Mid Century Names - Are they ready for a come back?

General Name Discussion
1

With the all of the attention of “Mad Men” mid Century Modern homes and furniture, web sights devoted to everything from retro vintage recipes to rocakabilly clothes is it time we think about the wonderfully optimistic names that prevailed during the late 50s during the end of the [name]Kennedy[/name] Administration?

I am an older mom. Had my kids in my 30s and I am adopting more (3) from Ukraine.

In the first book “Beyond [name]Jennifer[/name] and [name]Jason[/name]” the boys names were decried as soft or “[name]Beach[/name] Boy Names”

Yet in the same book, under the list of names that were far out - the authors mentioned the nascent popularity of blonde wood furniture in Greenwich Village. Well now that’s in full swing. And not just in Greenwich Village.

I am not sure if his is my own nostalgia for a time that I remember as happy and prosperous, mixed with my own dislike of some of the more musty and dower Victorian names.

I have to say “[name]Eunice[/name]” and “[name]Adelaide[/name]” will never be name faves of mine and I was also not a huge fan of the Nouveau Consevatif trend - [name]Catherine[/name], [name]Harry[/name] et all.

I’ll admit it, I like [name]Kayden[/name]! Perhaps [name]Kayden[/name] has for me an MCM ring. Todays [name]Keith[/name] or [name]Kevin[/name].

I think that the moth ball manes have peaked and we should start naming kids names that kids like. Not names that show how scholarly we are. I strive for a happy medium there.
I really think late 50s early fifties parents, saddled with ungainly names themselves such as [name]Herbert[/name], [name]Gloria[/name], [name]Donald[/name], [name]Doris[/name], [name]Albert[/name], [name]Harold[/name], [name]Irma[/name] and [name]Norma[/name], wanted to give them names that were a bit more optimistic, playful and musty.

I have a [name]Chelsea[/name] and a [name]Connor[/name]. I loved the name [name]Chelsea[/name] all of my life - I met one girl in my life named [name]Chelsea[/name] - older than I , and I loved it’s British and [name]Arty[/name] - [name]Rock[/name] n [name]Roll[/name] association. I can see a lawyer named [name]Chelsea[/name]. As long as it’s spelled the right way.

[name]Connor[/name] was not trendy when I used it 18 years ago. I’ts also a family name.

Neither name was ever in the top ten to my knowledge. They have always been niche names.

But back to my question - is it tome we start thinking about mid century modern names and the theory of naming that prevailed then? I.E. naming kids names that they like. What names night be ripe for reintroduction?

Is a little trendy OK? [name]Do[/name] you know a lot of kids who want to be named [name]Imogene[/name] or [name]Elmer[/name]? 'Cause I do not.

2

no I dont think so…i am not really on the gramma names bandwagon…but i do like [name]Hazel[/name] and [name]Matilda[/name]…

3

I think some of the Mad Men names (a lot of nicknames) like [name]Betty[/name], [name]Peggy[/name], [name]Joan[/name], [name]Don[/name], and [name]Roger[/name] are actually sounding pretty cute these days. I like the idea of using a classic name like [name]Margaret[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name], but then using a retro nickname like [name]Peggy[/name] or [name]Betty[/name]. I met a newborn named [name]Roger[/name] a few weeks ago, and found the name charming. If you’re worried about the names sounding dated (again), I’d definitely use a more “classic” name and use a retro nickname.

4

I love the 50’s era of names, like [name]Joan[/name], [name]Betty[/name], [name]Nancy[/name], [name]Peggy[/name], [name]Patricia[/name]. A lot of people think they are dated and boring but I would love to meet a little baby boy with the name [name]Roger[/name]. I actually wanted to put [name]Roger[/name] on my list for boys, but others on nameberry said that it is slang for something foul in the UK. It still sounds nice.

5

Actually those names sound more to me like 60s moms and dads. Which I had no peers with any of those names.

6

People NAMED in the late 50 and early sixties were named names that were mildly trendy.

Parents were more interesten in naming their kids names that they would LIKE rather than names after someone dead.

I was never and will never be a fan of the Granny Mothball names.

7

I always thought–and still do think–that the 80s names were names kids liked. Maybe it was because I was born in the 80s and always WANTED my friends’ names, but instead was stuck with a late-fifties name! Names I think kids would like to have?

[name]Katie[/name]
[name]Alyssa[/name]
[name]Jamie[/name]
[name]Krista[/name]

[name]Ryan[/name]
[name]Jason[/name]
[name]Scott[/name]

BUT, having said that, I think that no matter what your naming style is, you can teach your child to love his or her name. If I choose an exotic name for my child that none of her friends have, and just tell her as I’m tucking her in bed at night how special her name is to me and why I chose it, I think she will more than likely grow up loving it. “Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It’s almost as if they are showing you the way.”

8

Well my grandmothers were named [name]Beverly[/name] and [name]Joan[/name]. My grandfathers were named [name]Clarence[/name] nicknamed [name]Pete[/name] and [name]Robert[/name].

My parents were born in the late '50s to early '60s. They were named [name]Tina[/name] and [name]Robert[/name] exclusively called [name]Bobby[/name]. My uncle’s legal name is [name]Ricky[/name]. My aunt is [name]Stacie[/name].

They fit the trend of the time of short happy names and nicknames as full legal names. In these times, [name]Gerald[/name] nicknamed [name]Gerry[/name] works better than just [name]Jerry[/name], or [name]Garry[/name] and his brother [name]Barry[/name]. [name]Robert[/name] is still in use, but most would rather be called [name]Robert[/name] or [name]Rob[/name] than [name]Robbie[/name], [name]Bobby[/name], or [name]Bob[/name].

I’m fond of the names [name]Deborah[/name], [name]Barbara[/name], [name]Bernadette[/name], and [name]Susan[/name], but these are a bit older. They got up in popularity in the time between my grandparents and my parents. They’re also fairly Biblical, which makes things difficult as I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. I’d like to give my potential offspring names that are fairly secular. While they all received mainstream popularity, but they might considered religious on a child now.

My mom always wished she was [name]Christina[/name] or [name]Valentina[/name] instead of just [name]Tina[/name]. My uncle’s name is great for a little boy, but not a man. It just doesn’t age well.

As far as showing off how scholarly we are, I skipped high school and most of middle school. I started college when I was 14, but due to various health problems wasn’t able to finish until last year. I’m 27 and hoping to go into medical 3D animation. So yeah, I’m a smarmy intellectual who likes unusual names. It isn’t me being pretentious, it’s me being myself (for the record I’m not insulted by your comment I just want to point out that some of us have unusual experiences).

A lot of those '50s and '60s names are really awkward to me. Since I was raised by a single mom, it feels like I would be naming a child after one of my mom’s old boyfriends. My mom was one of the least popular girls in school. So all of those popular names from that period feel awkward because they are tied to the three girls who wanted to beat my mom up after school one day or the boy who wrote all over the back of her new dress with an ink pen (yes this stuff happened).

I’m not around kids very often, but I have a hard time believing a little boy would rather be named [name]Dean[/name] than [name]Gavin[/name] or that [name]Emma[/name] would rather be [name]Brenda[/name].

That’s interesting Alzora. I was born in late '84 and was always happy with my name ([name]Renee[/name] - reached its popularity peak in the late '60s). I was the only one in a sea of Jessicas, Jennifers, Brandons, Seans, Sarahs, and Katies and felt sorry that my friends had to be [name]Jessica[/name] C. and the like.

So basically, those names I don’t think are for my hypothetical offspring, but if you want to revive '50s and '60s names, go for it.

9

[name]Born[/name] in 81…I like MCM names! If this baby is a girl, she will be [name]Joan[/name], nn [name]Joanie[/name])!

10

OK I think I’d better define MCM names. If someone was a teenager in the fifties they were born in thelate 0s 40s. Post WWII names.

[name]Joan[/name] is one. [name]Jean[/name]. [name]Walter[/name]. [name]Beverly[/name]. [name]Dorothy[/name]. These are the names of MCM PARENTS - not their offspring.

My male friends were named [name]Scott[/name], [name]Todd[/name], [name]Kevin[/name], [name]Keith[/name], [name]Gary[/name], [name]Wayne[/name], [name]Micheal[/name], [name]Mark[/name], [name]Darrel[/name]. [name]Kenneth[/name], [name]Craig[/name], [name]Alan[/name], [name]Brad[/name], [name]Joel[/name], [name]Cliff[/name], [name]Robert[/name] [name]David[/name] [name]Timothy[/name], [name]Dennis[/name], [name]Brian[/name], [name]Erik[/name], [name]Kurt[/name], [name]Kirk[/name], gavin and [name]Keith[/name].

My female friends - [name]Karen[/name], [name]Susan[/name], [name]Debbie[/name] ([name]Deborah[/name] [name]Debra[/name]) [name]Donna[/name], [name]Gayle[/name], [name]Denise[/name], [name]Kim[/name], [name]Cheryl[/name], [name]Colleen[/name], [name]Cathy[/name], [name]Dawn[/name], [name]Lori[/name], [name]Patti[/name], [name]Leslie[/name],
“leen” “lene” ending names, [name]Kelli[/name], [name]Cindy[/name] ([name]Cynthia[/name]) and [name]Melody[/name].

Pretty much a good way to get the idea of these names would be to watch an episode of “The Wonder Years” The [name]Arnold[/name] family Dad - [name]Jack[/name] (short for [name]John[/name]) kids [name]Kevin[/name] [name]Wayne[/name] and [name]Karen[/name]

Only unreal name on that show? [name]Winnie[/name] as in [name]Winnie[/name] [name]Cooper[/name]. She would have been [name]Wendy[/name] [name]IRL[/name].

I’m not enforcing any of these names for revival. What is interesting to me though is that those parents seemed to have a philosophy of naming children that differs from many of today’s parents.

Names were mildly trendy but not made up. Many came from the Bible - [name]Deborah[/name], [name]Susan[/name], [name]Suzanne[/name], [name]Mark[/name], [name]David[/name], [name]Timothy[/name].

Irish names were popular all around (no one said Celtic then. [name]Kevin[/name] [name]Craig[/name], [name]Keith[/name], [name]Colleen[/name], [name]Kathleen[/name], [name]Kelli[/name], or vaguely Scandinavian -
[name]Karen[/name], [name]Erik[/name], [name]Carl[/name], [name]Carla[/name]

I also knew some people with unusual names - [name]Morissa[/name], [name]Kendra[/name], [name]Taryn[/name], and [name]Wallis[/name] for a girl. I actually knew a [name]Josh[/name] and [name]Noah[/name] but their parents were hippies.

I grew up in the suburbs of NY in an upper middle class area. People were not that ethnic or conservative and Jewish people used the first initial of a diseased relatives name.

Some of these names seem ripe for renewal but the spirit of naming was some how optimistic and energetic with less attention paid to the past and more to names that “sounded good” - at least to the MCM ear.

As far as the name [name]Dean[/name] - I like it! I also like [name]Gavin[/name], but I knew Gavins then. They both have an MCM ring to them.

11

I am a babyboomer and believe me I never heard of a [name]Nancy[/name], [name]Peggy[/name] or a [name]Betty[/name] they were our mother’s era names ie people born around 1920. The exception was [name]Patricia[/name] and while it was the name of one of my mother’s elegant friends it was also the name of some of my friends.

At school there was a [name]Roger[/name], we called him [name]Roger[/name] the Lodger but [name]Simon[/name] [name]Templar[/name] aka [name]Roger[/name] [name]Moore[/name] was swoonworthy.

I sincerely hope that [name]Nancy[/name], [name]Betty[/name] and [name]Joan[/name] do not come back anytime soon.

rollo