Old-fashioned names.

[the-good-ship.livejournal.com]

Saw this on the MSN UK front page.

What it's saying is pretty obvious - as naming trends change and time goes by, certain names that have become old-fashioned will fall out of use as the older generations die out - but I wanted to get your opinions on the names listed.

Boys' Names	% Decline in popularity since 1907	Girls' Names	% Decline in popularity since 1907
Norman	99.857%	Gertrude	100.000%
Walter	99.436%	Edna	99.831%
Percy	99.377%	Ethel	99.703%
Harold	99.272%	Irene	98.174%
Ernest	97.816%	Ada	98.120%
Herbert	97.784%	Norah	97.787%
Clifford	95.920%	Olive	96.989%
Frank	93.640%	Agnes	96.825%
Arnold	93.608%	Elsie	95.752%
Leonard	92.845%	Mabel	95.524%
Edgar	88.857%	Edith	95.390%
Arthur	88.356%	May	95.387%
Albert	86.419%	Margaret	94.418%
Edwin	85.850%	Minnie	94.235%
Alfred	83.808%	Jane	93.119%
Sidney	79.815%	Violet	91.777%
Stanley	74.989%	Annie	91.621%
Francis	71.218%	Lilian	88.549%
Richard	66.590%	Mary	83.829%
Fred	55.606%	Florence	79.461%

Which do you like?
Which could you see working on a baby these days?

Comments

[goaskyourmother.livejournal.com]

I like Sidney and Francis, Violet and Olive.

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

I really like some of these names, especially:

Fred
Arthur
Margaret
Mary
Violet
Annie

There are also a few I don't love, but I don't mind, like Ada, Norah, Agnes and Edwin.

Gertrude has to be my least favourite name ever, and I also dislike Florence, Edith, Percy, Sidney.

[blosmbee.livejournal.com]

The only boys name of those that I like is Edgar.

Of the girls names, I like (in no particular order) Lilian, Violet, Jane, Margaret, May, Norah, Ada, and Irene.

Most of those boy names have consonant clusters, which is just really out of fasion right now. John, William, and James were the top 3 names of 1907 (USA), and are in the top 20 today.

[glitterberrys.livejournal.com]

I like Lilian, Annie, Violet, Jane, May and Ada, and think they could work on modern kids. I think Margaret, Mary and Olive could as well, but I don't care for those names.

[tokyo.livejournal.com]

Like: Norah, Olive, Edith, Margaret, Jane, Violet, Lilian // Percy, Arthur, Richard

[lindiohead.livejournal.com]

I only like:
Violet
Lilian

[lovetokate.livejournal.com]

I like:
Girls-
Norah
May
Margaret
Jane
Violet
Annie
Lilian

I honestly don't like any of the boys names. :/ MAYBE Richard or Sidney but they aren't my style at all.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I like:

Leonard
Richard

Ada
Margaret
Jane
Violet
Lilian
Mary

[thelittlespoon.livejournal.com]

I like Irene, Norah, Olive, Elsie, May, Sidney, Violet, and Lilian.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Olive! It's on my favourites list and I think that it's making its way up to number one. I love it so much.

[ruffledress.livejournal.com]

i'm Jane.
i like May Norah Lilian Mary

[limelight-lude.livejournal.com]

I dig Norah and Irene. I could see those being names. (Irene is a family name.)

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Hmm interesting, a few of my family names are on that list :)

A fair few of those girls names show signs of revival, with similiar to already fashionable names (considering 'old lady' & 'nicknames as full names' are so hot here as a trend right now) ...
Ada, Norah, Olive, Elsie, Mabel, May, Minnie, Violet, Annie, Lilian, Florence. Possibly Edith & Agnes too as they have young fashionable celeb namesakes.

Arthur I think is already getting dusted off, Fred & Frank too (well Freddie & Frankie, really).
Alfred (Alfie is already so trendy), Edgar, Leonard and Stanley seem likely candidates for the future.

I've never really understood why Richard has fallen so far out of favour; it has so many of the same qualities as the 'timeless classics'. And my brother has always worn it well.
So I'm sort of rooting for it as an underdog choice. But then I'm almost certainly I'll use it myself, so hope I can be ahead of the curve.

[crosseyedcookie.livejournal.com]

Some of my favourite names are on this list!
Boys: Franklin (my top choice for a boy), Richard
Girls: Edith (after my Gran), Jane, Violet and Mary (after my Mum)

[istytehcrawk.livejournal.com]

I like:

Boy: Percy (first or middle) and Stanley (middle only)
Girl: Nora (this spelling only, though), Violet (love!), Mae (this spelling only), and Lillian (this spelling only).

[skittles22088.livejournal.com]

Let's see.
For boys I like:
Harold
Edwin

For girls I like:
Ada
Norah
Jane
Annie
Mary
Olive

[spikes-sexkitty.livejournal.com]

i work with all these names!!! lol, but then again i work for a cardiologist and have mostly 40+ year old patients lol.

BOYS:

Ernest
Frank
Arnold
Leonard
Arthur
Albert
Alfred
Stanley
Richard
Fred

GIRLS:

Gertrude
Irene
Ada
Elsie
May
Margaret
Jane
Annie
Lilian

[aimeewins.livejournal.com]

Mabel is one of my faves.

[charlotteattack.livejournal.com]

Norah
Mabel
Violet

And poor Ethel will never come back, but I like it!

[twitchywoman.livejournal.com]

I adore the names Ada, Violet and May (prefer Mae though). I like Mabel and Norah. For boys I love Frank, Edgar and Edwin.

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

I like:

Olive
Margaret
Jane
Violet
Annie
Norah
Fred

Lilian and Ada aren't exactly uncommon now...they are kind of up there with the trendy names.

[veracity]

I love Norah, Violet, Lilian, Florence, May, and Ada. Especially Ada and Norah. I'd probably spell May as Mae, though. For the boys, I would say Walter, Sidney, Leonard, Richard, ad Alfred. Most of them as middle names though. It's just where I would put them.

To be fair, I have an Ada in my family tree and it's a good association. My stepdad is Richard, so I wouldn't actually name my child that. Too many family webs.

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

I hate most of these names, but I love Jane, Violet, Annie, and Mary.

[miss-bushido.livejournal.com]

For the girls, I like Lilian, Violet and Elsie.

For the boys, I like Leonard, Arthur and Edwin.

[breezy-boo.livejournal.com]

Girls: Lilian, Florence, Ada, Norah, Violet
Boys: Sidney, Francis

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

Walter
Ada
Norah
Agnes
Elsie
Edith
Arthur
May
Margaret
Jane
Violet
Annie
Francis
Lilian
Mary

[memorymaze.livejournal.com]

I love love love that movie. The book is great too, if you haven't read it.

[memorymaze.livejournal.com]

I like/love:
boys
Sidney
Francis

girls
Lilian
Annie******
Violet******
Jane
Edith
Elsie
Norah
Ada

[arbus.livejournal.com]

i like and think they would work fine today:

albert
ada
norah
olive
edith
may
margaret
jane
violet
annie
lilian
mary

[http://users.livejournal.com/-glass-/]

I like

Walter
Leonard
Arthur
Sidney
Francis

and
Ada
Norah
Olive
Elsie
Mabel
May
Margaret
Minnie
Jane
Violet
Annie

I can see all of them being used now. Well, I'd use them anyway. Maybe not Minnie.

[batting0.livejournal.com]

my nephew's name is Ernest (Ernie, 8), so I'm partial to it, though it's nms.

I like and would possibly use
Richard
Nora (As a nickname for Eleanor, though)
Jane (one of my favorites!)
Violet
Lilian

[sweatydog.livejournal.com]

Walter**
Irene**
Frank*
Leonard*
Edgar**
Edith*
Arthur**
Margaret*
Edwin*
Minnie*
Jane
Sidney*
Violet
Stanley*
Annie
Francis*^
Lilian*
Richard
Mary
Fred*

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

I dunno about the rest of y'all, but I totally love these names. They are right up my ally, because no one will be using them anytime soon. :D The male names not so much, because some sound awkward (Herbert, Ernest, Albert), but some I'd definitely go for. I'd probably use some of them as middle names just to play it safe, though.

Modern Day Babies with Old-Fashioned Names:

Walter
Percy (as Percival)
Harold
Arnold
Leonard
Arthur*
Sidney*
Stanley
Richard
Fred (as Frederick)

Edna*
Ethel*
Ada*
Mabel
Agnes*
Norah*
Elsie
Edith*
Jane*
Violet*
Lilian
Mary*
Florence

[xdontxyouxwish.livejournal.com]

i love the name mabel.

[leaveitalone.livejournal.com]

I couldn't imagine most of these names on someone under the age of 80.

But I do like the names Olive, Elsie, may, annie, lillian, richard and sidney. I can imagine those on babies.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I love Florence, May & Leonard, and I like Norah, Edith, Lilian, Francis, Walter & Arthur.

[nothingtolose19.livejournal.com]

I like:

Edgar

Ada
Norah
Elsie
May
Violet
Lilian

I also kind of like Gertrude and Ethel, for some reason, but I'm not sure... lol.

[onzeminutos.livejournal.com]

I like:

Percy
Clifford
Leonard
Arthur
Francis
Richard (I'm going to name my first son Rickhard after my grandfather)
Fred (as a nickname for Frederick)

Irene
Edith
Jane
Violet
Annie

[ghetto-lonetto.livejournal.com]

Walter
Edgar
Arthur

Irene
May
Jane
Violet
Lilian (although I prefer Lillian or Lilliana)

I also have a strange fondness for Stanley, which I blame on A Streetcar Named Desire. It seems ill-advised with the increasing popularity of the name Stella, though.

[http://users.livejournal.com/-----citylight/]

Walter
Leonard
Edwin
Arthur
Francis
Fred (I don't really like it, but I know a little boy with this name, hence being able to imagine it on a child lol)

Ada
Agnes
Norah
May
Olive
Jane
Violet

I also happen to really like almost all of these names.
Lilian