# Old Lady Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100 "2008-12-14T06:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/41 "2008-12-14T15:49:00Z")
My paternal grandmother was Wilma Alice. My parents didn’t name me Katherina after my maternal grandmother even though I was next in line for it, because they didn’t want to stick me with one of those as a middle name. My actual middle name, Kay, is our ‘dirty little secret’/nod to Katherina. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/42 "2008-12-14T16:39:27Z")
Estelle Bertha Agnes Blanche That was my grandma’s bridge group. Others I like: Priscilla Hilda Louise Lena ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/43 "2008-12-14T16:48:22Z")
Frances (Fannie), Lillian, and Dorothy are the names of the women I know if in my family who would have been over 100 years old if they were still alive. Two of my nieces have named their children after Frances and Lillian (that would be the babies’ great-great grandmothers), so they may be on the way back. Lillian certainly seems to be growing in popularity again recently. I always liked Enid and hope it makes a comeback someday. Before I decided not to have kids, I was going to name a girl Enid. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/44 "2008-12-14T17:31:00Z")
I don’t think I’ve seen Emma yet, but I may have missed it. That was my grandmother’s name. Emma Bertha! Fairy was a moderately popular name about 100 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/45 "2008-12-14T17:47:08Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Eulah > Beulah > Agatha > Martha (this had a mild resurgence a while back) > Hetty > Clarabelle > > It’s going to be interesting in a few decades to see the “fad” names of my youth-- Crystal/Krystal, Jacqueline, etc.-- become old lady names. My husband’s grandmother’s name is Jacqueline! No love for Muriel? When my husband and I were trying to come up with a nice classic girl’s name for our baby, we hit a patch where I would suggest things like Natalie and he would come back with things like Sadie. One time I suggested Marian, and he came back with Muriel. UGH. So I ratted him out on that one to my mother-in-law. She said “Muriel. I had a cousin Muriel!” Then she paused for a while, and completed her thought with “I think she’d be 108 now if she were still alive.” I STILL kid my husband about that one. Muriel. Seriously. (The girl will be Josephine, another nice old lady name if the OP is still looking.) ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/46 "2008-12-14T17:48:10Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I don’t think I’ve seen Emma yet, but I may have missed it. That was my grandmother’s name. Emma Bertha! > > Fairy was a moderately popular name about 100 years ago. I think Emma is now in the top 10 list for baby girl names. It’s made a HUGE comeback. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/47 "2008-12-14T17:59:46Z")
I don’t know if this was a popular name in days past, but there was a young girl in the _Music Man_ called Amaryllis. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/48 "2008-12-14T18:27:51Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > My husband’s grandmother’s name is Jacqueline! Neat! By using that Baby Name Wizard site linked above, I see Jacqueline was relatively popular since the late 1800s… it shows the explosion in use from my youth, but I’d never have imagined it had such history. I’ve been having fun with that site overall. I found the nearly-identical peaks and troughs in popularity between “Victor” for males and “Victoria” for females to be interesting. A lot of the “old lady” names above that I thought seemed to be popular again do show resurgences… but **Zoe** ’s suggestion of Molly had me confused, as it seemed to be more common now than in the 1970s-- and the site shows it’s become quite popular in the last few decades. ---
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/49 "2008-12-14T19:02:01Z")
How about; **May Belle** **Philomene** **Mehitibel** **Orilda** ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/50 "2008-12-14T19:45:10Z")
My grandmothers: **Carroll** and **MaryBeth**. There is an absolutely ancient woman who comes to the hardware store where I work all the time. She buys 100lbs of birdseed and writes a check, very slowly of course. She is 90 years old, and her name is **Boxie**. ---
**Author:** ![MizTina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MizTina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizTina)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/51 "2008-12-14T19:45:51Z")
Mame, my great grand mother Letha May, my grandmother Daisy Belle, my grandfather’s sister Mittie, a cousin Marvelle, An aunt Eulalie and Lulabelle, just two old favorites of mine. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/52 "2008-12-14T20:05:18Z")
Holy crap. I have a _very_ old-fashioned name–previous period of relative popularity: 1880s–but now it’s in the freakin’ top ten! For several decades it fell off the list entirely of the top 1000. It rated down there with Euphonia and Mehitabel. What’s up with that? Wouldn’t you just know? I hit middle age and share my name with a few zillion infants. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/53 "2008-12-14T20:56:45Z")
Well, my grandmother is an Esther. She was born 12/17/1904. We like to mention that the date is the first anniversary of the Wright brother’s flight at Kitty Hawk. She’ll be celebrating her 104th birthday this week! ---
**Author:** ![I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4491bb/32.png) [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Have_Hippos_In_My_Garden)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/54 "2008-12-14T20:58:57Z")
I always think my name is an old ladies’ name, and I’m 24. I’m called Rose. I love my name though, I think it is very beautiful and suits my character. My nana is called Doreen and my granny is called Constance. Both are brilliant old lady names. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/55 "2008-12-14T22:23:36Z")
Lorraine. ---
**Author:** ![drpepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/56 "2008-12-14T23:06:00Z")
I wish I could take credit for this observation, but alas I read it on the Dope years ago: While today the nursing homes are full of Esthers, Florences, and Gertrudes, 50 years from now they will be populated with Ashleys, Brittanys, and Caitlyns. Weird! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/57 "2008-12-14T23:30:22Z")
Don’t forget the Heathers and Tiffanys! Perusing obits today – I think some of these have been mentioned: Annabel Gertrude Ila Mae Blanche Martha Harriett Phyllis Norma ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/58 "2008-12-14T23:45:10Z")
Violet (my grandmother; which brings to mind) Hyacinth And, from The House of Seven Gables, the quintessential Hepzibah. Roddy (not an old lady name) ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/59 "2008-12-15T00:03:12Z")
My grandmothers were Willie and Edna. My mother in law was Mary Virginia and my mom was Melba Faye. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100/60 "2008-12-15T00:13:02Z")
Drawing on my genealogy database: Emily Lucile Amelia Marian Harriet Elona Susan Margaret Sophia Della Isabel Johanna Hannah Grace Eunice Lydia Mercy Jemima Phoebe [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-lady-names/477100.md?page=4)