New Post
Search
HelpUnexpected names
Yesterday I met a 76-year-old Lauren, a friend of my grandma. I thought it was quite unexpected as I see it as an 80s/90s name. Are there any names you've been surprised to hear/see on a person due to their age?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
1
Replies
I met with a woman in her 20s named Tracy a couple weeks ago. All the other Tracys I know are 40-50, so that really surprised me.
1
The only instance that comes to mind is the case of a friend of mine, who is named Beatriz. Right now it's crazy popular and has been since the early 2000's, but back in 1990 when she was born it was only heard of on old ladies and history books (usually the name of some queen or princess, it was very popular in our country in the Middle Ages).
So growing up she was the only Beatriz, and it wasn't until we got to year 10/11 that little Beatrizes started appearing at the school. Nowadays she hates that every time someone calls out 'Beatriz' or 'Bia', there's like six little girls in the immediate vicinity turning around.
So growing up she was the only Beatriz, and it wasn't until we got to year 10/11 that little Beatrizes started appearing at the school. Nowadays she hates that every time someone calls out 'Beatriz' or 'Bia', there's like six little girls in the immediate vicinity turning around.
1
The only instances that are coming to mind right now...
I met an Edith who was my age (born in the late 80s). The only other Ediths I've met were born in the 30s or 40s.
I knew a guy (also born late 80s) in college named Hilary.
Meeting them changed my perception of those names.
I met an Edith who was my age (born in the late 80s). The only other Ediths I've met were born in the 30s or 40s.
I knew a guy (also born late 80s) in college named Hilary.
Meeting them changed my perception of those names.
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 10:57 AM
1
Vernon - thirty-something guy I met a few months back
Nelson - the first name of my bone doctor; he's easily in his seventies
Payton (m) - a coworker of mine, who's like sixty
Madison (f) - she'd be about my age now, but she was a classmate of mine in grade school (I forget which grade)
Devin (f) - speech therapist from like twelve years ago; she was probably born in the 80s, when Devin wasn't very common (if at all) for girls
Phoebe - an old, late family friend who was in her nineties; Phoebe on an old lady strikes me as very weird
Nelson - the first name of my bone doctor; he's easily in his seventies
Payton (m) - a coworker of mine, who's like sixty
Madison (f) - she'd be about my age now, but she was a classmate of mine in grade school (I forget which grade)
Devin (f) - speech therapist from like twelve years ago; she was probably born in the 80s, when Devin wasn't very common (if at all) for girls
Phoebe - an old, late family friend who was in her nineties; Phoebe on an old lady strikes me as very weird
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 9:31 AM
1
I didn't know that about Phoebe! Huh...
1
Nelson does not seem unexpected as a name for a man in his seventies. In fact, Nelson has never been very popular, but it was most popular in the 1940s, so it seems about right for a man that age to be named Nelson.
When I was in the fifth grade, I had a crush on a classmate named Nelson -- he'd be in his mid-fifties now. I wonder if I can find him on FB, lol.
When I was in the fifth grade, I had a crush on a classmate named Nelson -- he'd be in his mid-fifties now. I wonder if I can find him on FB, lol.
1
Two of my friends from school are Svea and Kerstin, they are born 1991 and 1992. Both names are very rare in our age group. Kerstin is mainly used for women who are at least 50, and Svea for even older women.
I know I've met older people with "childish" names as well, but I can't remember them at the moment.
I know I've met older people with "childish" names as well, but I can't remember them at the moment.
1
I used to work with a woman in her fifties named Saga. Totally unexpected. I don't think I've heard of someone else named Saga who was over the age of fifteen.
1
I had a classmate named Vera, which is common among older women and also has gained some popularity for children today, but this Vera was born in 1979.
My cousin's son, who was born in 2015, is called Bertil, which is still mostly found on old men (it was my cousin's other grandpa's name - he really wanted to name his son Lennart after our grandpa, but his wife didn't like that), but it has started to gain some popularity for children born today. Although several persons cringe at a little cute boy being called Bertil! But we call him Berra, which is a common Swedish nn for Bertil.
I also know a woman whose children are called Helge and Harriet, which I think sound like grandparents.
My cousin's son, who was born in 2015, is called Bertil, which is still mostly found on old men (it was my cousin's other grandpa's name - he really wanted to name his son Lennart after our grandpa, but his wife didn't like that), but it has started to gain some popularity for children born today. Although several persons cringe at a little cute boy being called Bertil! But we call him Berra, which is a common Swedish nn for Bertil.
I also know a woman whose children are called Helge and Harriet, which I think sound like grandparents.
1
I went to school with a Madison, which I thought was very unique and interesting at the time. She would've been born in the mid 80s, so definitely before Madison became popular.
I also have a 16-17 year old nephew named Jaden. I thought it was interesting when I met him the first time (around age 2) because I'd never heard of it before. Ha!
I can't think of many other examples, besides for knowing people with kids named things like Jessica, Kimberly, and Justin who are all under 10 years old.
I also have a 16-17 year old nephew named Jaden. I thought it was interesting when I met him the first time (around age 2) because I'd never heard of it before. Ha!
I can't think of many other examples, besides for knowing people with kids named things like Jessica, Kimberly, and Justin who are all under 10 years old.
1
I also know a Jessica who is about 80. I think the name has been in use ever since Shakespeare invented it and in the early 1900s when Jessie was extremely common it doesn't seem odd to me that some parents would have used Jessica too. It was definitely known due to the plays.
I know a 40 year old named Ava (her mom liked Ava Gardner) who has a daughter named Jamie who is 5. I always thought that was the wrong way around and would make much more sense if the mom were Jamie and the daughter Ava. I was also surprised for someone with such an at the time uncommon name to choose something dated like Jamie.
The other one I can think of is a woman in her mid 30s with the young sounding name of Kaya who named her just recently born daughter Lisa which is super 70s to me.
My friend's grandma is in her 60s and named Vondell which sounds very last name-ish to me and I think a famous actor (James something, I always forget the surname) had a daughter in the 50s named Portland.
Hayley Mills also has an unusually young sounding name which was her mom's maiden name. Her sister is Juliet. I know a girl named Sidney who was born in 1970 which is also quite uncommon.
I know a 40 year old named Ava (her mom liked Ava Gardner) who has a daughter named Jamie who is 5. I always thought that was the wrong way around and would make much more sense if the mom were Jamie and the daughter Ava. I was also surprised for someone with such an at the time uncommon name to choose something dated like Jamie.
The other one I can think of is a woman in her mid 30s with the young sounding name of Kaya who named her just recently born daughter Lisa which is super 70s to me.
My friend's grandma is in her 60s and named Vondell which sounds very last name-ish to me and I think a famous actor (James something, I always forget the surname) had a daughter in the 50s named Portland.
Hayley Mills also has an unusually young sounding name which was her mom's maiden name. Her sister is Juliet. I know a girl named Sidney who was born in 1970 which is also quite uncommon.
1
My mother had a very unusual name for her generation (Zoe) and it remained unusual for a couple of generations after hers. She gave all of her children names that, while not dated at the time she used them, were popular at the time. She really really hated having an unusual name and I think for that reason she did not want to give her children unusual names. Not everyone likes having an unusual name. She'd be so surprised if she were alive now, to see that she has the trendy popular name and all of her daughters have the dated, old-lady names, lol.
1
ETA: One More
I once read the obituary of a woman named Jennifer who was born in the early 1930s.
The other example is my daughter's former mother-in-law, whose name is Heather. She is 54, having been born in 1962. I guess Heather was just starting its rise in 1962, but it's still somewhat surprising.
ETA: I thought of another. There was a girl in my high school class named Sloane. Since she was in my class, she had to be approximately my age, so born 1959 - 1961 and now somewhere between 55 - 57 years old. So this was the generation when a surname on a girl was highly unusual and Sloane, within that group, even more unusual than names such as Taylor or Blair. I thought her name was horrible at the time and actually still do. But it looks like Sloane has been rising rapidly within the last 7 years.
I once read the obituary of a woman named Jennifer who was born in the early 1930s.
The other example is my daughter's former mother-in-law, whose name is Heather. She is 54, having been born in 1962. I guess Heather was just starting its rise in 1962, but it's still somewhat surprising.
ETA: I thought of another. There was a girl in my high school class named Sloane. Since she was in my class, she had to be approximately my age, so born 1959 - 1961 and now somewhere between 55 - 57 years old. So this was the generation when a surname on a girl was highly unusual and Sloane, within that group, even more unusual than names such as Taylor or Blair. I thought her name was horrible at the time and actually still do. But it looks like Sloane has been rising rapidly within the last 7 years.
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 8:12 AM
1
My friend Jessica is in her early seventies, and her mother, who died a couple years ago at the age of 101, was also named Jessica, as was my friend's great-aunt. The family is of Portuguese descent and evidently Jessica was popular in that group a lot longer than it has been here.
I also not too long ago have seen obituaries for women in their eighties named Sydni (that's the spelling) and Paige.
And of course there's the guy on www.murderpedia.org (who made a famously bad pun as he sat in the electric chair) who had five kids, all born in the late 1950's or early 1960's, whose names were Kayla, Jayden, Taylan, Jaycee and Jaylan.
I also not too long ago have seen obituaries for women in their eighties named Sydni (that's the spelling) and Paige.
And of course there's the guy on www.murderpedia.org (who made a famously bad pun as he sat in the electric chair) who had five kids, all born in the late 1950's or early 1960's, whose names were Kayla, Jayden, Taylan, Jaycee and Jaylan.
1