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I don't like the sound.

I think it’s precious!

I have always liked it. It's aloof, but also clever.

I think that Ethel is a very wonderful name; I agree that it's highly underused!

I prefer other trendy-E names: Edith, Enid, Elspeth, Elize ... Ethel could be a housemaid's name in an early Agatha Christie novel.

Too old fashioned

I accidentally deleted my own reply! Oops.

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Ethel is one of my husband's favourite names. He'd never heard of it before I introduced it to him. He didn't grow up with the usual cultural baggage around Ethel, and it was so refreshing to see someone delighted by Ethel's beauty, which he found ethereal and "almost elvish". It gave me new appreciation for the name!

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Ethel has a reputation for being ugly that we inherited from previous generations, I think. It was the Everleigh of its day, so that works against it. It's Victorian trendy trash. I think it's not more popular because it takes guts to use a name that most people find hideous. Not many people want to deal with all that when naming a kid.

Reminds me of Ethel Cain, who I love! Not a name to my personal taste but it's nice.

I want to like it, given how it was the name of my great-Grandmother's and also reminds me Ethel Mertz from I Love Lucy, but it's just very dated, lispy and makes me think of the word ethanol. I'd rather Enid or even Edna or Edith instead. Those don't sound as bad.

I've recently had a phase of loving Edith, and that led me to love Ethel as well. I think it definitely deserves a comeback. I would love to meet a young Ethel. I might even use it.

I love Ethel! There are people in my circle who have named their babies Edith, Ida, and the like, so I'd expect Ethel to join those ranks of modestly revived antique beauties.

I think it's ugly, sorry.

I find it charming and pleasantly soft. It's still sort of considered an old lady name, but maybe it could make a comeback someday.

This message was edited 4/28/2024, 4:40 PM