Names that are particularly dated in your country
It's a bad habit of mine to refer to the American popularity charts when talking about popular, trendy, or dated names. And I think since it is the default list on this website, most of our discussion revolves around these names anyway.
So, I'm wondering, what names are considered badly dated in your country? And if you're from the US and want to participate, are there any names that you think are specific to your part of the country that seem dated or you feel will be dated?
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So, I'm wondering, what names are considered badly dated in your country? And if you're from the US and want to participate, are there any names that you think are specific to your part of the country that seem dated or you feel will be dated?
Replies
-elle, -enne, and -ette names are very dated in France, with -ette probably being the most dated. There aren't many young girls named Michelle or Danielle. My dad's first wife was a Danielle and she's in her fifties. And despite Ms. Jolie naming her daughter Vivienne, it's still quite old-fashioned here.
Nicole and Jacqueline are also pretty dated. So is Genevieve. Chantal is another dated name. Laurence and Simone are two other ones.
As for the guys...Jacques is pretty dated. I know only one Jacques under 20. My aunt's much older husband is Jacques and he's in his seventies. André is also out of fashion. Alain, Didier (my dad's name - popular in his age group), Alphonse, Bernard, and Gilles are also pretty dated.
Double names, like Anne-Sophie and Marie-Louise, are VERY dated. Nowadays, people would more likely just use the names separately.
Many names with é at the end are also dated, such as Désirée and Aimée. I like these names, though. My second middle name Aimé is one of these names. (The funny thing is that here in France it's easier to find a young guy named Aimé than a young girl named Aimée, though both names aren't fashionable at all.)
If you want some more recently dated names...there's Cedric, Marjorie, Aurélie, Valérie, Céline, Christophe, Franck, Laurent, and Guillaume.
Nicole and Jacqueline are also pretty dated. So is Genevieve. Chantal is another dated name. Laurence and Simone are two other ones.
As for the guys...Jacques is pretty dated. I know only one Jacques under 20. My aunt's much older husband is Jacques and he's in his seventies. André is also out of fashion. Alain, Didier (my dad's name - popular in his age group), Alphonse, Bernard, and Gilles are also pretty dated.
Double names, like Anne-Sophie and Marie-Louise, are VERY dated. Nowadays, people would more likely just use the names separately.
Many names with é at the end are also dated, such as Désirée and Aimée. I like these names, though. My second middle name Aimé is one of these names. (The funny thing is that here in France it's easier to find a young guy named Aimé than a young girl named Aimée, though both names aren't fashionable at all.)
If you want some more recently dated names...there's Cedric, Marjorie, Aurélie, Valérie, Céline, Christophe, Franck, Laurent, and Guillaume.
Most Marian girls' names like Concetta, Assunta, Immacolata, Carmela, Addolorata have very much fallen out of use in Italy and are unlikely to make a comeback.
The following are really dated in Germany:
Klaus
Dieter
Jürgen
Peter
Alois
Brigitte
Petra
Waltraud
Elke
Adelheid
These are just the ones from the top of my head. There are probably more.
Klaus
Dieter
Jürgen
Peter
Alois
Brigitte
Petra
Waltraud
Elke
Adelheid
These are just the ones from the top of my head. There are probably more.
Dated to my parent's generation and older:
-female names ending in -ica: Danica, Katica, Marica, Dragica, Štefica, Ljubica + Vesna, Milka, Anka...
-male names ending in -ko: Darko, Branko, Slavko, Janko, Željko + Josip, Stjepan, Franjo...
Dated to my generation (1970s/80s):
Sanja, Ivana, Maja, Tanja, Iva, Marina, Martina, Kristina...
Mario, Dario, Ivica, Kruno, Goran, Zoran...
Also, names that seem to be getting discovered in other countries, that are dated here:
Mila, Mira, (Petra is on its way there)...
I'm in Croatia, btw.
-female names ending in -ica: Danica, Katica, Marica, Dragica, Štefica, Ljubica + Vesna, Milka, Anka...
-male names ending in -ko: Darko, Branko, Slavko, Janko, Željko + Josip, Stjepan, Franjo...
Dated to my generation (1970s/80s):
Sanja, Ivana, Maja, Tanja, Iva, Marina, Martina, Kristina...
Mario, Dario, Ivica, Kruno, Goran, Zoran...
Also, names that seem to be getting discovered in other countries, that are dated here:
Mila, Mira, (Petra is on its way there)...
I'm in Croatia, btw.
This message was edited 7/4/2014, 2:30 PM
Off the top of my head: Anneliese.
Every Anneliese I know is at least in her early 70s to late 80s, so it'll still be a few years until it breaks the "100 year cycle" around here.
Kathrin. Most Kathrins I know were born between the early 1970s and mid to late 1980s. (Katharina is a timeless classic, though)
Sabrina. Jasmin. Jessica. Vanessa. Jennifer. Those are dated to the 80s, at least in my mind.
Kevin. 1990s.
Sabine. Petra. 1950s to late 1960s/ very early 1970s.
Ursula (especially with the nickname Ursel). My mom has several co-workers of this name who are all in their 60s now. (The only younger Ursula I know was born in the early 1990s, and her dad is American. So apparently the Little Mermaid didn't faze him ;) )
There's probably more I just can't think of right now.
Um, I'm in Germany, by the way.
Every Anneliese I know is at least in her early 70s to late 80s, so it'll still be a few years until it breaks the "100 year cycle" around here.
Kathrin. Most Kathrins I know were born between the early 1970s and mid to late 1980s. (Katharina is a timeless classic, though)
Sabrina. Jasmin. Jessica. Vanessa. Jennifer. Those are dated to the 80s, at least in my mind.
Kevin. 1990s.
Sabine. Petra. 1950s to late 1960s/ very early 1970s.
Ursula (especially with the nickname Ursel). My mom has several co-workers of this name who are all in their 60s now. (The only younger Ursula I know was born in the early 1990s, and her dad is American. So apparently the Little Mermaid didn't faze him ;) )
There's probably more I just can't think of right now.
Um, I'm in Germany, by the way.
My full first name is Anneliese but with an a instead of the first e, I'm from the UK but I live in Germany. People I meet here (for example doctors receptionists) are always surprised if they hear my name before they meet me in person because they're usually expecting to see an old lady! I'm in my early 20s.
Yeah, I can easily picture that.
Remember the time when Anneliese was one of the board's favorite names? Imagine my surprise when I came here and everyone was swooning over how fresh and young Anneliese sounded...
To be honest, though, I'd expect an An.na.lie.se to be younger than an Anneliese (does that sound like I'm trying to chum up with you? It's true, though), and an Annalise or an Annalisa even more so. Probably because those variants remind me of Annalena, and the oldest Annalena I know is about 20 now (yep, that's how "well" I know her ;) ).
Come to think of it, could it be that Annalisa was a character in one of Astrid Lindgren's books? Well, "Lindgren names" are big right now, so an Annalisa could easily be kindergarten aged (in my mind, of course).... Huh.
Generally speaking, though, most "2-in-1 names" are having a hard time at the moment (with a few exceptions, as usual).
Remember the time when Anneliese was one of the board's favorite names? Imagine my surprise when I came here and everyone was swooning over how fresh and young Anneliese sounded...
To be honest, though, I'd expect an An.na.lie.se to be younger than an Anneliese (does that sound like I'm trying to chum up with you? It's true, though), and an Annalise or an Annalisa even more so. Probably because those variants remind me of Annalena, and the oldest Annalena I know is about 20 now (yep, that's how "well" I know her ;) ).
Come to think of it, could it be that Annalisa was a character in one of Astrid Lindgren's books? Well, "Lindgren names" are big right now, so an Annalisa could easily be kindergarten aged (in my mind, of course).... Huh.
Generally speaking, though, most "2-in-1 names" are having a hard time at the moment (with a few exceptions, as usual).
I do remember that, I was also surprised that it suddenly became a favourite on here!
That's interesting that you'd expect an An.na.lie.se to be younger than an Anneliese. I usually just go by Anna as a nickname, since that doesn't seem to be as dated in either Germany or England, and it's much easier for people to pronounce. Hardly anyone in the UK can pronounce my full name properly! :)
That's interesting that you'd expect an An.na.lie.se to be younger than an Anneliese. I usually just go by Anna as a nickname, since that doesn't seem to be as dated in either Germany or England, and it's much easier for people to pronounce. Hardly anyone in the UK can pronounce my full name properly! :)
Huh, on gut feeling I'd say a Beate is probably in her mid or late 40s.
I just looked the name up, and it seems to have indeed peaked in the 1960s, see:
http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/5350-beate.htm
A Detlef is probably solidly in his 50s, veering toward his 60s, I'd say.
According to this site, the name peaked between 1940 and 1965: http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/5197-detlev.htm
So I'd say there's a good chance that both bearers are middle-aged.
I just looked the name up, and it seems to have indeed peaked in the 1960s, see:
http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/5350-beate.htm
A Detlef is probably solidly in his 50s, veering toward his 60s, I'd say.
According to this site, the name peaked between 1940 and 1965: http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/5197-detlev.htm
So I'd say there's a good chance that both bearers are middle-aged.
Thanks! Very useful site.
It's an American site, so naturally it's expected.(And not minded at all.)
Names I'm always surprised to see on younger Americans:
Anthony - I'd expect a Tony or Anthony to be 40-plus
Eric, Desmond, Bryan, Raymond, Roy, Derek - old-man names here
Maureen (and any -een names, Eileen, Kathleen etc) - over 60, probably over 70 here*
Kevin & Jason are middle-aged, so are Julian and Adrian
Lorraine and Denise are pushing 60
Colin, Ian, Paul, Mark, Philip, Alan, Keith, Neil, Martin, Malcolm, Graham and Stephen are most likely also middle-aged or elderly.
Retired ladies and gents:
June, Jean, Joan, Joyce, Jill, Irene, Doris
Patricia, Sheila, Barbara, Janet, Peggy/Margaret
Brenda, Pamela, Linda, Sylvia, Shirley, Pauline, Jeanette, Monica
Names I'm always surprised to see on younger Americans:
Anthony - I'd expect a Tony or Anthony to be 40-plus
Eric, Desmond, Bryan, Raymond, Roy, Derek - old-man names here
Maureen (and any -een names, Eileen, Kathleen etc) - over 60, probably over 70 here*
Kevin & Jason are middle-aged, so are Julian and Adrian
Lorraine and Denise are pushing 60
Colin, Ian, Paul, Mark, Philip, Alan, Keith, Neil, Martin, Malcolm, Graham and Stephen are most likely also middle-aged or elderly.
Retired ladies and gents:
June, Jean, Joan, Joyce, Jill, Irene, Doris
Patricia, Sheila, Barbara, Janet, Peggy/Margaret
Brenda, Pamela, Linda, Sylvia, Shirley, Pauline, Jeanette, Monica
This message was edited 7/4/2014, 2:48 PM
I loled when I read your subheadings. Too funny!
I thought it was an American site and then I remembered that Mike C. is Canadian!
I had no idea! Oops. :D
I think it's inevitable that most of the talk is about American charts as most people here are American.
Just looking at the top 100 there are several names which are dated in the UK.
Natalie - '70s, '80s here
Allison - well, Alison is a very '60s, '70s name - we had four Alisons same sort of age as me in my company once.
Claire - '70s, '80s
Kylie - late '80s, early '90s (when Kylie Minogue first became popular here)
Caroline - '50s, '60s, '70s and maybe '80s too.
Melanie - '70s
A couple just outside the top 100:
Andrea - I'd say 50s, 60s and 70s
Mary - I've known the occasional one born in the 80s but it's not popular now. Certainly not a classic like it is in America.
Names like Lillian, Audrey and Nora are really dated but not quite back in fashion yet like other old names such as Violet or Evelyn.
Looking at the boys' names:
Anthony - classic until the '80s or '90s but I'd be surprised to meet a baby one now
Jonathan - I knew a lot born in the '70s and '80s.
Julian - don't think it's ever been that popular but not used much since the '70s.
Adrian - ditto.
Jason - very '60s, '70s.
It also surprises me that Eric and Brian are popular in America. They are middle-aged/old man names here!
Just looking at the top 100 there are several names which are dated in the UK.
Natalie - '70s, '80s here
Allison - well, Alison is a very '60s, '70s name - we had four Alisons same sort of age as me in my company once.
Claire - '70s, '80s
Kylie - late '80s, early '90s (when Kylie Minogue first became popular here)
Caroline - '50s, '60s, '70s and maybe '80s too.
Melanie - '70s
A couple just outside the top 100:
Andrea - I'd say 50s, 60s and 70s
Mary - I've known the occasional one born in the 80s but it's not popular now. Certainly not a classic like it is in America.
Names like Lillian, Audrey and Nora are really dated but not quite back in fashion yet like other old names such as Violet or Evelyn.
Looking at the boys' names:
Anthony - classic until the '80s or '90s but I'd be surprised to meet a baby one now
Jonathan - I knew a lot born in the '70s and '80s.
Julian - don't think it's ever been that popular but not used much since the '70s.
Adrian - ditto.
Jason - very '60s, '70s.
It also surprises me that Eric and Brian are popular in America. They are middle-aged/old man names here!
Yes, we do have a lot of similar names in our posts! You're right about Clare and Claire now I think about it, I know a few who are older.
And I agree about Lilian, I normally would spell it with one L. Now I think about it, I remember somebody, possibly Cleveland Kent Evans on here, saying that in America Allison possibly comes from the surname which is two Ls. Maybe Lillian is the same?
And I agree about Lilian, I normally would spell it with one L. Now I think about it, I remember somebody, possibly Cleveland Kent Evans on here, saying that in America Allison possibly comes from the surname which is two Ls. Maybe Lillian is the same?
I went to school with several Erics and Brians. Brian was the masculine form of Jennifer in my grade, and I would have been named that or Michael. (My mom doesn't remember which name was the boy's name htey chose for either of her pregnancies, but Michael was probably masculine name number 2 in my grade, so it doesn't really matter.) I'm mid to late 30's.
Linda. I've met SO many Lindas, my stepmother being one of them. They're all in their 40's and 50's.
They're older than that here. It made the top 20 in the 40s and peaked in the 50s.
Yeah, a lot of Lindas I know are a little older, now that I think of it. I'll say 50's and 60's.
Rhonda
Donna
lol
Donna
lol
England
These are the names that spring to mind as being dated, they're names I'd associate with those of grandparent
age or older
Patricia
Pam
Barbara
Deborah
Sylvia
Priscilla
Margaret
Vera
Doris
Anne
Mary
Phyllis
Gladys
Reginald
Arthur
Albert
Wilfred
And some I'd associate with middle age
Angela
Sue
Sharon
Paul
Steven (Steve)
Simon
Peter (Pete)
These are the names that spring to mind as being dated, they're names I'd associate with those of grandparent
age or older
Patricia
Pam
Barbara
Deborah
Sylvia
Priscilla
Margaret
Vera
Doris
Anne
Mary
Phyllis
Gladys
Reginald
Arthur
Albert
Wilfred
And some I'd associate with middle age
Angela
Sue
Sharon
Paul
Steven (Steve)
Simon
Peter (Pete)
Agree with these, although I'd say Deborah was more middle aged than grandparent.
Arthur is making a bit if a comeback too I've met a few young ones (like, under the age of 15)
I would add Tracey and Julie to the middle aged list.
Other grandparent names:
Ethel
Edna
Edith
Ruth
June
Roger
Harold
Donald
Arthur is making a bit if a comeback too I've met a few young ones (like, under the age of 15)
I would add Tracey and Julie to the middle aged list.
Other grandparent names:
Ethel
Edna
Edith
Ruth
June
Roger
Harold
Donald
This message was edited 7/4/2014, 10:57 PM
Edith
My cousin in England had a baby girl in November 2013, who she named Edith, and was surprised to later learn that in 2012 it was ranked 200-and-something (and has been climbing slowly up the extended lists for a few years).
Since using the name, she's heard of a handful of other Ediths under the age of 3, all in her area.
She is waiting in anticipation for the 2013 England & Wales lists, to see if it climbed again last year.
NB: I wonder if the nickname Edie, which my cousin's daughter is known as, is part of the attraction?
My cousin in England had a baby girl in November 2013, who she named Edith, and was surprised to later learn that in 2012 it was ranked 200-and-something (and has been climbing slowly up the extended lists for a few years).
Since using the name, she's heard of a handful of other Ediths under the age of 3, all in her area.
She is waiting in anticipation for the 2013 England & Wales lists, to see if it climbed again last year.
NB: I wonder if the nickname Edie, which my cousin's daughter is known as, is part of the attraction?
In Sweden:
The hipster names (popular between 1900s-20s): Rut, Hilda, Svea, Irma, Elsa, Kerstin, Ingrid, Sigrid and Astrid & Stig, Sten, Tage, Hjalmar, August and Svante. Some of these names are popular again and given to babies born today.
Popular between 1930s-50s: Leif, Hans, Sören, Sven, Torsten, Lars, Kjell, Arne, Mats, Gunnar and Bengt & Eva, Margareta, Birgitta, Anita, Lena, Monica, Ulla, Barbro, Berit and Elisabeth.
Some "younger" dated names (1960s-90s) are Malin, Caroline, Sara, Annika, Linda, Åsa, Johanna, Josefin and Ulrika & Johan, Stefan, Magnus, Andreas, Fredrik, Mikael, Niklas, Jonas, Mattias and Marcus.
The hipster names (popular between 1900s-20s): Rut, Hilda, Svea, Irma, Elsa, Kerstin, Ingrid, Sigrid and Astrid & Stig, Sten, Tage, Hjalmar, August and Svante. Some of these names are popular again and given to babies born today.
Popular between 1930s-50s: Leif, Hans, Sören, Sven, Torsten, Lars, Kjell, Arne, Mats, Gunnar and Bengt & Eva, Margareta, Birgitta, Anita, Lena, Monica, Ulla, Barbro, Berit and Elisabeth.
Some "younger" dated names (1960s-90s) are Malin, Caroline, Sara, Annika, Linda, Åsa, Johanna, Josefin and Ulrika & Johan, Stefan, Magnus, Andreas, Fredrik, Mikael, Niklas, Jonas, Mattias and Marcus.
This message was edited 7/4/2014, 10:16 AM
Do you really consider names like Nils and Karl patricularly dated? If I saw them written down I would have no idea how old a Karl or a Nils would be. Especially Karl is timeless in my opinion.
You're right, my mistake. They are more classic/timeless than dated.
This message was edited 7/4/2014, 10:17 AM
In Oklahoma, it seems that around the 1930s and 1940s, Norma Jean was kind of their version of Isabella today. Not just Norma, Norma Jean. I don't think I've met but one Norma all the time I've lived in Delaware, which is 20 years, and that one so far as I know, is just plain Norma.
Here I've noticed that for women of that same age group, Margaret Ann is extremely popular. Pronounced close to Margar-dan. My stepfather has aunts or cousins named Margaret Ann on boths sides of his family.
Around 1970 here, it seems Leanne had a big vogue.
For men, around here Layton is sort of like Margaret Ann's boyfriend. Rodney also seems to have had a burst of populaerity a little later on.
Here I've noticed that for women of that same age group, Margaret Ann is extremely popular. Pronounced close to Margar-dan. My stepfather has aunts or cousins named Margaret Ann on boths sides of his family.
Around 1970 here, it seems Leanne had a big vogue.
For men, around here Layton is sort of like Margaret Ann's boyfriend. Rodney also seems to have had a burst of populaerity a little later on.