What say you of old fashioned names?

Question

I'm not pregnant or anything but my cousin is and all of the names she's been discussing with me have been really old fashioned, neither of us really noticed until a friend pointed it out to us. She seemed to think that giving a kid an old fashioned name would be social suicide once they got the the middle school/high school age. I really think it's kind of silly but we were curious to see what the masses think.

We're not particularly interested in getting a huge list of old fashioned names people out there like, she has names in mind, just wondering what people think of giving a child an old-fashioned name and how it might affect them socially. (if at all!)

Thanks in advance!

I never thought to ask that, but any feedback from people who have old fashioned names and what they personally think of them would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks everyone who's answered so far!

Answer 1

a childs name IS important. It is one of the gifts given to him/her by their parents that will be a forever reminder of the love that the parents had in spending the time to choose carefully a name for their child. Sometimes, alot of well meaning people will state things that are better left unsaid - such as giving a child a certain name would be social suicide....that is like telling a parent what color to dress her child in. This is a personal decision and it should come from your heart. Suggestions are always great but the final answer must come from you. There are names that can be "baby-fied" by nick naming - such as Samuel as an adult can be Sammy as a child - Richard can be Rich/Richy or Rick/Ricky. Girls names can be Roshelle/Shelly or Gabriella/Gabby - it all comes down to how the parents feel about the name in their heart. Everyone can have a great suggestion but the ultimate decision is for Mom and Dad. This is the 1st decision that you will make for your child. It is also one of the easier ones as it comes from your heart. Good luck with the new baby - may it be healthy and strong and have a beautiful life ahead. I wish you health and happiness as well. A new life is a blessing.

Answer 2

Kids can be cruel. They can pick on ANY name if they want to. The amount of teasing a child gets has more to do with that child's social skills than the child's name.

Old fashioned names are making a comeback. I see quite a lot of names like Isabella, Grace, Hannah, Owen, Vincent, Martin, etc. at my kids' daycare/school. In 5-10 years, the playgrounds will be full of 'em! Not social suicide at all. Besides, the child is only going to be a child for a relatively short part of his or her life. I think these names suit a grown man or woman much better than some made-up cutesy, oddly spelled "modern" name.

Answer 3

I am a Pauline Esther, which is pretty old-fashioned (I'm 25.) I actually really like my name. Esther isn't my favorite, I would prefer Estelle but still, I have never run into another and yet nobody has to ask how to say or spell it. I named two of my children old-fashioned names - Richard and Clarissa. I think old-fashioned is coming back in style. There are a lot of Abigails, Sophias, Claires, and even Emily was once considered old. For boys Oscar and Oliver are getting more common. Do I think it will affect them? Didn't affect me any, doubt it will them. Maybe something like Myrtle wouldn't be best but other than that I'm sure it would be lovely.

Answer 4

Hmm. Are these old-fashioned names like 'Olivia' that're once again ubiquitous? Loads of 'older'-sounding names are suddenly getting incredibly over-used.

Or are they less common ones? And, if so -- clunky things, or nice ones?

Whichever it is, I think it beats the more modern-sounding, usually made-up or misspelled names; those're risible.

A happy and confident child could go through middle and high school doing well with 'Gertrude.' Most of those clunky ones, so to speak, at least shorten well -- 'Trudie' is only open to a finite amount of mockery.

But with a 'Mi'Kaylaah,' you're stuck going through life wearing a big sign that says 'My parents suffer from a very limited education, and had low expectations for me.'

Keep in mind that most people want their doctors, lawyers, political leaders, etc, to have names like 'Philip.' 'Braeden Hunter' will just be the guy who mops the floor after you leave the restaurant.

No matter how weird the names you hear about are getting, schools are always going to have a good collection of kids with names like Catherine and Richard, too. Unless it's really out there, old-fashioned is not, I don't think, what gets picked on.

Answer 5

I don't think it would be social suicide if the name is not something completely out of the ordinary. Though you didn't really give an example of what kind of old-fashioned names she has choose. If a name is well put together and not Ester, or something horrible like that then I see no problem with it. Mathew, Elizabeth, Henry...these are all "old-fashioned" names, but still great. Plus they can always be shortened down....Matt, Beth/Eliza/Lizzy....for example.

Answer 6

I really like old names myself, now something like Gertrude, I just don't see coming back in fashion, but many are becoming "common place again". I think many are classy and elegant. I don't expect to be seeing to many little Ethel's or Hubert's running around soon. But I've seen a few Charlotte's, Shirley's, Mary's, Victor's, Noah's and even a George or two.

If the child has an "odd" or "not common right now" name and is socially odd, it will be a source of trouble. However, if Louis Henry or Felicity Elisabeth is popular, it won't matter much.

Answer 7

it seems no matter what name you choose for a child they hate it. and someone else always has a 'better' one.
personally i think the old-fashioned names have withstood the test of time for a reason. they are good names, strong names, they aren't 'trendy' and won't sound silly when your children get older. have you ever noticed that some names sound cute on a little kid, but once they are an adult they sound pretty silly?
our family has some real old fashioned names, Forest, Pearl,
Olive, Winfield, Sterling, Ethel. now those are old-fashioned names.
the next generation fared a little better, May, Stuart, Patricia, Mary-Catherine, [which is one of my all time favourite names.]
its such a personal thing choosing a name for your child, and i still think you can't pick a name 'til you see the baby.........see what suits him/her. we had a name picked out for our first child and once we saw him we realized that the name didn't suit him at all. we chose a strong masculine name that he has grown into quite nicely.
sorry, i just don't think apple is a name for a child, or moon unit zappa, nor do i think you should name children after movie stars and the like.
but thats just my opinion.

Answer 8

As with everything in life, I like some names (traditional or modern) and I dislike some names (traditional or modern).
To answer your question, old fashioned names are generally fine and can suit adults better than some of the modern names.
Some of the modern names should be confined to cuddly toys for babies only.
Another aspect is the peculiar spellings of names. The person will have to forever spell out the name for the rest of their life.
As for the "social suicide", children find plenty of things to manufacture problems about one another, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that.
Tell your cousin to choose what she wants and ignore the naysayers.

Answer 9

Some of the names are fine, as far as getting tteased, if its not your name they're taking about, they'll find something else. Now for the peoson who made the comment about the parent having "limited education or low expections for their child" that's not true. Everyone doesn't want their child to share their name with everyone else in kindergarden, not so say give the child a 15 letter name that now can say, but something more unique. Hey, Condalezza Rice has a good job!

Answer 10

Old-fashioned names are really popular now.
Emma, Abagail, Hannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Sadie, Sophie, Emily, Charlotte, Isabella, Laura, Mary, Caroline.
I think the child would do fine socially with an old fashioned name. I think that it is better than having a name that everyone has trouble pronouncing or spelling.