Thank you for your question!!
First, I’ll start with some personal experience. I would 100% consider my name a “safe” name. It was in the top 100 for fifty years and was #70 the year I was born. Never overwhelmingly popular, but definitely falls into a comfortably “safe” name. I actually was almost named a rarer name (in the top 500 the year I was born) and I thought that would’ve been cool, but my name is my name, you know? I always felt it was comfortably popular and recognized. Of course, everyone has their own opinions about their name, but as someone who has a “safe” name I fully recognize the pros of having that type of name.
Anyway, onto your name list. I really like your style! [name_f]My[/name_f] personal naming style leans into 70s-00s names a lot and I definitely see that reflected in the combos you’ve chosen. A word on that later, but examining each one…
(Just a note, see that you’re in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] so I will use Scottish name data to work with but I’m most familiar with interpreting American name data so I’ll do my best! )
[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] - [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] is a cute name with a lot of history. Actually, looking at the Scottish name data, it seems [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] was never quite as popular there as it was here in [name_u]America[/name_u]. It is a current top 100 name but peaked at #26 in 2003. Its trajectory reminds me of my own name somewhat, actually. Speaking just of American Abigails, I wouldn’t find the name boring but I wouldn’t find it super memorable since I’ve met some Abigails and thus they tend to blend together somewhat. However, looking at the popularity graph of Scottish Abigails, I don’t think I would get this vibe. It seems like a nice, solid, familiar choice! And while [name_u]Louise[/name_u] is growing in popularity as a middle name, it’s for a good reason - it’s a super sweet choice!
[name_f]Rachel[/name_f] [name_u]Alaska[/name_u] - I have a soft spot because [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] is my mother’s name. It looks like [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] was quite popular in the 90s and early 00s in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] but currently doesn’t rank in the top 100. [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] is such a solid, feminine, pretty, and versatile name which is why many parents were attracted to it! If you ask people from our generation, they might say [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] is boring because it was a top 10 name around the time we were born. However, [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] would not be boring for a baby born now or in the future. Their class will be full of Noahs and Olivias, not Rachels and Davids. I think [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] is one of those lovely classic names that won’t ever truly go out of style. Also… [name_u]Alaska[/name_u] is objectively a cool middle name!
[name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] - If we were in the 80s, would I tell you [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] is a little boring? Yes, the world was saturated with Jennifers. We are in 2023 though, and [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] hasn’t charted in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] since 2010. Like [name_f]Rachel[/name_f], [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] has had some time to cool off and would actually be pretty refreshing on a new baby! [name_u]Love[/name_u] the sweet alliteration of [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] and I find it to be a bouncing, happy combo. (Also, 80s and 90s nostalgia is all the rage right now so [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f] strikes me as cool rather than dated!)
[name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] - Let’s get the elephant out of the room, no one calls that funny-smelling plant maryjane anymore, the Spiderman character is a cool association, and MJ is a cute nickname! Those always seem to come up when this name or combo is brought up… Anyway, [name_f]Mary[/name_f] is a perennial name. It’s truly a classic that won’t ever really go out of style. I think the line between classic/cool and boring with [name_f]Mary[/name_f] can be determined by what middle is paired with it. To be honest, I do find [name_f]Jane[/name_f] a little boring typically but [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] as a combo has this spunky, youthful energy to me. Kind of similar to [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f] actually! Anyway what I took this whole paragraph to say was that [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is a classic but with a modern and cool vibe to it.
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f] [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] - [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] has been in the top 100 in the US for almost thirty years, but I was surprised to see that it hasn’t ranked in the top 100 in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] since the 90s? Therefore, no, [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] is not boring there! Lol. It’s definitely a timeless and classy name but not overused enough to become boring. And [name_f]Susanna[/name_f] is just the sweetest, very melodic with a burst of warmth.
[name_f]Marilla[/name_f] [name_f]Julienne[/name_f] - both of these names are different, eye-catching, and intriguing! I know women with both of these names as first names and they are definitely names you would remember. Totally not boring!
[name_f]Katharine[/name_f] [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] - love this spelling of [name_f]Katharine[/name_f] btw! I would put K/Catherine in the same category as [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], very timeless and classic but never overused. And I think this spelling (which is also historically well-established) is pretty refreshing and interesting. [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] is lovely and sweet and while it’s growing in popularity as a middle name, it’s for good reason!
Overall, I would say most of your names are quiet and timeless classics. Some of them (Jennifer, Rachel) saw high usage at one point in time which makes them have somewhat of a generational tie, but when bestowed upon someone outside of that generation, they sound distinct and memorable. Others, like [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], have a long and traditional history of usage and aren’t tied to any generation; they sound versatile and timeless on anyone. And overall, only one of your names (Abigail) is in the current [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] top 100! Therefore any of them are going to stand out in the sea of Olivias, Emilys, and Islas. [name_m]Classic[/name_m], timeless, formerly popular =/= “boring”. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if our adult ears find a popular name from our generation “boring” due to oversaturation, none of the kids will have that perception of, say, a [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] or a [name_f]Mary[/name_f]!
I hope this helps! I feel like I did a lot of talking to basically say I really like these nice, solid, classic, and yes maybe a bit “safe” (nothing wrong with that!) choices and they stand out when compared to the really popular and trendy names of this time period.