never meet a child named Greg. There's a website called babycenter which will chart a name's popularity over the years . Currently Gregory is down to the #534 in popularity - which means that no one is naming a child Greg. I have to think that since Gregory Peck was a major movie star in the 50s, lots of baby boys were named after him. Really old-fashioned boy's names, like Ethan, Henry, and Spencer became popular again about 25 years ago. The long uncommon Biblical boys' names became popular when evangelical Christianity and Christian homeschooling emerged as a force in American politics and consciousness, in the 80s. Now they are fading fast. No one wants to be saddled with Hezekiah for life.

Gwyneth owns this thread.

The popularity of Ronald Reagan (barf) didn’t lead to a swarm of baby Ronnies in the 80s, thank God. That’s my name (Ron) but I’m a Jr. and my dad was given it by my grandmother after Ronald Colman, a 1930s movie star. I don’t see my name making a comeback.

Lindsey as girls name must have been popular in the 80s as I’ve worked with a few 80s born women with that name.

Any African American care to chime in? What about the Shaniquas and D'Shawns of today?

I had a boyfriend named Ebenezer, called Eben, in the 1990s. Born in '73.

Cut or uncut, r162?

Avril

Leonora

Leonard

Gavin

Tracy

Kevin

In time, every name will make a come back.

[quote]That’s my name (Ron) but I’m a Jr. and my dad was given it by my grandmother after Ronald Colman, a 1930s movie star. I don’t see my name making a comeback.

Colman's wife was named Benita, and I always thought that was a charming name. I wish it would catch on.

Benita is very pretty, I wonder if it was adversely affected by association with the male version Benito because of Mussolini.

Leopold

Geraldine

Bernard

Irene

Ivor

Amelia

Isabelle or Isobel

Oliver

Elmo

All names in my family tree - not names you hear today really at all.

Loads of Amelias, Isabels and Olivers in the UK; in fact, Oliver is in the top 3 I think.

Have we mentioned Eileen? That was a hugely popular name in the late 1940s/1950s. Also, Ilene if the family was Jewish.

As was Kathleen, which I think back then was more popular (and seemed more girlish) than Katherine.

I'm 47 and there are tons of Davids, Alans, Scotts, Kevins, Marks, Jays, Chrises, Gregs, Glenns and Craigs my age. I never hear of those for young boys these days.

Sam, Henry and Max seem to have made a comeback.

Now parents want their kids to have a first name that sounds like a family tree surname, when it's totally not. Why name your child McKinley or Tucker when you have zero ancestral connection to them?

I have a British acquaintance with a toddler named Jemimah. Another name you'll never hear in the US again.

Isabelle and Sophia have become too popular. That's why parents have moved on to names like Hazel and Evelyn.

Harold and Maude (good movie)... still good names. I like the old fashioned, more traditional names.

Abcde... a new favorite...

My great-grandparents named all their children with family names. The first names were all from ancestors, and their middle names were all the last names of maternal ancestors. The last males with those last names were born in the 1700s, so it makes me curious what they were thinking.

R176 We must be apples from the same tree because I have some of the same old Puritan names in my family that you have listed above, Yankee.

I've found people today are sometimes surprised over the names chosen in the 1600's because they always expect them to be strictly biblical but virtue word name trends were big at the time, as were word names like "Remember" and "Messenger".

R164 Kevin and Gavin are very still very popular names

All these whacky, offbeat names nowadays started with Madison, Tiffany, Noah and Jacob (all horrible names) either being new or resurging a generation ago.

There are no more Carlas. I haven't seen Jean in a very long time. Interestingly, I've seen several girls with the name Ivy.

R179, Noah and Jacob are ancient names, not "new" or wacky

No Ivy and also no more Holly.

Other once popular cast-off names (that I don't think have been mentioned): Melanie, Melody, Rochelle, Joanne, Patricia, Louise, Allison, Sandra, Miriam, Esther, Paula, Gwen, Rita, Susannah, Darlene, Doreen, Gretchen and Mercedes.

What about those fabulous names of the Goodson/Todman game show panelists:

Arlene

Dorothy

Kitty

Peggy

Polly

Betsy

Bess

Phyllis

I think Ivy is already on its way back r182. Holly is too middle-aged right now though.

Marcia/Marsha

Jan/Janet/Janice

Monica

Maryanne

Laurie

Joan

Sally

Joanne

Carol

Shirley

Maureen

There's a whole generation of young girls named Gwen because of Gwen Stefani.

"Kind of sick of Josh and Seth. Lots of those in their 30s now."

Yep, all born in the late 1980s when As the World Turns was in its glory days. Surprised there aren't more Holdens, though.

Speaking of which, I always thought of "Emily" as an old lady name until this little minx came along:

Some names in my family tree: Rose, Queenie, Ebenezer, Jupiter, Royal, Percival, Sarah, Walter, Arthur, Herbert....

R181. Yes, I know Noah and Jacob are ancient names. That's why I said names such as those had a resurgence in popularity. But they're horrible names. And it was names such as those that contributed to today's trend of offbeat, unappealing, whacky and just plain awful names. Sorry, but I hate the names Noah, Jacob and Joshua. Old, biblical, awful Jewish names that became mainstream. I hope they fade away soon and never return.

Kathleen was a status marker for being Catholic and usually Irish rather than the WASPy Katherine (or worse, Katharine).

Marsha/Marcia was more warbaby early boomer than anyone who is pre social security now. Jane, Carol, Audrey, Joan,--those were ven older names.

Anne, Mary (too old school Catholic), Linda, Patricia, Donna, and Susan all seem to be gone. Dttto: Tim, Tom, Joe, (more Catholic stuff), Steve, Bruce (doomed to be gay), Peter, and Paul

There seem to be limits to the old lady names: Hortense, Clara, Esther, Bertha and Ethel don't seem to be coming back anytime soon and I have my doubts about Agnes (my mother's name, she hated it). Even the more benign Sally, Marie, Lurene, Louise, and Rosiland. Fanny seems to have come and gone (and really should never come back--one of my grandmothers had that name and hated it). OTOH, Jemima seems to have come back via the UK. I have ancestor neamed Jemima--we always pictured her with a head scarf and pancakes.

Some of those awful Gaelic Irish names seem to have crossed over like Sioban. A simple, classic Mary or Kathleen would be fine.

Thankfully, Midge and Madge have gone back where they came from.

Eloise should make a comeback

I have a ten year old niece named Holly and my sister says there are three others in her grade. Eve and Eva are popular in that age group too.

Michelle was always a cool name (someone mentioned) but if a girl was born in the 70's, it was a high possibility that it was their middle name.

I have a family member named Juliette, not common, but interesting. I have a friend that named her daughter Enid.

It seems so many hipster type parents look for quirky older names, though, so who knows?

Eunice, Dinah, Eudora, Lorraine, Maxine, Virginia

However, I do know two teenage girls named Alma and Helen.

If I were going to name a child, I would go to one of the baby name sites and choose a name that had been in the top ten for the last hundred years - Robert, Charles, James - or at least the top 20. Or maybe choose a foreign name. In Germany, for example, Italian or French names are often chosen. To me, they sound odd with German surnames, but a name like André or Dominique might be a good choice.

Penny, Barbara, Carol, Shelley, Donna, Anne, Paul, Russell, Thomas, Ralph, Jerry—many midcentury names.

Elaine

Mark, Gary, Walter

Jamima was come in the early 20th century, then it was dropped.

Hortense.

Penny is back in style. I know 2 people who recently named their babies Penelope and call them Penny

Gary was a classic warbaby/early boomer name that dropped out of sight. Walter is an old guy name--the equivalent almost of Ethel, et al. Penny has never gone away but it's never been that popular. The girl in my class who would have been considered the ugliest was named Penny--OTOH, she was the actual winner of our homecoming vote! We could have had a dress rehersal of "Carrie" if someone had been honest and had a sense of humor, as well.

Randy

R202, I know someone who recently named their baby Walter. Wally is a hideous nickname, to boot.

Sheldon is another awful one, but I wonder if it has become more popular since the Big Bang Theory aired?

Horace

Elmer

Rufus

Michelle was a hugely popular in the late 60s/early 70s because of the Beatles song. What disappeared was Shelley as a nickname for Michelle.

What are other girl names that were popularized by Top 10 songs of the 50s/60s/70s that are no longer in vogue?

Melissa

Marissa

R206 Kelly? There was a syrupy song of that name.

Michelle, sometimes with one l was popular long before the Beatles.

Is Karen dead?

I sincerely hope so r211, she was a cunt.

Martha

Lois. Florence. Maurice.

Nora, Myra, Ginger, Oona, Claudia and Myrna haven't made a comeback since the 1930s.

Stacy

Amber

Danielle

Lisa

How about month names for girls? Are they dead? April, May, June--April was popular in the 40s and 50s. May and June were popular in the pre-war set. I can't imagine anyone ever naming their kid May these days or June for that matter. Of course, January (Jones) comes to mind, but she must be the only one and I can't imagine she started a trend.

Adolf, Idk why either its such a nice name.

Names probably skip generations because most humans are nasty and nobody wants to name their kid after their awful mother, pervert uncle, weird aunt... or the kid that bullied them or some ugly girl in their class or some nasty boss or co worker. Every generation must make new names for their kids or they can pick names of a generation that died before they got to know them.

They will think of a common name and some awful, fat, ugly, gross or abusive person that they have known will pop up. I think James and meh some freakisly tall kid I knew in highschool pops up not a bad guy but I would'nt want to name my kid after him. Brendan nope reminds me of a fat kid that I went to school with that always smelled like socks. Mary was a fat girl that I knew, Cheryl nope datalounge ruined that name for me it reminds me of stinky pussies, Karen nope that was the name of my weird spinster aunt who grew her hair down to her knees and never cut her finger nails. Dave nope that was the name of my creepy neighbor.......

Trying to pick out a common name that doesn't remind you of someone gross is extremely difficult! Your partner will also have to agree with you on a name. How about Joseph? Ewww I had an abusive ex named no sorry not that one. Steve??? Eww no that reminds me of a guy in my dorm at college that everyone called skeve because he never took a shower and had major BO..........

And certainly no one is naming their little boy August.

Though I have encountered a little Julius recently.

All the flower names from Downton Abbey:

Rose

Daisy

Ivy

Violet (Jen Garner did however name her daughter this I believe...)

Rhonda

Rhoda

Rona

Risa

Rina

All gone!

Iris

Ha, ha, some of you obviously don't know anyone of Caribbean ancestry.

One of the Analysts at my firm was named Bancroft. I also know a Jasper, Trixie, Hyacinth, Ainsley, Onslowe, Winslow and Desmond.

These were the top names given to American boys in 2018........Liam, Noah, Elijah, Logan, Mason, James, Aiden, Ethan, Lucas and Jacob

Such ugly and previously uncommon names for a good reason.....

Why such ugly names??? I'lll tell you why... The parents all probably know some disgusting guys named Michael, William, David, Matthew, Brendan, Daniel etc.... Every generation makes uncommon names common because the common names remind them of disgusting humans they know.

The cycle will repeat itself.......people in the future will hear the names .Liam, Noah, Elijah, Logan, Mason, James, Aiden, Ethan, Lucas and Jacob and they will be reminded of some very disgusting humans and those names will die out until the people that remember those awful people die. Then a new generation who has never known anybody with those names will start naming their kids those names again.

I fucking hate the names Noah, Elijah and Jacob. Old damn Jews.

[quote]Among the pre-k and grade school set, I know three Hazels, two Mildreds, an Eleanor and an Agnes.

Hazel you could make work, because of the pretty eye color. Eleanor is stuffy but alright-ish, even though you'd be called Ella-snore.

Agnes and especially Mildred need to be erased from all recorded history.

Lilith is pretty cool. Was everyone afraid of actually using it in real life?

[quote]r31 Will "Bernadette" ever make a comeback?

Maybe with kooky Catholics.

[quote]r32 And did you happen to read my post upthread about Ava, Lana and Clark as well as Cary? It's a mystery!

Neither Ava Gardner or Lana Turner had particularly wholesome image. They basically played party girl strumpets.

It's kind of like naming an infant Desiree ... somewhat icky.

Polly is a truly wretched name.

[quote]r103 Jennifer was considered a fusty old maiden aunt name until Jennifer Jones' popularity in the 1940s. It became an enormously popular name for baby girls then and well into the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

It then really zoomed into popularity from Ali MacGraw's character in LOVE STORY (1970). [italic]Everyone[/italic] saw that movie.

June was not popular in the 50s and 60s. It conjured up June Cleaver.

Harriet is over.

I was a child of the 1950s and thought it was my curse to have been given the name Rex. Everyone during that time had a dog named Rex. I was not amused. So when we moved across town when I was in fourth grade, I started going by Rick. (Sounds like Rex, but isn't quite). All went well, and I remained Rick until college, when I slipped back into Rex. Now I enjoy the name. In my life, I've only met maybe three or four other Rexes. It's a short name, it's unique, you don't have to spell it, and when a restaurant hostess calls your name you can hear it because of the X at the end. A new family just moved onto my block, and they have a baby who's about 6 months old. His name is Rex. I was amazed.

I don't see the name Rex ever becoming popular (not that it ever was), but it would be nice if it did. And people also don't name their dogs Rex any more, so it's okay to give the name to a baby.

[quote]r234 Harriet is over.

FUCK you, beyotch!