Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

[WOM]

Agnes.

Phyllis.

Gertrude.

Walter.

Art.

[Gangster Octopus]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

I'd've used one of those names if we'd had children.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Art is a fine, kingly, Irish name. I know a few people called that. And Agnes, even apart from the continuing popularity of its many variants, seems increasingly common here in its Polish form.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Art's short for Arthur, isn't it? That's definitely on the way back, there are a couple of Arthurs in my youngest daughter's class.

Cyril (my Grandad's real name) is unlike to come back soon, though.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

When I was inter-railing through Bavaria age 17, I amazed myself by chatting up with great success a very attractive German girl called Agnes Reich. She wrote to me afterwards with a photo. So I'll hear nothing against that name. She'll be around 44 now.

I know what you mean about Art though. You'd worry about your kid "feeling groovy" all the time.

[Guest]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Adolph

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Heh.

Bet there aren't too many "Margaret"s, anymore, either ...

[ad hoc]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Agnes is very popular still among Hungarians. In fact i had to convince Mrs Hoc that we couldn't call our daughter Agnes because she wouldn't be 80 for another 80 years.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Art's short for Arthur, isn't it? That's definitely on the way back, there are a couple of Arthurs in my youngest daughter's class.

It can be, though it's a distinct name in its own right. When I called it kingly, I was thinking about this guy, not your feeble Sasanach Pendragon.

[WOM]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Margarets, no. But tons of Maggies about.

Hadn't heard about the Arthur resurrection. Not happening over here. Mind you, we've never done Clive or Des or Roger (in any great numbers) either.

[Errorist Sympathiser]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Names of my vintage (early 70s) that ain't coming back:

Darren
Barry
Jason
Gavin
Tracy
Donna
Karen
Sharon
Marsha

[linus]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

A lot of Lisas/Lizas too in that age group (not short for Elizabeth.)

There are a lot of younger Walters in Italy, and still many Agneses in France.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

I don't think I've ever met a Marsha.

"Ullo, Brian..."

[Errorist Sympathiser]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Marsha Farrington - lovely girl, built like a prop forward, borrowed me a cassette of "Kick"...

[Reed John]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

"Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!!"

For that reason, Marsha is pretty dead here. If you don't know what I'm referring to, there's no point in explaining.

There was a run on Jasons in the late 70s and early 80s as well.

Agnes probably won't catch on again here either. There was a hurricane Agnes that really fucked shit up in the 1970s. Likewise, Katrina is going down for a long rest at the bottom of the name popularity lists.

Lately there's been a run on Amelia. I have four friends who've had babies named that in the past three years.

Over here, Margaret is often shortened to Meg or Maggie. All of the Megs and Maggies I know are fantastic people. They were born pre-Thatcher and I have no idea how that has influenced its subsequent popularity.

If I have kids, I'd like to name a girl Dorthea and a boy Henry. We'll call them Dart and Hank.

[Guest]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

My list of kid names includes Violet and Lavinia. I think people bring back the prettier old fashioned names like Edith and Ethel and not the less pretty ones like Maud and Enid and Edna.

[WOM]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Since we named our daughter (now 6), three people have - upon hearing it - lifted her first and middle name. Literally "Oh, that's lovely." and then named their kid the same thing. Astounding. I can't imagine doing such a thing.

[Guest]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Fanny

Clement(ine)

Phileas

Algernon

Can any of our American friends explain the appeal of the name "Gretchen?" I'm not sure if it's because the only similar-sounding word I can think of is "retching", but it just sounds like a horrible sound whenever I hear it in any accent.

[Reed John]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

You named your child 6? I didn't know you were such a Battlestar Galactica fan.

[Reed John]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Gretchen sounds ubergermanic. All of the Gretchen's I knew were slightly stout, friendly girls who played field hockey or swimming, wore sensible shoes and would punch you in the arm as a greeting.

[Guest]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Kids do get some lovely names these days. I know babies called Amelie, Ella, Eva, Elodie, Tess, Amber, Ava. All lovely.

Oh my list also includes Rosalind, that's quite oldfashioned I think.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

If we have a girl, I'm quite keen on Welsh girls' names (Sian, Bethan, Angharad, Rhiannon, things like that), but Mrs Rhino doesn't like any of them so I'll probably have to settle for a middle name.

[Reed John]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Rosalind is great because it's a great Shakespeare character (see that thread in Books).

Also, I think Kara is a good name, and not just because of Kara Thrace.

Pop songs can make me like or dislike a name Lillian (Depeche Mode), Allison (Elvis Costello), Veronica (ditto), Caroline (Neil Diamond) all seem a bit cooler because of that association.

Actually, Lillian, shortened to Lilly, seems like a name for a kid destined to be a bit goth, which is fine. I don't know why I think that. A friend just named her baby that. I'll keep that idea to myself with her.

[WOM]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

Reed of the Valley People wrote:

You named your child 6? I didn't know you were such a Battlestar Galactica fan.

Actually it's 6 of 1. We were Prisoner fans.

[Guest]

Ye olde names that just ain't coming back.

My gran was Lillian.