I’ve read through some of the responses to this thread created by @Peaceful_Bodhisattva :
This thread jogged my memory on a question I’ve had for a while: what makes a name dated? Scrolling through the thread, I could see that there was a variety of names that people thought seemed dated.
For me, a name is dated when…
It is a name that spiked in a specific era, unusually popular then (not necessarily a consistently used name) which later fell in a popularity
It spiked within living memory- there are people alive today that were named at this time with this name, and it is typically associated with this generation.
This is in contrast with vintage and classic names.
To me, a classic is a name that has been consistently in use for many years but didn’t spike in any particular era/isn’t associated with any particular era.
To me, a vintage name is a name that was popular many years ago and fell out of fashion, but there are fewer people alive today as part of that generation so it feels less dated/ less remembered. (This kind of goes with the 100 years cycle in names)
What do you think? What makes a name dated? Classic? Vintage?
To me, a vintage name is one that is dated but becomes fresh again, usually because it adheres to trends. Classics are names that never go out of style because they’re always popular. [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is vintage but not classic. [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is classic but not vintage.
Dated names are names that were overused in the past or follow trends that were overused in the past, and not enough time has passed (or those trends haven’t seen enough of a resurgence) for it to seem fresh again.
I think vintage is a name that was popular 100 years ago but fell out the top 100 and hasn’t been used until the revival 100 years later. For me names like [name_f]Edith[/name_f] & [name_m]Wilfred[/name_m] are vintage.
I think classic names they are names that always remain popular most likely in top 100 and have been continuously since they were in use. Names like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] & [name_m]William[/name_m] are classics.
I think names that are dated are names that are tied to a certain age like ‘mum’ names or follow trends that were popular a few years ago and not enough time as gone to make the name fresh.
Dated could be anywhere from [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] to [name_f]Ethel[/name_f], though latter I would define as clunky or stuffy instead. Names that have been in use at one point but aren’t very present in my generation (20+) or younger anymore.
Classics are names that have always been quite popular, there is a lot of overlap with vintage names here, but [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f] or [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u] come to mind as they never went out of fashion.
Vintage names are those that would have been used 100+ years ago, that may still be used today but that may remind me (and this is very much why I would deem this the most subjective label of the three) of a romanticized version of the past, of old [name_f]English[/name_f] manor houses, knitting in front of the fire, walled garden and picnics on the shore of a rough sea, of Victorian Christmases and Edwardian dresses. Technically, a name such as [name_f]Ethel[/name_f] should fit this imagery as well, however, instead it reminds me of stuffy houses, old conservative ladies laden with pearls and cigar smoke, so not really fitting that “vintage” label for me. I may call that antique.
I think that for me, it’s based almost entirely off of sound and associations.
[name_f]Sharron[/name_f], [name_f]Karen[/name_f], [name_f]Michelle[/name_f] = dated
[name_f]Carrie[/name_f], [name_f]Amy[/name_f], [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], [name_f]Laura[/name_f] = ready for a revival
[name_f]Joy[/name_f], [name_u]June[/name_u], [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], [name_f]Margot[/name_f] = vintage
[name_f]Victoria[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] = classic
It’s funny bc classic tends to change its meaning based on who you’re asking. My grandma thought Anna sounded “foreign,” so I wouldn’t consider it classic, but I would say it could be a modern classic (added to the classics’ list). Elizabeth, Anne, Margaret, Catherine, Jane, Mary, etc. are all solidly classic to me even if some aren’t in the top 100 now.
Similarly, there are names I consider underused classics like Laura and Julia, but I’m told they’re dated despite their steadfastness throughout the ages, so I really can’t say for sure.
Frustratingly, it’s usually the Western world which gets to decide what “classic” means.
@anon80426808 I find it interesting you’d call vintage 70-90s style. I’d consider the first two categories swapped - [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is vintage but mum names are dated because they’re still tied to people who are alive now.
I think a lot of this circles around what people’s normal is. If your normal are names from the 1910s/20s/30s then you’re probably likely to see those as vintage rather than dated, because dated carries connotations people don’t want with their names. It also depends which country you’re in as names peaked at different times in different Anglophone countries. A lot of my names have been called dated, I’m fine with it at this point - they’re not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
Though as @firefly305 says, this is completely from a western lens. I imagine other cultures also have their classics and their revivals but the Anglophone world tends to focus on ‘our’ own names.
Dated: Names that are old enough to have gone out of fashion but not old enough to be considered for revival. They’re names that are tied to a certain decade, and the people that wear them are often still young themselves (e.g. Jennifer, Megan, Jason, Courtney). They don’t seem accessible as baby names yet because we know so many people with the names that are adults, so it makes it hard for us to picture a child with the name. They might also come along with negative associations, like “Boomer” names Karen and Donald.
Vintage: Names that were at the height of their popularity around 100+ years ago (sometimes a little less). We likely don’t know anyone with these names, or if we do they’re probably grandparents or great-grandparents. They haven’t been in use for such a long time that they seem fresh and new, lacking any off-putting connotations (or if there are any then they’re not likely to be well-known). Some examples are Betty, Florence, Ralph and Theodore.
Classic: Names that are not particularly tied to any era or age group; they have so many associations that teasing potential is next to none. They’ve been used steadily for hundreds of years, but are often far away from the top of the charts. They usually have a royal feel e.g. Elizabeth, Charlotte, Thomas, Henry.
Bonus category Clunky: Names that should fit in the vintage category as they’ve been out of use for so long, but have “heavy” or “unattractive” sounds which cause new parents to avoid them. This often causes them to have negative associations (Bertha, Phyllis, Herbert).
Currently, a name that is dated was popular from about the late '30s/early '40s through the '90s/early '00s. These are the grandma names and mom names of today. From [name_f]Linda[/name_f], [name_f]Carol[/name_f], and [name_f]Janice[/name_f] to [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u], [name_f]Crystal[/name_f], and [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]. They no longer feel like fresh names for baby girls and are strictly tied to their era. From just hearing a name, you can easily guess which decade its bearer was born in!
A vintage revival name probably hasn’t been popular in 90-100 years or more. It was popular in your great-grandmother’s time and therefore feels fresh again because you likely don’t know anyone or know very few people with the name. [name_f]Lucille[/name_f], [name_f]Cora[/name_f], and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] fall into this category. They are so old, they feel new again and everyone is discovering them afresh. They don’t feel dated to a particular decade, but rather a vague era – c. late Victorian to Edwardian (think Downton [name_u]Abbey[/name_u]).
Classics are just as you say. They’ve always been around and don’t feel tied to any particular decade ever. They are instantly recognizable, have stood the test of time, and appeal to many because they are such “safe” choices. I think of [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], and [name_f]Julia[/name_f] as examples of names with timeless appeal.
Dated names are either tied to a recent (less than a century ago) generation, or fit into the “vintage” time frame but do not fit into modern naming trends.
Vintage names were most popular more than a century ago, or fit into the “dated” time frame while also fitting into modern naming trends. ([name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] is an example of this.)
Classics are consistently popular names that aren’t tied to a specific generation or time period. Classic names in the anglophone world have [name_f]English[/name_f] origin. The exceptions are latinate and internationally popular ([name_u]Maria[/name_u], [name_f]Anna[/name_f]).
For me, a vintage name would be one that was popular 100+ years ago but has not been popular for a very long time, and it has comeback potential today. I think [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] and [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] would be good examples of vintage names.
Dated, for me, would be names that I associate with people of a certain generation who are still living. E.g. popular “[name_u]Baby[/name_u] [name_m]Boomer[/name_m]” names, or names that were very popular in the 1970s/80s.
Classic, for me, would describe a small number of traditional names that have remained consistently popular e.g. [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. Or they’ve remained in fairly consistent use but have never been especially popular e.g. [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], [name_m]Dominic[/name_m].
Clearly, my viewpoint is influenced by my own cultural background. To me, [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] and [name_f]Irene[/name_f] are dated names since the only women I’ve met with these names are 60+. But I’m aware that in some countries they’re considered classic or popular names, and I don’t want to push my cultural viewpoints on anyone else.
As much as I love making things objective and measurable, I don’t think this can be. I think it’s purely subjective depending on one’s experience with the name.
A name someone has heard a hundred times and/or feels harsh and older = dated
A name someone knows of but hasn’t met many (or any) younger folks with it = vintage
