So what you want to do is beat the name-recycling rush. Instead of naming your daughter Agnes, only to have her be one of four Agneses in her class, name her Jill (or Ashley or Jan or Cheryl) and she’ll be the only one.
Is Zoe your real name? If we have another girl, we’re planning on naming her Zoe Camille.
-FrL-
I was the only Eleanor in my grammar school, my middle school and my (4000+) high school.
Now it seems to be making some kind of a comeback–I know 2 Eleanors, under the age of 8.
I think whoever it was upthread who said that a name can shape you. I know I longed to be a Terry or a Lynne or a Kimberly. Now, at 44, I am glad I have the name I do (I began to like it in college).
I don’t care what you name whoever-just spell it conventionally, kay?
PS-I like traditional names that won’t embarass the child later in life. Let them play around with nicknames while they’re young, but they need a solid name to fall back on once they’re on the cover of TIME or CEO… Bambi, Willie or Steffy isn’t going to cut it. (neither will Tequila, Unique or Tasker)
I love the name Jennifer. Its hard to make fun of, its not bad at all.
What I don’t understand is the popularity of Emily. To me, that is old fashioned like Bertha.
One baby name book says the worst name ever is Hortense. I agree.
Did Scooter Libby make it to Time magazine? 
A guy I work with, who is about 28 or 29, has two different name tags - one with his first name, Geoff, and one with his middle name, Angus, and he seems to wear whichever one strikes his fancy on any given day. Both good Scottish names, to go with his Scottish surname.
There’s a 14-year-old girl at my church named Iris, and two girls, one a toddler and the other 7 or so, named Sophia. Oh, and a 5-year-old named Lily. And a boy named Dorsey, and his younger sister is Christine Dahlia …
I’m fairly lucky that my name [sub]Natasha[/sub] has never reached a super popular spot. Even around girls my age, it’s not that common, despite the fact that I was born in the 1980s when the name finally broke the 100 spot. It’s now back down to being downright unpopular, which is convenient for me; I never got used to not being the only person who answers to my name.
don’t hang out around slavs, eh?
sometimes a fuddy-duddy name is very popular in one country and doesn’t do well in others.
olga in the states is usually an “off the boat” or first generation name. in a slavic county there will be 4 to 5 in a classroom. natalia is a very popular name and the nickname natasha is usually used. rather like a catherine being called cathy.
hey liberal, glad to be of help. i forgot one of the most popular boy now taken over by girl names: leslie.
For all the wrong reasons–and not the cover!
I’m still not sure what constitutes an old lady name. Can you guys confirm or deny on the following:
Julia
Jane
Grace
Anna
Alice
Ellen
Mary
All of these are names I really like. I didn’t think I was a hipster, but maybe…
Come on. Bertha? Seriously?
I wouldn’t consider any of those old lady names. IME, while those names haven’t continued to be super popular, they haven’t really fallen out of favor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a toddler with those names. I don’t know any little girls with “old” names yet, but the youngest boys I know are named Eli, Henry and Oliver. My examples of some old people names would be:
Doris
Edith
Agnes
Ruth
Herbert/Hubert
Minnie
Horace
Earnest
Leonard
You just don’t see many young people with these names around here.
I have a ‘nephew’ of sorts ( husbands cousins kid) whose name is Lennart.
They are German and it isn’t common at all over there. His sister is Lana.
Rubystreak, I wouldn’t consider any of those names old-ladyish. Grace, Anna, and Julia are becoming quite trendy, though. Grace was the 17th most popular girl’s name for babies born in 2006. Anna was 23rd and Julia was 31st.
My grandmother’s name was unusual. Call me when hipsters start naming their spawn Florabelle.
And someday it’ll be old-fashioned again, because it’s been the most popular girls’ name for about 10 years running.
Heehee! Maybe once they’ve mastered the complexities of Candyland.
I am eternally grateful to my parents for not naming me after my grandmother. I can’t believe that Eunice was ever a beautiful name in any decade or century.
Just my experience: Of those names, I know only a few people under 40 with them. I do know a guy named “Hubert” who named his son after him (a “junior”)–however, both he and the dad are called by their middle names. I also know an early-20s and late-teens “Ruth.” Other than those exceptions–nada.
Sure it was “Love Story” and not the funky Donovan song?
I don’t know about “Love Story,” whatever the reason. “Jennifer” had many years of momentum when it sailed into #1 in 1970. “Love Story” was released in December of 1970, although the book had been around earlier.