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I like Ellen as an alternative to the slightly childish Ella or Ellie. Janet and Deborah are boring and dated to me. Laura is really common and therefore I don't find it that interesting.

I love Laura and Ellen. Neither one is boring to me.

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I'm warming up to Deborah. It's one of those names that I like in full but dislike its nicknames. Deborah has a completely different feel than Deb or Debby, imo. Fear of Deb/Debby would keep me from using it. I really like Devorah, too. Dev and Devi don't grate on me the way Deb and Debby do.

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Janet is the only one I dislike. I find it flat, dull, and dated. It makes me think of crows for some reason.

Laura is timeless. You really can't go wrong with it.
Janet is dated, and to me it also has a prim, humorless vibe to it.
Ellen I really love. I have a friend named Ellen who's in her early fifties, and I recently saw the name on a nametag at a store, the Ellen was probably twenty or so. I guess it got more use in the past, but I don't feel like it was ever popular enough to say it's dated. It ought to be right in style with the ell sound and the en ending.

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Deborah is dated and heavy sounding to me, and Debbie is airheaded.

I like Laura, Janet and Deborah enough to use; if I thought that Deborah would be forever Debbie, I'd make it a mn only.

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Ellen has always seemed the drabbest and dustiest of all the Helen-Eleanor-Helena cluster. I can't imagine it having any glamour, fun or charm at all, and I would avoid it at all costs!

Laura - I'm on the fence about Laura. Laura/Lauren/Lora/Lori were all insanely popular for a long while and it makes them all feel rather tired. Laura is the prettiest of all the names, and it's still a nice choice.

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Janet - Damn it! Janet is too tied to Rocky Horror for me. Jane is timeless and beautiful, Janet is a pet form so I could get behind it as a nickname.

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Ellen - I've always thought Ellen was really soft and sweet. I like it.

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Deborah - Doesn't really appeal to me. I do feel it's quite dated.

Janet and Deborah are still too dated for me to like. Laura and Ellen are more timeless, and I love them both.

I do find them all really boring and dated, but if that's what you like then cool.

I really like Laura. I don't find it dated. I see it as a classic. I like how it isn't overly popular these days.

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Janet and Deborah seem dated and on the boring side. They are popular among adults around the age of 60, but they aren't popular for little girls anymore, so they would be unexpected choices. I don't really care for the sound of either of them. On the other hand, I like Ellen, which gives off a warm, old-fashioned vibe. It seems readier for revival than Janet and Deborah.

I think Janet and Deborah are dated, but Laura and Ellen could still work. I'm not really a fan of any of them, but Ellen is sweet.

My favorite is Laura. It seems the most timeless, as the other three are rather dated. I do like the Hebrew name Devorah, which doesn't seem as stale as Deborah. Ellen isn't too bad either, though I have a hard time seeing it on a younger woman or a little girl.

I like them all, and I don't care if a name is dated or not, really. If I like it, I like it.

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The only thing I don't like is that Deborah is often shortened to Debbie. Debbie sucks.

I like all of them, especially Deborah and Ellen.

Laura- I consider it a classic. Can't go wrong with it.
Janet- This is my mom's name, so I can't really form an opinion of it without being influenced by that. But I do think it's dated.
Ellen- It's nice. A tad boring, but a simple name that works well over time.
Deborah- I do think it's dated. I actually find Debbie fresher, but I wouldn't use it except as a nickname.

Laura isn't dated to me yet the others definitely are. I like Laura and Ellen best in that order.

Lauren is ok though it does seem a bit 80's-ish. Ellen is pretty timeless I think. Janet and Deborah are really dated in my mind.

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(eta) Sorry, I mistook Laura for Lauren. I think Laura is more dated than Lauren but less dated than Janet and Deborah

This message was edited 5/21/2013, 5:09 PM