Do you think Classic names may date a baby?

I know that it was mentioned that the “mc” names were a trend of the 1990’s and early 2000’s - I was wondering, since names tend to go through there own trends, if babies named with classic names may experience the same “dating” so to speak or do you think it is more solid/less likely to be dated over time? What do you think?

I am currently debating the “Mc” name myself and also the classic first name of [name]Caroline[/name]…

Isn’t that the whole point of a classic name, though? They remain in consistent use over time, so they’re not tied to any one particular era. [name]Caroline[/name] will always be in use, with fluctuations up or down, but I don’t see it ever being considered unfashionable. The “Mc” names, as well as the use of certain brands of surname, will seem very tied to a particular time period and may be deemed unfashionable in the future.

I second what Canyr said. :slight_smile:

Classic names are called classic names because they’ve been used consistently throughout time, and always will be. A classic name dating a baby is an oxymoron, because classic names don’t date.

Take any name like:

[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Diana[/name]
[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Grace[/name]
[name]Julia[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name]

…and you won’t be able to say, “This baby was born in the 1990s.” Unlike trendy names, which arise out of nowhere to become, well, a fleeting trend, classic names have staying power and always will. They’ve stood the test of time.

Some classic names may fall more in or more out of favor during certain periods of time, but they still remain classic names because of their strong history.

Good luck! :slight_smile:

I hazard to differ somewhat (don’t worry; it has a hopeful ending, I think). I think there’s a hierarchy, and much as anyone may like a name, I think some of these listed were decidedly “old-fashioned” at various points in time, “unhip”. Some stay on the top of the pile consistently and others sound “right” sometimes, appealing to more people through exposure and then waning on a little over-exposure.

I’m considering that I never hear anyone suggest [name]Patricia[/name] as a name, as classic as they come, I’ve seen posts describe this as dated. Also [name]Catherine[/name] with a C was how it was done when I went to school, but K is favored more now. Why? Because [name]Kate[/name] is the nickname of choice over [name]Cathy[/name] (which can be spelled with a K, but people normally decline to spell [name]Kate[/name] with a C).

I think about how relatively few Margarets I knew in school as opposed to Elizabeths and Sarahs. [name]How[/name] I knew Carols (a little dated then) and Julies and Lisas and Megans, but no Carolines (one [name]Carolyn[/name] in her late 20s now), no [name]Julias[/name], not too many Margarets - one [name]Peggy[/name], I don’t remember any others, no Maggies. All Elizabeths were either [name]Liz[/name] or [name]Beth[/name], no Elizas or Elsies or Betseys, and there were way more Patricias than Elizabeths.

I am remembering a time when it seemed like any [name]Sarah[/name] was common but [name]Anne[/name] was not (no Annies at all!), and one [name]Anna[/name] was a pest and the other one went by her middle name, [name]Lisa[/name]. There were no Emilys or Amelias or Graces or Alices or Roses. I cannot speak for the rest of the country or elsewhere, or how these names would have been received (probably ok for the most part) - but as “fashion” goes, it wasn’t popular to have a classic name at all back that I remember - unless you were a boy!

However, to remember, that most names rise and fall in time, [name]Caroline[/name] has been mostly in the top 300 and is at the bottom 100 right now after rising to 62 in 2001. I believe it feels fresher than [name]Catherine[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name] simply because it is less usual and more recently “rediscovered” in popularity, but it is a beautiful and substantial classic name.

It is really a lot more popular now to have a classic name at all than when I went to school, but to bring this point around, classic names individually are classic, just like [name]Jill[/name] and Canyr did say. They are more “stylish” now because they have company, but never become absolutely unstylish individually The “company” brings up with it many other “old-fashioned” names that probably will not date as successfully but will still fare pretty well.

[name]Caroline[/name] has become one of my favorites - I never even did consider it when I was young. I think we are all helpless to figure out a name that will always sound like it’s brand new and also ideal - that “company” will grow up and get jobs and make families and their name will be appropriate to their age. That’s how it works, but I think some names sound less like you are branded with a date stamp, like [name]Caroline[/name], and some sound more, like [name]McKenna[/name]. [name]Caroline[/name] may not be the speedy current kind of name some are after, but nobody will say in 50-60 years it sounds like an old lady, like [name]McKenna[/name].

I especially agree with what you said [name]Karen[/name]. I think in 10 years or so we will see less willingness to name our children [name]Henry[/name] or [name]Oliver[/name] then now - as I too believe that there is a for lack of better word “trend” towards naming children classic names right now. But [name]Henry[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name] will always have a nice ring to them and always be classic. They will hopefully transcend through time undated (or as undated as any name can be).

I think there are always going to be people who love classic names. [name]Caroline[/name] is a classic, and doesn’t sound dated to me. You could always call her [name]Calla[/name] which is very cool. [name]Catherine[/name] is also classic and I love the nn [name]Cate[/name] with a “C”.

OOO [name]Susan[/name] I love that nn! I’ve never heard that for [name]Caroline[/name]. I am def. adding that to my list. Thanks!!!

Nn’s for [name]Caroline[/name]

[name]Cara[/name], [name]Carrie[/name], [name]Carys[/name], [name]Cally[/name], [name]Carly[/name], [name]Carol[/name]

[name]Just[/name] had to add that if you are thinking of [name]Caroline[/name] and definitely deciding today (or giving birth today) I would be thrilled as it is my birthday today. 24th. I would love to hear of a little baby [name]Caroline[/name]!

[name]Happy[/name] birthday, [name]Rollo[/name]! :slight_smile:

[name]Happy[/name] Birthday, [name]Rollo[/name]!

[name]Happy[/name] Birthday [name]Rollo[/name]!

I feel that there are certain names that never feel dated. All my opinion of course, names such as [name]John[/name], [name]Mary[/name], [name]George[/name], [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Anne[/name], [name]Robert[/name] ect. These are also names that I feel are “strong and respectable” . Is it bad to say that I would feel more comfortable with a doctor with the first name of [name]John[/name] or [name]Catherine[/name] than I would with a doctor named [name]Jaiden[/name] or [name]Destiny[/name]? I’m not saying any of this to be mean but we do tend to automatically stereotype people based on their names. I’d also feel more at ease if [name]Mary[/name] or [name]George[/name] represented me in court instead of [name]Bunny[/name] or [name]Slater[/name].
Classic names just feel more timeless.

A lot of names seem to conjure up a specific imagery, and I think classic names tend not to be as specific. Like I said, though, when I was growing up, some of them kind of did sound “older” because a lot of moms and grandmas had those names and a lot of my peers had names like [name]Jennifer[/name] and [name]Lisa[/name] and [name]Christina[/name] moreso than [name]Margaret[/name] or [name]Anna[/name] or [name]Grace[/name]. [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Sarah[/name] were popular, as well as I have mentioned, [name]Patricia[/name], for the classic sampling. These names are overall more common now, so peers of a like age will grow with these names, and somewhere down the road, they will probably not be chosen by so many parents.

I think when people “picture” what a child with a name looks like and how they act, based on their name or their association of other people with the name, it may be a little bit of a disservice. When parents report looking at their newborn and thinking they “look like” a name, it is projection. While a person with any name can apply themselves to any endeavor in their life, their name may be a reflection of their parents lives and their upbringing, and “become” the generalized image of their name. Without these boundaries, a person can fit their name and develop a personality and a personhood that transcends a name easily.

Like disa_lan says, a doctor named [name]Bunny[/name] can put a patient off, despite how competent they are and how hard they must have worked to rise above people’s expectations down the line. Someone’s prejudice against a person’s name can cost them grades and scholarships and entrance to better schools. I think this is more on a spectrum than a success/failure binary option.

Then again, if your image of someone should be as vivacious and with it as they are, their name can imply that they are naught but a cookie cutter. That’s what nicknames are for, and I think why they are so heavily encouraged. Their name is serious and classic and elegant, but they can blend in with the gang and exhibit a party side.

I can understand wanting an exciting and unique name, a hip and modern name, but that a substantial percentage of parents are in favor of the classic because it actually works to encourage individuality rather than use the name to guide their potential. Example: Artistic people like artistic, offbeat, boho names, and their kids will probably be exposed to artistic events and be somewhat artistic. Or a lawyer. Or a dental hygienist. Or a pizza-delivery guy. Or a bio-engineer. Or an insurance actuary. I guess what I’m saying is, names don’t tell us who we’ll become, but they might feel a little off once we get there, or that we aren’t what our parents expected when they dreamed of us. Classics always fit.

Thanks girls for your birthday wishes!! I have had a ball.

My doctor’s name is Chien Fang.

I would see a Chien Fang, but I didn’t make it to the Fs when I got someone who could see me on short notice in my neighborhood. If you plan for your child to go to medical school for GP, make sure their last name is at the beginning of the alphabet.

I looked straight up like an alien when I was born, no joke. So if I was named for what I looked like at birth I’d probably be Zligorian (my sad attempt at a made up alien name). [name]Do[/name] you feel your name has a slight influence in the end result who you actually become? [name]Even[/name] genetics aren’t predictable in this matter. I’m artsy my husband is into music and our oldest is a bookworm, science fanatic, with a dash of spunk. She however is very unlike me or my husband in many aspects I think of her as being the best of what we never were.

All in all I think a name is more of a reflection of who your parents were or wanted to be than who you really are. You make the name your own. When you meet new people you represent your name and leave with it your own mark.
I still feel names carry their own certain vibe but in the end it is my experience with actual people with these names that help conclude my over all feeling for it.

My doctor is [name]Jeffrey[/name] [name]Wayne[/name] but I didn’t chose him by name he was recommended. I’ve had a doctor with the name of Zenith and didn’t like her one bit. I thought her name was cool though. :confused:

I came on here to add my tupence worth about classic names but I see the discussion has turned to doctors names! I’m actually a GP in the UK, where I think the role of the GP is quite different. Here it wouldn’t be an issue at all what your surname is as patients tend to register with a local practice, with several doctors, rather than with an individual clinician. [name]Just[/name] thought it was an interesting difference!
Oh, and I don’t think classic names date in the same way as v trendy one!!

As long as the Dr wasn’t named Dr Death I wouldn’t care what name they had; my doctor has a body part as her surname.

In Australia we usually go to a private medical centre where there are several doctors and if you go to one doctor in the practice often enough they are deemed to be your doctor.

I did hear of a neurologist called Dr [name]Brain[/name] which I think is amusing.

My point wasn’t really about doctors. More about how I think certain names fit certain occupations better than others. Honestly I really don’t care what my doctors name is. I was just trying to be funny :confused: I recently took a quiz where you place names in certain occupations you think they most belong to. I think it’s interesting to see that a lot of people feel the same way about names. Yes they maybe unfair stereotypes breed by media, upbringing or personal experience but it was still nonetheless interesting. Not name related but there was/is a study about how certain facial features and symmetry are more appealing than others. I think we all share a lot of the same natural instincts whether it be names or whatever.
Classic names are neutral names. They provide a good solid foundation.