Ugly old female names

I would say Blanche, but I saw a relatively youngish woman with that name recently. I don't see why anyone would still name their child that.

Bertha

Bambi They used to hot strippers, now they're just old whores.

Blanche sounds perfectly fine in french. Gertrude, Deloris{sp}, Martha.

I had a grandmother named "Gertrude." Hey, this was a popular girl's name in 1889!

Mildred wins!!

Irene is lovely. And my late grandmother was named Ethel, so I quite like that. And my favorite aunt on my dad's side is Aunt Gladys, so I like that too. And Agnes, little lamb of God, how could you not like that name? All in the beholder, I suppose. All names are odd when you think about them long and hard. It's just that some are in fashion and some are not.

Helga

Mildred

Deloris, Agatha, Faye, Rita.

late to the party r9

Edna%0D %0D Hilda%0D %0D Bronwyn%0D %0D

A professor friend of mine has taught at two different state schools in the South; over the years, he had in his classes girls named Adeline, Bessie, Ella, Lady, and Mae. All were pretty, wealthy sorority girls.

Fannie

Mabel.

Beulah.

Beulah sounds like an old bitch

Myrtle, Bertha and Geradine.

Beryl...I actually met a woman named Beryl.

I dunno if this counts as old, but "Lorna" strikes me as a horrid name.

I like awkward old-fashioned lady names.

Cheketa is a popular southern name.

Then you would love mine, R21!

how about Hazel...I know, Julia Roberts named her kid Hazel.

Can we vote? I vote for Bertha.

Melvina Roberta Ramona Henrietta

Myrna Corrine Nydia Mavis

Lawanda

Vashti Laverne

Enid

Winifred%0D Martha%0D Louise %0D Doris%0D Maude%0D Betty %0D Agatha%0D Harriet%0D Mavis%0D I still think %E2%80%9CPearl%E2%80%9D is a cute name.%0D %0D

R24, I had an argument with my partner about naming our daughter Hazel. He's English and apparently it is or was an acceptable name there. I said, "Hazel's a maid!" We named her Emma. Awful names - Bertha comes to mind. Ethel is awful. I think Irene is a pretty name. Barbara is kind of an ugly name. None of those are as bad as pretentious names like Tiffany or Madison, though.

Patsy

Irene with three syllables - as Irene Worth pronounced her name - is rather nice.

Martha? Rather popular now, for babies and dogs both.

Can't people bother to spell the names they dislike properly, said Dolores Del Rio, wondering why they don't like her name, anyway?

My votes - Hildegard, Deola, Ida, Frieda, Dorothy, Frances, Juana, Gretchen, Mavis, Ramona, Florence, Viola, Opal, Shirley, Edeltraut (I've known two), Lula and Pauline.

Ruth

Hortense

Deloyne

Doralyn

These from my mother's 1940 college annual: Florence Ada Thomasina Annie Eloise Lorraine Lillian Bernice Claudia Lucile Rosa Thelma Minnie Cecile Lovey Eugenia Ouida Golda Lena Mae Genevieve Gwendoline Nelda Viola Maxine Freda Clarissa Hilda Charlene Mamie

Gretchen

Mary!

More votes for Beulah and Gertrude.

Shirley, Myrtle, Muriel,Georgina.

Prunella - the first time I heard that, I thought it was a joke. Hortense I like some of the names others have mentioned, e.g., Irene, Ruth and Agnes.

I LOVE the old names compared to "Madison" and "Kaylee" or whatever those cuntish Kardashian sisters are called.

If I were a parent who bought all their baby clothes from Etsy I'd totally name my kid Agnes, I kind of like that one

Well I can't imagine a professional business woman with the name MacKenzie, Harper, or Skye. Many people still appreciate names like Gladys, Myrna and Mabel (different from Mable). So don't assume because in your little world those names are thrown out the window that they are everywhere.

I prefer old-fashioned lady names. If I ever have daughters, I really like Adelaide, Ruth (my mother's name), Flora, Louisa, or Harriet (Hattie for short).

I love Mae or May and Pearl. Bertha is awful. I hate all the popular names. My daughter is friends with four Madisons. I'm not kidding.

When Estelle and Adele both came on the pop scene a couple years back I couldn't keep them straight because they both had old lady names.

Alma, Ida, Viola, Arlys...

Irma Bernita Doreen

[quote]My daughter is friends with four Madisons. I'm not kidding. TRIVIA: All Madisons are the result of the movie "Splash" in 1984.

Agnes

Old names are fairly in now, but they still sound homely, some more than others. %0D Gladys, Hortense, Agatha, Ethel. Edith, Maude, Norma, they're all pretty bad.%0D %0D I get the feeling that there are going to be a fair amount of poor girls named "Hermione (sp?)", after the girl in Harry Potter. The character may be popular, but that is a really ugly name. %0D %0D

Glenda.

Baby Name Voyager

The popularity of baby names over the last 100 years.

Watch as names soar in popularity only to crash into oblivion.

Esmerelda

Hortense

Heifertiti

Lubertha

Queen Esther

Clara

Beatrice

Agatha

Matilda

Lenore

Matilda is staging a comeback, r57

Mildred, Phyllis Gertrude is not too bad as it can be shortened to Trudy.

I once knew a young woman named "Hagar." Before that, I only knew of one Hagar (the horrible), and that was the viking character from the old comic strip.

Wilhelmina%0D %0D Opal%0D %0D Helga%0D %0D Irma

Oprah.

Matilda is going to blow up when a generation of parents who grew up with the Roald Dahl book (published in the late 80s, I think) and have visions of raising smart, sweet kids whose noses are permanently buried in tasteful books with gold-stamped covers begin to reproduce en masse

People are mixing older names with ugly names.

In what world is "Beatrice" ugly? Unless you act like an Ozarker and stress the second syllable.

Alma may not be one's favorite but it's not possible to find a word more euphonious and pleasant in meaning.

Sho 'nuff on Prunella, though. And finding Gertrude passable because it collapses to the execrable Trudy is hilarious.

I love the cadence of my grandmother's given names (her maiden and married surnames were too prosaic):

Opal May Geraldine...

My gran had a friend named "Clytee."

(pronounced "kligh-T")

my grans had lovely names-Ruby and Charlotte.

Hey Harold, how'd ya come up with this topic?

Audrey.

Clytie like the sunflower maiden? Or like Clytemnestra?

[quote]In what world is "Beatrice" ugly? Unless you act like an Ozarker and stress the second syllable.

I live in a large city and think Beatrice is hideous. I hate Olive too.

R71 -- Have no idea -- never met another Clytie and that old bag has been dead since sometime in the late '60s; my grandmother dead since the late '80s.

Charlotte is a beautiful name.

While we're at it, may as well include Gert and Gertie, the other (shortened) variants of Gertrude which have their own odd ring about them.

Re "Beatrice" --

Many old people Down South DID stress that second syllable. "Bee-AT- triss.

I first heard the name pronounced that way.

Only later did I learn of the more mainstream way of saying this name.

I have a Cleetus in my family. Its a man though.

Lets do ugly male names for the ladies; I'll start: Aubry (not so ugly) Bertram (not so ugly) Curtis (not so ugly) Darwin (not so ugly) Emerson (not so ugly) Frederik (not so ugly) Girard (not so ugly) Hubert (not so ugly) Enough said, ladies (sic)

I'd add Elmer, that's ugly...

Flossie

How about the two sister's names from "A Murder is Announced?"

Lettie and Lottie: nicknames for Leticia and Charlotte

I love both of those names.

I'm kind of surprised Martha, Mitzi and Phyllis haven't had a resurgence.

Flossie is a nickname for Florence.

I know a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties named Hazel.

Miss Birdie.

Miss Shashi!

Ubinka, Cheryl, Dixie, Jean, Marge, Darlene...

Mamie.

My Aunt Milly.. age 56.. absolutely hates her first and middle names...%0D %0D Mildred Agnes%0D %0D Old for even her age.

Olga.

I win!

Augusta

Eunice

Alberta

Fern

Imogen

It sounds like a newfangled cancer drug.

I find old names beginning with E to be ugly - Edith, Erma, Ethel, Enid, Eunice, Esther, Etta.

According to my Gilbert & Sullivan recordings Mabel used to be pronounced "May-bell" instead of "Maebul" as we hear it now. Too bad. I think "May-bell" is pretty.

I had an Native American great-great grandmother (or something) named Suki Feathers. I kind of like it.

Tonya. Slut name.

I'm keen on Glynis.

I really can't stand some of the modern names peeps are giving their unfortunate offspring i.e., Ikea, Chelsea/Chelsey, Gucci, Chloe, Spangle (I shit you not), Clamidia (honestly, I sooo shit you not), Apple, etc. So when you look at this sample Pearl, Bertha and Gurty don't seem so bad huh !?

x

PS. Still waiting for some council house trash to name their kiddy Clitoris, Monument, Shebear or Booty.

R97- It's already happened.

Jennifer

"" Monument, Shebear or Booty. ""

How about "Ursine" for "Shebear."

I've run across that name a time or two.

Always starts me chuckling.

I love this thread.%0D %0D With some of these, it is almost impossible to imagine a hot young woman who is named Gertrude, Hortense, Prunella, etc.

I must be in the minority, because I actually like Agnes. I agree about your other picks though, OP.

Eulalee -- the name means 'eloquent, well-spoken' and yet it cries out 'old white trash.'

Disagree with Martha. That will definitely come back. It'll be like Hannah in a generation or two.

Is obsession with female names some sort of mental disorder? I swear there is a thread like this almost every week.

Prudence

I know one Agnes who is under 30. She's actually very pretty.

Do people still name their kids Mary? I feel old fashioned having the name and I am almost 30.

Marjorie

How come the "flower" names aren't more popular?

Rosemary

Violet

Daisy

Iris

Lily

They're pretty, yet seem to be considered very old-fashioned.

I LOVE Claire, Clara, Clarice and Clarissa.

Donalda, Josepha, Effie, Morag, Debbie, Tammy Not so old but overdone in the 80s and 90s: Amanda, Brianna, Britney, Ashley, Megan

I have an aunt named Frances Hortense and my grandmother was Hazel and her sister was Dagmar.

Mamie

My great aunt was named Edeltraut but she was born in Germany where it was more common at the time.

I do like Esther a lot though.. and a lot of the other names mentioned here.

Myrgatroid, Eulalia, Petunia, Mona, Latona ...

If I have a daughter she will be called Rosa or Madeline. I think their old fashioned but pretty.

Yeah, I like Esther quite a lot too, but if I ever have a daughter she'd probably be Beatrice or Susannah.

"I think their old fashioned but pretty."%0D

Yeah, "Mildred" sounds like an old woman who's got that sour old-woman smell wafting off of her.

I have a female ancestor named Hepsibah. Pronounced HEP-s'-buh. Always wanted to see a picture of her: it's the most monstrously fat female name I've ever heard, even fatter than Bertha.

Agnes and Irene are lovely names. I especially like the English pronunciation of Irene.

Nicknames are very much out of fashion nowadays, and they often were diminutives of otherwise harsh sounding names. For instance, Millie for Millicent or Mildred or Matt for Martha.

And I much prefer the old-fashioned names to naming children after inanimate objects or cardinal numbers.

I refuse to believe that "Morag" was ever a woman's name, r111.

What about Xanthippe?%0D %0D There are so many possible nicknames for that one.

Hortense.

Lillian.

When I worked in hospitals I had at least 10 different patients named Lillian Cohen and they were all sncient crones.

Morag is a traditional Scottish Gaelic woman's name. I went to school with a girl called Morag.

[quote]Bronwyn

Bronwyn rocks!

Esmeralda. I don't actually think it's too bad but it's not much in use anymore.

Bertha is a "fat" name. Another hideous name was Dutch, Anuk or Anook? Just sounded jarringly harsh.

Amelia Marjorie Jane Ethel Mildred Martha Gertrude Phyllis Petunia Irma Agnes Isabel Hortence Helga Etta Betty Beulah Delilah

I like Jane.

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany have a baby daughter named Agnes Lark Bettany. A few actors have named their daughters Tallulah.

names like Mary, Anne, Margaret, Ruth, Joan etc will always be somewhat popular, at least among Catholics and other traditional religious folks who like their children to have biblical/Saint-derived names.

another "old lady name" to add to the thread:

Hester

I dislike most of the names in this thread but I think the worst are the male names that've been feminized, like Thomasina, Josephine, a, Patrice, Denise, Paula, Donna, Harriet, Carla etc.

"Well I can't imagine a professional business woman with the name MacKenzie, Harper, or Skye. Many people still appreciate names like Gladys, Myrna and Mabel (different from Mable)."

So it's wrong to make fun of currently trendy names, but we can't make fun of names that were trendy 80 years ago?

Gladys and Myrna were once the equivalent of Harper and Skye.

"Morag is a traditional Scottish Gaelic woman's name. I went to school with a girl called Morag."

Fun fact: Jim "Gay American" McGreevey's oldest daughter is named Morag

I wonder what it's going to be like when there are 80 year old Jamies out there, both male and female.

I know a family who ned their children Dashiell, Hesper and Wyatt.

It's pretty funny to think about R133. Nursing homes full of people named Colton, Jaden, Tyffini and Caylynn.

A couple of people have mentioned Ella and Matilda. Both are very popular in my country. They are no longer associated with old ladies.

Personally I'd like to never hear the names Sheila, Cosima, Phillipa or Bertha again. Most of all I hate the bastardization of the spelling of names. Especially lovely old names. Nothing says low rent like deliberately misspelling Madylen or Emilee or Khloe. Ugh

I once worked with a woman named Myrtice. I won't tell you her entire last name, but the first syllable is Scab.

Myrtice is the ugliest woman's name I've ever heard. Unfortunately, it fit her.

Old-fashioned names are popular again. Soon I will be a father to a Henry or Beatrice.

I've known two Beryls- one a male and one a female.

My grannies were named Hazel & Ethel, plus I had some great aunts named Evelyn, Faye, Greta ( pronounced Gree-ta) Una,Viola, Edith & Ardith, ( twins !) Hulda, and Ursula.

But those PALE in comparision to some of my great uncles ... Urban, Lamount, Mansfield,Hermie, Edgar, Egerrton, and best of all Great Uncle Hampshire ( shortened to Hammie )

Another hideous name was Dutch, Anuk or Anook? Just sounded jarringly harsh.

R127, is it Anouska or Annika

My late grandmother Edna would be 101 this year and even she hated the name and thought it old-fashioned.

Bronwyn seems to be fairly popular again. I've heard of several of them at my niece's school.

The most beautiful woman I know, who's in her 20s, is named Rosemary, after her grandmother. She goes by Rosie.

Helga/Hulga, Greta/Gerta/Gurda. No wonder Saxon woman are butch.

I once knew a couple from "the greatest generation" whose names were Stan and Norma. Their daughters' names were Stanetta and Normella. All four are now deceased.

I still think Hortense takes the cake for ugly old-fashioned names, with Gertrude placing a close second.

I think Hazel is lovely.

When I was a kid in the 1970`s there was a crazy old eccentric women in our town whose first name was Madonna ... ( swear to God! ) little kids used to call each other that name in the schoolyard as an insult or taunt ....

I like a lot of the older names but Bertha is just bad. Gertrude is probably tough to carry off.

Bronwyn sounds fashion forward. Also sounds like a prep school. Good? Bad?

Oral Roberts had a sister named Annal.

Hortense or Hattie. Fern or Fannie

Male = Aloysius

Ooh, Aloysius, give it to me baby!???

R147, Tori spelling just named her new kid Hattie. That awful name will probably make a comeback like the similarly awful Stella (which coincidentally is also the name of Tori's other daughter).

Stella has become pretty popular again and I have no idea why. It's horrible sounding.

Eulalie, Zelda, Ermintrude.

We actually had an Ethel, Agnes, and Irene in my high school as well as an Alice and an Iris. This was in the late '90s. All of them were Asian. I guess old lady names were popular amongst Asian parents in the late 70s/early 80s.

This place needs a downvote option.

Cheryl has a nasty ring to it.

Bella. I KNOW it's resurgence is because of "Twilight", but I always think of Bella Abzug! On the other hand, had a great--great--grandmother named Jerusha, and I think that is a BEAUTIFUL name!

Judy, Barbra, Madonna, Gaga.

Prince Albert has a nasty ring to it.

151 is talking about the1890's....eldergay!

Some names from the 60`s and 70`s are now starting to sound old and dated...

like Doreen, Sandra, Tammy, Brenda, Rhonda, Charlene, Amy, Yvonne, Suzanne, Barbara, Marsha, Joanne, Nancy....

I'm a teacher at a fancy private college, and a lot of these old names are coming back. I've had students named Ada, Corinne, Gertrude (two, and both went by Gertie), Mae, Hazel, Mavis, Clarissa, Phoebe, Mathilda, Agnes (she went by Aggy), Mamie, Bernadette, Lavinia, Adrienne, and lots of Marthas (it's still a popular name for rich families). This year I even have a Florence.

There are certain names that seem associated with fatness or dowdiness that I think will have a lot of problem coming back in: Hilda, Bertha, Ethel... but you can never tell. All names seem to come around again.

The ones that seem the most out of favor right now are 40s names: Linda, LaVonne, Juanita (for non-Hispanics), Shirley, Charlene, and Vivian/Vivienne.

I have a niece named Hatta, and she goes by Hattie.

My mom got a shit load of pressure to name me Charlene from her grandma and more pressure from my dad who wanted to name me Mary Jane or Betty Sue (he was from the South). I'm glad she stuck to her guns.

Gwyneth

Ooh -- I forgot about Lurlene, which, of course, suggests Maxine.

There's a Simpsons episode where the subplot involves Homer moving into his father's nursing home, and there's one great moment (reminiscent of this thread) where he walks down a hall greeting each of the old people by name:

"Jasper!

Gladys!

Beatrice!

Lookin' good, Hattie!

Asa!

Hazel!

Hester!

Emil!

Prudence!

Lemuel!

Increase!"

How about Cotton? That was a good Puritan name.

Maud.

*shivers*

I recently worked with a beautiful, sexy 25-year-old Maude.

Although the name never stopped seeming incongruous, I did get to the point where I didn't automatically think of Bea Arthur every time I encountered her.

I've taught kids with some astonishing names (Fellatia is hands down my favorite), but the world will probably never see another Myrtle.

Agnes. But the worst name was Clyde Barrow's mother's name. Cummie barrow

La Trine is the 2nd worst

So many of these names are jewels, trees, flowers and other plants. Therefore they are lovely to me, because when I hear Pearl, I think of the jewel. Ditto Beryl, Ruby and Opal.

And when I hear Myrtle, I think of the beautiful crape myrtles or the finely edged foliage florists use. Hazel makes me think of a hazel nut tree and Fern is a hardy but lacy perennial in my garden.

Beatrice and Matilda and Maude are the names of queens, and Bella, which I named a cat long before the vampire books were written, means beautiful. Alma means soul, and I know an Enid who is hilarious, brilliant and an accomplished athlete, so I think it's a wonderful name.

Don't be so narrow-minded.

I agree with R171.

"Beulah sounds like an old bitch"

Beulah sounds like the help to the old bitch...

Lucille

Opal

Hariette

Henrietta

Olivia

Audrey

Adelaide

Irma

Calista

Any name starting with the letter E except for Emma.

I think the movie "Porky's" ruined the name Beulah forever.

Three of our familial (female) names: -Lavina (rhymes with vagina) -Mildred -Florence

Two male names: -Seymour -Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn is not a male name...

Apple

I find this thread interesting as quite a lot of these names are popular or seeing a resurgence in the UK - although a few are only really used in their diminutive form.

I know a Beryl, a Flora, an Esmeralda, a Georgina, a Ruth, a Louisa and several Matilda's ranging in age from a few months to early 30s. My younger sister's middle name is Esther - not uncommon for Jewish girls. My great-grandmother was called Phyllis and a friend's mother is Gertrude (she is Swedish, which is relevant).

Benignity

Ethna

Olive.

Josephine

I was reading through this book of baby names; it was a reference book supposedly to help parents choose a very fashionable, attractive, modern name for their whelp. Anyway, one of the girl names that was said to be a great choice was, get this, CLEMENTINE. That's right, Clementine, a very clunky, UGLY name. I would never saddle any daughter of mine with such a homely name. But the book said that it was cute and adorable and "today", so I guess it is a trend to name your kid some crappy name from another era.

When I was growing up, every other girl was named Debbie. There was a joke on the original Newhart series about a temp receptionist, a senior citizen, being named Debbie and it was funny because it was considered such a "young" name. Now I wonder how many decades it's been since anyone was named Debbie or Deborah.

Madonna.

[quote] Anyway, one of the girl names that was said to be a great choice was, get this, CLEMENTINE. That's right, Clementine, a very clunky, UGLY name. I would never saddle any daughter of mine with such a homely name.

How dare you say that!

I actually really like Irene. And if I ever have a daughter Martha would be the frontrunner for the name.

I agree that the 50's-70's names are the ones that sound old and unfashionable these days.

One name that I think is a total future contender for this category is Jennifer. I associate it with pretty young women because I grew up with so many, but when I actually stop to think about the sound, I think "Jennifer" is an ugly, frumpy-sounding word. And I bet that young people in the 2050s, when the massive numbers of Jennifers born in the '70s and '80s are old ladies, will hear "Jennifer" the way we now hear "Ethel" and "Gertrude".

Lillian is my mother's day. I always liked Lily. Middle name is Mae. I don't tell anyone

There are ugly nicknames too such as Shoogy or Bobo.

My grandmother was Myrtle Anis. The other was Mildred Dawn.

I like both.

Fern

[quote]Bella. I KNOW it's resurgence is because of "Twilight", but I always think of Bella Abzug! On the other hand, had a great--great--grandmother named Jerusha, and I think that is a BEAUTIFUL name!

Bella Abzug was a better woman than you, sweetheart.

She was one of the first member of Congress to introduce a gay rights bill. She's a role model and a champion of equal rights for everyone.

If I have a daughter she will be Lulu Mary Pearl.

Most of these would be good names for chickens, not babies.

R185, that reminds me of an episode of "Designing Women." I don't remember it exactly, but they're sitting around (surprise, surprise) lamenting the loss of names like Bertha and Beulah and how future generations will have grandmothers named Heather and Tiffany, and that by then Bertha and Beulah may become fashionable again.

Reichen.

Patti Lu

Bella means beautiful in Italian and although I'm Italian I live here at the moment, so it's is very odd to meet little girls named "Beautiful. I have 2 friends who have given their daughters this name and ironically neither girl is in the least bit attractive. Plain Jane would have been a better option but obviously I keep that opinion to myself.

Linda also means "pretty" in Spanish and you see a lot of English-speaking (justified or not) with that name. It's also a common name in Spanish.

Tabitha & Marion

I actually love the name "Agnes" but would never give it to a human child because the rest of society reads it as "corpse skeletonized by own cats at 83"

My mother's name was Myrtle Leola.

Dear R177,

Gwendolyn was my grandfather's first name. No wonder he went by "G. Charles"

My grandmother's name was Toba and she detested it, said it was too much of an old lady's name for even old ladies. She insisted it not be used for future generations. Her college friends called her Tobie and I think she hated that even more.

Where do you people get your perceptions from? They seem totally arbitrary. Why would you describe something as "ugly" or "horrible" simply because it is associated with one time rather than another?

[quote]Bambi

[quote]They used to hot strippers, now they're just old whores.

They were named after the Disney movie which came out in 1940.

It was another Disney movie "Splash" in 1984 that started the "Madison" name trend.

Love Story (1970) gave us "Jennifer" and "Ryan". Jennifer has since faded into obscurity. Ryan is fading but still common. Ryan Seacrest (1974) owes his name to bad movie.

Dynasty gave the world "Crystal" and "Alexis"

doris, myrtle, mavis, maude, irene, beattie, bunny, dolores, edna, fucking brenda!!!, ivy, doreen, phyllis, joan and so on..

Track the popularity of baby names over time.

Witness the complete collapse of "MARY"

[quote]Where do you people get your perceptions from? They seem totally arbitrary. Why would you describe something as "ugly" or "horrible" simply because it is associated with one time rather than another?

Everyone who listed names in this thread should have to answer this question.

r210 - wheres catholicism when you need it. that shit was hot when people still went to church!

The "Catholic" names are great, classic names. The "ugly old female names" are preferable to today's ugly stupid names.

Luba

Greer

where does Kristen come from, or its variations?

I knew an older lady named "Binx" (rhymes with jinx) most unusual name I've ever come across and I have always found it very likeable . Plus she was a super nice lady.

|Many bold New England & Southern families still regularly use names from the 1800's which is why many go by nicknames like Muffy, Buffy, Cuffy, Kiki, Trip, Skip, Jock, etc etc ...

While I don't think it's an ugly name, I do think "Joan" has become an old lady name. It's hard to imagine meeting a little girl named Joan today.

My name IS Joan.

Inez

I win.

Hortense !

but I *like* Hortense. Isn't it a flower?

Marjorie

Jurene

Myrna

Zelma

Lorena

Donna

Both Dawn and Donna have always sounded trashy to me.

the "een" ones sound trashy to me: Darleen, Lurlene, Arlene, Charlene...

I'm glad my name is not on this thread!

however you feel about Dawn and Donna, R226, they sound perfectly regal compared to today's terrible names!

Hortense? That's a funny name, Hortense.

You're right R225 Donna is the worst of the worst. I've always hated this name even as a kid. It's the Italian for "woman" and I'd wonder who would look down at small girl and name her woman. Of course I've since found out that some people had no idea of the meaning, they just liked the sound of the name. I guess these are the same people who like the sound of screeching brakes and dogs howling.

Jemima

Hildegarde

Brunhilde

Lemon

Heidi Hilda Bertha Emily Betsy Betty Wilhelmina Zelda

My partner's mother is Mildred, his aunt is Zelda, his cousin is Myrna. He has a cousin named Gwen and multiple cousins named Mindy.

I don't understand the American Jewish fascination with the name "Mindy." Everyone else knows it means "fat girl." Name your daughter Mindy and you've doomed her to life as a "zaftig to obese" woman.

Old lady names in my family -- grandma was Dot and she had two sisters --Hattie and ( not sure if it is spelled this way) Geseine (pronounced "Jess-een"). They were German.

My mother's side was Irish , but no one had Gaelic names like Seamus or Nuala. They were a parade of Daniels and Thomas And James and Rose and Mary Ellen. Funny, my Irish immigrant grandparents gave their children "English" names so hey would assimilate, yet their grandchildren name their kids Sean, Kelly, Erin, Kieran and Brendan.

[quote] I don't understand the American Jewish fascination with the name "Mindy." Everyone else knows it means "fat girl." Name your daughter Mindy and you've doomed her to life as a "zaftig to obese" woman.

Now you tell me!

Lots of people named their kids after movie stars. You could kind of tell how old someone was by their names. Debbie became super-popular after Debbie Reynolds became America's sweetheart. My parents' generation liked Judy Garland, so there were lots of Judys in my class. An aunt named her daughter Nancy after Frank Sinatra's "Nancy With the Laughing Eyes."

Not sure why Donna became so popular. Donna Reed?

My sister's friends named their kids after soap characters There were TONS of Ericas. My sister almost named her son Tristan after someone on General Hospital. We talked her out of it, thank god. We are from lower income stock and he would have had a helluva time defending himself in schoolyards with a name like that back in the 1970s

Seems no one has the guts to answer r207's question.

Eunice has got to be one of the ugliest names on the planet. Una or Oona isn't so hot either.

How about Marilyn? It has the weird duality of being linked to a particular forever-young woman BUT also smacks of "middle-aged-to-old lady" now. Does anyone know a teen or twentysomething Marilyn?

Not that the name itself is as inherently ugly as Ethel, Gertrude, etc. that have been named on this thread.

Harriet

I have a friend named Irene, named for a grandmother.

She's a hoot, and it fits her.

Hester, Orpha, Fidelia, Mahulda,Rowena, Ruth, Maude. My great aunt's name was Mildred but everyone called her Mid.

Someone wrote that their grandmother born in 1889 was named Gertrude. My great-grandmother named Gertrude was born in 1888. Everyone called her "Gert" her whole life.

I love the names Rita, and Frances. They are lovely names!

Henrietta

Bitty and Glenda.

My mom's name is Beatrice Adelaide, her sister's was Betty Jane.

I like the old name Vivian.

Gladys, Agnes

Maura

Nerissa

Maisie

Gretel

Sandrine

Roseline

Deborah

Nannie, Constance, Peg, Phyllis, Paige, Una, Ima, Juet, Davida, Frances, Gladys, Marla, Hilda, Wilma, Estelle, Agnes, Eunice, Margaret, Henrietta, Dori, Cecilia, Octavia, Olive, Uvelia, Nettie, Doris, Neva, Ester, Matilda, Maude, Lucille, Fannie, Odessa, Cadence, Priscilla, Tabitha, Jeanette, Virginia, Yolanda, Nancy, Amelia, Camilla, Bessie, Lavinia, Jean, Myrtle, Florence, Marion, Lottie, Doretha, Louise, Lois, Justine, Paulene/Paulette, Edna, a, LaRue, Connie, Cordelia, Jezebelle, Juanita, Claudette/Claudia, Janice, Ruby, June, Grace, Bethany, Wanda, Evelyn.

I've loved the name Hildegarde ever since I saw Roz Russell in "His Girl Friday". Viola is a beautiful name too.

An old friend of mine found out while doing some genealogy research for a high school history class that he had a great-grandmother named Cleo Patra (two words, "Patra" pronounced "Paytra").

He also found out that he had another great-grandmother whose birth name was Melissa, but, being born in the 1890s, she hated it because she thought it was weird. So she had it legally changed to Omer Mae.

I'm thankful my name hasn't been mentioned in this thread.

I have an elderly aunt named Fanny Pearl. A British friend of mine refused to believe me when I told her.

[quote]I dunno if this counts as old, but "Lorna" strikes me as a horrid name.

Liza doesn't roll off the tongue so nicely either, bitch.

Oh, and by the way, I was molested.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Emily.

Nancy is the most awful name on the planet. There is nothing good about it from the N to the Y. Awful. Awful. Awful.

What about Nancine, R256?

Nancy is a place in France.

This thread reminds of the episode of DESIGNING WOMEN where they discuss baby names and Charlene wonders why people don't give their babies nice, regular names like Heather and Shannon. Julia then observes that someday people's grandmothers will all be called Tiffany and Heather while their young granddaughters will be named Beulah, Maude or Ethel.

Claudia Fiona Agnes Patricia Helga Doris Helga Terry Bethany Yolanda Gertrude Liz Mildred Janice Holly Nadia Cathy

I had a great-aunt named Adeline. How old-timey is THAT name? There was a popular song in the early 20th century called 'Sweet Adeline' so I guess that's where it came from.

MARLA. IS. THE. UGLIEST. NAME. EVER. Who agrees? (:

Ursula is pretty bad, r 262.

Hortense

Madonna

I love the name Nancy.

Why is this thread focused on women's names?

How do you feel about Wilbur? or Thadius? Alistair? Martin?

Edith, Mildred, Martha, Dorothy

Mable?

I love the names Agnes and Beatrice and Gwendolyn and Viola.

Myrtle has the ugliest "ur" sound in it.

Hester

Hester needs just one more "a."

Dorcas

[quote]Why is this thread focused on women's names?

Because it's called "Ugly old female names."

I hate the name Adele. I have a sister named Adela -- correctly pronounced ah-DEL-la, not addle-la like in that stupid movie "A Passage to India" -- and it irks me to hear the name Adele, 'cause it sounds like someone getting cut off after the second syllable of my sister's name. Whenever I hear that name on the news or the radio discussing the singer, I always want to add an "la" after it.

Gerda

Gerda

Gerda

Beryl

Candice (or Candace)

Bernadette !!!!!

My like/dislike of names has everything to do with people I've known with these names and how they've treated me.

My name has come up several times on this thread and you're all right--I've nevr met another Jean under 70. On my way tom work one day I heard on the radio that my name was I the top three names that an ugly girl would have. Not a great moment. I have always,always hated my name.

"Where do you people get your perceptions from? They seem totally arbitrary. Why would you describe something as "ugly" or "horrible" simply because it is associated with one time rather than another?"

the smell of mothballs

Prunella

My Mother is Eunice.

Millicent is awful. Gun, pronounced "goon" the female form of Gunnar, ugh.

The name "Emma" always reminds me of "enema."

Hepzibah

I have always hated the name Regina. Reminds me of vagina.

As for men, I've always hated the name George. It sounds old man-ish and stupid.

In 3rd grade we had a mock election at my elementary school. We were led to the cafeteria class by class to cast our votes for the two presidential candidates that year. I had no idea what the hell was going on. I was newly-arrived in the country and spoke very little English. My tutor broke it down for me: "Just go in the little room and pick a name." When I went in the booth, it didn't take me long to choose. In Spanish, I've always preferred the name Miguel and thought Jorge was a stupid, old man name. I knew that Michael and George were the English equivalent so I checked off Michael Dukakis. It wasn't until later that night that I realized I'd made the right choice. When I told my adoptive parents what we did in school that day, they confirmed that they too were voting for Dukakis, so it made me feel good that I'd done the right thing.

R287, not if it's pronounced the proper way -- reh-gee-na. Seriously, who the hell besides Canadians pronounces it like vagina?

If I had twins I would name them Prudence and Prunella, or maybe Mildred and Maxine.

[quote]How do you feel about Wilbur? or Thadius? Alistair? Martin?

Thadius & Martin - Don't mind.

Alistair - Like. Maybe because I once had a dog named this.

Wilbur is a fine name for a pig.

Oldey-time male names that I hope never make a comeback:

Cornelius, Eugene (sounds like a urological condition), Herbert, Earl, Stanley, Melvin, Albert (particularly "Bert"), Marvin, Elmer, Vernon, Lester, Gordon, Harvey, Ronald, Delbert,

Hey, my name is Marvin!

Granted, I hated it growing up 'cause only geeks seemed to be named that in movies/TV, but I've come to embrace it.

Sorry Marvin!

In the early 90's I used to work the night shift in the admitting office of a large hospital, the ER would call me to assign beds for the newly admitted patients. The ER clerk would call and the first bit of info she would give me was the name. When she gave the first name Gertie, Mabel, Hattie, Ruth, Agnes, Prudence etc I immediately knew the patient was way over 90. I was always right, and these old birds were, unfortunately, not easy to place because the RN's on the nurse units fought with each other over who was more overloaded with senile old women patients.

Trashy people get baby names from pop culture.

"Bambi" came from the 1940 Disney movie. This is why Bambi's are all old whores now.

"Madison" came from the 1984 Disney movie "Splash"

"Crystal" and "Alexis" came from Dynasty

People with class use family names that have been passed down through the ages.

[quote]How do you feel about Wilbur? or Thadius? Alistair? Martin?

You know, with nearly 3,000 very WASPy family tree names going back to the early 1600s in the U.S., I have only seen one Wilbur and the others, not at all.

R289 I know how to pronounce Regina. It's an awful name. Didn't say it rhymed with vagina but reminded me of it.

Now leave me alone Regina!

My sister is having a little girl and will name her "Margaret Louise."

What do we think?

And Gertrude is the Patron Saint of Cats, Bitches!

Margaret Louise could be the name of any girl from any period in the last 400 years.

Are you sure she doesn't want to name her Bambi?

Beulah is the ugliest female name to me. It sounds like something you would name a cow.

One old-timey female name I like is Vivian.

[quote]I have always hated the name Regina. Reminds me of vagina.

How? It's not Ra-gy-na. It's Rah-GE-na. Not even the same.

My grandmother was Myrtle. A name who's time has come and gone. However another name I know from that time and still love is Jurene.

My great-grandmother's name was Minta, born in 1896. I've never heard that name anywhere else, but it's definately an old-lady name to me.

Pearl, Ruby

I like Pearl.

I have a great aunt named Edna, who is amazingly still alive, at 106 years old! On the the other side of my family, I had great aunts named Olive, Indianola (India, for short) and Elsie....and my grandmother's name (the baby) was Bernice.

Walter is a boys name deserving of a comeback.

Icy Pearl was also a variation, although uncommon, of Pearl. Seriously.

Walter is a good name for a big, slow dog or a fat cat but not for a person.

Sharon.

R303 Ruby is making a HUGE comeback. Lots of little girls out there today with that name.

A lot of these old names have popular diminutives

Such at Trudy for Gertrude.

Or Millie for Mildred

I know Ethel is cool spelled Ethyl

Flower names seem to be out. Like Ivy, Rose, Violet, Daisy, (unless you're on an English sitcom)

Month names are out: Marge, April, May, June and Julie

Black people still like gem stone names like: Jem, Diamond, Ruby, Crystal, Sapphire, Pearl, Jet

The real stupid people are those who give their daughters male names. I knew one woman named ANDREW. I was like did you're parents know ANDREW means MANLY????

Margaret Louise calls to mind Scandinavian royalty

Murgatroyd, Eugenia-which happens to be my middle name- I also think it sounds like vagina. If pronounced the French way, it's beautiful, but I am far from French).

However, I do adore my first name, which is synonymous with a Rigby and a Roosevelt. It's nice seeing it make a comeback.

I am working with someone who has a Willa. They named her after her grandmother, Wilhemina, but didn't want to saddle her with the whole name.

R280, I know at least 5 women named Jean (and one Jeanne) . They are all under 40 and all are attractive. One is stunning. I never would think Jean is an ugly old female name.

My aunts' names: Dorothy, Jeanette, Hazel, Patsy, Fay. Don't see many young girls with those names. Now, the aunts on my other side--Mary, Margaret, Catherine, Helen..you still hear those these days, but usually in one of those double-name situations like "Mary Helen" ..

What about Mia? Is it popular again? I've always thought I'd use that if I ever had a daughter.

[quote]How? It's not Ra-gy-na. It's Rah-GE-na. Not even the same.

I believe the British use Ra-gy-na. Americans use the Rah-GE-na. At least I heard that in some movie about Queen Victoria. They said Victoria Ra-GY-na. Any UK DL'ers like to weigh in?

Wanda, Imogene, Juanita, Theda, Olive, Ida, Fern, Nina, Bertha, Jewell, Dove

Growing up there were tons of girls named Jennifer, Amy, Patricia and Michelle and I never hear any of those any more (I'm a teacher btw.). I named my daughter Marilyn because I had never met anyone with that name and I think it's beautiful, but people are always assuming it's after the actress. No, I really don't want my daughter growing up to be Marilyn Monroe but thanks for assuming. I had a student two years ago named Glennis, which I thought was odd and old sounding.

I always hated Jemima, which seems to be a more British. It just sounds ugly to me.

Meryl

My grandmothers were named Beryl and Esther. It's popular to give your kids family names these days but I wasn't giving either of my girls those names.

I have a friend in her early 30s named Myra. She's Southern and was named after a great-aunt.

My grandma's name was Cecilia. She was surly and angry most of the time so I can't see anyone with that name and not think of them as a grumpy old lady.

I tend to like the so called classic names though. For a while my sister's name was thought to be outdated and old fashion, but now everyone is naming their little girls Isabel again. She hates this, says it makes her less unique.

I Carlita and Edna though, I can't see those ever coming back. Well really, the whole thing of finding a way to name little girls after their dads has sort of gone out of style.

Is Abstinence an old lady name?

Mulva is a name you don't hear very often.

My partner has an aunt (now in her 90s) named Flora Dora. His father's first and middle names were Darwin Marx.

Edna is such an old spinster name.

Great choices but I didn't see the names of two of my ancient relatives: Nina and Althea.

I went to school with a Eugenia, a Jemima and a Myrna. You'd think I went to grade school in the late 1880s, instead of the late 1980s.

Agnes is such an old-lady name now, but it must've been popular in the middle of the 20th Century 'cause a lot of old movies I've seen featured young, beautiful females named Agnes.

Macodime

It's going to be weird to see elderly Britneys and Ashleys all over the place.

On the other hand, Sophia and Isabella, names that seem very popular right now, seem adaptable to old ladies.

My bf's ancient great-aunt is named Enid. When was the last time you met a woman named Enid?

[quote]Great choices but I didn't see the names of two of my ancient relatives: Nina and Althea.

Nina is hardly an old person's name. I know quite a few. As for Althea, that brings back memories:

I like classic names --

Diana

Catherine

Ann

Elizabeth

Isabel

Julia

Sabrina

Angela

Margaret

Christina

Natalie

Many beautiful names, without dipping into the Dakota/Madison well.

R314, Mia was actually the 9th most popular girls name last year (according to US Social Security Administration).

It's interesting how today's popular names like William, Elizabeth, Emma, and Grace have withstood the test of time (according to the charts linked below), while Clarence, Gladys, and Mildred seem so ugly and old.

Old DL woman's name:

Heifertiti

I'm happy my name hasn't showed up in this thread yet.. I guess it's not that bad then.. lol.

My great-aunts (all born in the early 1900s) were: Adeline, Gertrude, Annetta, Mildred and Doris. My grandmothers were Phyllis and Ethel.

How's that for some old-timey old-lady names?

Tracey Ullman named her daughter Mabel.

Maybe in England that's a "pretty" name but I think it's appalling.

Thora Hird

Susan

Linda

Jennifer

R339, it's pretty ugh in the UK, too. There seems to be a trend for resurrecting old-fashioned names right now, such as Lily, Grace and Ruby. Mabel fits right in there, I suppose.

I think people should dig deeper and bring back Æthelstan and Ælgyfu or not bother.

I want to meet a Clytemnestra.

Euphonius

I knew a woman, who would now be mid-50's, whose name was Clyma. But she went by C.J.

Birtha, rondah and i think janice are the ugliest names I have ever heard and yes i have no idean how to spell them correctly because why would i need to?

yeas you're correct UK do pronounce it Ra-Gy-na, at least where I lived in the south east.

I think Gertrude and Bertha have to be among the worst. The names seem so heavy to me. I can't imagine a little baby girl called Gertrude! Agnes is a personal worst but there's something quirky about it.

I'm not mad on the month names either like April, May, June... but I did have a lovely old lady neighbor once that had a helpful way of remembering her name. (she was a large lady) she said "It's June, like the month coz I'm bursting out all over!"

Agatha is the worst.

I think Ethel sounds like a cough! Ethyl is worse, it's a chemical name. There are lots of much prettier names IMO

My Norwegian great-grandmother had a lovely name, Amanda Marguerite. But she named her daughters Agnes and Mabel. I guess those were pretty names in 1901. Neither Agnes nor Mabel grew up to be beautiful women. They were burly, boozy, frowzy Norwegians that would slap you in the teeth if you looked at them wrong.

Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Judy Garland, Jennifer Jones, Linda Darnell and Susan Hayward all popularized their names in the US after they each became stars. Before their respective stardoms their names were rarely chosen for baby girls, though they became the most popular post WWII names.

On the other hand, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner did nothing to particularly popularize their names in spite of their huge success as movie stars.

I find that very interesting.

Clark Gable and Cary Grant also didn't inspire many namesakes in the US.

Well Linda means beautiful in Spanish so there you go. Sounds better in Spanish too.

Barbara, Susan and Jennifer had been somewhat common names during Vctorian times but by the turn of the 20th century had been considered very old fashioned and associated with people's great grandmothers and spinster aunts.

But then Barbara and Susan were two of the most popular names for baby girls born in the 1940s/1950s and Jennifer resurged in the 1970s/1980s though not so much for new-borns today.

Mary never went out of style until the 1980s.

Manerva. The worst

I knew two old ladies named Beulah. One was a harridan. The other was hilarious. Why am I telling you this?

Hortense. I put this name into a baby name generator and it actually said- DON'T!!

You never hear the name Joan anymore. I like that name and wish it would come back.

Hortense, Beulah and Bertha are imho the all-time worst female names. I always picture some old Victorian spinster crone.

I imagine Downton has had an impact.

That said, I'd far rather a passel of Ediths over another round of Krystles.

My Great-Gran was named Eudoxie Eglantine, called Doxie.

Girlie for a boy....had a great uncle named that

Gertrude, Bessie, Myrtle, Barbara.

It's true that Mavis and Sybil 'ave ways that are winning And Prudence and Gwendolyn set your 'eart spinning Phoebe's delightful, Maude is disarming Janice, Felicia, Lydia - charming Cynthia's dashing, Vivian's sweet Stephanie's smashing, Priscilla a treat Veronica, Millicent, Agnes, and Jane Convival company, time and again Drocas and Phyllis and Glynis are sorts I'll agree are three jolly good sports But cream of the crop, tip of the top It's Mary Poppins, and there we stop!

Luba in Russian and Ukrainian translates at "love" or "charity."

Inez, I believe, is Spanish for Agnes

We now have U.S. Senators named Heidi, Tammy and Deb along with Debbie and Dianne.. Sounds like members of the high school cheerleading squad

Way too much time on your hands. If Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Beyonce Knowles, Rachel Weisz, Salma Hayek, Elizabeth Taylor, Hilary Duff, or Scarlett Johansson were named Flossie/Bertha/Ethel/Bambi Every other girl born within the past 20 years would be named like them

Brucilla... not Drucilla. Have met one Brucilla in my life. I thought someone was mispronouncing her name. She looked like a Brucilla.

Medora (Dora 4 short)

Well Jennifer Connely's daughter is named Agnes.

Ethel Mae Pitter

We'll never forget her.

Ethel Mae Pitter....

...We'll never forget her.

MY neighbor named her baby girl "Activia."

...and her sister is named Chutneigh R370? Just a guess.

I hate all those ancient names in my mom's yearbook. Those awful old names that all those haggy old '70s high school girls had. The worst names ever: Jennifer, Lisa, Brenda, Donna, Cheryl, Lori, Samantha, Crissy, Kristy. Ugh. Those are worse and more old timey than Hagatha or gertrude.

Prudence is awful. Hearing the name Prudence always makes me think of an old New England spinster/cat lady from the 1900s.

Typical gay names

AIDSy Oral Gonorrhea Anal Syphilis Warty McButt

R373, the only Prudence I ever knew was one of the sluttiest women on earth. Maybe she thought she had a lot of image to destroy.

My grandmother was Phyllis and her sisters were Adeline, Doris and Helen. They were all born in the 1910s/1920s.

My mother's name was Colette. It's kind of old-fashioned but I like it.

R371, no her sister's name is Restasis.

Ida and Myrna are my favorites.

Paula

Patricia

Anne

Beth

Ester

374 TYPICAL STRAIGHT NAMES: CUNTY MCCUNT-CUNT, FUGLY MCSHITHOLE AND CHLAMYDIA POONTANG.

r381

Is stupid and doesn't know how to quote

My grandmother and greatgrandmother were named:

Maureen Andrey

So those two personify 'old lady' names for me.

Edna Peggy May

Are the other three =/

Leonora/gladys norah Claudine Ernestine Gertrude

Ragnilde (how do you even pronounce it?

The only Regina I ever met was from the South and she pronounced it to rhyme with 'vagina' - straight up, the ugliest name I have ever heard!

I quite like some old-fashioned names such as Lily, Isobel, Martha, Irene etc.

One of my pet hates was the trend for using surnames or unisex names such as Madison, Taylor/Tyler, Regan/Reagan, Cassidy, Kennedy, McKenzie etc etc. I find it funny to imagine that there will be nursing homes with multiple occupants with these names in the future.

I can't honestly imagine the circle turning far enough for names such as Bertha, Marjorie, Gertrude, Ethel, Hortense, Ida, Mavis & Ermintrude coming back into fashion, but I've always loved the name Walt for a boy, so what do I know!?

Madonna

I've never encountered anyone who had that name other than Madge. How crazy were her parents to name her after the mother of Jesus?

"Laverne" -- opinion on this old name?

r374 LOL

Ada Adelaide Adelia Adeline Agatha Agnes Alberta Alma Anastasia Antonia Augusta Beatrice Blanche Celia Clara Constance Cora Cordelia Cornelia Dora Dorothea Edith Elsa Elsie Esther Etta Eudora Eugenia Evelyn Fay Flora Florence Frances Frederica Geraldine Harriet Hazel Helen Henrietta Hermione Ida Imogen Iris Ivy Josephine Kay Lavinia Leonora Letitia Lucasta Lucinda Lucretia Mabel Mamie Martha Matilda Maude May Mildred Millicent Minerva Miriam Muriel Myrtle Olive Opal Pearl Penelope Priscilla Prudence Ruth Theodora Ursula Vera Viola Vivian Wilhelmina Winifred Zenobia

Phylicia

Gretchen

Henrietta

Oma

I met someone with a four-year-old daughter named Yetta, and it immediately made me think of this thread.

Elyse Ginger Edith Nan Lydia Maura

My mom used to talk about her female cousin, Dorkas. I think that's how it's spelled. We used to call people "dorkus" in elementary school as an insult.

It was probably spelled Dorcas. I think it means "gazelle."

I have met two "Madonna," one was a nun, the other I went to school with

Rhoda

Wilma. Thelma. ugh.

r387, my late great-aunt was named Madonna! It's not that uncommon amongst Catholics.

My grandmother was Myrtle Faye, my mother Beryl and I have aunts named Thelma, Marjorie, Mildred, Frances, Marian and Wilma.

Leila, Constance, patty

Mildred

PENIS HOLE FUCKING CUM-DRINKING VAGINA BITCH

Thelma, Guadelupe, Stella...

pita and patricaya and patric

patty Stella December patricya

what is that tattoo?

Antoinetta

R403 is onto something

Lorraine (I've never met a Lorraine that wasn't a nasty, twisted low-rent cunt), Jennifer, Anita, Sharon, Eunice, Audrey, Dierdre, Isobel, Karen, Doreen. Just ugly.

I know an Esme, which I really like. Also Veronica.

Hortense is pretty bad. If spelt Whoretense, that could be a good name for a granny porn star.

I used to know a Stella. She was an old boozehound who they found dead one day. Anytime I hear the name Stella, that's who I think of.

One of my favorite bartenders had a mother named Howard.

FatMussy, maybe ?

my name is hattie and i love my name it isnt short for harriet or anything anyone who wants to say that those names are horrid are just upset because they dont have such a old name and i was named after my great grandmother btw i dont need any bad comments cause im only 11 years old

If there was a character on TV named Bertha who was pretty, rich, and arrogant, then there would suddenly be 1000s of Berthas.

The New England spinster trio:

Prudence

Gertrude

Ida

They are all currently haunting the big Queen Anne Victorian mansion in the center of town.

[quote]Madonna

[quote]I've never encountered anyone who had that name other than Madge. How crazy were her parents to name her after the mother of Jesus?

I went to school with a girl named Madonna, who was born long before Ms. Ciccone became famous. Many years ago, Madonna was not an unusual name in French or Italian families that were super-Catholic.

Madge, Gretel, Uhgh and yuberta( not sure how you spell it )!!!

I have an Older Sister who is named Geraldine---But She doesnt go by it,.....She refers to go by Jeri-Ann----

Ethel

r417, are you really familiar with a real woman who was named Uhgh?

A lot of these names will come back into fashion again, believe you me. My sister's last son was named Harry Lewis, not exactly an on-trend moniker, but he was named after his grandpa Henry, so you get the gist. Quite Anglo sounding considering he's Irish, but however. Gertude should go the way of the dinosaurs, I know, my Aunt was called that and I believe she hated it! Bertha is another that must never see the light of day again, reminds me of the women of those Gary Larson cartoons.

But I fear we may be doomed. I recall reading an article in a British magazine about future regression a few years ago, and there was an elderly lady who discovered that she might be a Brian in the future, the 23rd century to be precise, married to a Maureen with an Irene as a close friend! So what's cool today maybe passe tomorrow and what's passe today will get their moment again I guess.

r416, Nothing wrong with Madonna until a certain Miss Ciccone came along and ruined the name for a couple of generations. It will take another generation or two for it to lose it's American chaviness before it becomes a respectable name again!

Only Ida of the New England Trio, I think has a chance of surviving and Florence. It's a horrible name but it will in time become popular as a young Miss Cameron, daughter of a current Prime Minister grows up, who was born in Cornwall while her parents were on their annual British holiday! What superb timing! If only Endellion was her first name rather than her second. And the joint will be plagued also by William's, Katherine's and George's within a few years, both human and canine! (My workmate acquired a puppy, a samoyed, named it George and all this before the Duchess of Cambridge even gave birth!).

One of the worst names I've ever come across is Cait. Before you protest, you've no idea how it is really pronounced. Certainly not Cait as the phonetic style spelling would suggest like Kate, though it would be a vast improvement, but it's pronounced 'cawtch'. Yes that's right, with the 'w' sound in it, giving the sound of 'Caw' like a crow. It's horrible and ugly and has no place in the modern world where most people prefer more softer sounding names. Yet I worked with a young woman, mid-twenties whose parents inflicted the original pronunciation on her even though it was long out of fashion by that time, replaced by Fiona's, Sharon's, Elaine's and Tracy's, Sarah's by that time. Heck even Bridget would be a vast improvement. (I've no objection except I would with the Continental spelling of Brigitte, which is far softer than the British version. My grandmother was Bridget BTW.)

R377, I've got a neighbor called Collette, her daughter's called Melody. And she's pursuing a career in Media, so how's that for irony.

Ceil Janie

Eunice is not pretty. Betty is short for Elizabeth - terrible, terrible nickname. Very fat sounding name. Henry sounds like a fat name.

Linda and Debbie, Debra and Deborah were popular when I was a kid, like Sandra et al. I don't know if those names will ever come back in. Sheila, Shirley, Rita, those were considered low rent names.

Shaniqua makes me grind my teeth, and all such names. I know someone names Jaquarius, believe it or not.

R-1 R-4 I named my basset hound Blanche.

Zelda

I named my cat Pippa. It was actually Pip, short for Pipsqueak but she grew into such a lovely cat Pippa seemed more fitting. The only other Pippa I know of is Middleton.

Petunia. My grandmother's neighbor's sister had that name. She was about 80-something when I was five years old. Terrible name.

Jermajesty

When I worked in retail, I met an attractive young woman whose name was Pleasure Belle.

Reminds me of Belle Watling. Wonder what your customer did for a living.

gutrude!

Irene is a beautiful name.

IDK, somehow, everything old makes its way back around, and manages to somehow sound cool again.

Just look at clothing fashions.

The only one I can't in any way, ever, perceive as pretty is [bold]Hortense[/bold]. Come on. Hands down winner.

You can't even make a cute nickname.... Hor? Hortie? 'Tense?

I dislike Molly, Pam, which haven't been mentioned.

Roxie, Viola, Imogene and Eunice

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

Agnes, Mathilde and Florence are beautiful in French.

The worst names are the ones where you can tell when the woman was born because they were trendy in a particular year.

My grandmother and her two sisters were named Ada, Georgina and Flossie. Little English ladies.

[quote]Madonna

[quote]I've never encountered anyone who had that name other than Madge. How crazy were her parents to name her after the mother of Jesus?

Madonna was named after her mother, Madonna Louise Fortin.

Harriet, not so much any longer. But was it ever?

Virginia

Florida...

It seems like Vivian is also not as popular nowadays? I think it's a pretty name.

Sadie

A sampling of the old ladies in my neighborhood growing up:

Birdie

Cordie Ray

Eunie (who went by Prissy)

Fannie Kate

Ida Mae

Lillie

Melba

Minnie Lee

Odell

Orene

Ouida

Pearlie

Wilda

Dorcas, Lavinia, Matilda

"Trendy" names from 1970s & 80s America:

Tiffany

Amber

Dawn

Crystal

Opal & Ophelia

Irene is boring & old, in its English language pronunciation.

But Irena, ee-ray-nuh, is much prettier

r447: hard to believe, but Sadie has made a comeback! Last year, it was the 120th most frequent female name for American babies, right after Natalia and the DL's beloved Kaitlyn! This is right about where it ranked 100 years ago (in between, it fell of the list of Top 1,000 names entirely in the '60s and '70s).

(Linked is the Social Security Administration page where you can search all these things.)

Very weird to me as I associate the name Sadie with old ladies and Mrs. Strakosh's married daughter in FUNNY GIRL, but I guess this is one that has broken the old-lady curse. (On the other hand, Ethel, Gertrude, Gladys, and Agnes don't currently make the Top 1,000.)

I love the old names, and most of them do come back into fashion.

You twinks do realize that when you are elderly "Tiffany" and "Britany" will be Ugly Old Female Names.

Dagmar

Millicent

Dorcas

Hermione

Manon

Gertrude

Gwendolyn

Beulah, Bertha, and Mildred are the most hideous names EVER!!! Beulah literally sounds like something you would hear while someone was puking. Mildred sounds depressing. Bertha is like the ultimate breeding cow name.

The other names I don't mind so much. I like old fashioned names really. I LOVE the name Gretchen.

Heidi

Hermione (the worst)

Lucinda, Lucy, Lucille

Meryl

Agnes is coming back and 10 years ago I never thought that would happen. I actually know a woman who named her kid Mildred in sort of a so-dowdy-it's-hip move (Mildred was also a family name). People are already naming their kid Mabel - that's come back.

I just can't see any way that Bertha would come back, but a lot of those early 20th century old lady names are coming back. We should really be asking if any of the mid-century names will come back. Linda. Nancy. Karen. Carol. Janet. I bet you could find more baby Hildas or little Hildas than a baby Carol or Nancy around today.

Abigail Beatrice Clara Dorinda Ethel Fannie Gertrude Hortense. Imogene Josephine Katrina Lavinia Myrtle Nina Opal Pearl Queenie Ruth Selma Tallulah Ursula Veronica Wilhelmina Yolanda Zelda

I love classic names like Anne, Anna, Marie, Sophie (Marie not spelled Mary) and above all, I love "Éléonore", for me it's the most beautiful, noble and classy name for a girl/woman. I dislike names that sound like diminutives: Debby,ie, Becky or Jenny... But for me the worst names are Germaine, Gertrude, Bertha, Edmee, that kind of manes. Someone said that the names beginning with an E were ugly but Eleonore is such a great name!I also like Emmeline, . Those are French names. I love MacKenzie or Brianna for American girls, as well as Autumn (yes a season! and Violet (yes a flower)!!!

Reply to 222: Hortense is related to the French flower/arbust hortensia (Hydrangea in English), so yes, it's an old flower name, like Daisy, Violet, Fleur, Iris, Anemone, Rose, Eglantine, Jacinthe, Lily, Lilas, Lila, Dalia, Antea, Flor, Jasmin, Chloe (yes!), Hanae etc.

Here are some of the names of older women I knew growing up:

Alice

Violet

Gladys

Sadie

Pearl

Virginia

Reba

Bernice

I think some of those names are making a comeback. Anyway, isn't it still popular to name your kid some awful name from the past? Julia Roberts named her poor kids Hazel and Phineas. The only "Phineas" I ever heard of was P.T. Barnum and the only Hazel I ever heard of was the nosy, yammering maid played by Shirley Booth on that tv series of the same name.

R467, there's an animated show on the Disney Channel called PHINEAS AND FERB. My nieces and their friends watch it all the time. Maybe that's where Julia got the inspiration.

I have an Aunt Eulala (we are souther). Usually shortened to Layla or Layley

Irma Myra Myrtle Inez Lurlene Imogene Iphigenia

I like Agnes, Ramona, and Violet.

Lavina

Honoria. With any luck, the accent is on the third syllable.

Hillary, Merna,

I think Magnus for a girl OR boy is a horrible name, also the names Gladys, Gwendoline and Ruth sound like old grannies names, I would advise not calling any child this name unless you want them to live their entire childhood dealing with torment and bullies

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

Demi Moore/Bruce Willis daughters names

Rumer, Scout and Tallulah

Sophie and Sofia

Bernice

Beatrice

Clara

Ethel

Eugenie

Edna

Florence

Henrietta

Oona

Myrtle and Muriel

Tessie or Tess

Ursula

Violet or Viola

Winifred

Zelda

Maud, Hilda & Norma.

Imogene

Verna

Opal

Griselda

Primrose

Gefilte

Gretchen

Gretchen is awful, I agree. That name sounds like something a witch would be named.

I think Ruby is the ugliest of them all...in more ways than one!

Mehetabel

My Dad worked with a lady named Minerva Texas Snodgrass.

Vilia

Lydia

Jolene, Jolene

I like Sophie.

I looove Ruby! I think it's a lovely name. Seraphina, on the other hand (and Jen Garner named her daughter Seraphina)

[quote]Re "Beatrice" --

[quote]Many old people Down South DID stress that second syllable. "Bee-AT- triss.

Our around-the-corner neighbor was named Eleanor but pronounced it El-LEE-ner.

Whenever I hear of or see reference to a woman named Debbie, Lisa or Jennifer I assume she's in her late 40s to mid 50s. I figure in 20 years those names will be the next generation's Ethel, Shirley and Doris.

Edna.I've never met someone under 60 with this name.

Enid

Agatha

Dolores

Lurleen

Ugly old female names don't exist! You're being sexist, OP! What about ugly old male names?! I cry misogyny!!

Hortense

Hey Bula

Midge

Josephine

Donalda

Lottie

Eva

Hiefah

Esther

Betty

I had great aunts named Blanche and Adelaide. Adelaide's nickname was Hattie. I never met her and used to picture a pork pie with arms and legs sticking out of it walking down the street whenever my grandmother talked about her.m

Some kids my son knows: Dionysus, Sebastian, Fanny, Taigan, Violet, Lucinda, Wyatt, Sophie, Luca, Kyrese, Audie, Paloma, Dante, Elijah.

That's not even mentioning the foreigners with Balkan, Japanese, indian and Greek names.

I had a 19th century woman ancestor named Freelove.

Sounds fat, r496

I wouldn't be surprised if many, if not most, of these names do make it back into the top 100 or so. In an effort to be clever and different, lots of parents reach back into the classics rather than try to be trendy (although there is an overlap; see multiple Madelines and Sophies in a grade school near you right now).

Karen, Deborah and Claire are due for comebacks. Half of their moms will be named Jen or Courtney.

There's already a resurgence of classic male names (think saints and kings) as people tire of all the soap opera boy names of late. Dad Trevor names his son John; Robert, named after a grandfather, is Kyle's kid.

Alberta

Martha

Antonia

Florence

Frauletta

Cuntitta

Vomitomia

[quote] hate all those ancient names in my mom's yearbook. Those awful old names that all those haggy old '70s high school girls had. The worst names ever: Jennifer, Lisa, Brenda, Donna, Cheryl, Lori, Samantha, Crissy, Kristy. Ugh. Those are worse and more old timey than Hagatha or gertrude.

Oh c'mon, Jennifer, Lisa, and Samantha are nice names. I don't know why people think Jennifer has fallen off the grid, it is still the 15th most popular female name since 2000. Lisa is a very pretty name and it will definitely make a comeback. I don't think of Jennifers as women in their late 40's -mid 50's as mentioned in a previous post. I think of Jennifers as women in their late 30's to late 40's

Hortense Mehetibel Henrietta Leopoldina Grizelda Louella

Lenithia

Deirdre, Persephone, Penelope, Drucilla, Hepsibah, Wendolyn, Gertrude, Thalia, Dardanella, Fiona.

Regina

Eve, Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Deborah, Esther, Ruth, Joanna, Judith, Rebecca.

For males: Jacob, Adam, David, Jonathan, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Benjamin.

Could go on and on.

Oh the current kiddy names are SO much better, huh? TAYLOR? A hideous name for either sex. JENNA? Sounds like a kitchen range. other stupid names from soap operas? Puh-leeze.

Rose, Jennifer, Laura, Lori, Cheryl, Linda, Debbie, Elizabeth, Sarah, Sandra, these are all fine names.

And Marigold.

I found these on a list of hurricane names from 1970, when it was women only. I'll stick to names we haven't heard:

Bernice, Blanca, Billie, Babe

Celia, Carlotta, Cora, Clara

Doria, Delores, Doreen, Della

Ella, Edith, Evelyn, Eileen

Francelia, Flossie, Freda

Georgette, Glenda, Georgia, Gloria

Hallie, Hope, Hyacinth, Harriet

Iris, Irah(?!), Ione, Iva

June, Joyce (when was the last time anyone named their kid Joyce?)

Kit, Kara, Kendra (doesn't sound that old, but neither does it sound great)

Lorna, Lorraine, Lillian

Mamie, Madeline, Mona

Nadine, Noreen, Nona, Nita, (No No) Nanette

Ora, Orlene, Orchid, Orva, Orla

Phyllis, Priscilla, Patty (or Patricia, or Patrice, for that matter)

Queena(?!?!)

Rena, Rhoda, Roslyn

Sherry, Selma, Simone

Trix, Thora, Trudy, Tara, Tillie

Verna(!), Vesta(!!), Virgy(!!!!!!!)

Wilda, Wallis, Wilna, Wenda

Sadly, very few of these were ever used, so we were deprived, say, the coquettish wrath of Hurricane Francelia.

Madge

A coworker recently named her baby Maire. It's pronounced like Myra, but is more visually appealing, I guess. She'll probably spend a lifetime correcting people who call her Marie.

[quote]hate all those ancient names in my mom's yearbook. Those awful old names that all those haggy old '70s high school girls had. The worst names ever: Jennifer, Lisa, Brenda, Donna, Cheryl, Lori, Samantha, Crissy, Kristy. Ugh. Those are worse and more old timey than Hagatha or gertrude.

Has to be a troll. No one thinks of those names as old timey or ugly. I know plenty of young women with those names.

A friend's mother, Gladys, pronounced her name, gla-DEEZ.

Euphemia, Edgolina, Penuche

I think it's funny in films/TV shows where two young and dumb parents-to-be decide to name their daughter after their recently deceased beloved grandmother who has some dreadful old-fashioned name like Norma.

R515, I agree. All those names are cool. Linda makes me think of The Exorcist. Bad-ass! Sharon and Susan, The Parent Trap. So much fun! Tammy? Cool stoner chick with feathered hair. Debbie Does Dallas. They're all great.

Thelma. Bertha (??!!) Dorcas.

LaVoris

Phyllis is a horrid ugly name I know one under 50. Reminds me of syphilis, Ester, Doris, Martha, Philomenia.

Princetta , no shit, I knew one in grade school- a white girl) her family was hillbilly.

Melissa and Samantha are over used as are Dakota, Jennifer, Madison, Taylor, Tyler, Jordan, Yuck. Trendy names are useless.

As are most of the stupid black apostrophe names they come up with. Horrible. names all of them.

Millicent Weatherbee

"Norma" totally sounds like an old spinster.

Hattie. But I think Tori Spelling named her daughter that. Sybil. Lorna. Norma.

All of these are dyke names.

Hazel

Agnes

Muriel

Agatha, Ernestine, Minnie, Norma and Helga have got to be the worst... except for Gladys.

My ex sister-in-law is named Marge, short for Margaret. She never came over to visit when she was invited.

Only when she wasn't invited or expected, and when she did come over she barely knocked on the door before she barged in... so I renamed her Barge.

Imagine if someone named their twin girls Midge and Madge.

Olga

Myra

MÀRY!

But OMG. Aren't they the perfect poodle names?!?!❤️❤️

And .... THE WINNER IS .... GERTRUDE!!!!!!!

When a glamorous woman with that name becomes a public figure, it'll make a comeback. Irene is a Greek name, Agnes a Catholic saint.

Irene is kindof nice although it does conjure up old ladies.

St Agnes was a pushy virgin--would you want to saddle you kid with that?

Hortense isn't coming back any time soon, and hopefully neither will Ida, Miriam, Bessie or Hilda.

Bronwyn is usually some wacky rich woman.

My ex mother-in-laws name is Elsie, short for Elsinore. She is 92. Never liked her name.

I don't think anyone mentioned Helena and Henrietta... awful names, but Hildegard is even worse.

I also can't stand the names Pauline and Paulette.

Genievre also sucks.

How about the name of the TV character and old spinster neighbor woman, Iola, from that boring 70's sitcom Mama's Boy. That name sucks too.

The name Emma was popular from the early 1920's to the late 1950's and then it kind of died out and came back again in the 1990's and is now one of the top ten most popular girl's names, which I think is a cute name for a girl.

My former (now deceased) neighbor's name was Mabel. If she were still alive she'd be 90 so I guess her name was popular back in the day.

I couldn't stand her name then and like it even less now.

But Mabel is still a good name for a pet cat.

The name Beatrice is becoming less popular and is making its way to the ugly old names list.

{Reply 542} Hey, the name of one of my female cat's is Maybelline, maybe I'll call her Mabel for short.

I think retired old ugly female names can be recycled and revived as they make really good female cat names now.

Has Hortence been mentioned?

R-545 - I think Hortence is a guy's name...?

Either way, I think it's a great sounding name for a dog, like maybe a Pit Bull.

Eileen: Irish gal with one leg.

Irene: Japanese gal with one leg.

R-547

I get the Eileen 'having one leg would make her lean', hence "I lean".... but I don't get the Japanese Irene thing.

Sally, Sallie-Mae, Fannie, Fannie-Mae, Celeste, Cecelia, Abigail.

There are many but Muriel and Mildred top my list. Agnes is ugly in English but beautiful in French (Ah-nee-yas).

I don't think Lois, Doris, Dorothy, Francis, Edna, Frieda and Gloria were mentioned.

Selma, Thelma, Alma.

I find something kind of sexy about a cute girl with an old fashioned name. I've met some extremely hot "Esther"s. Those names sound classy and reserved.

I personally think "your name shouldn't be prettier than you" anyways.

The standards (Jennifer, Sarah, Amanda, etc..) are so boring, the newish favorites (Madison, Jordan, etc...) make women sound like roads or jeans.

I think these names sound truly ugly (either clunky or prissy) and wouldn't even give them to a pet:

Gertrude, Mildred, Agnes, Ethel, Myrtle, Griselda, Bertha, Beulah, Gretchen, Myrna, Blanche, Phyllis, Hildegarde, Doris, Enid, Dorcas, Claudette, Lettice, Henrietta, Glynis, Edna, Priscilla, Heloise, Hortense, Hester, Beryl, Dulcie, Maude, Rowena, Isolde, Maureen, Roxanne, Irene, Olive, Irma, Doreen, Harriet, Lorna, Scarlett, Ernestine,, Brunhilda, Leticia, Cornelia, Dagmar, Dolores, Thelma, Lurline,

Brunhilda is pretty ugly.

Mamie, Grace and Louisa.

Huguette is somewhat old.

My Southern grandmother was a "Gertrude." She was born at the end of the 19th century.

I remember her matronly friends would pronounce her name with that Old South accent that television and radio have effectively killed. (Other older Southerners know what I mean by that and also remember the accent of which I speak.)

Close approximation: "Guh-troood" with a slightly elongated second syllable.

Unice is the one

R548 Japanese can't pronounce the letter 'L' and instead pronounce it like 'R.' Hence, a Japanese would pronounce 'Eileen' as 'Irene.'

Old thread, but enjoyable. I'd vote Hester, Esther, Martha, Elvira, Delores and the cow names (Florrie, Flossie, Elsie). I knew a mean old drunk named Honoree. It always came out as Ornery.

Pieces o' shit.

Madonna

Pearle Mae, Seal, Shug, Daffney Eleanor, Annie Mae.

Madison, Ashley, Brittney, Courtney, Stephanie, Emma, Ava, Isabella, Mia, Zoe, Lilly

Fuck you

Agnes, Muriel, Hildegard, Gladys, Maude, Harriet, Melvina, Florence, Maude, Elvira, Bertha, Myrtle, Mildred, Ethel.

F: Hollis (by far the worst name anyone could ever have) Bertha Krystal (or Crystal) Sandy Gertrude (Gertie) Donna Theresa-may Gretchen Erma Bessie Josanna Praneet Teflon M: Sergio Leonard Greg(g) Egbert Dudley Doug (dougie) Last names: Davis Calais Greenberg Nelson Thapa Heiden Any color name (White, green, brown, black, etc.) Hebert Betheony