View Message

I define classic as a name that has had fairly steady usage over time. Generally, not a name that has spiked massively for a certain decade or time period, even if it is an old name in it's own right.

---

Dated names are names that are tied to a specific age group due to them being trendy in that time. For example, I'd consider Victoria to be a classic name if you look at the popularity graph (http://www.behindthename.com/top/name/victoria) but the nickname Vicky/Vicki is dated as it was very trendy in a certain age group.