Hello Berries,
I need your opinion:
For a hypothetical third daughter, I’ve fallen in love with the name [name_f]Pauline[/name_f].
However, I’ve read here on Nameberry that the name is apparently perceived as very old-fashioned.
This makes me feel a bit unsure.
In my country, the name is considered more classic and timeless.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on [name_f]Pauline[/name_f]. And—if you’d like—perhaps also mention which country you’re from and how the name is received there.
What do you think of [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f] as a combination?
[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] was my great grandma’s middle name and my first cousin, [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] [name_f]Pauline[/name_f], was named after her. I see it as vintage like [name_f]Alice[/name_f] or [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], both of which are being used more now. [name_f]Vintage[/name_f] names are in style. I know an 8yo [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] would fit right in with those. There’s nothing wrong with using a vintage name if you like it. I’m in the US.
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[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] is very much a usable name, and a lovely one at that. [name_f]Vintage[/name_f] names are on the rise at the moment - I have personally met multiple baby Theodores.
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I loooooove the name [name_f]Pauline[/name_f]! Although, admittedly, I do love a good clunky, slightly dated, vintage name, they’re always the sweetest! [name_f]Pauline[/name_f], to me, is really adorable. I love [name_m]Paulie[/name_m] as a nickname and she feels so spunky, tailored, and warm. There was a [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] (around age 17) in my bookclub a couple years ago and she wore the name so well. It felt very fresh to hear it on a young person! (I’m coming from Canada.)
[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f] is a sturdy and classic combo!
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In the UK I’d definitely say it’s in the category of names that haven’t come back around yet, and thus feel clunky rather than cute - [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] and [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] were popular earlier in the 20th century and thus feel vintage in a cute, fresh way whereas [name_f]Pauline[/name_f], [name_f]Linda[/name_f], and [name_f]Janet[/name_f], for example, feel like dated grandma/auntie names. But the key word is yet! These are the names that are likely to make a comeback in the next 20 years or so. And that’s just the UK, it might be totally different if you’re somewhere else.
I think there is nothing stopping you from using a ‘dated’ name if you really love it, and you might actually be ahead of the next curve 
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[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] is adorable and I adore [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f]
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[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] is adorable. I think it’ll be fresh on a little girl. If you love it, I say go for it.
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I think [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] Chalamet is on the brink of reviving it. Objectively, [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] is a lovely name, just not quite back into the mainstream fashion cycle yet. But I really like it and can absolutely see it coming back!
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I really like the name [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] esp in a [name_m]French[/name_m] context for eg but here in [name_m]Australia[/name_m] it’s associated with [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_m]Hanson[/name_m] (our right wing populist politician) and then is typically seen as a lower middle class boomer name (sorry to bring class into it but to the extent that matters, it’s still accurate). In [name_m]Australia[/name_m], [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] or another -ine name is a better bet but if someone travelling here were [name_f]Pauline[/name_f], it would be seen very differently.
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I would give more weight to Pauline’s perception in your country. Nameberry is very US-centric, and I think in most English-speaking countries [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] would be seen as dated. That said, I’ve met little girls called [name_f]Darlene[/name_f], [name_f]Nancy[/name_f], [name_f]Sheila[/name_f], etc which were popular in the same era as [name_f]Pauline[/name_f], and the names were cute on them.
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A friend’s sister named her firstborn this, and since hearing it have been in love!!! I expanded this to [name_f]Martine[/name_f] and [name_f]Justine[/name_f] as well.
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I like [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] a lot. It makes me think of the eldest daughter in the Ballet Shoes novels, who was played by [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_m]Watson[/name_m] in the 2012 movie. A friend of mine also has a little girl named [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] and she’s utterly adorable. It’s sleek, understated, and elegant. I think [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f] is a beautiful name.
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I would LOVE to meet a little [name_f]Pauline[/name_f].
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I’m in the UK and [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] does feel a bit dated (50s/60s), but I do think it would be unexpected and kind of cool to meet a little [name_f]Pauline[/name_f].
[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f] has elegance and a hint of something regal about it.
Out of interest, how do you pronounce [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] where you are? I prefer the [name_m]French[/name_m], Swedish, [name_m]German[/name_m], and [name_m]Danish[/name_m] pronunciations to the [name_f]English[/name_f] one in terms of sound?
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We pronounce it the [name_m]German[/name_m] way. 
Now I am very curious what the [name_m]Danish[/name_m] pronunciation is like. 
(In fact I was as a child nearly every year during the summer holidays in [name_m]Denmark[/name_m] and never heard it.)
A big thank you to all of you. Your responses have helped me a lot. It is really interesting to read what you think.
Oh no, I just googled [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_m]Hansen[/name_m].
That really isn’t a nice association.
But I think that by the time my hypothetical daughter is old enough to visit [name_f]Australia[/name_f], that politician won’t be active anymore.
We have a right-wing—and not very likable—politician here named [name_f]Alice[/name_f]. Before this politician I liked the name [name_f]Alice[/name_f] a lot… but now it’s difficult to use it. So sad.
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f] sounds nice too. But here it’s very very uncommon as a name and everybody would only associate the animal.
Besides [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] I love [name_f]Marceline[/name_f] and [name_f]Apolline[/name_f]. But while [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] is well known and classy, this two are really rare. I think I wouldn’t be brave enough to use them.
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[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] was my grandmother’s name and also the name of a very cool professor at my school. [name_m]The[/name_m] very cool professor changed my entire view of the name and now I really love it!
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I’m from the US.
I know one [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] who is older, but I also know a video game character (who is not an old lady), and it’s my sister’s middle name (she’s in her 20s). So I think it works for different ages well enough.
[name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f] is pretty. I like how those names flow together.
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I love it! It reminds me of [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] from the [name_m]Mario[/name_m] games. It may be seen as too “old lady” but I can also see a resurgence in popularity.
As far as [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Viktoria[/name_f], the K turns me off. [name_f]Pauline[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] is what I would choose
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