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HelpRe: Dated names
in reply to a message by summitseeker
Not *all* dated names are bad. Going from your OP, I actually quite like Gladys (not a big fan of Harvey, though), and could see it returning - along with a lot of the other names we associate with the 1920s and 30s: Joan, Dorothy, Irene... heck, Evelyn and Lillian have already made huge comebacks! (I also think "datedness" affects feminine names more than masculine ones, since the latter appear less given to popularity trends - more boys might be named after relatives than girls.)
The main era to avoid, I believe, is the baby's grandparents' era. For instance, I wouldn't name my daughter Terri (my mom's name), Cheryl (my aunt's name), Jennifer (my aunt's name - but also common in my generation), Cynthia "Cindy" (my godmother's name), Nancy (no matter how much I love Nancy Drew), Donna, Sharon, Patricia... If I have a daughter, these names are going to be considered "old" when she's born, and I wouldn't want to do that to her.
Names from the parents' generation are also iffy. My personal big no-noes would be Ashley, Brittany, Jessica, Nicole, Stephanie, and Tiffany (do you know how many girls at school had those names?!?!). But sometimes they're still used - maybe to honor, maybe because the parents just like it - which is how names trend downward rather than dropping off the map entirely (and is also probably how Jennifer stuck around for so long - it *is* a nice name, there are just too many Jennifers).
Great-grandparents' generation, though, are where I think names start getting "safer." My own great-grandmothers were Rose, Theresa, Ida "Virginia" (went by her middle name), and Ethel. I can see all of those names coming back in the next decade or two.
Please rate my personal name lists:
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/91835
http://greens-end.myminicity.com/
The main era to avoid, I believe, is the baby's grandparents' era. For instance, I wouldn't name my daughter Terri (my mom's name), Cheryl (my aunt's name), Jennifer (my aunt's name - but also common in my generation), Cynthia "Cindy" (my godmother's name), Nancy (no matter how much I love Nancy Drew), Donna, Sharon, Patricia... If I have a daughter, these names are going to be considered "old" when she's born, and I wouldn't want to do that to her.
Names from the parents' generation are also iffy. My personal big no-noes would be Ashley, Brittany, Jessica, Nicole, Stephanie, and Tiffany (do you know how many girls at school had those names?!?!). But sometimes they're still used - maybe to honor, maybe because the parents just like it - which is how names trend downward rather than dropping off the map entirely (and is also probably how Jennifer stuck around for so long - it *is* a nice name, there are just too many Jennifers).
Great-grandparents' generation, though, are where I think names start getting "safer." My own great-grandmothers were Rose, Theresa, Ida "Virginia" (went by her middle name), and Ethel. I can see all of those names coming back in the next decade or two.
Please rate my personal name lists:
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/91835
http://greens-end.myminicity.com/
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It depends on when your grandparents were born. I'm 30 years old but my grandparents were born in 1919, 1922, 1927, and 1928. I was the 1st grandchild to my maternal grandparents and I was the 2nd grandchild to my paternal grandparents. My mom was born in 1952 and my dad in 1955. My great grandparents were born in the 1880's, 1890's, and early 1900's. But as you were saying names from the 1920's are becoming popular again so in my case names from my grandparents era are no longer as dated and are "useable" again. Which might be what you were trying to say, I wasn't quite certain since you said babies great-grandparents but also said your great-grandparents and my future babies great-grandparents are my grandparents.
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This message was edited 10/17/2017, 4:34 AM
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