What names are out of style now?

Mountaindewed · Nov 29, 2022, 05:36 PM

What names do you think are not going to be used much anymore either due to recent controversy or other various reasons?

The 3 I can think of are

Alexis
Siri
Karen

Crazy Hitch · Nov 29, 2022, 09:53 PM

Definitely Karen I feel sorry for those called Karen. I didn’t know Siri was a name!

*Beth* · Nov 30, 2022, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Hitch

Definitely Karen I feel sorry for those called Karen. I didn’t know Siri was a name!

Siri is a Scandinavian name, so it's most likely still used in Scandinavia.

Karen will always mean Karen Carpenter to me, which means not only a woman with a stunningly gorgeous voice, but the first person to bring to the world the reality of how serious eating disorders are. Maybe younger people don't even know that, which is sad. She was a true pioneer. No one, absolutely no one, before Karen Carpenter recognized eating disorders as real, uncontrollable, dangerous, potentially deadly, and in need of treatment.

Mountaindewed · Nov 30, 2022, 06:49 PM

I actually first learned about eating disorders from Karen Carpenter. I was 4 or so and they had an informercial for a CD set of her music. I was interested by her appeareance so I asked my mom who she was and my mom told me and then said what happened to her. My mom said "she died by sticking her fingers down her throat." Ahh how my parents were so blunt and a bit too honest with me when I was a kid.

*Beth* · Dec 01, 2022, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

I actually first learned about eating disorders from Karen Carpenter. I was 4 or so and they had an informercial for a CD set of her music. I was interested by her appeareance so I asked my mom who she was and my mom told me and then said what happened to her. My mom said "she died by sticking her fingers down her throat." Ahh how my parents were so blunt and a bit too honest with me when I was a kid.

Yeah, that's pretty, umm...that's a bit of a harsh description of how she died. Her story was so damned sad. I remember when the news came over my car radio when she died. It was the most dreary February day. She was quite a bit older than I was, but I'd always loved her voice, and I cried.

I remember my friend and I walking to our neighborhood grocery store and flipping through the music magazines there. We were pretty young, not even teenagers yet, so we didn't clue into her being so thin or anything. But I remember that in one of the magazines was an interview with her. The interviewers in those teen magazines back then would ask cheesy (no pun intended) questions. So the dude asked Karen what her favorite date would be. She said she'd like to go out for burgers. Then she detailed what she meant by "burgers" very specifically, as though she were describing a magnificent painting.

Many, many years later my friend and I talked about it, remembering that interview, and how Karen gave her luscious description of a hamburger. She spoke about the food, not about the date. It was clearly strange and that no one caught her mental illness - and worse, that they kept blaming her for it - is heart wrenching. Her mother was a grand beyotch, by all accounts.

Gasplessy · Dec 08, 2022, 08:58 AM

I dont think names could be valued by trends
A name like "Kevin" (i picked one randomly) could feel mainsteam to some and refreshing to others in 2023
World keeps changing
Also i dont live in the US so i deal with strange European names xD

divine1966 · Dec 08, 2022, 07:05 PM

My family gives names of dead relatives. Jewish tradition. If not first name then the middle name. So names aren’t really becoming outdated in my family in that sense.

My 7 months old grandson has very old fashioned first name (some story behind the name but not for a relative) but a middle name is for my sons in law grandpa who passed away during my daughter’s pregnancy. Both names are very old fashioned old men names but we love it. I won’t post here but if anyone wants to know I’ll PM you hahah

And if my daughter has a baby girl (if it happens for them to have a second kid), it will be given my moms name. Very uncommon in the US. Also kind of old fashioned.

Mountaindewed · Dec 09, 2022, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine1966

My family gives names of dead relatives. Jewish tradition. If not first name then the middle name. So names aren’t really becoming outdated in my family in that sense.

My 7 months old grandson has very old fashioned first name (some story behind the name but not for a relative) but a middle name is for my sons in law grandpa who passed away during my daughter’s pregnancy. Both names are very old fashioned old men names but we love it. I won’t post here but if anyone wants to know I’ll PM you hahah

And if my daughter has a baby girl (if it happens for them to have a second kid), it will be given my moms name. Very uncommon in the US. Also kind of old fashioned.

My dad was Jewish so he wanted names that started with a specefic letter for my siblings and I after my deceased grandfathers first name. When I changed my name I chose a name that still honored that tradtion in respect for my dad.

divine1966 · Dec 09, 2022, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

My dad was Jewish so he wanted names that started with a specefic letter for my siblings and I after my deceased grandfathers first name. When I changed my name I chose a name that still honored that tradtion in respect for my dad.

How thoughtful of you. I am sure your dad would love the name you chose

TishaBuv · Dec 09, 2022, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine1966

My family gives names of dead relatives. Jewish tradition. If not first name then the middle name. So names aren’t really becoming outdated in my family in that sense.
My 7 months old grandson has very old fashioned first name (some story behind the name but not for a relative) but a middle name is for my sons in law grandpa who passed away during my daughter’s pregnancy. Both names are very old fashioned old men names but we love it. I won’t post here but if anyone wants to know I’ll PM you hahah

And if my daughter has a baby girl (if it happens for them to have a second kid), it will be given my moms name. Very uncommon in the US. Also kind of old fashioned.

There was a tante Blemah whose name did not get recycled. :-)

We also used the first letter of the names to name the baby “after” them.

TishaBuv · Dec 09, 2022, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

I actually first learned about eating disorders from Karen Carpenter. I was 4 or so and they had an informercial for a CD set of her music. I was interested by her appeareance so I asked my mom who she was and my mom told me and then said what happened to her. My mom said "she died by sticking her fingers down her throat." Ahh how my parents were so blunt and a bit too honest with me when I was a kid.

This reminds me that I received some weird messages when Karen Carpenter died, too. It must have been my mother, though I don’t remember, who said that Karen was not pretty and that is why she struggled. Yep, this affected me.

divine1966 · Dec 09, 2022, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TishaBuv

This reminds me that I received some weird messages when Karen Carpenter died, too. It must have been my mother, though I don’t remember, who said that Karen was not pretty and that is why she struggled. Yep, this affected me.

Omg I hate this stupid logic. I heard it many times too about other situations. One doesn’t need to be good looking to be happy and successful. It’s subjective!!! Who cares? And weight? So many women are convinced they must be skinny. I also wonder if it’s generational. Thing from the past. My parents are decent people and my mom was the sweetest woman but they put so much weight on looks and always commented on peoples looks. I really hope people stop thinking that way. Ridiculous and damaging for people

TishaBuv · Dec 09, 2022, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine1966

Omg I hate this stupid logic. I heard it many times too about other situations. One doesn’t need to be good looking to be happy and successful. It’s subjective!!! Who cares? And weight? So many women are convinced they must be skinny. I also wonder if it’s generational. Thing from the past. My parents are decent people and my mom was the sweetest woman but they put so much weight on looks and always commented on peoples looks. I really hope people stop thinking that way. Ridiculous and damaging for people

And my mother was a “beauty queen”, but I was an “ugly duckling”. So that message was internalized and taken personally.

Dec 16, 2022, 10:49 AM

Bernard comes to mind. Patrick. George.

For girls maybe rosemary marge and ethyl

MuddyBoots · Dec 16, 2022, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raging vortex

Bernard comes to mind. Patrick. George.

For girls maybe rosemary marge and ethyl

As a chem geek I hear ethyl and think -CH2CH3

rechu · Dec 16, 2022, 11:15 AM

A few that come to mind:

Male: Harold, Burt, Herman, Oscar, Waldo, Herbert, Douglas, Ronald, Stuart

Female: Edith, Loretta, Roberta, Mary, Gertrude, Eustace, Helen, Enid, Janet

I would also say Adolph and Donald, for obvious reasons.

Soupe du jour · Dec 17, 2022, 03:39 AM

Yea, the name Karen, definitely. I feel sorry for those with that name. It's a shame as it is a pretty name. I issue a challenge to all Karens to do something really wonderful for someone(s). That might help bring it back. Other than that, maybe:

Eugene
Olive
Carol (or male Carole)
Minerva
Matilda
Percy

Older names.

Discombobulated · Dec 17, 2022, 07:36 AM

Ooh this is interesting, I think it’s cultural too, for example Matilda is definitely fairly popular here and with the pet form Tilly after years of disappearing, Olive isn’t popular but Olivia definitely is very popular now.

I have a theory that when we name our kids we won’t choose a name which reminds us of someone we disliked, so our contemporaries names go out of favour and so the generations names go in cycles.

Discombobulated · Dec 17, 2022, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TishaBuv

And my mother was a “beauty queen”, but I was an “ugly duckling”. So that message was internalized and taken personally.

Oh wow that is so seriously screwed, and no acknowledgement of your own beauty both internal and external? Beauty comes in so many shapes and forms, how narrow is the beauty Queen definition?

Karen Carpenter was so talented and beautiful, before my time, but her voice was so Chrystal clear and pitch perfect and such a talented drummer too.

*Beth* · Dec 18, 2022, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raging vortex

Bernard comes to mind. Patrick. George.

For girls maybe rosemary marge and ethyl

Oooh, my 37 year old daughter thinks Patrick is the sexiest name on earth.

And what about Prince George?