To paraphrase Julia Sugarbaker, everyone’s grandmother will be named Tiffany or Heather and all the hot young things will be called Beulah, Maude or Ethel.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
My middle name is on your list. It was both my grandmother’s first name so it was almost unavoidable.
[/QUOTE]
You had two grandmothers named Hiram?!
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
It was both my grandmother’s first name…
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Heh, mine was “Bertha.” I’ve seen her sisters’ here several times too. ‘Bout every one of my grandparents’ and great aunts’ and uncles’ names would qualify here. I thought I’d never see another “Mattie” (my great aunt) and now it belongs to my wife’s young niece.
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit]
Troy? Really?
[/QUOTE]
Personal bias, having known a few Troys.
Funny enough, my great-grand aunt – who in her day was a total babe – was named Ethel Gertrude Johanna.
The people with Emily on the list haven’t been around very many young people, apparently. It’s been a very popular girls’ name for at least the last 25 years!
Emma has been popular for probably the last 10. I’ve met numerous girls with this name. Including, memorably, one named Emma Leigh. (Say it out loud.)
Didn’t they name their daughter Mabel on Mad About You. Blergh.
My own middle name is rather old-fashioned: Dorothy. My grandmother’s name. People have been “Toto!~ing” me for 40 years.
My mom’s name is Harriet and she hates it - she was actually named Elaine but they had a border who called her ‘Elainey’ which irritated my grandma so Irene changed it!
[QUOTE=CalMeacham]
**Griselda
Emily
Malvina
Magda
Dagmar
Sophie**
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Sophie: hot, sophisticated, West European.
Yana, Dagmar, Magda, Jasna, Ludmila, Bojana: hot, East European. I work with many of these. They tend to be infuriatingly married.
Malvina: hot, South American.
Emily: hot, English.
Olga: hot, East European. The first Olga I ever met was in university, and she was beautiful.
Ingrid: hot, Swedish. Also my cousin, so that’s out.
Anne: Hot, but she’s my sister, so it’s really difficult to think of her that way, but I have my brother-in-law’s assurances on the matter.
Edna, Leonora (known as Nora): Hot, Asian. More co-workers. I’ve noticed that the trend among Asian-Canadian people to give extremely traditional names as their “English” names is reinvigorating the hotness of these names.
Padma: Former co-worker. Hot, but still in university. Bother.
Griselda, though, is still shuddersome.
Elliot
Obligatory quote from The Sure Thing:
Augustus
Gunther
Walter
Lester (my grandfather’s name)
Leland
Perry
Ernest
Reginald
Shirley
Lucy
Agatha (I’m starting to change on this one)
Ruby
Pearl
Hester
Norlene
Norene
Doreen
Bernice
Lois
Louise/a
[QUOTE=Litoris]
Personal bias, having known a few Troys.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I think of Troy Donahue. Or Troy McClure. Strapping, manly type. Well, on the outside, anyway.
Hey, I’m an Emily, and I’m think I’m pretty good lookin’.*
And the other Emilies I’ve met (all around my age, no comment on the little kids) have been cute, too!
*photo taken at our wedding in March.
Pfft! You’re not good-lookin’ … you’re GORGEOUS!
I can think of lots of names that seem to imply the owner’s physical appearance. For example, Payton and Madison are blonde little snowflakes. Kyle and Connor are strapping boys who play football.
For me, the names that imply physical unattractiveness are names like Beryl, Latrina, Wilson and Boyle (yes, I once knew someone whose first name was Boyle)
Shaniqua LaQuanda Monisha
Man, I named my younger kid Emily Anne. 
(FTR, she’s adorable.)
Elmer.
Agnes
Edna
Herman
Francis
Yes, they are the names of my grandparents and our 4 fish have these names (grandparents are in the great beyond…probably cursing me for naming my fish after them)
A few more:
Eunice
Virginia
Blanche
Rufus
My grandfather’s sisters were named Verda, Wilma and Ruth. These names are hopelessly old fashioned today.
Sadly, I have to nominate my middle name, Elmer. It is too closely associated with a cartoon character now. At one time it was one of the most popular first names in the country (which is how I got it) but that day is pretty much past.
[QUOTE=GilaB]
Most of the names here are names that, if they were ever popular in the US, were popular at least seventy years ago. That means that if you’ve ever known somebody with those names, they were probably elderly, and not super-hot. These things tend to cycle - in a generation, nobody young will have ever known anyone with those names, and they’ll sound fresh and new again.
[/QUOTE]
Just think, all those kids named Britney, Ashley, Lindsey, and Miley will be grandmas someday.
[QUOTE=mlerose]
Hey, I’m an Emily, and I’m think I’m pretty good lookin’.*
And the other Emilies I’ve met (all around my age, no comment on the little kids) have been cute, too!
*photo taken at our wedding in March.
[/QUOTE]
Hey, I’m on your side… I’ve never met an unattractive Emily. Now how about setting me up with that bridesmaid on the left in picture #3?
[QUOTE=GilaB]
Most of the names here are names that, if they were ever popular in the US, were popular at least seventy years ago. That means that if you’ve ever known somebody with those names, they were probably elderly, and not super-hot. These things tend to cycle - in a generation, nobody young will have ever known anyone with those names, and they’ll sound fresh and new again.
[/QUOTE]
Our kids have very traditional names - and we’re often complimented on them. This was especially so when we named our youngest Henry.
[QUOTE=dangermom]
Elmer.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t know whether I’d verify your preconceptions or defy them. I do know that I’m about the only Elmer below retirement age I’ve ever met, even if it is only my middle name.
