I think i like these for several reasons: they are old-fashioned, in fact so old-fashioned that they feel fresh to me, they are spelled right (heck, even [name_u]Howard[/name_u] looks good next to Hawaererd), they remind me of my ancestors and names on old gravestones (I love cemeteries), and they suggest strong and idiosyncratic characters.
Boys:
[name_m]Ezra[/name_m] (My mom hates this one. She freaked when I told her I liked it. lol)
[name_m]Lloyd[/name_m] (this is my grandpa’s name, so I’m biased)
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m]
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m]
[name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m]
[name_u]Phoenix[/name_u]
I like my grandma’s name [name_f]Frances[/name_f] [name_f]Madge[/name_f] Cunningham and plan on using [name_f]Frances[/name_f] in part of girls name and Cunningham for a boy. I also like [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], [name_f]Rhoda[/name_f], and [name_m]Ralph[/name_m].
[name_m]Aneurin[/name_m] (makes me think of an aneurism)
[name_m]Basil[/name_m] (I think it’s so ugly-looking and so beautiful-sounding at the same time)
[name_u]Rafe[/name_u] (the opposite of [name_m]Basil[/name_m], I hate the Rayf pronunciation, my Danish mind goes “NO! It’s pronounced [name_m]RAFF[/name_m]-eh!”)
[name_m]Sigvard[/name_m] (I love this one and [name_m]Sigvard[/name_m] Bernadotte was a brilliant industrial designer, but it is so ugly-looking)
Naerys (it doesn’t look good, but it sounds beautiful sigh)
[name_f]Sibylla[/name_f] (byld is Danish for a boil and seeing the name, that’s all I can think of. It’s pronounced so gorgeously though)
I really like a lot of the feminizations of male names, many of which I find clunky and not daintily beautiful.
Pretty much all of them but the ones I immediately thought of are [name_f]Thomasina[/name_f], [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f], [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f], what else… Oh [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f]… Maybe it’s because it’s the fem form of my dad’s middle name but it makes me smile, even though I don’t think I’d ever use it.
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f] is a favorite of mine as well.
I found the name [name_f]Theodosia[/name_f] a while back and it enchants me, though I would be shocked if I ever used it!
I’m the same with [name_f]Enid[/name_f] & [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]. I’ve always crushed on [name_f]Enid[/name_f] because of the author [name_f]Enid[/name_f] Blyton and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], I have a special devotion to St [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f].
I am savoring all these great clunky names posted, including the -a ending versions of male names ([name_f]Thomasina[/name_f], love it), but am also beginning to wonder where these kinds of names fit, if anywhere.
If I were pregnant, would I name my daughter [name_f]Thelma[/name_f] or [name_f]Thomasina[/name_f]? No, nor any on my initial list. It would seem cruel to the child. I would name a dog or cat these names since companion animals are blissfully lacking in name angst!
Maybe [name_f]Enid[/name_f] and [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] just need more time to be acceptable to a larger swath of society? Or maybe we all need to move to [name_f]England[/name_f]? What do folks think?
I actually thought [name_m]Ezra[/name_m] and [name_m]Hamish[/name_m] were pretty mainstream and well-used. And [name_m]Duncan[/name_m]'s not eyebrow-raising at all, just a little bit out of style.
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f], [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] and [name_f]Eulalia[/name_f]. I also used to love [name_f]Flo[/name_f] thats not clunky just pop culture tied and a word spelt wrong.
[name_u]Claude[/name_u]/[name_m]Claudius[/name_m]/[name_m]Claudio[/name_m]
Domatille
Siffroid ([name_m]French[/name_m] name, but I choke on the ‘r’ when I try the [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciation)
Catiche
Eudo
Levicy
[name_m]Eustache[/name_m]
[name_m]Ignace[/name_m]
[name_f]Sophronia[/name_f]
Diadama
[name_f]Permelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Garnetta[/name_f]
Zilzanetta
Another one I forgot to add to my list: [name_f]Beulah[/name_f]. I know it’s horribly outdated and there are some negative stereotypes associated with it in the U.S., but the sound is beautiful to me.
[name_f]Beulah[/name_f]! I call my little English kitty (KC [name_f]Dinah[/name_f]) “my [name_f]Bessie[/name_f] [name_f]Beulah[/name_f]”.
I love how it looks and how it sounds. Soft and wise and strong. [name_f]Love[/name_f] [name_f]Jemima[/name_f] and other Southern sounding names too. I know the English love [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], not sure how they feel about [name_f]Beulah[/name_f].
Yes! I love [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], too. I think [name_f]Beulah[/name_f] is as little-used in [name_m]Britain[/name_m] as it is here, but maybe I’m wrong.
I love [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] (my grandmother’s name). I also like [name_f]Geri[/name_f] for a girl. Boys, I like [name_m]Roger[/name_m], [name_u]Jerry[/name_u], and my favorite [name_m]Leroy[/name_m].
I bet it’s just my perception with those names. [name_m]Ezra[/name_m] might not be so unusual because it sounds biblical (not sure if it is? But that would get my friends’ eyebrows raised since I’m not religious). [name_m]Hamish[/name_m] is one I’d totally love to use but would expect many people to not like the name and constantly try to say ‘hammish’ (which is why my boyfriend would probably never agree to it!).
I know a [name_m]Duncan[/name_m] and really like the name but I guess it’s another that I expect most normal (nonberries) to find unwieldy. Definitely not as clunky as it could get though!
And I agree that many may be relegated to pet names… I can easily imagine a pug named [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f], for example
I think [name_f]Beulah[/name_f] is as little-used in [name_m]Britain[/name_m] as it is here, but maybe I’m wrong.