Old fashioned names

[dmpmercury]

Most of the names I am consdiering are old fashioned. My first two kids have old fashioned names so I like to keep them all with a similar style even though I like other names.

Someone commented that old fashioned names are trendy which is different than popular if it has been popular a while. I don't think of old fashioned names are trendy. I am well aware that they are moving up in poularity right now and some of the names are spiking. Two of my top choices are doing just that. I don't think of them as trendy though since theybeen a round for a long time fell out of favor a little bit but not dissapeared. It isn't like some of the other names that shot up and I think of as trendy. Many of the names that been popular for a while especially boy ones did have huge spikes in the 80s or 90s or another decade so they could be considered trendy at one point.

Maybe thats just me because thats the names I like before they were getting more popular and I am not admitting it is trendy right now. So what do you think. Do you think using old fashioned names that a rising in poularity quite a bit is trendy? Be honest.

[lotusma]

honestly, i do. trendy, to me, is setting a trend, and imo, a trend has definitely been set w/ bringing back the old fashioned names. BUT. that's not a bad thing at all imo, and i certainly wouldn't let that sway my preference at all.

[philomom]

Old fashioned names have been "back" quite a while. My two kids were born in the 90's and most of their peers have "older" names... though its a tad less obvious for boys.


I don't name my kids anything in the top 200 of the ss list. That's just me.

[MaerynPearl]

I dont do names like Aiden...

but yeah my sons names gotten more popular since I named him (very old-fashioned in the US... normal over in Europe) and DDs name is very different but old fashioned sounding.

Baby on the way is Maeryn... which isn't so much old fashioned as... extremely old.

[beanbean]

"Old fashioned" names always cycle through popularity. I read a great post about it (I think on the Baby Names Wizard site?). Anyway, there's a predictable pattern where names become "new" again. So our children might be finding our parent's names attractive when it comes time to name our grandchildren. Just imagine... little girl babies named Sheila, Nancy, & MaryAnne.

My grandmother's name was Ella Mae, and she never liked it because it was an "old person's name". These days it sounds fresh and classic.

[CherryBomb]

I try not to worry to much about popularity, honestly. I mean, the number one name for the year only represents like 1% of the babies born, so how much does it really matter, ykwim? And I say that as a Katie, so I know what it's like to have a common name

Anyway, I ADORE old fashioned names, but dh hates them. Just go with what you love

[choli]

I think of them as classic names rather than old fashioned. I prefer the dignity of classic names, both of my DDs have them.

[ASusan]

I guess I just assumed that parents honored g'parents and other older relatives and that is why old fashioned names seem to go in cycles.

My sister and I both want to use Helen (our maternal grandmother) and our cousin wants to use Lily (her paternal grandmother).

[MaerynPearl]

mine have nothing to do with my grandparents...

well middle names do BUT they are supposedly linked to our parents

DS middle name is his fathers fathers first name... but also my grampas first name and you just KNOW in my heart who he is really named after right?

DDs first name is my mothers middle name.

DD middle name is my middle name... named after my grandmothers on both sides... but also an aunt on either side, great grandma, etc.... so basically it goes that every generation has a girl with that middle name.

and DD-on-the-way will have the same middle name, after my DHs mothers middle name! So its a long held middle name on both sides of her family (so both of my DDs and I will share my middle name)

[Adaline'sMama]

I heard that a lot when I was pregnant too. I named my daughter Adaline Sarah and people always are like "oh, wow, thats so cool". And people always want to call her Addie (even though I dont mind Addie, we prefer Ada). I have several friends who have had boys named "Oliver" and girls named "Emma". When I printed of the top 200 SS list I was shocked at how many names I actually LIKED that were on there.

[dakotablue]

Yeah its kinda annoying that they are coming back. I for one have always wanted to name my daughter after my great grandmother Hannah...now everyone is named that and only a few years ago it was an old people name

Personally I don't look too much at tends if I have a good reason for wanting to use the name (like meaning or family members) for just names I kinda like I have looked.

We probably will still name a daughter Hannah though, I mean I can't change 20 years of wanted something just because others realized it was nice too.

DS is named Harvey after my grandfather and his name is old, but not coming back. Most people have the reaction of that's a name you don't hear everyday, but I've heard of it so its not weird/ unusual.

[RedOakMomma]

Honestly, I think it depends on the name. There are quite a few old-fashioned names that sound incredibly trendy right now because of the name family they're in, or because of celebrity associations, or just because everyone seems to be using them. On the other than, there are some classics (even common ones) that sound fantastic and fresh right now.

Go with what you like...even if someone has an opinion that worries you.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

Honestly, I think it depends on the name. There are quite a few old-fashioned names that sound incredibly trendy right now because of the name family they're in, or because of celebrity associations, or just because everyone seems to be using them. On the other than, there are some classics (even common ones) that sound fantastic and fresh right now.

Go with what you like...even if someone has an opinion that worries you.

There are some old-fashioned names that I don't think will ever be popular again. Mortimer, Doris, Bertha, etc. Personally, I prefer to hear classic names than made-up ones with unique spellings!

[VillageMom6]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

Personally, I prefer to hear classic names than made-up ones with unique spellings!

That's where I've been at for the past sixteen years. No one is going to hear "William" and think, "Oh, that's so 1990s" like they do with Jennifer in the 1970s or Braden/Kaden/et al. in the 2000s.

My children have the following names as first or middle:

Grace
Mary
Julia
Rose
Caroline
Veronica

Michael
Andrew
William
Harold
Joseph
Mark

Classic names are timeless!

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by VillageMom6

like they do with Jennifer in the 1970s

Haha my name is Jennifer and I HATED it when I was young b/c everyone had my name. I like it a lot now though!

[VillageMom6]

Originally Posted by JFTB1177

Haha my name is Jennifer and I HATED it when I was young b/c everyone had my name.

Nice to meet you, Jennifer! My name is Jennifer.

I'm glad you've grown to like "our" name. I don't mind the name, itself... just the extreme frequency of it!

[jessica_s]

Originally Posted by VillageMom6

Nice to meet you, Jennifer! My name is Jennifer.

I'm glad you've grown to like "our" name. I don't mind the name, itself... just the extreme frequency of it!

LOL Hello my name is Jessica but you might as well call me Jennifer. I get called Jennifer all. the. time.

OP: I don't think that all old fashioned names (or classic, I like that!) are trendy. There are some that are, but it depends on the name.

[Earthy Mama]

My oldest dd is named Madeline. We call her Maddie. Well, I always thought it was fairly unique until she was in 2nd grade and there were 3 Maddies in her class! Though, the other two were Madison.
My second dd is Virginia which is still fairly uncommon-I only know one other girl named Virginia.
To stick with our old fashioned Southern names, this one is Liza Jane. I love old fashioned names. I like to call them "vintage".

[Twinklefae]

Originally Posted by VillageMom6

Nice to meet you, Jennifer! My name is Jennifer.

I'm glad you've grown to like "our" name. I don't mind the name, itself... just the extreme frequency of it!

My name is Sarah - it was a top 10 for FORTY years.

Everyone in the world is named Sarah. Drives me crazy.

I love old fashioned girls' names, but don't find that there are enough old-fashioned boys names, so went with something more unique.

[TnMsMama]

My name is Evin. I have been called Erin for 32 years. I have spelled my name for 32 years (or at least since I could spell). I'm so used to spelling it, that when I gave my mother my email address, I spelled it for her, even though it's just my first and last name.

We decided to name our daughter after John Wayne (my DBF is obsessed - we have a full size JW cut out in our room watching over our bed) and his real name is Marion Morrison. We were going to spell Marion "Maerian" but after I had to spell it 3 or 4 times for people, we gave up and went with Marian. After alllllll that, I was going through some papers and found out my grandmother's sister was named Marian. How cool is that??

I like old fashioned names, I think they come around and around again for a reason. Like Chanel - quality lasts. I really don't like the made up names that scream "my parents were trying to be different!" (like mine LOL)