Where to look for "Beyond Hipster" names

I’ve been thinking about what us Berries call “beyond hipster” names, i.e. ones still thought of as unfashionable by many but may become more so in a few years. Here’s two types of names that seem to fit the bill:

  1. Midcentury names like [name]Nancy[/name] and [name]Susan[/name] (both of which I like); a bit too early to come back for many but would actually be quite distinctive these days. Although applicable to both genders, this would work more for girls since there are fewer boy’s names that were popular in this era and have since plunged in popularity.

  2. For boys, once-masculine names usurped in the past by girls but have since fallen out of fashion on the pink side. Examples are [name]Kelly[/name], [name]Robin[/name], and [name]Shannon[/name]. Although many think that these names would be rough for a boy to handle, since he’d likely be the only one in his class (boy or girl) I think they’re good candidates to try and bring back to the blue side. These names (unlike for example [name]Courtney[/name] and [name]Whitney[/name]) had enough male usage to keep them recognizable as unisex to many people.

With either of these kinds of names, they’d likely stand out in a good way among the Aidens and Emmas yet most people will “recognize” these names.

Anyone agree with me?

Yep, I totally agree on both counts. You can already see the mid-century naming with uber-hipsters like [name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Blair[/name].

[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Blair[/name] doesn’t really qualify (assuming you’re from the U.S.), since right now is [name]Gabriella[/name]'s heyday and [name]Blair[/name] is more dated to the 80s or so. Examples of other mid-century names that might qualify are [name]Denise[/name] and [name]Donna[/name], as well as the names of Nameberry’s founders ([name]Pamela[/name] and [name]Linda[/name]). Some names from a decade or two earlier which have yet to show signs of returning could also qualify as “beyond hipster” like [name]Dorothy[/name] (which I’ve been thinking about recently).

Some more examples of boy-turned-girl names that might be considered “pre-hip” on boys again are the ones from the [name]Cary[/name]/[name]Kerry[/name] family (if you look at the extended SSA lists those two are already more popular for boys albeit with very small overall numbers), [name]Dana[/name], [name]Jamie[/name], and [name]Tracy[/name].

[name]Gabriella[/name] [name]Blair[/name] doesn’t really qualify (assuming you’re from the U.S.), since right now is [name]Gabriella[/name]'s heyday and [name]Blair[/name] is more dated to the 80s or so. Examples of other mid-century names that might qualify are [name]Denise[/name] and [name]Donna[/name], as well as the names of Nameberry’s founders ([name]Pamela[/name] and [name]Linda[/name]). Some names from a decade or two earlier which have yet to show signs of returning could also qualify as “beyond hipster” like [name]Dorothy[/name] (which I’ve been thinking about recently).

Some more examples of boy-turned-girl names that might be considered “pre-hip” on boys again are the ones from the [name]Cary[/name]/[name]Kerry[/name] family (if you look at the extended SSA lists those two are already more popular for boys albeit with very small overall numbers), [name]Dana[/name], [name]Jamie[/name], and [name]Tracy[/name].[/quote]

I was referring to the names that the stylish [name]Gabrielle[/name] [name]Blair[/name] of the popular blog Design Mom chose for her children- [name]Ralph[/name], [name]Maude[/name], [name]Olive[/name], [name]Oscar[/name], and [name]June[/name]. Granted, some of these are more 30’s-40’s type names, but still show a movement away from antique to more snappy mid-century. My point being that some of these names are being dusted off already.

I think a good way to think of “Beyond Hipster” names is to go to a cool thrift store and be inspired by the shoppers and the merchandize. For example, wow, that purse looks like if it had a name, it would be [name]Beryl[/name]. Or that shopper over there with the cat glasses looks like her name should be [name]Yvette[/name].
(I just found such a great thrift store in Pasadena, [name]CA[/name]. If you live near there, it’s called Salvation [name]Army[/name] Antiques. Found some pants there that fit.)