There's been a lot of baby talk going on around here as a lot of people I know have either discovered that they're pregnant; are about to give birth, or have given birth. My own cousin announced her pregnancy last weekend, and she's due to give birth around Christmas to a baby girl who she's going to call... Hazel Rose. How beautiful is that?
It got me thinking about names. Like clothes, names go in and out of fashion all the time. The Emilys, Sarahs, and Kates will always be en vogue; the Edies, Alberts, and Arthurs will become trendy again every so often. And then there are names that will probably never be used again. I can't see anyone calling their kid Boadicea or Marmaduke for example!
But there are a lot of really lovely names out there which for some reason people don't seem to use any more. And a lot of the names of my classmates which were REALLY popular at the time just aren't so popular anymore: Sharon, Tracy, Karen, Gary, Robert, Roy...
Which names have you not heard in a long time? Which ones do you hope will make a comeback? And which ones do you think will never return? (Remember to be nice!)
My own name might be considered old-fashioned in the sense that it's been around a long time, and not that it sounds dated. There's lots a little girls these days with the same name so I guess it would fall under the 'classic' category. I'm an English girl who grew up in France so my name is perfect for both countries, although I don't think my mum was planning on moving to France when I was born!
My parents however did decide to be a bit more adventurous when my sister was born and they gave her a name that's very common in Eastern Europe and has been around for a long time there but might be considered modern in Britain.
Names always go in and out of fashion so what's considered dated now might be very fashionable tomorrow. On my husband's side of the family they are clearly very fond of the more classic names like William, Emily, Frederick, Thomas and so forth.