Old-fashioned "ugly" names for girls making a return?

Hoping for Clarabell.

Beulah

Edith!

Esther

These seem like cow names. Have they been approved?

Blanche

Moira

Selma

Fannie!

OP is apparently posting from the 90s. Old-fashioned girls' names have been a thing for two decades.

Gertrude

Brenda

Agnes. Reminds me of Lorrie Moore’s excellent short story, “Agnes of Iowa”.

It is better than when I was in school and we had multiple Jennifers, Jessicas, Stacys, and Stephanies.

Vivian's not ugly. I'd take that over another Isabella. I swear to god, every other little girl born in the past five years has that name.

^ This

Edna!

R13 I agree. I think Vivian is a lovely name.

Bertha!

Dorcas

Hortense

I think the trend of homely names is an upper middle class signifier. Poorer people name their kids variations of Halle and fake grand sur names like Winston. Also every other dog is named Bella where I live, not the people. That must be because of that vampire show?

Barbara. It sounds like a bra - a brassiere

Eleanor

Wasn't Emma considered an old lady's name until it became inexplicably popular?

I prefer the Vivienne spelling. I know a little girl named Edith, goes by Edie.

Ethel

every old name comes back eventually. The only one who never made a comeback is "Mary". I haven't met a woman named Mary in more than 30 years. (only a few latin older ladies called Maria). The only Mary's i meet are all here on DL.

My grandma was named Bertha and she was very defensive about it. She said it was “a very old Welsh name” so that made it classy, I guess.

Thalia is a pretty name.

I can't imagine Bertha or Gertrude coming back--those are really, really ugly names. I think they haven't been much in fashion since the 19th century.

In South Carolina, I knew this couple who would take little romantic weekend trips to the coast every so often. Later they told me these trips were where they conceived their children, and they named them after the city they were conceived in, so they had two girls named Myrtle and Savannah, and two boys named Charles and Hilton.

Persephone, Deirdre, Daphne, Drusilla, Talulah, Zelda, Hephzibah

R26 I bet Mary is still quite popular as a middle name.

I believe Julia Roberts named her daughter Hazel.

My grandmother was named Nelly and it used to make me snicker

Mine too r34. She was from Scotland.

[quote]Wasn't Emma considered an old lady's name until it became inexplicably popular?

Emma became popular after Rachel Green on “Friends” named her daughter Emma. It wasn’t “inexplicably”.

“Traditional” names for girls I like:

Evelyn

Violet

Charlotte

Helen

Irene

Bella

Vivian

Lily

Clara

Eleanor

For boys:

Oliver

Louis

Henry

Samuel

Winston

Hiram

Albert

Zachary

Quentin

Theodore

It’s too bad I’ll never have children. Well, not really.

My sister's name is Mary and in her 40s. Family name though. I like the name Marion.

Names come in cycles, OP.

Assumpta.

Attracta.

Gwendolyn.

Amanda.

Carmel.

Nora

Mamie

R40, "Attracta" doesn't exist

Flossie

Yes it appears they are making a comeback. But these names are still miles better than the suburban wasp trend of giving children English or Scottish surnames, ie Campbell, Taylor, Tyler, etc. Blech!

Frances or Francie

Mary-Agnes

Erma

Agatha

Dorothy

Heloise

R42 indeed it does.

Very popular Catholic Irish name

Joyce

I'll take all of these over the Brittany, Brianna, and Madison's of yore.

Emma became popular on the late eighties, along with Emily and Lucy etc. Old lady names when I was growing up.

Recently at a wedding I saw a kid named Maverick.

Agreed, R53, along with the aforementioned Isabella.

Maverick, did his parents not like him?

Brunilda (Brunhilde) is a name some Puerto Rican women have. They're usually called "Bruni" for short. I laughed the first time I heard it, because it immediately reminded me of the comic strip "Broom-Hilda."

Names are cyclical. My grandma and her sister born about 100 years ago were Hazel and Phoebe, which are both popular again. 50 years ago names like Debbie and Karen are definitely unfashionable but may make a comeback 50 years from now. My grandma had an Aunt Haggar. Talk about an ugly name.

Esther's a nice name.

Esther Williams and Judy Garland in "Meet Me in St. Louis" both were pretty cool.

I know a cool chick named Vivian -- she reminds me of Wanda Sykes.

Amaryllis on the other hand...

Jussie.

R29 If you've met anyone named Trudy, most likely their real name is Gertrude.

Verificatia. After St Verificatia of Ibiza, patron saint of gaping holes.

Addy

Elda

What about Truvy?

Hyacinth

Esther, Enid and Olga all sound like old lady names.

Cloris -- when was it ever popular?

Aunt Esther would have kicked your ass, sucka!

Alberta, Saskatoon, and Ipswichberta right off the top of my head or at least the map on the wall behind my head.

Clitoris

so would Esther Williams!

I've never met anyone named Sally.

Mulva

I know a Sally. Total whore.

Gwendolyn

In case you haven't noticed, many of the names that are "making a return" are biblical names.

You may want to consider what may be driving THAT trend.

Eugenie.

Beatrice

One instagram breeder named her latest spawn ‘Agnes.’

[quote]I know a Sally. Total whore.

Every Sally I’ve known was a miserable cunt.

[quote]Dorcas

This has got to be the ugliest name ever.

Agnes is truly an ugly name.

It sounds pretty nice in French.

R84 LOL I worked with an Angie and my email spell check always converted it to Agnes. She hated it and I'd rarely proof-read!

Melba and Nettie and Henrietta

I’ve seen many “Marys” in the past few years, and each cunty mom thinks she’s very creative. It’s also everyone’s grandma’s name in these instances. It’s the next “Bella”, “Megan”, “Jennifer” etc

Helga

Veronica

Melba is pretty.

Lutiebelle, since you brought up Melba (which is actually kind of a nice name)

LOL R37, "Zachary" is probably one of the most popular names for guys between the ages of 15 and 30 right now. Whole lot of Zach's and few of them names after Efron.

Thinking of my nieces and nephews and their friends, there are a lot of "old lady names' that are popular right now:

Lily, Sadie, Sophie, Miriam, Ella, Rose for girls

Sam, Max, Benjamin, Julian, Will, Eli for boys

As someone mentioned above, it's 100% a class marker--the top 15% gives those kids those sorts of names while the lower 85% does the Jadyn, Mackenzie, Cody, Parker thing.

Melba toast, Melba sauce, sounds good to me -- I'll have it to go

Hortense and Mildred will NEVER back.

Edna was kind of an old fashioned name, too

Virginia

Melba sounds too much like Mulva.

Theodora

Tracy Ullman named her daughter Mabel.

Virginia -- reminds me a joke someone much older told me from the army -- "Virginia, virgin for short, but not for long!"

Among all the Vivians, Hazels, Matildas, and Eleanors, a hipster I knew named her kid Ida Gertrude. I guess she thought she was cool enough to bestow cool onto her child. Unfortunate choice all the way around.

Is "Jobyna" an "ugly" name? It's an old-fashioned one. I'm going by the casts of Pre-Code and silent movies.

R37 doesn’t get out of his Dixie cup much.

Gertrude can easily be Gertie or Trudy, two names which can be carried off as groovy if she acts and dresses appropriately.

Someone up thread mentioned Bertha. Ewww.

Trudy is cute.

Esther is not.

Hillary

Is Jane an old lady name?

You know what. Anything to put an end to the current trend of last names as fist names. No more little Larkins, Sheas or Madisons.

Lillith

Agnes MUST be the ugliest name in the entire English language.

Chew on these.

Agnes means "lamb" (as in "agnes Dei") - lamb of God. I don´t find it at all ugly.

I like the name Sylvia.

r114 Just yesterday I was wondering if Ivor (Cutler, Novello) was one of those late 19th, early 20th century names would make a comeback.

I like the name "Mimi" very much, maybe because Maurice Chevalier introduced it to me.

Melba

peach Melba

Ernestine and Venetia

Stop trying to make Melba happen. It’s horrendous.

Mimi will always be in style for opera lovers (the heroine of La Boheme). It's often short for Miriam. It's a cute name I've always thought.

Geraldine

I loved Miss Melba Moore!

You can go to the SSA.gov website and look up the most popular boys and girls names by year. The earliest year on the site is 1880. That’s where the real old-time names are.

Also interesting to look up is WWI, WWII, the 50s etc.

my mother's name was Virginia. she was called gin or ginny..... her middle name was Margaret.

One of my cousins named her 1st son Maverick.

and my next door neighbors have a cute little girl named Mabel. Her middle name is Georgia.

One old-fashioned girl's name I've always liked is Daisy. It seems to have resurgences every 10 years or so, and we seem to be in a Daisy decline lately.

Mavis

Altovise

Astrid

Irene, Harriet, Penelope

My favorite female name is Celeste

Mabel - my dogs name cause it’s funny/ugly

Top 10 girls’ names in 1880:

1 Mary

2 Anna

3 Emma

4 Elizabeth

5 Minnie

6 Margaret

7 Ida

8 Alice

9 Bertha

10 Sarah

I like the old name Josephine. My great-grandmother had the Spanish version (Josefina).

Alice is ugly.

Thelma & Louise

[quote] You know what. Anything to put an end to the current trend of last names as fist names. No more little Larkins, Sheas or Madisons.

Totally different crew R111

The people naming their kids Larkin and Shea are in a different zip code than the ones naming their kids Lily and Maxwell.

And yet, R113, in French, "Ahn-yay" is nowhere near as horrible.

One thing these threads reveal is how removed so many DLers are from their families and from children.

R139, So?

[quote]Dorcas. This has got to be the ugliest name ever.

No, the ugliest name is Griselda.

Velma

I wish Heather would die off.

Enid is just plain nasty.

R103 is a Jobyna Ralston fan and she is quite wonderful. I'm fan too.

Esther Williams was not in MMISL. You're thinking of the very beautiful fabulous dancer Lucille Bremer. Maybe her character was named Esther. I've forgotten. What happened to the name Lucille?

I worked with a very young woman named Mona. I never thought anyone would use that name again.

[quote]And yet, [R113], in French, "Ahn-yay" is nowhere near as horrible.

Rhymes with Kanye.

r145 I might not want to marry you as is the common hyperbolic expression here, but I certainly want to attend a silent film festival with you.

Morag

Maude

Gladys

[quote]I worked with a very young woman named Mona. I never thought anyone would use that name again.

Mona was a character on “Friends” for a whole season.

Female names from my family tree: Henrietta, Clementine, Samantha, Nelly (Ellen), lots of Margarets and Bridgets.

Names come and go. My name is Greg. Try finding a Greg under the age of 50. It's completely off the radar, but it was a popular name in the 50s and early 60s, I suppose because of Gregory Peck.

No, it was because of Greg Brady,

A neighbor (in the 1960s) named her oldest daughter Myrtle Yvhonne. She told me once that Myrtle was such a beautiful name. Another daughter was Rollyns. The other two (of her four) were Peggy and Becky.

Her own name was Ethel so maybe it was misery loves company?

Ethel, ugh.

The Brady Bunch was filmed during 1969 through 1974, so much of the sixties was finished.

Some people I know named their son Shade, which is unique because it's kind of stupid. I told them to name him Declan but did they listen?

Doubtful we'll see a resurgence of the 1980s white trash names that practically guaranteed a lifetime of bitchiness or stripperdom: Heather, Krystal, Amber, BreeAnn and the like.

Are we done with Brooklyn and Dakota yet? Let's hope.

Don't blame the messenger, but r153 and r155 are wrong about Gregory. It's high point was in the early 60s before the Brady Bunch even aired, and it's attributed to Gregory Peck. It was in steady decline during and after the period that the Brady Bunch aired.

Well done, R157

Waiting for Cora, Mona and Eunice to return.

However, the article points out that kids named Gregory in the 50s started to call themselves Greg after the Brady Bunch came on the air, and that might have hastened the decline of Gregory as a name because it's perceived as a bit of a dorky nickname.

I believe Agnes in French is pronounced Ahn-yes, with the accent on the second syllable. Certain French words ending in S sound the letter, i.e., plus (at the end of a sentence--en plus). It's confusing. As a French name it's much prettier IMO.

[Quote]Try finding a Greg under the age of 50.

I actually know a gay Greg who's 28-years-old. He lives in Queens.

I know a few young guys named Greg and my father is Gregory and called himself Greg long before graduating HS in the mid sixties. But all this is irrelevant since the thread is about ugly old fashioned names for girls making a comeback.

Eunide

[quote]As a French name it's much prettier IMO.

Can we agree that almost everything sounds better in French?

Eurydice Colette Clytemnestra Dido Bathsheba Rabelais Patricia Cocteau Stone.

R157 According to the SSA.gov website Gregory rapidly gained in popularity starting in the mid 1940s, peaked in the early 1960s and started rapidly losing popularity in the late 90s.

I'm noticing a plethora of little Lotties at the moment. It's like a Victorian dollhouse.

If you're going to go old fashioned go Shakespeare. Tybalt, Mercucio, Titus, Viola etc.

Yeah my brother has a son who calls himself Greg, short for Gregoire, which he hates. My brother doesn't like it either and secretly blames ex-wife no. 1 for it. It's her father's name. She's a Quebecoise named Nathalie.

No one now is naming their baby boys Greg, Mark, Randy or Steve. Or Jeff. The names from the generation before have been having a comeback with Henry, Harry, Sam and Max.

I just had the bizarre realization that one day there will be a generation of grandfathers named Jayden.

My son went to school with a girl named Violet. I wonder if her nickname is “Vie.”

Lettice

^^ My neighbors just thad a baby they named Violet. It's a very pretty name.

That’s a good one R175. Poor things.

Err, oops. Correction, I meant R174.

A millennial acquaintance named her newborn Mabel. Actually, I think it's kind of cute.

R172 And nursing homes full of grandmas named Brittany, Crystal, Ashley etc. etc.

I've noticed many Filipino women of a certain age have Anglo names from a generation previous to theirs. Ones I can think of just of-hand are Lillibet, Ruby, Mary-Anne, Molly, Mabel, Grace.

Lorna

Olive

Griselda wins this thread. It must be due for a comeback, absit omen.

The British have obscure saints' names that reactionaries like Rees Mogg—or even milder forms of reactionary—like to impose on their spawn: Eadburgh, Mungo, Æthelthryth, Chad.

The florid, operatic ones from ancient imperial women—redolent of brazen whoredom in the palace and fearsome battlefield prowess—should definitely come back: Theodora, Semiramis, Artemisia, Boadicea, Messalina.

Teodora, Semiramide, Artémise, Boadicée, and Messaline if you want to sound continental.

I forsee Cassandra making a comeback.

Phyllis is a pretty bad one. Are there 2 year Phyllises?

^ I can't stand the name Phyllis either. Never liked it. Sounds like Syphilis.

Olga, Helga and Prudence are also quite awful as is Millicent.

Funny story: A few years ago when my nephew was 2 yrs old we took him to a Halloween party held at the Bronx Zoo in the children's common play area. All the little kids were running around, dressed up in their costumes. My nephew was dressed as Elmo from Sesame St, his favorite muppet character.

As we were getting out of the car to bring him to the party he requested that we call him Elmo for the day. So we did. At one point during the party he started to wander a bit and I was becoming concerned he was getting too far away from us so I called out really loud "ELMO... come back here, please." Everyone turned and looked at me, about a dozen people, especially some older people sitting nearby who were there with their grandchildren. My sister and I both got some really dirty looks.

Apparently, they thought that was his real name. The gasping and bad looks made me not want to bother explaining that his real name is Matthew and that he asked us to call him Elmo just for the day since he was dressed up as Elmo. I suppose they thought we dressed him as Elmo because that is his actual name.

R36 It was a popular name before Friends used it.

Mimi can also be short for Marie.

I don't see Clothilde (rhymes with Matilda) making a come-back any time soon.

Joan, Vera, Bea, Doreen, Lizzie.

Estelle

All the gem/stone names: Beryl, Opal, Pearl, Jade, Esmeralda, Ruby, Flint

Sapphire, Jasper, Malachite, Crystal, Obsidian, Topaz, Amethyst, Agate.

My grandmother was named Ruby which she considered old fashioned. So she went by her more sophisticated middle name which was Nadine. I had a great aunt who was named Bird but changed it to Anne.

Betty - There was always a Betty in the old Hollywood movies.

Nancy, Mamie, Pat, Betty, Barbara, Martha,.

Agrippina

Edna. Always loved the old actress Edna May Oliver.

My grandmothers name was Antigone. " Tiggi" got short.

Some names sound ugly or plain in a language and sexy and mysterious in another.

[quote]Thalia is a pretty name.

Is it? It sounds like an STD.

I’m waiting to meet a Dot. My Nana was named Beatrice, called Bea for short. I thought it was cute.

[quote]I've noticed many Filipino women of a certain age have Anglo names from a generation previous to theirs.

I came in to post this. I’m an RN and have worked with a lot of Philippinos/as. I’ve worked with Daisy, Mary-Lou, Eula Mae, Phoebedel, Stanley, Harold, Elmer and Francis. All were in their thirties and forties. Would love to know how that happened.

Upper middle class Californians give their kids bizarre names according to my sister. She knows various people who have named their kids Lion, Tiger and Bear (all together now; "Oh My!") and the most unfortunate was a kid named Jedi, as in Star Wars. She said it was even worse because the poor kid had a very Jewish last name so it was something like Jedi Rosenblatt. At least he can go by Jed when he gets older, lol.

That's in marked contrast to the Northeast where grandma and grandpa names like Lily, Sophie, Sam and Max are the rule.

Some I couldn’t see coming back, but you just never know. Myrtle, Ethel, Mavis, Ena, Wanda, Winifred, Shirley, Sandra, Susan

Myfanwy.

It's an old Welsh name, and no one does ugly names like the Welsh.

I have a friend who was named Lisle after the Sound of Music daughter.

Jethrine is due for a comeback as is Ellie Mae.

Also my neighbor has a granddaughter named Calliope. Ugh.

Virtuous names:

Boys: Clement, Ernest, Justice, Noble, Reliance, Royal, Valor, Will

Girls: Amity, Concord, Fidelity, Patience, Prudence, Sincerity, Temperance, Virtue

My 45 yr old friend is named Greg. The world is a big place, look outside of your own terrarium!

I believe it started when the Mad About You couple named their daughter Mabel.

I ❤️ Ruby!

r114's link is interesting:

Carol fell from 802nd most popular name to 0, after no babies were named Carol in 2014

No one in Britain named their kid Carol in 2014? Not even one person?!

My niece just named her baby Hazel Evelyn. My nephew named his son Toby Frank. My nurse friend helped deliver a baby last year. The mother wanted to name her precious child Placenta because she thought it was such a pretty name until my friend explained its meaning.

Didn't Charlene have a cousin named Absorbine Junior, back in Poplar Bluff?

My cunt boss named her brat Elsie ugh

NAMES THAT SOUND LIKE OLD-TIMEY NAMES BUT AREN'T:

Cervix.

Cloaca.

Corolla.

Diarreena.

Marmite.

Tinkle.

Areola.

If you don’t consider the meaning, medical names roll off the tongue in a lovely way: Pneumonia, Influenza, Apoplexy, Dyspepsia, Arthritis, Dipsomania, Hysteria, Dropsy, Consumption, Melancholia, Constipation, Malaise, Carbuncle, Chancre, Induration, Ecchymosis, Tuberosity, Tamponade, Medulla, Omentum…

R20 & R8 the name Sophia made a comeback about 20 years ago. Not even Sophie. The dogs named Bella is so common in Italians. Usually Yorkies or some other small breed. Never a Siberian Huskie

In ny grandmother’s family — Adelaide, Geseine, Dorothy, Hatty (appearently a nickname for Henrietta). Adelaides nickname was Addy, so there was talk of Addy & Hatty. I used to picture Hatty as someone with a giant hat on her head

In the late 70s everyone I knew had a male dog named Dylan. In the 80s, everyone started naming their sons Dylan.

R206, no. Named after Lisle von Roman.

Etienne NEVER goes out of style. Ever!

R200 agreed. Gertrude in English or Spanish is horrible but in French it is divine

In my maternal grandmother's family: Gisella.

I had a boss named Erna. Outside of Datalounge, I don’t see that name making a comeback.

When I was a little kid, women named Claire were big, old & ugly. Now it seems “Claire” is a name for a pretty girl.

Roz is a horrible name.

My MIL is Millie. I worked with a Filipina named Lulu. My neighbor’s (grown) daughter is Kiki. When I was growing up, “kiki” was the word my mother’s family used for “bowel movement” to children. “Do you need to go kiki or peepee?”

"Kiki" is a High WASP nickname for Katherine. Pretty common in those circles, your mother's bathroom euphemisms notwithstanding.

NANCY. The name is a curse

My neighbor’s daughter Kiki isn’t named Katherine. And she’s not a wasp. She’s Sicilian & Puerto Rican and naned Lisa.

Kiki means vagina in Tagalog.

A coworker named her son Desmond. And they’re white.

Ob la di, ob la da, life goes on, BRA!

Morag. Scottish

Gobnait. Irish

These two early 30’s NYC/hipster lite women in my named their recent spawn Helen and Mavis. So yes, old lady names are official back.

Mavis reminds me of this video which makes me ugly cry laugh every time I watch it

My mother's name was Myrtle Leola. She would be 102 this year.

I doubt we'll be seeing many baby girls named Fanny in the future.

Hate the name Margaret.

LA Dodgers utility player Enrique Hernandez goes by the nickname Kiké. People sometimes call him Kiki, but apparently that’s slang for a sex act en Español.

[quote]. I worked with a Filipina named Lulu.

Me too -- but her real name was Lourdes. Which brings the mind that we seem to be ignoring the fact that many first or second generation immigrants are continuing to use the names that were popular in their homelands -- something that was not done as much 50+ years ago--when pretty much everyone got a "standard" American name irrespective of their ethnic background. My surname is Italian, but I would have to go back several generations to find someone with an Italian first name in my family. But you see plenty of kids now named Giovanni or Roberto.

My mother (born 1921) was named Theodora, but she hated it so much she changed it when she was in high school. So it was old-fashioned even then.

[quote]If you don’t consider the meaning, medical names roll off the tongue in a lovely way: Pneumonia, Influenza, Apoplexy, Dyspepsia, Arthritis, Dipsomania, Hysteria, Dropsy, Consumption, Melancholia, Constipation, Malaise, Carbuncle, Chancre, Induration, Ecchymosis, Tuberosity, Tamponade, Medulla, Omentum…

I had a relative named "Aspasia," and I used to always think of aphasia when I heard that name. (And I used to joke that they should've named her sister "Dyspepsia.")

My cousin named her daughter Mavis as a middle name, in an ironic hipster way, 15 years ago. Flash forward 15 years and Mavis identifies as a boy named Dan.

I would like to see someone name their female offspring "Zenobia".

Her friends can call her "Zen".

or Xenobia.

R216 Haven't you heard of Areola, The Little Mermaid.

Agnes, Mabel, Esther are easily the ugliest names ever. I can guarantee you that NOBODY wants those names. I cringe every time I hear them and truly feel sorry for kids saddled with them.

My 1960s classmates' names are due for a comeback: Nancy, Debbie, Susie, Lisa, Kathy, Laurie. Timmy, Tommy, Johnny, Bobby, Jimmy, Joey.

Of all the old lady names in this thread, I like Violet, Mary, Margaret.

ENOUGH with Isabella, Emma and Sophie.

Here in California, a lot of boys have "C" names - Cameron, Cody, Colton.

I think Esther is a pretty name. I don't like Mabel, though.

You are so right R248 . Carson, Colby, Creighton.

Is Sophie the Susie of the aughts?

STOP THE MADNESS.

June

Iris

Gwendoline or Gwndolyn

Wilhelmina

Marvalon is my personal favourite.

Names of two of my deceased older cousins:

Sadie

Americus

Americus's shortened name was "Meck" (Aunt Meck to us kids).

I'm waiting for 3-syllable black-girl names to make a comeback... among white girls with woke hipster parents.

My adopted sons are named Colton, Packer, and Madison. I'm not into adopting daughters, thanks.

after decades of vanessa, jennifer and lauren , these 'ugly', names are refreshing.

'bertha' is still difficult

I thought Mona was the short for Desdemona, from Otelo, a tragic name in all the senses. My dear aunt is named Desdemona Bertha, she is not that old ( early 60s) so those names were out of fashion already, and she hate them.

I heard Amber is making comeback.

Irish familes used to have so many Marys that they kept having to think up nicknames or adding to the name. My mother's family at one time had a Mary, Mary Junior, Mamie, Minnie, Mame, Maryjane, Marie and AnnMarie.

Temperance

I had a great aunt named Prunella.

My great aunt ( b.1880's on Isle of Mull ) was named Euphemia or Effy for short.

The botanical names usually are never completely out or in. Standard, traditional things like Rose, Poppy, Tansy, Lily, Veronica, Daisy, Bryony, Violet, Holly, Heather etc., are safe choices.

So we're at the point in this thread where various eldergays are just going to list out the unusual names of their deceased female relatives.

Got it.

Hershlag.

And your point?

Lena

I teach primary school, yes, myrtle, violet and pearl all are current names

Esther too

What about LENA, R268?

R243 - Zenobia is the middle name of one of Tina Fey's daughters. It's of Greek origin as is Tina.

Ivanka

"I teach primary school, yes, myrtle, violet and pearl all are current names"

Myrtle is not common, just because you know one kid with that name does not mean it is popular

The French name Agnès is pronounced ahn-ÑEZ.

R264 Another one who wanders in from the Madonna threads, reads alllll the way down, and then decides she's not interested. But we should be interested that she's not being, and we should think she's young and hip for being not interested. Got it.

Vot's wrong mit Hildegard ????

[quote]r8 Dorcas

I knew one, a woman in her 40s. I'd never heard it before, and wondered if it was some Latin name for a flower.

It turns out it's a (n ugly) biblical name. She was allegedly a disciple who was very charitable, and sewed clothes for the needy (?).

You can read the book!

[quote]r28 Thalia is a pretty name.

Thalia Menninger (Tuesday Weld) was a knockout on the old TV show [italic]The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

The Thalia Theater was a famous movie revival house in NYC, too ... so that makes it kind of a cool name.

^^ sorry my italics became an epidemic : (

Thalia with Warren Beatty

I can see why no one was named Carol in 2014 since it's usually a nickname for Carolyn. Though that name itself is pretty rare these days.

My grandmother was Edna and always hated her name. She'd been named after a relative so even back in the '20s it was old-fashioned.

The one name I see never coming back is Ethel. Amazing that at one point it was considered upper class.

I've seen younger French women named Berthe, which like Agnes sounds very different with a pretty accent.

I detest the name Norma.

Saints' names will never go out of style as long as there are Catholics in the world, even if it's as a middle name. Most royal names will hang around, too.

Does anyone name their kid “Linda” anymore? Both my stepmothers and several aunts are named that.

I love the old English name Edith. Goes back to Anglo Saxon times apparently.

[quote]r281 I can see why no one was named Carol in 2014 since it's usually a nickname for Carolyn

Carol/Carroll became okay with me after I read actress Carroll Baker's autobiography. That makes me feel affection for it.

She was a good actress, even if her career went straight down the . . . well, you know.

My middle name is Eugenia, which as a kid, sounded too much like "vagina" to me. It's beautiful in French, but I'm anything but.

I have a female ancestor named Freelove.

I love greek names like Iphigenie, Clytemnestra, Xanthipe, Artemise. They sound exotic, grand and evocative.

Ethel was my grandmother's name and I find it quite beautiful, sounds like a whisper. Prudence I find a bit preposterous but not ugly. Yolande is the one weird french name I adore. Agnes in french reminds me of a saint. I've recently read some Proust and both Odette and Orianna stood out to me.

Mary is back - 2 of them in my life in the last year.

Muriel!

Pyewacket.

friends named their daughter Bronwyn, Maybe it works well in Wales. I thought it was an ugly name to give a kid.

Winifred probably won’t make a comeback too soon

[quote]r289 Yolande is the one weird french name I adore. Agnes in french reminds me of a saint. I've recently read some Proust and both Odette and Orianna stood out to me.

I love the name Simone - even if once a Frenchwoman told me it's overly common, like someone who'd be married to a maintenance man.

My friends named their two girls Astrid and Beatrice. Unfortunately, both are ugly.

Astrid is the relentlessly abused little heroine in WHITE OLEANDER.

Unpleasant associations. Sorry.

This guy my husband went t9 school with has twin girls, named Sophia and Bella because 1990s. They are fraternal twins. One is pretty, tall and smart and the other us short, ugly and has learning disabilities. Can you imagine what it must be like to have a twin that you’re nothing like?

these 'ugly' names no longer sound so awful

I had some friends who named their child Bronwyn for it's literary connotations and rarity and then lo and behold, there was another Bronwyn in the kid's first grade class.

dunno how to pronounce that name, r300

The trouble with these older, intellectual sounding names is that they work really well if you're good looking, but if you're not then it just adds to the list of things that are against you. A hot girl called Vivian or a hot guy called Clancy? It makes the whole package more appealing. The same names on frumpy lumpy types isn't doing anyone favors.

so true, an unattractive girl named 'bertha'? it is too much to take in at once.

Bron - win, r301. Short o sound for bron

Perpetua. But only if you're hoping she'll grow up to be a Scottish non-binary lesbian who's a top...

Clara

I worked with a Bronwynn. She'd be over 70 now.

I work with a girl in her 20s named Mildred, and wants to be called Mildred. She's very cool about it and popular with everybody. Names I hate: Dawn, Glenda, Lenore, Yolanda, Vera, Justin, Trevor, Brittany. 1980s dreck. I'd name a daughter Clara just to be different.

I actually prefer the Latino names. Carlos, Luis, Jose. Chances are they'll be hot, opposed to Charles, Louis, and Joseph.

And I hate androgynous names: Randy, Lindsay, Stacey, Leslie, Pat, Robin, Chris, Alex, Tori, Terry, Toni! Ugh!

R308, yes Dawn! I loathe it. Also Misty & Crystal.

Marnie or Marne or Marni

Wendolyn, Shorn

Shorn? What gender?

Constance, Prudence, Faith, Harmony, and Hope. I've just named your future 5 in-vitrio artificially inseminated biobots. Form a choir with them.

Cadence

Wasn't there a Prudence on a sitcom back in the 60s? Maybe it was "The Flying Nun." No, that was Madeleine Sherwood.

I've worked with ladies, all under 40, with the names Jane, Bridget, Clothilde, Collette, Alicia, Josephine, Lisolette, Tess, Candy, and Jacqueleen (pronounced een), because Jacqueleen is special, she can't just be Jacqueline, as in Kennedy. Josephine does not like being called Jo, Josie, and is too young to know the plumber she was named after.

Mildred

Bertha, Brunilda, Beatrice, and Hortense are the absolute worst of the above.

The Greg upthread made me realize how accurately you can (usually) pinpoint someone's age from their name. I'm 56 and named Mike/Michael, I think the most common name for boys the year I was born. There were 7 Mikes in my homeroom my senior year. If you got the entire graduating class in the gym and told everyone named Mike, Dave, Scott, Greg, Jeff, Brad, Eric, Brett, Steve or Chris to sit down, that would probably be close to three quarters of the boys seated. We were also the last generation where classic neutral male names were common--Bill, John, Jim, Robert, Richard, Tom,etc.

By the end of the sixties, traditional was out and proto-traditional was in, and you started seeing the first wave of Biblical names and white kids with hippie or ethnic names or Eastern-inspired names like Seth, Ethan, Declan, Bodhi, etc. I have relatives in Ireland and similar happened there--guys over 50 had traditional Catholic names like Michael, Phillip, and Joseph; guys born during or after the Troubles had old Irish names like Fergus, Feargal, Phelim, Eoin, Seaghan, which hadn't been used in hundreds of years except in very rural areas.

[quote]My middle name is Eugenia, which as a kid, sounded too much like "vagina" to me. It's beautiful in French, but I'm anything but.

I knew a girl whose first name was Eugenia; she chose to go by "Genie."

[quote] I thought Mona was the short for Desdemona, from Otelo, a tragic name in all the senses.

The only Mona I know is actually a Ramona.

I live in an area with a large Asian immigrant population, and it's interesting to see what American/English names people choose for themselves and their children when they move here. (And I understand that some Chinese adopt an alternate Anglicized name when they're born--even if they plan to stay in Asia.) I see lots of Jessicas, Lindas, Winnies, etc.

Every woman I've ever known who was named Sharon was a cool chick.

Irish names seem to be trendy for young guys - I know tons of Aidans and Liams.

I know of about six females named Eleanor and all of them were born in the 1930s. Some of them go by Elle or Ella. I think Eleanor is going to make a comeback.

R325, it already has. I know 3 Eleanors under 10 years old.

[quote]r301 dunno how to pronounce that name,

Brawn-win.

[quote]r351 Wasn't there a Prudence on a sitcom back in the 60s? Maybe it was "The Flying Nun." No, that was Madeleine Sherwood.

Well, there was THIS one in 1968.

I don't think anyone liked it all that much. It's one of those lame farces that isn't really that funny, and you wonder why they bothered.

LuAnn. There were 3 girls in my elementary school class named that, with various spellings.

Thalia always brings Thalidomide to mind.

I like Mavis, Vivian and Hazel.

Phoebe, Penelope, Patience, Autumn,

OMG two of my nieces named their daughters 'Beryl' and 'Helga'. I think they were trying to outdo each other.

My aunt named her daughters Deleslyn and Anthea. Not sure which I prefer.

Olivia and Sophie are the new Emily and Ashley.

A friend was born (and baptized) with the name "Mamie" after Mrs. Eisenhower.

She had it changed, legally, to her middle name, Rose, the day after she turned 21.

R351 Are they characters in Jane Austen's latest novel for Jesus?

I know 3 Winifreds under 12 r294. One goes by Winnie and the other two prefer Freddie.

Lulu

I know a woman who breeds dogs. All of them have human names like Debbie, Jennifer, Lori, Peggy. If this bitch ever had kids, she'd probably name them Rover, Lassie, or Tiger.

Mabel, Peggy (as a full name), Gertrude...

My SIL is a malignant narcissist. She went to court to get rid of her middle name, Susan. She didn't choose s different middle name. Just got rid of it altogether. She did this as soon as she was legally of age.

I mean, can you imagine being so bugged by the middle name Susan that you couldn't wait to get to court to change it?

Worse, her mother can't get a state ID or take out a 2nd mortgage because her name on her birth certificate doesn't match the name she's been using all her life. She had to get a copy of her birth certificate after her husband died because he was the one who did all the financial stuff for the family. Meanwhile, at age 90, the MIL had no photo ID. She never got a drivers license. She always took public transport or cabs. She now needs govt photo ID. She lost her birth certificate so they tried to get s new one, but she's been calling herself Miriam all her life but her birth name is Elizabeth and she has no middle name. She has no way to prove who she is! The state won't issue her a birth certificate because any she has no proof she's Elizabeth "Smith."

I love how ILL's Mrs. Trumball's first name is Matilda. Now there's a name you don't hear too often. It is due for a comeback.

It's simply because the grandmothers are dying off and people are naming their kids in their honor.

^ That is so true. Nail on the head.

Has anyone mentioned Gwendolyn. I used to know two women with that name. They went by Gwen which sounds just as bad. Hope that name doesn't make a comeback. It is ugly. Not as bad as Gladys though, but still ugly.

Charlotte has made a big resurgence. I used to hate the name but now I like it.

I don't think Charlotte ever went away.

There were a few Gwens in my neighborhood, r345, all black, and born in the 1950s. Maybe they were named after the acclaimed author Gwendolyn Brooks.

Both of the Gwendolyn's I used to know were born in the 40s; one early 40's, a successful black woman, the other late 40s, a white neighbor with a bunch of kids.

Hepzebah

There was a Gwen on my block growing up. She was an English war bride. My husband has a cousin named Gwen who’s about 60.

[quote]r289 I love greek names like Iphigenie, Clytemnestra, Xanthipe, Artemise. They sound exotic, grand and evocative.

And they're impossible to spell. You'd spend your life chanting it out, letter by letter. Every single day.

Melissa is Greek for "honey bee". Stick with that.

Esmeralda, Esme.

Esme is pretty.

So is Elle.

Recent baby girl names I've heard:

Minerva

Minnie

Helen

Evangeline is starting to become popular for baby girls.

I ❤️ r274.

I just looked up “old lady names”:and dame up with Carol, Barbara, Deborah, Betty, Doris, Elizabeth.

I have an EX friend who gave birth and decided to name her baby an old fashioned name you never hear anymore. The name? Olivia. Right after she was born the Cosby Show added a character named Olivia. Hahaha!

R274 Finish her!

[quote]I love how ILL's Mrs. Trumball's first name is Matilda. Now there's a name you don't hear too often. It is due for a comeback.

No, it's not.

R357. Olivia is a very popular name for baby girls. You must be out of touch!

[Quote]Esmeralda, Esme.

I had an aunt called Esperanza (Hope in English), who we affectionately called "Espy." I don't think today’s latinos name their daughters Esperanza anymore. In fact, I don't think English-speakers name their daughters Hope anymore, either.

There's a character in the play THE CHALK GARDEN named Laurel, which I always thought was interesting. But I've never met one in real life.

[quote]r361 I had an aunt called Esperanza (Hope in English), who we affectionately called "[bold]Espy[/bold]."

Sounds like "Aspie".

Next.

[Quote]Sounds like "Aspie".

This was before Asperger's became a thing, r363.

[quote] [R357]. Olivia is a very popular name for baby girls. You must be out of touch!

You must be illiterate! “Right after she was born the Cosby Show added a character named Olivia” That was about 1990.

[quote][R357]. Olivia is a very popular name for baby girls. You must be out of touch!

I think that's exactly the point R375 was trying to make.

My grandmothers name is Gladys. She always hated it and went by her middle name.

Some of my female ancestors' names: Annie (not short for Anne - Annie was the name she was born with. This was circa 1880), Queenie (born in London around 1920), Ethel, Lillian, Elenora

It’s hard to imagine a young Hattie.

a

R370 Tori Spelling named her daughter Hattie. IIRC the little girls middle name is Margaret.

Matilda is a very common name now in the UK, as is Tallulah.

I am very surprised no one has mentioned the name Ruth.

Seems like all the ugly names begin with E - Enid, Edith, Ethel, Erna, Edna, Erma, Esther, Eloise, Esmeralda.

Eunice, Eileen, a, Endora, Eudora, Evaline, Effie…

The letter M offers up some real treasures as well: Mabel, Madge, Mae, Maeve, Magda, Magdalene, Magnolia, Maisie, Mame, Mamie, Marge, Marigold, Marion, Marjorie, Marlene, Marsha, Martha, Maude, Mavis, Maxine, Melba, Mercedes, Mercy, Merle, Mildred, Mina, Miriam, Moira, Mona, Morgana, Morag, Muriel, Mylene, Myra, Myrleen, Myrtle

[quote]There's a character in the play THE CHALK GARDEN named Laurel, which I always thought was interesting. But I've never met one in real life.

Laurel is a character on "How To Get Away With Murder."

I went to college with a girl named Laurel; her sisters were named Heather and Poppy. (Sort of a modern version of Violet, Hyacinth, Daisy, and Rose.)

Apropos of nothing, I know, butI knew an evangelical (cult type) family who had seven children named Joshua, Jonathan, Judah, Jeremiah, Jessica, Joseph, Joy.

Did the 19-kid Duggar family all have J names too? Only watched one episode and I just couldn't stomach another.

R378, that J family sounds like the Turpins

We had a J family on our block in the 70s. Jason, Jamie and Jeremy. My mother didn’t like them.

Jason was a very popular name for boys in the 70s and early 80s. So was Matthew.

Boomer bames

Gail

Laura

Linda

Maureen

Sandra,

Janet

Janice

Patty

Kathy

Nancy

Brenda

Janice is kind of an unsightly, nothing name.

My one friend with that name uses her middle one.

R381, Are you from New England? Very common boomer/early X names here

R381 TO ADD TO YOUR LIST:

Susan

Judy

Debbie

Karen

Carol

Barbara

Linda

Connie

Peggy

Eileen

Cindy

Marianne/Mary Ann

Joanne/Jo Ann

Someday these names will return.

Joan

Ellen

Theresa

Rhonda

Sharon

Elaine

Sheila

Jean

Janine

Mindy

Cheryl

Donna

Stacey

Maryellen

It is funny how names get so common. I knew a million Debbies, Pattys, Carols, Karens, sharons, Joanies.

Boys were Michael, James, John, Robert, William, Steven, Richard, Thomas, Charles, Peter.

My grandparents weee Irish and gave their kids Anglo names - Daniel, John, James, Rose, Thomas, Mary, Susan, Theresa. All of their children named their kids basic Anglo names, too, except for my youngest uncle, who named his his kids Kelly, Erin and Brian — identifiably Irish names. I guess a lot of immigrants did that.

“Nancy” was a nickname for Anne in Irish American communities. Nobody (Irish) back then was ever given Nancy as a proper name. In some Italian American communities “Jimmy” was often a nickname for Vincent, and Pat was short for Pasquale.

Sharon is kind of a trashy name. No one in my town had it.

Susan is a waste of breath. Only Ann has less personality.

There is a special place in hell for Deirdre/Deidre- however the fuck you spell it.

Stacey is a trashy old fashioned name. It’s mine and I’m male.

R386 In my Italian neighborhood "Vinny" was always the nickname for Vincent.

Dreary Deirdre.

Never hear of Wilma and Betty these days.

There was one Margaret in my class at school. It was old fashioned but she was the only girl with the name. There were countless Lynseys, Samanthas, Sophies and Natashas so all those 'unique' names (at that time) were common as muck at school. Margaret is versatile, it has so many diminutives that you can choose something you like. It isn't dated now like so many trendy names can put you immediately within a 5 year window.

The boys names were all Murray, Taylor etc., all the surnames as first names fashion. I got a traditional family name (one of the disciples, like everybody used to do). Me and Margaret had no doppelgangers.

Mary Agnes

imelda

Kitty

Concepta

Immaculata

Dolores

Kitty is adorable ... but practically no one's given that name outright. It's short for Katharine.

Dorothy seems to be gone for good

My co worker named her new little girl Alma. Her dog is named Lisa though.

Sofia is so common now in Mexico, I'm bored sick with that name. Is it the same in english speaking countries? Gladys seems to be a somewhat popular name as well considering how derided it is in the US. I don't mind it.

I feel like those "Christian Virtue" kinds of names that used to be popular in the 18th and 19th century will never make a comeback because they're hideous as well as tacky. Prudence, Chastity, Silence, Patience, Comfort, Mercy and Honor aren't names millennial hipsters are going to make popular but they used to be the Isabella, Lily and Ava of their time.

^ Isn't Honor pretty popular in Great Britiain? I think Jessica Alba has a daughter named Honor, too.

Constance has always held on, though never a top 10. Faith, Hope, Charity... some of them are fairly popular,

Lavinia is pretty but not popular since before the invention of the gramophone.

Xerxes, which my mom would pronounce "Zurdie." Actually, I think it was pronounced like that in a nicknamish sort of way.

Phedre, which my mom pronounced as "Feedra." Knowing my mom, she probably would've explained "well, that's the American way of saying it. I ain't French."

[[368]] my great MIL Gladys was nicknamed “happy butt”

Geraldine.

I think it was popular in the 30s and 40s but not so much after that because there are so few with this name after 1950. Never really liked the name. The nickname Gerry is sort of okay, but I don't like the sound of Geraldine.

Don't know how common the names were, but my mother's aunt, born in 1914, was named Alpha Omega - and the family called her "Migger" for short.

Relatives from my grandparents' generation: Geralda, Alfreda, Basil, Iris and Joan, Beryl and Norah

beautiful names all around

The gemstone names are old fashioned but making a comeback: Ruby, Jade, Emerald etc.

pearl

Beryl

Arlene

Anal Itch

'myrtle'? harsh sounding, but cool

[quote]Agnes means "lamb" (as in "agnes Dei") - lamb of God. I don´t find it at all ugly.

Agnes has nothing to do with Agnus (Latin for lamb, Agnus Dei means lamb of God). It's actually derives from the Greek word for pure or holy. It's really a rather pretty name in Latin languages (Ines/Inez).

Annalise, sounds like anal ease.

Assholra

R183

Messaline?

This whore name is NOT coming back!

In the genealogy that we've been able to piece together most of the women's names would seem pretty normal now: Mary, Caroline, Elizabeth, Abigail, Hannah, etc. If you go way back there's a Mercy (New England Puritan), but her relatives all had normal names like Jane and Sarah. There are a couple of Phoebes, which I think at one time seemed archaic, but sounds normal now (partly thanks to Lisa Kudrow).

Nora, Norma, Wilma, Brenda, Janet, Karen, Debbie, Frances, Francesca, Gayle, Gloria, Tracy are all names I heard in childhood, either relatives or neighbors, but haven’t heard in years.

Brenda's are generally whoreish, Janet's are crazy,

Beryl inevitably reminds me of Lord Marchmain's line in *Brideshead Revisited*: "I will not disguise from you that I have taken a dislike to Beryl. Perhaps it was unfortunate that we met in Rome. Anywhere else might have been more sympathetic. And yet, if one comes to consider it, where could I have met her without repugnance?"

In the tv version Laurence Olivier enunciates the name with a most expressive twist.

Will Eileen, Bernadette, or Myra ever come back?

Has anybody mentioned the egregiously ugly name Agatha (with the even worse nickname Aggie). That and Bertha have to be left behind in the 19th century for good.) Also, I've always thought Judy (which was quite common in mid-century era), is a pretty awful name. Although who can forget Cary Grant saying, "Judy, Judy, Judy" or Judy G, the biggest gay icon ever. But still, an unappealing name IMO. I hope it stays in the 20th century where it belongs.

I think Judy is a nice name

[Quote]Has anybody mentioned the egregiously ugly name Agatha

How about the French version of my name, r426?

[quote]R398 My co worker named her new little girl Alma.

Alma is 100% better than Lisa.

The character Patricia Neal won her Oscar for was named Alma. It's not a glamorous character, but she's a superb, beautiful actress, who was cultivated and earthy at the same time. Almost no one could touch her basic abilities.

Some of the names mentioned are very popular with the ever-increasing Hispanic community. Alma, Nora, Gloria, etc.

Laverne and Shirley

Francesca Leona Domitia Sadie de Susses

Joey, Ross, Chandler, Monica, Rachel and Phoebe

St. Agnes

Irish Catholic saint's names are a gold mine.

Zelda

Darkeen. (For black girls).

R373 Was hoping nobody would. For some reason I have never liked the name.

Some of the virtue names are popular with Evangelicals. Trinity is very common and I knew someone who named their daughter Whisper.

whisper is a pet's name!

matilda, zelda, ruth all sound reasonable, nice ounding. ruth is mature sounding for a little girl.

When will Radegund make a comeback?

I think a lot of these old names are very pretty

I grew up in predominantly Asian neighborhoods around LA in the 80s and a lot of girls had super old-fashioned names: Agnes, Ruth, Eunice, Margaret. It was also common for boys as well: Stanley, Walter, Duncan. I was also amused at the first and last name combinations—Eunice Kim, Stanley Park etc.

I also knew a girl named Ima. Worst name ever, especially if your were fat and dumpy like she was. Of course people called her Ima Hogg behind her back.

[quote]Of course people called her Ima Hogg behind her back.

You're naîve, R443. They called her Ima Cunt.

I used to hate the names Agatha and Agnes but now, I think that they are pretty names.

Gertrude

Someone mentioned Alma and it set off a memory. I have a memory of my mother talking about someone naned Alma who was a terrible person and I have a memory of Alma being a big woman with shoulder length white hair in a sleeveless dress and gigantically fat arms. But I can’t remember how I know what she looked like or why my mother knew her.

I actually know a Eunice Kim.

But do you know THE Eunice Burns?

Eunice sounds like an extrasolar planet

Agnetha and Frida

[quote]r439 Some of the virtue names are popular with Evangelicals. Trinity is very common

This is just asking for a child with multiple personality disorder ...

[quote]r440 Ruth is mature sounding for a little girl.

But fine, if she naturally resembles an elderly secretary.

Netta Fish is a real person on Long Island

Not many Irenes around, or Sylvias.

Molly is an old fashioned name that made a comeback about a decade ago. I don't think it's an ugly name. I just think it's a good name for a cat.

455, I think its gone out of style since they started calling MDMA "molly".

My aunts' names were Avis and Mavis.

That's oldey timey.

My friend is having a baby girl . What names do you think are good for girls these days? I want to help and I like a couple of these old fashioned names . She’s not a “Frau” frau . She’s cool. How about Ashley or April ? Or too generic ?

I like Annabelle, Amanda , Katharine .

Are you posting from 1980, R458? Those names were popular then. And R457, I could see a hipster naming their baby girl Mavis these days. It's like Hazel and Stella.

Names from my family tree-Mattie,Ruby, Charlotte,Edith, Eugenia, Gladys and Myrtle.

Arlene, Kathleen, Darlene, Charlene, anything ending in an ‘een’ sound is very dated.

My mother had aunts named Lila and Gladys. Her stepmother was called Alma, a little old lady when I knew her far from any kind of a hulking bruiser.

I hope Horace never makes a comeback.

r458, how about Audrey? Or Celeste?

Delphine sounds elegant. I like Damaris too, very 17th-C witch trials feel to it.

[quote]r465 how about ... Celeste?

Please don't give little girls elephant names.

[quote]r466 Delphine sounds elegant.

Delphine sounds like some high end, disposible douche brand.

I like Delphine, it makes me think of a 1920s high society type name. I like Dahlia, Caroline, Serena and Marissa too.

My sister was named Ramona. For years she went by Mona, then she turned 50 and suddenly she was 'Anna' - that's what you had to call her. She named her daughters Pru (short for Pruscilla) and Daryn. So far they've kept their names.

Are Americans ever named Helga? I hope not.

An acquaintance's daughter named her new little one Ida Madrid. Yeah, Grandma thought it was ridiculous, too.

Brünhilde

Hedwig

Dagmar