Human names gone out of fashion

[Karen]

I just got an email that mentioned a dog named Gladys, and it reminded me of my beloved Great Aunt Gladys, and that's one of those names you never hear any more.

Other of my Great Aunts with lovely names were Evelyn, Edith, Miriam, Adrian, Belle, Flora and Floride (different sides of the family) ....

Some names have gone out of style, like Bertha, Ethel, Betty as a nickname for Elizabeth and others, that I understand, but some of the prior ones I think are too pretty to have faded out!

What names do you wish would get a revival? Or miss?

[pomtzu]

I can't say that there's any that I miss or would like revived, but I do think of a lot of old names that you don't hear a lot of anymore: Esther, Lillian, Myrtle, Amalia, Adeline, Cora, Evelyn - all names in my family. And of course I wouldn't mind if mine was retired forever, since I hate it - Eleanor. Other old ones come to mind: Beatrice, Winnifred, Estelle, Gloria, Inez, Lucinda - and the "gemmy" names like Opal, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire. I could go on and on - but you get the idea.

[Karen]

Pomtzu, I know of an Eleanor who is younger than you - but no one knows that's her given name, as she has always gone by Ellie! I do think Eleanor is a lovely name. Another is Isabel, but Isabella - the variation is currently ultra-trendy thanks to Twilight books!

Neighborhood names - girls I grew up with - Alena, Alanna, Aleda - sometime appear without the "a" and I have met/heard of more than one Lenore - like Eleanor without the E!

[Taz_Zoee]

A girl I went to highschool with named her daughter Ruby. A co-worker named her children all with old-fashion names. Wesley, Morris and Mary. Although Wesley is actually his middle name. And Morris and Mary are family names.
When I was younger I never heard of anyone younger than myself named Cindy. Now my niece has a friend named Cynthia (she doesn't go by Cindy).
My grandmothers names were Martha and Loreta (not Loretta, it's pronounced Low-reeta).
There are a lot of names that I like that you never hear anymore in the younger generations. Rhonda, Linda, Barbara, Rose, I could go on and on....................

Now people want to name their children with different and unique names. So the traditional names are disappearing.

[Freedom]

Pomzu, for shame! My Mum's name was Eleanor, and she was SO proud of it! She was named after Eleanor of Aquitaine!

I guess it is a sign of age, many of the names folks are listing . . . I knew lots of other children with them, growing up. But all are correct, not used today much at all.

[pomtzu]

Pomzu, for shame! My Mum's name was Eleanor, and she was SO proud of it! She was named after Eleanor of Aquitaine!

Awww - I'm sorry (hanging head in shame) - nothing against your Mum of course!

I personally would have preferred something simple like Linda or Carol or Pat, but I had no say in the matter! I don't view my name quite so badly now that my married name is so short, but with my long Italian maiden name, paired with a highly unusual and unheard of middle name - well it was quite a mouthful for any little kid to have to spit out!

And my family NEVER called me Ellie, and still don't to this day - just my friends do. However, both my brothers were always called by the common nickname of their given name. Now how unfair is that????? A case of a woman being discriminated against again.

[phesina]

Florence was my mother's name and my grandmother's (her mother). You don't see that around much now. Well, there's Flo, the spokesperson for Progressive Insurance.

My mother NEVER got called Flo! Florrie, sometimes.

Pat (Patricia)

[Cataholic]

I love the name Eleanor! And, Ellie even more!!

Point is, many people don't like their name...but others usually love it.

I know a few Johanna's, and I have a handful of people call me by Joh or Jo. Most, though, call me my full first name. Except my immediate family. They call me by a ridiculous nickname that won't be repeated. I don't even think PCB knows my silly nickname. Do you, PCB??

[ChrisH]

My Mum's name was Mabel Hester, now there are ones you very rarely hear nowadays. Her sisters were my Auntie Rose & Auntie May. My Granddad was an Arthur and one of my uncles was a Harold.

[Randi]

I've just got lots of new info on my ancestors - very interesting.

In the older generations there are names like: Niels, Christian, Jorgen, Frederik, Lauritz, Julius, Sofus and Agner. For the girls we have: Margrethe, Anne-Dorte (also two separate names), Signe, Bertha, Ingeborg, Elise, Lily, Marie, Judith.

My mother was named Sigrid and my aunts Mary, Edith, Solveig and Lydia.

My father was named Charles.

Some people in my building have named their daughter Flora, they call her Flo. I think it's awful, it reminds of a certain brand of margarine.

Names from when I went to school were: Lise, Lotte, Bente, Kirsten, Merete, Majbritt, Marianne, Gurli, Annette, Birgit, Elsebeth, Pia and Karin.

Three of my friends have daughters called Ea, Anine, Ditte and Mie.

[sirrahbed]

My name Debbie seems to have gone out of style.....all of the Debbie's I know are in their fifties.....except for Little Debbie's in the grocery treat aisle!

[Karen]

My name Debbie seems to have gone out of style.....all of the Debbie's I know are in their fifties.....except for Little Debbie's in the grocery treat aisle!

I know a Debbie, who is the daughter of a friend, I think she's 18 now, so the name has not died out completely!

[pomtzu]

This thread has me thinking of a lot of relatives I haven't thought of in years. Thanks for jogging my memory, Karen.

My grandparents were Ella & Kenyon and Rose & Alexander. Guess which ones were the Italians.

My mother was Esther Emma, and her sibs were Lillian, Myrtle, Luther and William.

My father was Charles Carl (changed from Candeloro Carlo), and his sibs were Alexander, Archibald (the founder of the original Archie's Pizza in Pawtucket ), Arthur, Vincent, Adeline, Amalia and Evelyn. Arthur's children were Rose and Ernest, and Adeline's sons were Norman and Clement.

A whole family of names you seldom, if ever, hear anymore.

My brothers had more common names, as do my 2 sons.

[Karen]

Alexander is actually a very common name now!

[pomtzu]

Alexander is actually a very common name now!

Absolutely - and it's my grandson's middle name.