So I’ve decided to re-examine my list a little, in a quest to find which names are the most “authentically [name_u]Haley[/name_u]” as I put it.
I have spent many years trying to adjust/conform my style to suit the likes of others/trends/what was “expected” of me and usually end up deviating from names I without a doubt love/would use because of this, but I’m trying (and hopefully succeeding?) to find a) the confidence to just accept that my taste is not a “norm” and b) a list I can happily work with.
I’ve sort of picked out the tried and true names from my list - the ones that I always seem to come back on in some way or form, the ones I feel like I’d genuinely be upset if I never used them, and/or the ones I can picture myself calling my future littles (still a couple years off from those though!).
[name_f]My[/name_f] tried and true list is as follows:
[name_f]Heather[/name_f]
[name_f]Stephanie[/name_f]
[name_u]Kelly[/name_u]
[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]
[name_f]Ffion[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophie[/name_f]
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]/[name_f]Emily[/name_f]
[name_f]Leah[/name_f]
[name_f]Natalie[/name_f]
[name_u]Louise[/name_u]
[name_f]Gemma[/name_f]
[name_u]Courtney[/name_u]
[name_f]Kirsty[/name_f]
[name_f]Ella[/name_f]
[name_f]Jennifer[/name_f]
[name_f]Tiffany[/name_f]
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Robyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Erin[/name_f]
[name_f]Annabel[/name_f]/[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f]
[name_u]Darcey[/name_u]
[name_f]April[/name_f]
[name_f]Joanna[/name_f]
[name_f]Betsy[/name_f]
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_f]Lauren[/name_f]/[name_f]Laura[/name_f]
[name_u]Holly[/name_u]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
What kind of style/vibe/feelings/imagery/etc. does this list give you?
Very 90s as some others said but I like a lot of them! [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Joanna[/name_f], and [name_u]Holly[/name_u] are my favorites These names are very sweet but also super versatile and most of them I can see fitting someone from babyhood to adulthood.
Your list immediately gave me a retro 70’s/80’s/90’s vibe (as many of them were names popular here in these particular decades). The imagery I get is of an American high school in the 80’s.
For most of them, I also get an image of high school cliques in the 80s-90s – [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f] McGuire, Clueless, Mean Girls, scrunchies, [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] [name_m]Frank[/name_m] binders, cheerleaders, “valley girl” stereotype, etc. Some fall a little bit outside that image though, like [name_f]Ffion[/name_f], [name_f]Leah[/name_f], [name_u]Louise[/name_u], and [name_f]Gemma[/name_f].
@may.rose - Thank you! I am very much influenced by the 80s/90s/00s when it comes to music, movies, tv and fashion, so it certainly makes sense that they feel a bit 90s! @jonquils - Oh I love that imagery! And, Boy Meets World is one of my favourite shows actually! @samantha_danielle - Thank you, I’m hoping I’ll be able to embrace it a bit more now! PS, I love your name! @Babies123456 - Thank you! I do like the versatility of these names for sure! @[name_f]Sunniva[/name_f] - Ooh retro is a good descriptor! I love the 80s USA high school vibe - lol I love 80s teen movies and always have done. @sunflowerbelle - Ooh, you’ve mentioned some of my favourites (especially [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f] McGuire!! I LOVED it growing up, I was about 6 when it came out and never missed an episode - I still love to watch it now I’m in my mid-20s lol). I also literally never go anywhere without a scrunchie, I have a ridiculously large collection lol, so that also makes sense!
I totally love your style! Definitely a retro feel to it, and they all sound sweet, stylish, and fun! I like how versatile this list is, from more classy and traditional names like [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Martha[/name_f], and [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f], to the cool, distinctive names like [name_f]Robyn[/name_f], [name_f]Ffion[/name_f], and [name_u]Darcey[/name_u]!
@voughtlori - Thank you! I love that description! @Evangelyn_Rose - Thank you so much! Versatility is definitely something I look for, I think because I had such a wide variety of interests (and still do!), from 80s sitcoms to hockey to names to makeup, and I’d like fo choose names that can fit a variety of personalities because of that!
Your list gives me British 70s/80s vibes with a couple of cutesy names thrown in. Most of the names have a lively but solid and sturdy feel to them; they’re not frilly or fussy vut they are distinctly feminine. They’re all familiar but not currently super popular and those which are seem to be taken from the UK top 100
@Greyblue - I was definitely inspired by the [name_f]England[/name_f] & [name_m]Wales[/name_m] data ! I was looking for more ideas and scrolled through the 1996 ONS list I like the idea of lively and distinctly feminine without being frilly though!
Like a lot of others said, I get a 70s/80s/90s vibe. They’re warm, familiar and nostalgic. It’s like reading through old diaries you found from years ago and for a minute feeling like you’re there again.
Girl next door is exactly it. Your names feel sweet, warm and approachable, but not cutesy or twee or overly stylised. They all sound like kind, confident and capable characters who I can picture in any number of scenarios – teacher, artist, lawyer, doctor, pet sitter, stay-at-home parent… (you get the idea).
They’re attractive names, but also the kind of names that let the bearer make her own statement, rather than having to live up to any particular set of expectations.
I didn’t think [name_f]Martha[/name_f] would work, but [name_f]Martha[/name_f] [name_m]Hunt[/name_m] absolutely rocks it! She changed my mind and now I’m team [name_f]Martha[/name_f] (although it’s not my personal style).
@mrs.tilbury Thank you! I try not to be overly swayed, but it does happen sometimes. I do love that they’re different and not necessarily names that you’d hear often (or at least that I hear often when working with kids!) @IrinaNicolaStrong I do love the feminine 90’s thing! It seems a bit perfect
Thank you so much everyone for the wonderful descriptions! I’ve managed to figure out that these are the things I look for in a name/that I love about the names currently on my list;
nostalgic retro (ie; from a time I can relate to/remember - a lot of the pop culture I consumed as a kid was actually from the 1980s because of my parents, despite being born in the mid-90s)
versatile and approachable (the girl-next-door vibe!)
familiar
imagery wise - not likely to have ever left the house without a scrunchie
These names are very sweet but also super versatile and most of them I can see fitting someone from babyhood to adulthood.
! I was looking for more ideas and scrolled through the 1996 ONS list 
I like the idea of lively and distinctly feminine without being frilly though!