Is it really too dated?

[jessicalucy]

Well my Grandma’s called [name]Jennifer[/name] so it seems really dated to me!
Although would be beautiful on a child I think, just not for me!

Here’s some suggestions (sorry if they’ve been mentioned before!):
~ [name]Jenna[/name]
~ [name]Jenine[/name] / [name]Janine[/name]
~ [name]Magenta[/name]

[valkyrie]

I can’t stand it when people get on their high-horse and start saying things like, “Eeww, [name]Jennifer[/name]? That is SO 80’s mean girl!” To be honest, I think it’s extremely mean girl-esque to say things like that. If you knew a really mean [name]Jennifer[/name], that’s one thing, but chances are, any given person has known several Jennifers, and I find it really hard to believe that every single one of them was mean.

Um… that aside, I don’t think [name]Jennifer[/name] is necessarily dated, really. My great-grandmother was named [name]Jennifer[/name], for instance, so I don’t only associate the name with a particular era. I’ve known plenty of Jennifers/Jennys/[name]Jens[/name] in my life, all of various ages, none of them stick out to me as “mean girls”. Like a previous poster said, if it weren’t for the high popularity, [name]Jennifer[/name] could easily be a Nameberry favorite.

[rgp19]

@renrose

To me it doesn’t matter if a name is classed as ‘dated’. I don’t understand why a perfectly normal name should be avoided just because it happened to be super popular in a certain time period. What’s the big deal? O_o No one’s going to look at a baby [name]Jennifer[/name] and think: ‘Why aren’t you in your twenties? People called [name]Jennifer[/name] are all over the age of twenty.’ They’d most likely think: ‘Aww, pretty name. I know lots of nice people called [name]Jenny[/name].’

[name]Jennifer[/name] is a lovely name, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Exactly this. If you love a name use it.

[tk1]

I’m with jeska, I think I’d love to meet a little [name]Jennifer[/name]. For myself, though, I think I’d go with [name]Virginia[/name] as I prefer [name]Ginny[/name] to [name]Jenny[/name].

[thesnowwhiterose]

@shellezbellez

My name is Jennifer, and I love it. I was born in the late 70s, and I grew up with a lot of other Jennifers. Also, there is a reason it has been so popular–it’s a great name!

Why I love my name:

• • The combination of J/F/R in one word is really linguistically interesting to me;
• • the sound of the name is completely unique;
• • it’s got loads of great nn (I never had one until i was an adult, when people insisted on calling my Jen; only a couple have ever called me Jenny, and I know one Jennifer who went by “Fer.”);
• • it’s really the kind of name that would be a Nameberry name if it hadn’t been so popular;
• • it’s got a great history, as the original names it is derived from include Gwenfrewi, Gwenhwyvar, and Guinevere;
• • it can be fit into almost any style.

If it weren’t my name, I would want to use it on a child! It took me a really long time to make peace with the name b/c of it’s popularity, but I finally decided I loved it (partly because of the original Beyond [name]Jennifer[/name] and [name]Jason[/name] book, which I don’t think was the intention!

As others have said, the pendulum has swung back a bit, and allowed some names to slip out of their timeline–while I think names like [name]Linda[/name], [name]Brenda[/name], [name]Joyce[/name], [name]Carol[/name], [name]Renee[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Christy[/name], [name]Jodi[/name], [name]Lisa[/name], and [name]Amy[/name] are all pretty tied to the 50s-80s, I don’t think [name]Jennifer[/name] is at all. It’s such a classic name like [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Catherine[/name] because of its history, but it sounds fresher to me than either of those because of its linguistic pattern and interesting combination of letters, and while it surged in the 70s and 80s, historically, it’s always seemed to be a more unique or offbeat choice in comparison to many other names that have been around for centuries.

[name]Edit[/name] to add: I don’t really think the name [name]Juniper[/name] is a good substitute for this name; the /p/ makes a hard sound to me, whereas the /f/ softens the name and gives it a more “homey quilt” kind of feel. If you like the harder sound, that’s fine, but because of that I don’t really think that [name]Juniper[/name] has the same flow/style as [name]Jennifer[/name].

I also have never heard of anyone who relates the name to [name]Lucifer[/name] before. o.O

[name]Just[/name] a correction: [name]Gwenfrewi[/name] is actually the original form of [name]Winifred[/name], not related to Gwenhwyfar, except in the first element [name]Gwen[/name]. [name]Genevieve[/name] is often mistakenly thought to be in this family as well. Anyway, I love [name]Jennifer[/name]!

[celianne]

@renrose

To me it doesn’t matter if a name is classed as ‘dated’. I don’t understand why a perfectly normal name should be avoided just because it happened to be super popular in a certain time period. What’s the big deal? O_o No one’s going to look at a baby [name]Jennifer[/name] and think: ‘Why aren’t you in your twenties? People called [name]Jennifer[/name] are all over the age of twenty.’ They’d most likely think: ‘Aww, pretty name. I know lots of nice people called [name]Jenny[/name].’

[name]Jennifer[/name] is a lovely name, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Yes. All of this.

[Jess0044]

Sure, it’s dated by definition, but it’s a great name. I see no reason not to use a name you love just because it was used widely in the past.

[kala_way]

I know a 12 year old named [name]Jenny[/name] and it fits her beautifully!

It was popular and trendy years ago because it’s a beautiful name.

It feels dated now because it was so over-used, but I doubt she’ll meet many her own age.

She might be mistaken for older than she is later on in life, but that’s not the worst thing in the world.

I say, go for it if you love it.

[smismar]

@renrose

To me it doesn’t matter if a name is classed as ‘dated’. I don’t understand why a perfectly normal name should be avoided just because it happened to be super popular in a certain time period. What’s the big deal? O_o No one’s going to look at a baby [name]Jennifer[/name] and think: ‘Why aren’t you in your twenties? People called [name]Jennifer[/name] are all over the age of twenty.’ They’d most likely think: ‘Aww, pretty name. I know lots of nice people called [name]Jenny[/name].’

[name]Jennifer[/name] is a lovely name, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Another ditto. We briefly considered [name]Heather[/name] for our daughter despite its popularity while we were growing up. There are relatively few Jennifers and Heathers running around nowadays and I would find the names refreshing next to little Madisons and Kennedys.

[jennifer94]

As a [name]Jennifer[/name] born in the early 90s, maybe I can offer a little insight.

I am 19 years old, and the youngest [name]Jennifer[/name] I know. I was one of two Jennifers in my whole high school. At the university I attend, I have only met two other Jennifers. I have always been the only [name]Jennifer[/name] at the places I’ve worked.

I love my name. I just think it sounds really interesting and pretty. I wouldn’t change my name if I could. I just wish people would stop talking about how horrible it is. There is a reason so many people have chose to name their daughters [name]Jennifer[/name]. It is a beautiful name.

[shealahtoba]

I like [name]Jennifer[/name] too! I don’t know if I would use it though, but it’s really nice and super pretty. No weird nicknames, the name itself is nothing too popular as far as I know. I say go for it, it doesn’t sound dated to me. I know a few adult [name]Jennifer[/name]'s but I know a [name]Jennifer[/name] who is going into grade 6 and one going into grade 3.