…names that are considered “classics”. I have nothing against old names, but some people on naming sites seem to think that only things like [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Daniel[/name] are good names and hate on everything else. My dislike of “classics” comes from the fact that my first and middle names both fall into this category and I’ve never liked either, and also because it seems like every second person I meet is named [name]Sarah[/name] or [name]James[/name] and I’m tired of the same few names being repeated and repeated. Very few of them even sound good.
Surely there’s someone else here who shares my dislike of these names! (okay, so I do like a few, but only the ones I think sound good. The rest are unattractive in my opinion)
Sorry if this thread is more like a rant than a discussion! I’m more used to posting on a more conservative board that loves the “classics” so I thought I’d get opinions here where naming tastes are much more varied.
I’m a lover of classic names, but I understand where you’re coming from. Not everyone like the classic name choices and that’s fine! Goodness, if we all had the same naming stlye, us Berries would be very boring.
It’s hard to truly ‘hate’ something that defines most of the people you love so I can’t say I hate classic names.
I do agree with you that some of them are overused and the world would be a more interesting place if people considered and were brave enough to use less popular names.
The problem is that for a lot of people “using less popular names” translates to Mykennia and Ryzan–that is making up your own or simply misspelling classics, which is even worse.
I think it’s interesting that you say you “hate” classic names when some of the name combinations in your signature are very timeless and classic ([name]Edward[/name], [name]Laura[/name] and [name]Caroline[/name]).
Sure, there are some names you hear over and over - like [name]Sarah[/name] and [name]Emily[/name] in my generation. But loads of “over done” names are not what would be considered “classic” - like the Jennifers and Kaitlyns of my generation. I’d pick a timeless choice any day over a trendy choice.
I love classic names. Maybe you do too, just not the names that have lost their luster from overuse. [name]Edward[/name], [name]Laura[/name], and [name]Caroline[/name] are all beautiful classic names.
I actually am a big fan of classic names…at least most of them…
And the three posters before me were right…[name]Edward[/name] and [name]Laura[/name] are considered Classic names–and fairly common ones at that.
Depends how you define “classic”. Some people say it’s a name with history / cultural connections / mythology / etc, such as [name]Diana[/name] and [name]Leah[/name]. Others would say it’s a name that’s been consistent in popularity, such as [name]Elizabeth[/name] which has stuck near the top of the charts, or [name]Claudia[/name] that’s always stayed somewhere in the middle of the top 1000. So you could put every name in your signature into one or either of those categories with the exception of [name]Arwen[/name], although you might even make a case for that if you tried. Classic doesn’t automatically translate as yawwwwn.
Anyway, I find [name]James[/name], [name]Laura[/name], [name]Richard[/name], [name]Sophie[/name], [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Sarah[/name] kind of boring but I can see how other people would like them. I like [name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name] which many might say are boring. I used to think [name]Mary[/name] was boring but these days I think it’s quite sweet.
I do like some of the classic names,but I do find it strange that people don’t consider a broader range. I grew up near [name]Berkeley[/name], and everyone thinks that all of the kids in my kindergarten class in the 70’s must have been named “[name]Rainbow[/name]” and “[name]Sage[/name]”. Far from it, but we didn’t have that many repeat names. My class had two Craigs, two Ruths, and Two Marks, but otherwise the parents used a board range of names like [name]Roy[/name], [name]Randolph[/name], [name]Kay[/name], [name]Laura[/name], and [name]Kendall[/name]. When I arrived at college on the [name]East[/name] Coast, I was floored to discover than most of the met I met were named [name]John[/name], [name]Michael[/name], or [name]David[/name].
It’s less ridiculous now - even the top ten represent a smaller percentage of the population than they did 20 years ago, but I find that a lot of people I know pick Top Ten names without a second thought to whether their kids will be one of 3 or 4 in their class. I think perhaps so many people use the name of the child to honor deceased relatives, that popular names do tend to get perpetuated.
lol, I agree with the others that [name]Edward[/name] and [name]Laura[/name] are quite the classics.
I do appreciate the classics, because they’re so timeless. I don’t think I’d ever get tired of meeting a [name]Daniel[/name], a [name]Henry[/name], an [name]Anna[/name], or an [name]Elisabeth[/name]. I do like quirkier choices, though, and I’m more likely to put the classic choices in the MN spot.
Heh. I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who dislikes [name]Kate[/name], [name]Katherine[/name], [name]Rose[/name], [name]Sophia[/name] (which is not even as “classic” as people say, although I do love the meaning) and a bunch of “classic” Biblical names. And [name]Elizabeth[/name] itself I find pretty boring, but it has so many good nicknames that I could never dislike it.
The OP makes a good point about the same names being reused generation after generation on so many people. [name]John[/name] (for example) is a perfectly respectable name, but will it ever feel “fresh” again?
I thought [name]Laura[/name] was seen as a 1970s name in [name]America[/name], not classic? Anyway, what I mean is super overused names like the ones I mentioned in my original post.
My parents used all classic names; [name]Margaret[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]John[/name] and [name]Peter[/name]. [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]John[/name] are both still pretty popular, [name]Margaret[/name] and [name]Peter[/name] much less so.
My mom’s sister used names which, at the time, were quite “new” and “trendy” and pretty much sneered at my mom & dad’s choice in names. However, my mom didn’t care, because her opinion is that timeless names are timeless for a reason. They’ve stood the test of time, because they’re good, solid names which weather the storm of trendiness.
Give me a [name]Sarah[/name] over a [name]Nevaeh[/name] anytime.
I don’t like them. I mean, it’s not like it’s bad when people are named that its just nothing I would ever use or be impressed by. As a mn sure, because you’re likely honoring someone but not a first.
I used to hate classic names because they were so overused, but now I starting to like their history and all of the wonderful people that have had classic names.
I would use a classic in the first name spot any day compared to some made up names that others are using nowadays.
With my children’s names, I prefer to use the classics in the middle name spot to fall back.
I used to dislike classics a bit, but I’ve grown fond of a fair few of them. Mostly the ones that have taken up a “modern flair”.
I’d never name my daughter [name]Margaret[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Frances[/name], [name]Clara[/name], [name]Georgia[/name], but I’d consider ones like [name]Emma[/name], [name]Katherine[/name], [name]Hanna[/name], [name]Lillian[/name]. My girls names tend to be a bit more…I can’t think of the word, Elaborate? Although [name]Victoria[/name]'s considered a classic.
I don’t hate the classics, but some of them (like [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Sarah[/name], [name]Laura[/name], [name]Daniel[/name], [name]Michael[/name] etc.) I find just boring, probably because you hear them so often. They’re beautiful names for someone else, but for me they’re dull. But then again there are other classics (like [name]Hannah[/name], [name]Benjamin[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name], [name]Edmond[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Jane[/name], [name]Simon[/name]) That to me still seem to have charm and character.
I think it’s just personal opinion to what classics you like and what classics you don’t. And again personally I would rather use [name]Sarah[/name]/[name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Laura[/name]/[name]Daniel[/name] than something like Mcynzie/[name]Adysen[/name]/Alyxendra/Jeidon etc.
