Respondents: 79 (This poll is closed)
I love these names! I know a very sweet little boy named [name_m]Sherman[/name_m] who is the cutest thing. His parents didn’t realize when they chose it that it is considered “old man” (he has a Chinese name too), but everyone finds it adorable, and of course it will age well.
I like the ie nicknames for a little boy, not so much as an adult.
I voted for [name_m]Abner[/name_m]/[name_m]Abe[/name_m], because I quite like [name_m]Abe[/name_m] and can stand [name_m]Abner[/name_m]. But I do not like any of the rest! I can’t say forsure why I don’t like this style of names. Partly its the “old man” or maybe even dated stigma. I just can not imagine them on a little baby or a child. Partly its the sound of them. All the -erm, -arv, -ort, -erc sounds. I don’t like those sounds, they sound tired and worn out and out of date.
As far as the nicknames go, [name_m]Herbie[/name_m]/[name_u]Wally[/name_u]/[name_u]Perry[/name_u]/[name_u]Percy[/name_u] are all fine to me. [name_m]Dougie[/name_m] and [name_m]Hermie[/name_m] just take it to far, in my opinion. Go with [name_m]Doug[/name_m] and [name_m]Herm[/name_m] then.
That being said, I completely support your thought of everyone having their own opinions. We agree to disagree :). I think it’s cool that you and others love these kind of names, they will just never be me.
By the way, I do really love [name_m]Draven[/name_m] ;).
Sorry – I thought I was in the boy section when I wrote this!
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u]
I like some, but not others, not necessarily because they’re old man names, but some I can’t create or relate an image I like to. I love other old man names like [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], [name_m]Horatio[/name_m], [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m], [name_m]Cyril[/name_m], and [name_m]Albert[/name_m]. From your list I really like [name_m]Walter[/name_m]/[name_u]Wallace[/name_u]/[name_u]Wally[/name_u]. [name_m]Walter[/name_m] I like the sound of, and it’s a name from my favourite book, which is why it appears in my favourite literary boys’ combo. [name_u]Wallace[/name_u]/[name_u]Wally[/name_u] I’m actually liking more now after watching The [name_m]Flash[/name_m], I don’t just think of Where’s [name_u]Wally[/name_u] anymore haha.
That being said, I completely support your thought of everyone having their own opinions. We agree to disagree :). I think it’s cool that you and others love these kind of names, they will just never be me.
By the way, I do really love [name_m]Draven[/name_m] ;).[/QUOTE]
Wow, [name_m]Draven[/name_m]. To me, I can’t get past the craven rhyme, but then I love [name_m]Hermie[/name_m], so who am I to talk! 
I like some of them a lot ([name_m]Abe[/name_m]/[name_m]Abner[/name_m] and [name_u]Wallace[/name_u], especially), but others not so much. I think it’s only because I either have a bad association ([name_u]Douglas[/name_u]/[name_u]Stanley[/name_u]) or just haven’t met anyone with the name so I can’t picture it on a person.
I don’t understand the dislike of “old” names. More often than not, I think they’re quite charming. In fact, I love the names [name_m]Wilbur[/name_m], [name_m]Clyde[/name_m], and [name_m]Roger[/name_m] which I’ve been told more than once are all very dated.
I think the nicknames are all fine. I think [name_u]Perry[/name_u] and [name_m]Hermie[/name_m] are really cute!
[name_f]Adore[/name_f] them!!!
I love this genre of names, but not necessarily all of the names that can fit under this umbrella. It’s hard to pinpoint why I love them so much. I honestly used to hate them passionately, as a whole, because I thought they were ugly. However, my tune changed over time. I appreciate how normal and stable they are, in the age of uber popular names like [name_m]Liam[/name_m] and [name_u]Noah[/name_u] (nothing wrong with those names, but they definitely have a different sort of feel to them than some classic ‘old man’ names). I guess they make me think of fathers and grandfathers, which translates to safety, in my mind. They also make me think of the “good old days” when things seemed simpler.
I’m a little picky, but from your list, I love:
[name_m]Walter[/name_m], [name_m]Abe[/name_m], [name_u]Douglas[/name_u], [name_u]Percy[/name_u]
One not listed that I absolutely adore is [name_m]Franklin[/name_m].
Honestly, though, I hate many of the nicknames for these names. [name_u]Wally[/name_u] isn’t bad, but I don’t like the other nicknames. They just seem a bit silly, I guess, and don’t have a pleasant sound.
I liked Wallace and Wally, Douglas, Doug and Dougie, Stanley, Perry, Percy and Percival, Mortimer and Hermie.
If you love this kind of name, why?
While I don’t love every single option listed, I love old man names in general. And that’s because these types of names have such variety to them, as they range in style anywhere from sophisticated, posh and effeminate to humble, hard and every-man. Not to mention, a majority of them are legitimately unique as boy names today seem to have devolved into a small stagnant puddle of the same tired, unoriginal and overused names. So it’s nice that these old names come across as so fresh and inspired.
Having said that, while I know some people are bound to disagree, the likes of [name_u]Jagger[/name_u], [name_m]Jett[/name_m], [name_u]Paxton[/name_u], [name_m]Nash[/name_m], [name_m]Ryker[/name_m], [name_m]Cotton[/name_m], [name_u]Bentley[/name_u] and [name_u]Mason[/name_u] etc. are NEVER going to possess the same charming, well-to-do, cultured and distinctive appeal that old man names have in spades. Their meanings are wonderful, their histories are vibrant, they look good on any given age, and there’s something about a majority of them that, somehow, allows them to ‘work’ for pretty much any child or adult.
With all that in mind, while I can understand why not every old man name would appeal to every individual, I simply cannot understand why old man names are a whole would be disliked. Old man names are fantastic, in my opinion at least, and while I’m certainly going to enjoy using a few on my future children, I would absolutely love to see more people using them.
And what do you think of the -ie or -y nicknames?
Here in the UK, diminutive names are currently all the rage, especially for boys. In the top 100 alone, [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], [name_m]Archie[/name_m], [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], [name_u]Toby[/name_u], [name_m]Tommy[/name_m], [name_u]Bobbie[/name_u], [name_u]Frankie[/name_u], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Ollie[/name_u], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_u]Ronnie[/name_u] and [name_u]Sonny[/name_u] all make an appearance on the boy list. To brits (as well as myself), diminutives are seen as just as charming, distinguished and classical as their more formal counterparts and, as such, they are standard, and trendy, and all-around accepted.
Americans in particular, I have noticed, seem to have a problem with this, and I don’t really understand why. Go back a generation or two and the likes of [name_u]Vinny[/name_u], [name_u]Nicky[/name_u] and [name_m]Eddie[/name_m] were all the rage over in the U.S! Which is why I simply don’t see why now, all of a sudden, they’re seen as ‘unprofessional’, ‘babyish’, ‘going to get a boy teased’ etc. - which are the main reasons I’ve seen Americans reject nicknames. Plus, another reason why I don’t get the rejection towards nicknames (especially for boys) is that most people don’t seem to have an issue with, say, [name_u]Riley[/name_u]. [name_u]Riley[/name_u] is considered to be a perfectly cool name for a boy, but somehow [name_u]Jackie[/name_u] and [name_m]Timmy[/name_m] are inappropriate and an embarrassment? I just don’t get that mindset myself, and would much rather name a boy [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_m]Monty[/name_m], Auggie or [name_u]Fritzi[/name_u] over [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Montgomery[/name_m]/[name_m]Montague[/name_m], [name_u]August[/name_u] and [name_m]Frederick[/name_m]/[name_m]Friedrich[/name_m].
I love old man names. They have character and charm. BECAUSE THEY’RE OLD [name_m]MAN[/name_m] NAMES. They remind me of my grandpa and everyone else’s grandpas too. They were the old guys at the senior swim when I was a lifeguard. They were my 6am regulars at the coffeeshop who all knew and remembered my name within the first week of work. They’re the ones who say slightly inappropriate things at Thanksgiving. They’re the strangers on the bus who strike up a conversation. They are funny or curmudgeonly. They are also non-threatening–almost never aggressive–and their faults add to their charm. These names have love, humor, and respect built into them. Which is what today’s Haydens, Masons, and Noahs will have in 100 years. We’ll probably never feel the same way about these modern names, but someone else will.
Of your list, I’ve always like [name_m]Walt[/name_m] (probably because I knew a pretty awesome one in high school), but [name_u]Wallace[/name_u] jumped into my mind sometime during the last two years and is still haunting me. We didn’t have room for it in my first son’s name last year but I’m hanging onto it. I’m not a fan of [name_u]Wally[/name_u], so it’ll probably be relegated to a middle name, but it resonates with me. [name_m]Otis[/name_m], [name_m]Hank[/name_m], and [name_m]Griffith[/name_m] are my other old-guy favorites (fortunately [name_m]Hank[/name_m] and [name_m]Griffith[/name_m] are family names so we have definite excuses to use them!), and, from the depths of great-great-granddaddy-oldness, I love [name_m]Virgil[/name_m]. But that one’s a much harder sell.
I had actually never connected [name_m]Draven[/name_m] to the word craven before! I guess I don’t hear/see that word in use a lot. It’s just like I think of [name_m]Hermie[/name_m]/germy, [name_m]Herman[/name_m]/vermin. I wonder if our minds subconsciously find bad associations to names we don’t like!
I’m glad to see your getting support for your love of these names :). All the best.
[In fact, I love the names [name_m]Wilbur[/name_m], [name_m]Clyde[/name_m], and [name_m]Roger[/name_m] which I’ve been told more than once are all very dated.
![/QUOTE]
[name_m]Wilbur[/name_m] and [name_m]Clyde[/name_m] and [name_m]Roger[/name_m] are delightful! In fact, [name_m]Clyde[/name_m] was the name of my beloved cattle dog and I love it beyond reason.
from your list, I only like [name_u]Percy[/name_u]/[name_m]Percival[/name_m] (but not [name_u]Perry[/name_u]) and [name_m]Marvin[/name_m] (but not [name_m]Marv[/name_m] or [name_m]Marvyn[/name_m]). None of the rest appeal to me at all, I’m afraid. [name_m]Mortimer[/name_m] and [name_m]Morton[/name_m] are the only ones I know why I dislike; because [name_m]Mort[/name_m] means death in [name_m]French[/name_m]. There is also a crematorium near me named Mortonhall, so [name_m]Morton[/name_m] in particular always reminds me of death.
I like [name_m]Walter[/name_m], [name_u]Stanley[/name_u] and [name_m]Marvin[/name_m] (but not [name_m]Mervyn[/name_m]. To me [name_m]Marvin[/name_m] has the sexy [name_m]Marvin[/name_m] [name_f]Gaye[/name_f] vibe, while [name_m]Mervyn[/name_m] is just dated). I can see [name_u]Howard[/name_u] making a comeback, maybe. [name_m]Abner[/name_m] is pretty interesting to me - I’ve never met one, old man or not. I don’t think it was ever popular here in the [name_m]Britain[/name_m]. Like @islandmoon, [name_m]Mortimer[/name_m] and [name_m]Morton[/name_m] make me think of the [name_m]French[/name_m] word for death.
From your list, I love [name_m]Mortimer[/name_m] and [name_m]Percival[/name_m]!
[Here in the UK, diminutive names are currently all the rage, especially for boys. In the top 100 alone, [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], [name_m]Archie[/name_m], [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], [name_u]Toby[/name_u], [name_m]Tommy[/name_m], [name_u]Bobbie[/name_u], [name_u]Frankie[/name_u], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Ollie[/name_u], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_u]Ronnie[/name_u] and [name_u]Sonny[/name_u] all make an appearance on the boy list. To brits (as well as myself), diminutives are seen as just as charming, distinguished and classical as their more formal counterparts and, as such, they are standard, and trendy, and all-around accepted.
Americans in particular, I have noticed, seem to have a problem with this, and I don’t really understand why. Go back a generation or two and the likes of [name_u]Vinny[/name_u], [name_u]Nicky[/name_u] and [name_m]Eddie[/name_m] were all the rage over in the U.S! Which is why I simply don’t see why now, all of a sudden, they’re seen as ‘unprofessional’, ‘babyish’, ‘going to get a boy teased’ etc. - which are the main reasons I’ve seen Americans reject nicknames. Plus, another reason why I don’t get the rejection towards nicknames (especially for boys) is that most people don’t seem to have an issue with, say, [name_u]Riley[/name_u]. [name_u]Riley[/name_u] is considered to be a perfectly cool name for a boy, but somehow [name_u]Jackie[/name_u] and [name_m]Timmy[/name_m] are inappropriate and an embarrassment? I just don’t get that mindset myself, and would much rather name a boy [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_m]Monty[/name_m], Auggie or [name_u]Fritzi[/name_u] over [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Montgomery[/name_m]/[name_m]Montague[/name_m], [name_u]August[/name_u] and [name_m]Frederick[/name_m]/[name_m]Friedrich[/name_m].[/QUOTE]
I too wonder about the American distrust of male nn’s. With [name_f]Millie[/name_f] and [name_f]Hetty[/name_f] and [name_f]Janie[/name_f] seeming to appeal to more parents here, why the distaste for [name_m]Johnny[/name_m], [name_m]Timmy[/name_m], or [name_u]Marty[/name_u]? I love [name_m]Timothy[/name_m] for example but would only call my son [name_m]Timmy[/name_m] when he was quite small or in the privacy of my home. But it’s still a cute name.
I like [name_m]Abner[/name_m]/[name_m]Abe[/name_m] and [name_u]Perry[/name_u]/[name_u]Percy[/name_u]/[name_m]Percival[/name_m] out of that list. I like some old man names, but I seem to be either love it or hate it when it comes to “old” names in general. Some of these names aren’t exactly “old” to me, more baby boomer-ish, since they are names on fathers of my friends, so I wouldn’t use them for that reason (like the name [name_f]Diane[/name_f] or [name_f]Barbara[/name_f]). [name_u]Howard[/name_u] is a great example. According to this site, “the median living boy named [name_u]Howard[/name_u] was born around 1953 and ranges from 51 to 72 years old”. It’s not old to me yet and I think of people like [name_u]Howard[/name_u] Stern (negative).
If you hate this kind of name, why?
It really depends on the name since what one person considers as an old person name might not be what others do. Some feel more usable to me, while others still feel more crusty. For example, the name [name_m]Earl[/name_m]/[name_m]Earle[/name_m] has family significance for me, but I wouldn’t use it due to that crustiness. I can’t imagine it even as a middle. Additionally, if I don’t like a nickname or it feels just as old to me I won’t use it (e.g., [name_m]Al[/name_m]).
If you love this kind of name, why?
Ones that I think work I love because of their classic use without feeling like they are stuck in the past. For example, [name_m]Otto[/name_m], [name_m]Conrad[/name_m], [name_m]Felix[/name_m], [name_m]Victor[/name_m], [name_m]Cecil[/name_m], [name_m]Vincent[/name_m], [name_m]Montgomery[/name_m], [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_m]Oscar[/name_m], etc. Many either have no nicknames or options for nns that fit current trends. These also tend to be names that I don’t have any recent associations with so they come as a blank slate.
And what do you think of the -ie or -y nicknames?
I guess I fall in the typical US-er who doesn’t tend to like nn names. It makes me think of this comic, especially with men. The -ie/y nicknames work great when they are younger or with people they are close to, but I can’t think of many men who went by nns like this at work. A [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] might be [name_u]Danny[/name_u] to friends and family, but [name_m]Dan[/name_m] and [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] at work.
On a personal level, I feel weird calling any adult female or male by a short, -ie/y name. [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f] and [name_m]Timothy[/name_m] is one thing since they are longer, but saying [name_f]Dolly[/name_f] or [name_u]Ronnie[/name_u]/[name_u]Alfie[/name_u] is another. It feels patronizing to me and has a more informal vibe that I don’t like. However, this comes from personal experience/annoyance from people I don’t know well or aren’t close to calling me [name_f]Katie[/name_f], despite my assertions that I dislike the nickname.
[QUOTE=oftenoverseas;3606381]I love old man names. They have character and charm. BECAUSE THEY’RE OLD [name_m]MAN[/name_m] NAMES. They remind me of my grandpa and everyone else’s grandpas too. They were the old guys at the senior swim when I was a lifeguard. They were my 6am regulars at the coffeeshop who all knew and remembered my name within the first week of work. They’re the ones who say slightly inappropriate things at Thanksgiving. They’re the strangers on the bus who strike up a conversation. They are funny or curmudgeonly. They are also non-threatening–almost never aggressive–and their faults add to their charm. These names have love, humor, and respect built into them. Which is what today’s Haydens, Masons, and Noahs will have in 100 years. We’ll probably never feel the same way about these modern names, but someone else will.
You say it so well. I miss the old and middle-aged men of my youth for these very reasons. I’m willing to grant the modern names their time in the sun (but as you say in 100 years).
Definitely [name_m]Walter[/name_m]/[name_u]Wallace[/name_u]/[name_u]Wally[/name_u]!