[name]How[/name] can names be considered dated when they are currently popular? Names, like [name]Samantha[/name] and [name]Alyssa[/name], which are currently ranked at 17 and 37 respectively, are often called dated on nameberry. I mean no disrespect. It just really doesn’t add up to me. [name]How[/name] can a name be popular and dated at the same time?
This is a valid point, and a great thing to mention when someone asks about a name like this. I think it just depends on someone’s life experience. Certain names, like [name]Jennifer[/name] for instance, are tied in a lot of people’s minds to a certain time period, like the late 70s/80s for [name]Jennifer[/name]. [name]Even[/name] though this is a beautiful name, since lots of people chose during that time period to name their daughters that name, some people will always think of that when they hear the name. [name]Samantha[/name] and [name]Alyssa[/name] don’t bring any connection to my mind, but they might to someone else. I hope this helps.
I go to school with tons of Alyssas and Samanthas so I kinda see where there coming from. I rarely hear of a new baby [name]Alyssa[/name] or [name]Samantha[/name] and I think when young people from the eighties and nineties hear them they think of the teenage girls they went to school with. I see how they could be view as overused and dated because young women can’t picture a name belonging to many members of their senior class on a brand new baby. Personally I think [name]Samantha[/name] and [name]Alyssa[/name] are really pretty names and could become a little classic, especially [name]Samantha[/name]. Its names like [name]Britney[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Lindsey[/name] & [name]Madison[/name] that I see as dated because they have no historical roots as feminine names. They (for the most part) originated as surnames. [name]One[/name] day some one thought they’d be unique and give they’re girl a boy name or a surname name and it caught on like wildfire. Whereas [name]Samantha[/name] and even [name]Alyssa[/name] have roots in classic names and in history so there more likely to be “rediscovered” and used over generations. Again, thats just my opinion, don’t mean to offend anyone with those names.
You have a point but any name that’s tied to a certain era can feel dated. I personally don’t look at rankings really but go off the feeling of a name. Some names like [name]Taylor[/name], [name]Tyler[/name], [name]Kayla[/name] & [name]Kylie[/name] could still be booming somewhere for all I know but they still feel 90s & tired to me
[name]Do[/name] you come across many babies and young kids on a regular basis? The reason I ask is because I know 3 [name]Alyssa[/name]'s under 5 and 3 [name]Samantha[/name]'s under 10. My older daughter is in elementary school and is very active after school, so I’m around a lot of young kids on a daily basis. That’s kind of why I posted - I meet young kids with these names and the SSA numbers state that the names are popular, yet every time these names are mentioned, berries deem them as dated. Now, my daughter [name]Vanessa[/name]'s name I understand. It peaked in the 80’s and has been declining ever since. It’s not a name you hear on babies often these days. No surprise there. But these names…I just don’t get it I suppose. I get that they may be called “tired” since they’ve been used excessively over the past two decades, but I seriously don’t understand how they can be called dated. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just where I live vs. where other people live. Maybe my area has more young [name]Alyssa[/name]'s and [name]Samantha[/name]'s than other places in the US.
I honestly don’t cars if names are “dated” or not. I just pick names I like the sound of. And [name]Samantha[/name] and [name]Alyssa[/name] are lovely:)
[name]Samantha[/name] and [name]Alyssa[/name] are gorgeous names and don’t seem dated at all to me.
[name]Samantha[/name] and [name]Alyssa[/name] both started becoming popular in the 60’s/70’s only to reach their peak in the early 90’s. Despite that they are still common names, they are and have been steadily declining since the early 90’s. Therefore, they are considered dated to that time.
Check the graphs:
[name]Alyssa[/name]'s peak is a bit later, but still in the 90’s and has since been declining.
Check the graphs:
The decline is so slight. [name]Samantha[/name] dropped 15 places from #3 to #17 and [name]Alyssa[/name] dropped 27 places from #11 to #37. Does that really mean they’re dated? Now the name [name]Tiffany[/name], I can see. It dropped from #11 to #347. That is a good indication that the name is now dated.
Well, I don’t see [name]Samantha[/name] or [name]Alyssa[/name] as dated as all. They’re very pretty.
I think some names, while currently still on the popularity characters. seem dated because they are tied to a specific time. [name]Brittany[/name], for example, is a name I see on a lot of my college-aged students. The name feels 90s-era dated to me, because everyone I know with the name was born in the 90s.
Well, yeah. But if they continue on the same decline as they are now, it will be just as drastic as [name]Tiffany[/name]. [name]Tiffany[/name] is just ten years ahead. 
This is nothing to say of what I think of the names themselves. They are both quite pretty. However, if you don’t think they have declined enough yet, wait ten years and see. I’d guess their peek will still be in the 90’s. 
I guess I don’t get it either. [name]Alyssa[/name], I associate with my generation, so I probably wouldn’t name my baby [name]Alyssa[/name], but it’s not really dated. [name]Samantha[/name] certainly isn’t. They do not, on the other hand, feel “fresh.” Some names, though classic, still feel fresh today. These tend to be the classic names that either went out of style for about 80 years or classics that have remained pretty steady (like [name]William[/name]- which, if you look at the % graph, has been declining, but has been shooting up on the number rankings). Babies are new, fresh, and belong to a generation. It makes sense not to give them a name associated with an older one. I think NameBerries can be hasty in throwing names out with the bathwater.
I would put money on seeing [name]Samantha[/name] return to the top of the charts in about 70-100 years. That’s a classic in the making.