[name]Hi[/name] Berries,
I was wondering what you’d think if you met a baby girl name [name]Helen[/name] or [name]Harriet[/name]?
Is it too grandma-ish?
What other names along those lines (classic and vintage) would not feel grandma-ish on a little girl these days?
Thanks in Advance,
C’smom 
[name]Helen[/name]: “That is literally my grandmother’s name.”
[name]Harriet[/name]: “Please, please, do not have the nickname [name]Harry[/name].”
Yet there’s a little 5-year-old [name]Helen[/name] on my street and she wears her name wonderfully. I think it only matters on what your connections are. i.e., [name]Helen[/name] and [name]Claire[/name] will always be old-sounding to me because I know elderly people with that name. Anything else for me ([name]Violet[/name], [name]Alice[/name], [name]Frances[/name], even [name]Mildred[/name]) is fine.
[name]One[/name] should always remember that little girls grow up and we spend most of our lives as adults. [name]Helen[/name] and [name]Harriet[/name] are fine because they have great nn’s for adorable girls ([name]Eleni[/name]/[name]Hattie[/name]) and they age well when they mature.
I think it would be charming! 
With so many traditional grandma names being trendy these days I wouldn’t worry about it. I actually don’t even really think of [name]Helen[/name] and [name]Harriet[/name] as true grandma names.
I love them both! [name]Helen[/name] is at the top of my list and I know a two year old named [name]Harriet[/name], called [name]Hattie[/name]. I think they both “grow up” very well.
I don’t think they’re grandma-ish at all.
I’d love to meet a little [name]Helen[/name] or [name]Harriet[/name].
LOL!
They do both seem old-ladyish to me, but not in a bad way, if that makes sense. Sort of like beautiful antiques rather than a moldy gross old dress. A lot of names that are slightly “old-lady” are also quite fashionable and would wear well- [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Evelyn[/name], and [name]Amelia[/name] are in the top 100 and would probably fit that category. I also like [name]Agatha[/name], [name]Iris[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name], [name]Alma[/name], [name]Beatrice[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], [name]May[/name], and [name]Vera[/name].
I think [name]Helen[/name] is more classic in a way. ([name]Helen[/name] of [name]Troy[/name], anyone?) I may not be as keen on [name]Harriet[/name] though, but I wouldn’t say it’s that old-ladyish. I think a girl could wear it well, depending on her personality. (if she’s more of a go-getter type, it would seem a bit unfitting to me)
I knew a very glamorous [name]Helen[/name] in college. Well, she had fantastic eye make-up but wore tee-shirts and jeans most of the time. I always think of [name]Helen[/name] as her: sophisticated, kind, a little wild, a good friend, and incredibly smart. Not too grandma-ish at all.
As for [name]Harriet[/name], I know it gets a lot of NB love, but it’s not really my style. I think it’s the “harry” part. I have a friend with an adorable [name]Hattie[/name] (not short for [name]Harriet[/name]), which I do like, a lot.
With [name]Helen[/name], I prefer other names that have a sort of smoldering sophistication: [name]Marian[/name], [name]Louise[/name]/a, [name]Eva[/name], [name]Alice[/name], and [name]Clarice[/name].
I don’t think they are too Grandma-ish. We are about to have a playdate with a little [name]Esther[/name], which I would have said was very grandma-ish before I met her. She wears the name perfectly and has refreshed it for me. Also, I agree with what other people have said, that those kind of names are sort of back in style now so I wouldn’t bat an eye at meeting a [name]Harriet[/name] or [name]Helen[/name].
No such thing as an “old lady” name - just names that come and go in popularity.
They’re not grandma-ish at all, in my book - “vintage” is definitely the correct term for them, and nothing’s wrong with vintage - although I do prefer [name]Harriet[/name] over [name]Helen[/name]. I think it has more substance, with that extra syllable. Also, I just think that it’s prettier in general. Not to say that [name]Helen[/name]'s bad, but still.
There are names, though, that I do feel are just kind of old. Not vintage, not even grandma-ish, just…old, and not necessarily in a good way, like [name]Linda[/name] or [name]Sandra[/name], for example.
I think both are really lovely! Vintage names are definitely coming back, and these two are still a bit unknown while still being really beautiful. I think of [name]Lucy[/name], [name]Opal[/name], [name]Vera[/name], [name]Vivian[/name], [name]Pearl[/name], etc
My grandma had a lady at her retirement home who was a terrible busybody, and her name was [name]Ella[/name]. I always thought of someone up to no good when I heard the name [name]Ella[/name]. Then it started to get REALLY popular for baby girls again, and I kind of lost that association.
[name]One[/name] of my really good friends names is [name]Helen[/name]. She’s in her mid 20’s and wears it really well. I think it’s very timeless.
[name]Harriet[/name] just makes me think or [name]Harriet[/name] the Spy and honestly I prefer [name]Helen[/name] and [name]Henrietta[/name] instead (both of which are on my favorites list).
Where I used to live in [name]Brooklyn[/name] these names would be totally normal on newborns and very sweet imo.
By where my mom lives, a rural area, these names might het a few looks, though [name]Helena[/name], [name]Elena[/name] & [name]Hattie[/name] would probably get a lot of compliments & be considered very unique. In that area [name]Caitlin[/name] & [name]Samantha[/name] would feel more expected.
I think it depends where you live but the trends are veering towards a lot of vintage names that might have old-lady taboo to them. [name]Mabel[/name], [name]Agnes[/name], ect are names I’ve heard on babies. [name]Even[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] & a lot of top names are very grandmama style.
YES to [name]Harriet[/name]!
What about [name]Henrietta[/name]?
[name]Helen[/name] I can see on a blonde girl, maybe b/c of the [name]Helen[/name] [name]Hunt[/name] association, but I think it would be nice. We named our goat [name]Harriet[/name], I think it’s more of a pet name at this point in time, I can’t see it on a person under the age of 60.
[name]Harriet[/name]- This is my grandmothers name so I do think of it as belonging to an older generation. I could never use it myself since my grandmother is such a character (in the best possible way) it could only belong to her. She was a stunner in her day. [name]Harriet[/name] means “home ruler” I can’t think of a more appropriately named person.
[name]Helen[/name]- My grandmother through marriage. Also strikes me as an older womans name.
But this is just my opinion. If they seem fresh and exciting to you then go for it.