Would you say these names (I like all of them) are, underused, or vintage, or ready to come back, or never left… or, worst of all, are just dated enough to be ick but not ready to come back?
Be honest, I can take it. These names all have a similar feel to me, if you can think of what category to put them in, let me know. They’re not super-ultra clunky but they’re not what babies are being named that much.
Here I go…
[name_f]Sabrina[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]
[name_f]Katrina[/name_f] and [name_f]Catriona[/name_f], said the same way.
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
[name_u]Vivien[/name_u]
[name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f]
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]
[name_f]Gillian[/name_f]
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogene[/name_f] (im-oh-jean, far less nameberry-approved than [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] with the -jen sound)
Aside from the ones that are super close in sound or look like [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] and [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], or [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f] and [name_f]Gillian[/name_f], they all kind of work as sisters, don’t they? But what’s this style?
None of those are mom names here, so I definitely think they can be used. For me, mom names would be: [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f], [name_f]Diane[/name_f], [name_f]Carol[/name_f], [name_f]Barbara[/name_f], [name_f]Linda[/name_f], [name_f]Susan[/name_f], [name_f]Karen[/name_f], [name_f]Martha[/name_f], [name_f]Bonnie[/name_f], etc.
A lot of those names were names of my peers ([name_f]Sabrina[/name_f], [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], [name_u]Meredith[/name_u], [name_f]Gillian[/name_f]), so they still sound relatively youthful to me. Unless, you consider mid to late twenties to be mom names Of course, this is just what’s common in my area.
I love a lot of these names. To me they feel like 1960s maybe? [name_u]Vivien[/name_u] is already being revived, I think. [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] & [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] seem like they’ve never disappeared in my area even if they aren’t the most popular. I think [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] is so undeniably pretty that it can be used any time. [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] is so spunky it’s a modern classic, [name_f]IMO[/name_f]. [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] is a fun, vintage name. I like [name_f]Imogene[/name_f], and [name_f]Gillian[/name_f] is sweet. [name_u]Meredith[/name_u] is a favorite of mine but probably not too popular. The only ones I’m not a real fan of are [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f], [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f], [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f] and it’s just because they are nms.
I’m not a massive fan of the vintage/dated/clunky type names, but none of this list feels that way to me…they’re much lighter, and I feel they’d all work well on the younger generation.
The only ones I’d feel right to class as a ‘Mom’s name’ is [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_u]Meredith[/name_u] and [name_f]Gillian[/name_f]. To me, ‘Mom’s names’ are more like [name_f]Carol[/name_f], [name_f]Barbara[/name_f], [name_f]Diane[/name_f]…that kind of thing. The others I feel fit into various specific decades but aren’t quite ‘Mom’s names’ for me: [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f], [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f], [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] & [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] feel a bit 70’s, whereas [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] & [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] feel quite 80’s.
Personally, I like [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] (spelled this way - I don’t seem to like [name_u]Vivian[/name_u]), [name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] (I have a thing for [name_f]Tibby[/name_f]), [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f] and [name_f]Imogene[/name_f] (I like it a lot…which is strange, because I’m not a big fan of [name_u]Jean[/name_u]).
I love all of the names on your list except [name_f]Gillian[/name_f]. That’s the only one that screams ‘mom’ to me. I’m really interested to hear how other berries label them since we named our daughter [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f].
Sabrina - I don’t think it went anywhere, I have known like two, but it’s a really pretty name, any aged kind. Rosemary - It just sounds like an elderly woman. I cannot picture it seriously on anyone else. And it is so, blah. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f]. Two extremely extremely common and semi-bland names. Doesn’t equal any better to me. Katrina - I think [name_f]Kat[/name_f] names are still very much ongoing. Not a fan of it, but it’s common and a nice sound. Veronica - I can’t see [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] in a nice light at all. Big eyed wirey girls, weird skin, glasses. I can’t picture a baby named this either. Tabitha - Doesn’t seem like a name to me for a child. And [name_f]Tabby[/name_f] is a less than yearned for name to make her sound like a cat. And a weird, old cat at that lol. Lorelei - Very pretty name, exotic look but easisly pronounced and well known… [name_m]Just[/name_m] too common for my taste. Meredith - Snotty middle aged has been, not a pretty name at all. Sound or look. Vivien - Beautiful name, I think this totally should be back, if it’s not, I do like the [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] version better though. Gwendolen - Much too 18th century??? Witch sounding name to me. I don’t ANY of this style. Cecilia - Nice name, but getting much too old woman and I don’t think it should stick around… Naomi - I think this is a lovely name. I can picture anyone of any age with this name, and it sounds really nice. Gillian - Horrifying look to this name. Screams fish and overalls. Old woman is the last association I would give it. I knew a [name_f]Jillian[/name_f] but even as petite/blonde and freckle faced as she was, the name didn’t get better. Caroline - Needs to stay gone, or just go. It’s so so so old woman. And [name_f]Carolina[/name_f]/[name_f]Caroline[/name_f] gives me a weird, gross water sound to it. Imogene - Actually more satisfying to me than the other one, which I feel came fast, fell hard and left quickly. I don’t like that name at all and it seems to be everywhere, at bad times?
Aside from the ones that are super close in sound or look like Sabrina and Katrina, or Gwendolen and Gillian, they all kind of work as sisters, don’t they? But what’s this style? Your style seems just as described. Kind of old fashioned, grandma names. Also slightly generic, common.
These wouldn’t be mom names for me. Everyone my age seems to have moms named [name_f]Linda[/name_f], [name_f]Kathy[/name_f], [name_f]Debbie[/name_f], [name_f]Barbara[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Sharon[/name_f], [name_f]Karen[/name_f], [name_f]Carol[/name_f], etc. Boomer names. And younger folks have moms named [name_f]Michelle[/name_f], [name_f]Amy[/name_f], [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], [name_f]Dawn[/name_f], etc.
I like many of your names and a number are on my list. I don’t have an elegant description for them, but most are, I guess, “off-trend, feminine ‘real names.’”
Meaning:
They aren’t popular at the moment - except maybe [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] and, to an extent, [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f], ([name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] is not popular in numbers, but it fits in the zeitgeist of old-fashioned botanicals. And I wouldn’t call [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] and [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] trendy, just on a slight upkick. [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] is quite popular, but it’s also a classic.)
All are distinctly feminine, though not frilly. Your frilliest are [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] and [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], and even they are pretty pared-down.
They are all names that people would recognize as real, solid, legitimate names, but they aren’t stereotypical names you’d use to describe one generation or another. All are well known and have ebbed and flowed with popularity, but most don’t have a huge date stamp.
My favourite from your list is [name_u]Vivien[/name_u], although I prefer the spellings [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] or [name_u]Vivian[/name_u]. I especially love it paired with an unusual middle name (e.g. like [name_f]Gisele[/name_f]'s daughter [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_u]Lake[/name_u]).
The only ones I personally wouldn’t use are [name_f]Gillian[/name_f] and [name_f]Imogene[/name_f]. The rest are current enough whether I personally like the name or not. My top 3 favorites are [name_f]Veronica[/name_f], [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], and [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f].
What names are and aren’t “mom names” depends on how old you are and where you live.
These feel very 60s/70s to me:
[name_f]Sabrina[/name_f]
[name_f]Katrina[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]
[name_f]Gillian[/name_f]
These are names I would expect to see on the moms currently having babies:
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f] (although I think this one is timeless)
[name_f]Imogene[/name_f] sounds like a great-grandmother name to me. [name_u]Vivien[/name_u] doesn’t feel fresh to me anymore. I wouldn’t call it dated just yet, but I’m very neutral toward it. [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f], [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f], [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], and [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] don’t feel dated to me at all.
I would think of them as good vintage names that have a lot of appeal right now. The only one that truly seems dated to me is [name_f]Gillian[/name_f]… it’s experiencing a comeback though, because I notice in local birth announcements that at least a couple of baby girls were recently named [name_f]Jillian[/name_f].
I love all of your names in this list except [name_f]Imogene[/name_f]. None of these seem outdated at all. Mom names to me are: [name_f]Pamela[/name_f], [name_f]Susan[/name_f], [name_f]Janice[/name_f], [name_f]Caren[/name_f] etc…
I think the names are youthful and you could even go a little farther back with names like [name_f]Emmaline[/name_f] or [name_f]Claire[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]. These names sound great though. I think that you could also use [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f], or even [name_f]Olive[/name_f], but ultimately it is up to you! But as someone also said names like [name_f]Carol[/name_f] and [name_f]Joanne[/name_f] are no-nos. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
I definitely think what “mom names” are depends on your definition! I assumed you meant they would be names of current mum’s giving their babies names now (so in their 20s and 30s) but the names some have suggested seem to be referring to the mums of people on nameberry, who may more likely be in their 40s-60s.
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f] is the one that stands out to me as not really fitting the mum category at all - where I live I would categorise it as a grandmother/great-grandmother name. The [name_f]Veronica[/name_f] best known to me is in her 90s!
I honestly think any of these names would work now. They don’t scream of a particular era or setting, no obvious common sounds that make them sound gimmicky or contrived (-lyn anyone?). They’re feminine yet solid, mostly easy to nickname but also usable as they are. I’m down with that.
I like that they’re names that are recognizable, and don’t have a “so 2014!” quality. Most of them have been around and in and out for awhile and are in the Top Thousand but not right at the top.
I had been thinking “mom now” rather than “my mom.” My own peers, basically. I’m 30. I wondered if it would sound less like I was naming a child than a schoolmate.
re: the suggestions:
[name_f]Claire[/name_f] I love. We’re going back and forth between classic [name_f]Claire[/name_f] and quirky [name_f]Clarity[/name_f].
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] - Vetoed, but I like it.
[name_f]Violet[/name_f] - I like it.
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] - Top Ten name here, very “now” so a bit of the shine has been kicked off.
[name_f]Bella[/name_f] - Vetoed.
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] - [name_f]Iris[/name_f] and [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] both appeal a lot. I’m working on convincing the husband.
[name_f]Sabrina[/name_f]- underused; I feel this name has never been super popular… Pretty name too
[name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]- vintage; lovely, I would love to see this become more widely used. Very sweet
[name_f]Katrina[/name_f] and [name_f]Catriona[/name_f]- underused; a name that is well known but I don’t think its ever been mega popular
[name_f]Veronica[/name_f]- vintage; this name reminds me of b&w movie stars although it has modern appeal, especially like it with nn [name_f]Vera[/name_f]
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f]- underused; this name makes me think of Bewitched. I really like it though
[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]- modern; I am pretty sure this may be a vintage name but because I only ever heard it on [name_m]Gilmore[/name_m] Girls (and since then I have seen it on people’s name lists) it seems very modern to me, I am not a fan
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]- underused; while I do like this it does feel rather pretentious to me
[name_u]Vivien[/name_u]- retro revival; this name and its varients have already made a comeback. A pretty name but the [name_m]Brad[/name_m]-[name_f]Angelina[/name_f] connection dilutes it for me.
[name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f]- underused/retro revival; I actually looked up the popularity on this one (only the [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] spelling has ranked) and although it was never super popular it has ranked almost every year since the 1880s. It is starting to rise in popularity again (although I don’t find it getting super popular now either) so it is having a bit of a revival.
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]- retro revival; another name that has made/is making somewhat of a comeback, i love the sweet feel of this name, but I find it strong too (nn [name_f]Celia[/name_f] is strong, [name_f]Cece[/name_f] is sweet)
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f]- retro revival; this has gotten quite popular and I can see why, soft and quiet with a unique “i” ending that is not as cutesy as the names that are popular and end in “y”. This is on our list as well!
[name_f]Gillian[/name_f]- mom name; while I classify this as a mom name I don’t really find it dated, plus the [name_f]Jillian[/name_f] spelling (and nn [name_f]Jill[/name_f]) seem more mom-ish than this spelling. I think it is still usable
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f]- modern classic; I think this name has the right combo of sophistication and elegance, but also sounds down to [name_f]Earth[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogene[/name_f]- vintage/retro revival; I don’t think this name has made a huge comeback yet but I can see it making some waves, I’m not really a fan of it though
I have a couple…these are my mother’s, families, and friends mother’s names.
[name_f]Michelle[/name_f]/[name_u]Michele[/name_u]
[name_u]Lynn[/name_u]
[name_f]Eugenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Grace[/name_f]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f]
[name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u]
[name_f]Nancy[/name_f]
[name_f]Kym[/name_f]
[name_f]Stephanie[/name_f]
[name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f]
[name_u]Joyce[/name_u]
[name_f]Robyn[/name_f] lp
Of course, this is just what’s common in my area.