Old Lady Names

Hazel Mystic Jean (grandmother)
Blanche (grandmother)
Ellen
Euphemia
Effie
Belle
Pearl
Annie (great aunt)
Freida/frederica (great aunt)

In an era of Cheryls, Barbaras, Marilyns, Donnas, Lindas and Carols, I got stuck with Melissa, which was no fun.

Edna.

I know it was mentioned already by a previous poster but I had to mention it in honor of an old friend who died last month at the age of 85. She was someone I worked with 40 years ago and was kind to the young snot-nose that I was way back then.

Godspeed, my dear friend… :wink:

It doesn’t seem as though these were mentioned yet:

Penelope
Claudia
Martha
Eunice

Not too many Gretchens any more. What would be the nickname? Gretchie, Gret?

Nope. It’s back in a big way. Edna and many other ‘traditional English’ names are quite popular among the Asian-Canadian population for their ‘English’ names. As a result of this, there are a lot of stylish young Torontonians with names like Edna, Laurence, William, Nora (short for Leonora), Holly, Esther, Grace, Thomas. And these are people I either have worked with personally or who are semi-famous in the local media.

Gretchen already is a nickname. It’s the nickname, or diminutive, for Margarethe.

Bessie

Olive

Doris

Why don’t you ask Hansel? I’m sure he’d be of great help there. :slight_smile:

I got a real humdinger of an old lady name - the only bearer of it whom I knew personally was born in 1889 and lived well past 100:

Althea.

Other old ladies, this time ripped from the family tree:
Elisabeth
Gertrude
Hilma
Nellie
Wendela
Ruth

Got one way back named Aupha, too…

That was Gretel.

Yes, yes, I know… it’s called obliquely providing the answer. Witticism and all that.

I must admit, the whoosh did leave your hair with a dashing part.

Happy birthday to her!

This has been my experience as well in the United States. I admit to being quite startled when meeting a young Asian girl named Agnes.

Grace and William are not old lady names here. Both are quite popular and have been for at least a decade.

My grandma is Winifred Lenora.

From my family:
Creola
Sedonia
Juanetta
Clementina (always called “Aunt Teeny”
Arlene
Hazel

and for my great-grandfather: Savillion Fuller Bergfeld!

My grandmothers were Sarah and Hazel. Sarah preferred the old-lady name Sally. Hazel, Julia Roberts kid notwithstanding, will always be old-lady. Her mom was also Hazel. Her husband’s mom was, get this - Jenny! Isn’t that weird? She looked like an Ida Mae or something. Her daughter had the old lady name Pearl. Sally’s mom was Victoria and some of her neices and nephews called her Aunt Vicky. So - two of my great-grandmothers had cute-chick names: Jenny and Vicky. Vicky looked like a Hagatha-Bitchdemon or something. My other great-grandmother was Augusta. Duuuude! THAT’S old lady.

The funny thing about my name - Karen-is that it’s becoming old-lady, and so is my mom’s name, Barbara. They were the Megan and Caitlin of their day. My sister Virginia’s name is more popular now. Nevertheless, that’s old-lady too.

Eulalie is a good old Southern Lady name.

I don’t think Gloria is an old woman’s name…I had a friend growing up who was named Gloria.

My gramp’s sisters were Martha Pearl, Violet, Pansy, and Ettie. Their mother was Mary Susie. My gran’s sisters were Hettie and Thelma. Granny’s name, which she hated was Maedell. I don’t remember her mom’s name.

My other gran’s name was Eola, and her mother was Hassie. And my other grampa’s mom was Janie.

Not yet mentioned:
Veda
Hettie
Sepora
Celeste

My grandmother came from a family of 12 kids, all with old people names. My mom used to be able to rattle them all off (including spouses).

Myrtle & Herman
Minnie & Oscar
Edith & Harry
Helen & John

That’s all I can remember. They made us laugh when we were kids.

Markxxx, you don’t need any Old Man names? Your Old Lady doesn’t have a “friend”? :wink:

My paternal grandmother’s name was Luda, which I haven’t seen mentioned yet.