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Sherwood! Aw, if only Woody weren't a bit of a problematic nickname. Sherwood would be so sweet.

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I kinda like Thisbe. Weird but cool.

Llewellyn has been my favorite name since I was 14 or so, and I can't even remember how that started. I've known 2: a kid I went to high school with and his dad. I would use it easily if it were a family name for me, but alas, my Welsh family seemed to use the same handful of names over and over and no Llewellyns. Sad face.

This message was edited 3/19/2015, 4:10 AM

In Wales, however, Llewyllyn still lives. A friend of mine is called Edward Llewyllyn, and my sister's boyfriend is called Bran Llewyllyn.

It must be making the rounds, because it was in my local paper today. My mom asked me if I read it, and she sees why they're going extinct.

Hate all of them. I would be supposed if any of them made a comback.

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I think most of these either have a more attractive spelling (Sandra vs. Sondra; Selma vs. Zelma) or aren't used because they sound like an awkward word (Thisbe = frisbee, Remus = ream). Others are just generally awkward. Nice to see reason in action :D

-Alpha - this is a name?
-Barbra - I think Streisand has kind of laid claim to this spelling
-Claudine - could see it used
-Nanette -ette names are kinda out of fashion at the moment
-Sheba - didn't know this was used.
-Sondra - sounds kinda 50s/60s. Probably why people aren't using it.
-Thisbe - I think it's kinda ugly
-Zelma - I kinda like this, actually
-Elmo - Sesame Street pretty much ruined this one (then again, they also ruined Grover and Kermit)
-Icarus - the mythological association is kinda strong, and it's also heavily associated with the video game Kid Icarus.
-Inigo - it's kinda tied to Inigo Montoya and has that "Latin lover" association - now every Inigo in fiction seems to take a hit from him. Even the Inigo in Fire Emblem is a flirt (though in his case it's to cover up his shyness).
-Llewellyn - can see this being used
-Remus - I can see this being used.
-Sherwood - don't like it
-Waldo - Where's Waldo is probably to blame for people not using it.

This message was edited 3/17/2015, 4:59 PM

Elmo and Waldo number among my top ten favorite male names at the moment, and I've flirted ardently with Icarus in the past. As for the girls, Claudine, Thisbe, and Zelma make me swoon. I'm also partial to Nanette and Sherwood.

Aw, Inigo is critically endangered? How sad, it's one of my favorites. Icarus and Nanette are GP's of mine. Then there's Elmo, which I really want to like, but I just can't get past the Muppet, so I just go to Ermo instead.

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Anyway, I don't think you could say these names are going extinct, per se; I do think there's a high chance of them making a comeback sometime, possibly in the near future. There seems to be a bit of an uprising of vintage/unheard of names.

Hmm... honestly, I have to wonder how popular were these names to begin with? Can something go extinct if it wasn't used widely? Wouldn't the term rarely used names be more appropriate here? It's not as if it is saying, "No one names their kid Joan or Harold anymore, they are going extinct."

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However, I adore Icarus. Thisbe is nice, too.

I love Nanette!

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I also LOVE Selma and sometimes feel like Zelma is almost more usable (maybe it's less likely to be immediately associated with the Simpsons character?)

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And I really like Waldo actually. I think it's very adventurous sounding, but I fear it may be best suited for a dog :(

Remus with the possible nick name of Remi would be cute; however, I wonder if the link to Harry Potter is hurting its popularity because not everyone wants to tie their child to a fandom. Also, the fact that Romulus killed Remus makes Remus memorable as the dead brother. I haven't run into many non-canine Sirius's either.

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Alpha, Sheba, Sherwood and Waldo are still used for pets. Elmo is a well known muppet, and Inigo is famous for the line, "Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." I would like to see Thisbe, Icarus and Llewellyn used more.

Llewellyn is still in use in Wales, and Llewelyn, Llywelyn, Llew & Llion - I know someone with a little Llew.

I've seen Inigo quite a few times in British BAs.

I read that. They took it from Namberry.

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I actually know people with some of these names. Others I think are only extinct variations of names that are very much alive.

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Alpha is a name, sure... but it is a word name like Silver, Golden or Moss... they used to be used, but are no longer in vogue.

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Barbra shouldn't be a legit name for the list, because it is just a spelling variation on Barbara which is doing just fine. That would be like saying Migha is going extinct, when it is just Mia with a different spelling. Not buying it. Though, I do like the Barbra spelling.

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Claudine is still in vogue online, and I only know one (in her 80s)... so I think this is a legit entry. It's a pretty name, so I can see it coming back in 10 years or so. Claudia seems to be doing well still.

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Nanette - I know several. This might not be popular in the States but it is getting used in Germany and Philippines I know. I know three adults with this name, one tween and one toddler.

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Sheba - Ok, I know tons of dogs with this name... so that may be where it went. ;)

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Sondra - When I read the article, I actually looked this up. I happen to really like this variation so I think this might deserve the most limelight from the article. However, I think most people are sticking to Sandra still.

Thisbe - This is on my list. I admit I already knew it was not popular. I think it deserve some attention though.

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Zelma - Still considered old-lady. But, I prefer Zella anyway. Still... with other older names on the rise (Ada, et al) I am thinking it is only a matter of time before Zelma comes back.

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I sort of wish Icarus would make a comeback. I love it.

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Claudine is sort of pretty. Nanette is sweet, I would totally slot it in the middle. I used to love Thisbe.

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Zelma seems right up my alley but I'm iffy.

I like Thisbe - in a very GP kind of way, granted, but still.

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But... uhm, I wonder, was it ever common enough to now "go extinct" or fall out of usage? I mean, in order to fall out of usage, a name would have to be in common usage first, right? Uh, I'm not making any sense here, sorry.

I personally really, really love:
Remus
Icarus (but as a GP)
Llewellyn/Llywelyn

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And I think Zelma, and Sherwood, are okay.