I’ve recently fallen in love with a few names but am afraid others will think it sounds too old lady. Can you picture these names on little girls?
[name_f]Cecelia[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f]
[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Delilah[/name_f]
[name_f]Susannah[/name_f]
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]
[name_f]Esther[/name_f]
I know young girls named [name_f]Cecelia[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] (as a middle), [name_f]Susannah[/name_f], [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] (middle), and [name_f]Esther[/name_f], and I don’t think they’re old-lady at all! Biblical names like [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] and [name_f]Esther[/name_f] never go out of style, in my opinion. [name_f]Celeste[/name_f] and [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] also sound very fresh (though I’d avoid [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] for other reasons).
[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], and [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] do sound quite dated/old-ladyish though. The only people I know with these names are women in their 60s, and they don’t seem to suit a little girl.
I could absolutely picture those on a little girl. All those names are beautiful! And besides, you can always give her a cute nickname as a child.
The only one that seems outdated beyond repair here is [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]. Sadly I think that one’s seen its better day.
I can see all of these names on little girls. The only one’s that are really old sounding are [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] and [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f].
The number of babies born in the U.S. in 2011 with each of these names:
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] - 6,670
[name_f]Delilah[/name_f] - 1,817
[name_f]Esther[/name_f] - 1,322
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] - 722
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f] - 665
[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] - 530
[name_f]Cecelia[/name_f] - 430 ([name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], the more common spelling, had 1,309.)
[name_f]Susannah[/name_f] - 78
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f] - 61
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] - 34
(Source: 2011 Social Security Administration data.)
As you can see, [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] is very popular, and would not be considered “old lady” whatsoever. There were more girls named [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] born in 2011 than there were girls named [name_u]Alexis[/name_u], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] and [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], among others. The other names are all being used, though [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] and [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] are seeing the least use currently.
As for my personal feelings, the only ones I find really dated are [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] and [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f]. (Unlike others here, [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] in its full form still seems pretty fresh to me, as long as she isn’t nicknamed [name_f]Cindy[/name_f].)
I think that [name_f]Celeste[/name_f], [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f], and [name_f]Esther[/name_f] are a bit dated/old sounding. But the other ones are nice and completely usable.
[name_f]Henriette[/name_f] is a nice alternative to [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]…sounds a bit less dusty to me.
[name_f]Cecelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] I can definitely picture on a little girl. No problem.
I really like [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] and [name_f]Susannah[/name_f], and I can definitely see them on a little girl.
I think [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] is the only one that sounds too dated. What about [name_f]Harriet[/name_f]?
[name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] for me is too tied to [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] [name_u]Monroe[/name_u], and maybe that’s why it does sound a little dated to me. I prefer [name_f]Carolyn[/name_f] or [name_u]Marian[/name_u].
I think any of the rest would be fine. In fact, as others have pointed out, [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] is almost a top ten name right now. So it will definitely not sound out of place.
[name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] doesn’t seem to get a lot of love on these boards, but I really like it and feel it’s due for a comeback. I also love [name_f]Susannah[/name_f].
I think older names are adorable! They seem to be making a comeback! I love the name [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]!