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Help[Opinions] What are your favorite and least favorite decades for girl names, and why?
For me:
Favorites: 1990s, 2000s, 1980s
I think this 3-decade era had the best names because I like the trend in letter usage (lots of Ds, Cs, and Bs). I just think there were a lot of cool things going on with names in this era, and they have a good vibe. This is also back when word names actually sounded good as names.
Least favorites: 1940s, 1950s, 2020s
In my opinion, the trends that are going on right now are just awful. With the exception of names that existed before 2000, I hate the modern -lee and -lyn endings (and their variations are even worse). I'm also not a fan of the using boy names for girls names trend, or the surnames for first names trend. I'm failing to see the appeal.
As for the 1940s/1950s, I think those names were just ugly. I'm not a huge fan of girl names that end with N. A lot of them are barely feminine to me.
Favorites: 1990s, 2000s, 1980s
I think this 3-decade era had the best names because I like the trend in letter usage (lots of Ds, Cs, and Bs). I just think there were a lot of cool things going on with names in this era, and they have a good vibe. This is also back when word names actually sounded good as names.
Least favorites: 1940s, 1950s, 2020s
In my opinion, the trends that are going on right now are just awful. With the exception of names that existed before 2000, I hate the modern -lee and -lyn endings (and their variations are even worse). I'm also not a fan of the using boy names for girls names trend, or the surnames for first names trend. I'm failing to see the appeal.
As for the 1940s/1950s, I think those names were just ugly. I'm not a huge fan of girl names that end with N. A lot of them are barely feminine to me.
Replies
I tend to like names from a variety of time periods! My least favorite decade is probably the 2020s, however.
Favorites:1880s-1920s, 1990s-2000s.
Least favorites:1940s-1960s.
Least favorites:1940s-1960s.
This message was edited 2/6/2024, 9:47 PM
Favorites: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s. The reason is that, to me, names from the late 20th century have a charm that is friendly, retro, and not boring. I also like the overall approachable and joyous atmosphere. (This applies to both English and Korean names.)
Least favorites: I used to dislike names from the early to mid 20th century or earlier, especially the 1930s and 1940s. but now I'm trying to appreciate names from various eras. so even though I don't particularly like them, I don't actively dislike them.
Least favorites: I used to dislike names from the early to mid 20th century or earlier, especially the 1930s and 1940s. but now I'm trying to appreciate names from various eras. so even though I don't particularly like them, I don't actively dislike them.
This message was edited 4/15/2024, 1:23 AM
The 2010s and the 1960s.
The 2010s gave us the immense popularity of atrocities like Cayden, Trayden, Jayden, Zayden, and Okayden. For girls (if people didn’t give their girls -ayden names) we have “ee” sound ending names, such as McKenzie, Paisley, any virtually any invented name ending in the “ee” sound. While these names still persist, their popularity has declined and I like that “old fashioned” names from the late 19th century are coming back. That, and people are starting to point out the ridiculousness of invented names, so for that reason this decade isn’t as bad as the last.
Next is the 1960s. The names of this decade have all the appeal of a week old bowl of cold porridge. The girls names sound distinctly unfeminine. Cheryl? Susan? Karen? Terry? They all sound so nasally and like they shouldn’t be names. Plus I hate the double barreled names from this generation. Betty-Jo and Bobbi-Sue…great name for a stuffed animal. Not an human. The male names are lackluster enough to make one cry. Tad/Todd, Guy, Gordon, and Warren? I just can’t imagine looking my infant in the eyes and saying “Guy.”
The 2010s gave us the immense popularity of atrocities like Cayden, Trayden, Jayden, Zayden, and Okayden. For girls (if people didn’t give their girls -ayden names) we have “ee” sound ending names, such as McKenzie, Paisley, any virtually any invented name ending in the “ee” sound. While these names still persist, their popularity has declined and I like that “old fashioned” names from the late 19th century are coming back. That, and people are starting to point out the ridiculousness of invented names, so for that reason this decade isn’t as bad as the last.
Next is the 1960s. The names of this decade have all the appeal of a week old bowl of cold porridge. The girls names sound distinctly unfeminine. Cheryl? Susan? Karen? Terry? They all sound so nasally and like they shouldn’t be names. Plus I hate the double barreled names from this generation. Betty-Jo and Bobbi-Sue…great name for a stuffed animal. Not an human. The male names are lackluster enough to make one cry. Tad/Todd, Guy, Gordon, and Warren? I just can’t imagine looking my infant in the eyes and saying “Guy.”
This message was edited 2/6/2024, 5:21 PM
Lol Okayden
I didn't think the 60s were as bad as the 40s/50s, but I have similar criticisms of names back then.
I grew up loving the kinds of names from the 1880s and 1890s, and 2010s to now (because essentially they are the same names). Most of them are so frothy and delicate. Sebastian, Elijah, Oliver, Theodore, Clara, Amelia, Isabella, Lily... That stuff was my jam for years. Fanciful, sentimental and romantic. Lots of the trends that are cool right now don't bother me, because so many of them are imported Victorian stuff. Flowers, word-names, nickname-names, surname names, it's all fine. Even the boy names on girls thing doesn't faze me too much, because it just makes me think of all those lady writers who used male names.
I am getting more into names from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s now. I'm beginning to appreciate the clean, bold edge of these names after so many years of delicate Victorian fare.
My least favourite are probably from the 1950s to 1990s, because I've seen 'em all a thousand times. There's no magic to them for me. Although.... the 50s is starting to appeal to me a bit, because it amuses me to think of meeting toddlers called Deb and Barry.
I wonder if I preferred Victorian names because my family didn't really use them, so they felt different and special. My great grandparents were born around 1915, my grandparents in the late 30s, my parents in the late 50s. So I knew lots of people with names from those eras, and it got boring. Everything was so ordinary, so dang sensible. I wanted fantasy.
I am getting more into names from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s now. I'm beginning to appreciate the clean, bold edge of these names after so many years of delicate Victorian fare.
My least favourite are probably from the 1950s to 1990s, because I've seen 'em all a thousand times. There's no magic to them for me. Although.... the 50s is starting to appeal to me a bit, because it amuses me to think of meeting toddlers called Deb and Barry.
I wonder if I preferred Victorian names because my family didn't really use them, so they felt different and special. My great grandparents were born around 1915, my grandparents in the late 30s, my parents in the late 50s. So I knew lots of people with names from those eras, and it got boring. Everything was so ordinary, so dang sensible. I wanted fantasy.