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HelpLydia and Hazel
DH and I keep coming back to two older names that are back in currency, Lydia and Hazel. But we don't know how others perceive the names, and don't know any Lydias or Hazels ourselves.
1. What comes to mind when you hear these names?
2. Do you think that either name is too "trendy"? (We perceive them as uncommon names. However, the name rankings tell me that both names are back and are fairly popular: #97 and #157, respectively.
3. While Lydia is more popular, Hazel has had the most movement, returning to place 157 from near obscurity. Would you see this as a reason to worry that the name will become "dated" again? I imagine Lydia will simply move around within the top 500 names, if for no other reason than the fact it appears in the New Testament.
Our first child, a boy, is named August.
1. What comes to mind when you hear these names?
2. Do you think that either name is too "trendy"? (We perceive them as uncommon names. However, the name rankings tell me that both names are back and are fairly popular: #97 and #157, respectively.
3. While Lydia is more popular, Hazel has had the most movement, returning to place 157 from near obscurity. Would you see this as a reason to worry that the name will become "dated" again? I imagine Lydia will simply move around within the top 500 names, if for no other reason than the fact it appears in the New Testament.
Our first child, a boy, is named August.
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They're both lovely names. Lydia is, like you said, the more likely to stay on the fringes of being familiar but not overused, as it's a classic/Biblical name. I think you're right that Hazel, on the other hand, could have a huge resurgence then fall quickly out of popularity (and I suppose that does mean it could be seen later as dated - it's funny to anticipate datedness :) ). I think especially because of The Fault in Our Stars book/movie it'll blow up, then maybe have backlash. But I like it!
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Hazel is right on trend, in my opinion. I can think of several celebrity babies with the name and like you said, it's moving up. I think it would be easier to place on a timeline than Lydia.
The sound is a little clumsy to me, but I can see how people might find it charming. I picture Hazel's siblings as, like, Zoe and Noah. They're nice names, on trend but tasteful.
Lydia, though, is one of those names that I find absolutely striking. So cool and smart.
Hazel is cute but Lydia is the beauty.
The sound is a little clumsy to me, but I can see how people might find it charming. I picture Hazel's siblings as, like, Zoe and Noah. They're nice names, on trend but tasteful.
Lydia, though, is one of those names that I find absolutely striking. So cool and smart.
Hazel is cute but Lydia is the beauty.
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I love the name Hazel and I think Lydia is quite pretty. I don't think either are too trendy =) Even if Hazel becomes "dated" again, it's still a pretty name and I wouldn't worry. I think August and Hazel sounds fantastic, August and Lydia sounds lovely too.
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First I just want to say that I adore the name August for a boy. It's my first choice in names for boys!
As for Lydia and Hazel...they're both lovely names. Hazel doesn't bring to mind anything. However, when I think of Lydia, I think of two people: Lydia from Pride & Prejudice and Lydia from Teen Wolf (I think the latter has made the name more trendy!).
As for Lydia and Hazel...they're both lovely names. Hazel doesn't bring to mind anything. However, when I think of Lydia, I think of two people: Lydia from Pride & Prejudice and Lydia from Teen Wolf (I think the latter has made the name more trendy!).
This message was edited 5/17/2014, 5:21 PM
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I think both Lydia and Hazel are gorgeous names and they don't scream trendy to me either. The only thing that comes to mind with either name is that they sound lovely and classic to me. I wouldn't worry about their current ranking on the charts, it's not like they are #1 and #2 or something and doubt either would get to that level of popularity. Both sound lovely with older brother August too, so you can't go wrong imo.
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agree
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I know one 5 year old Lydia, and the only Hazel I met was my neighbor when I was a kid, and she died several years ago. If I really loved a name that my SO agreed to, I would still use it, no matter where it is on the top names list. I think they sound fine with August.
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1) I freaking love August. Such a great name! My fave boy's name in fact :P
OK, now that that's out of the way-- first off, I just want to say that I think Lydia would go better in a sibset with August. August, even though it's got more ancient associations, sounds more modern and even though Hazel is gaining in popularity, I think it still sounds really old fashioned and would just be a bit odd with the more modern August. Plus Lydia has the same ancient yet modern thing that August has.
Either name's popularity doesn't matter much. Once you get past 50 or so, it's not really an issue. You might meet a few, but it won't be like they'll be one of five in a class, you know? There were 3,220 Lydias named last year, and 2,039 Hazels, and that's out of what--like over 100k girls born. So, in that regard, you should be totally fine. The names we consider "dated" tend to be the ones that were in the top 10/20, and I don't see Hazel or Lydia making the jump that high tbh
Now talking dated... Hazel does feel more dated to me, cause it really reached a high popularity (peaked at 18 in 1897) and then just about vanished, and I'm sure more than few of us can say we've got a great grams or great aunt or some other older relation with the name. That's why I see it as a grandma name. Lydia doesn't have that association so much cause while it peaked it went up a down a bit over the years and never really vanished, so it's more of a classic name to me. If anything, Hazel has a hipster vibe to it, cause of that John Green novel, though now it's being made into a movie so... maybe not so much hipster by next year, and more trendy. If either name runs the risk of being dated, and that's something that worries you, then it'd definitely be Hazel.
OK, now that that's out of the way-- first off, I just want to say that I think Lydia would go better in a sibset with August. August, even though it's got more ancient associations, sounds more modern and even though Hazel is gaining in popularity, I think it still sounds really old fashioned and would just be a bit odd with the more modern August. Plus Lydia has the same ancient yet modern thing that August has.
Either name's popularity doesn't matter much. Once you get past 50 or so, it's not really an issue. You might meet a few, but it won't be like they'll be one of five in a class, you know? There were 3,220 Lydias named last year, and 2,039 Hazels, and that's out of what--like over 100k girls born. So, in that regard, you should be totally fine. The names we consider "dated" tend to be the ones that were in the top 10/20, and I don't see Hazel or Lydia making the jump that high tbh
Now talking dated... Hazel does feel more dated to me, cause it really reached a high popularity (peaked at 18 in 1897) and then just about vanished, and I'm sure more than few of us can say we've got a great grams or great aunt or some other older relation with the name. That's why I see it as a grandma name. Lydia doesn't have that association so much cause while it peaked it went up a down a bit over the years and never really vanished, so it's more of a classic name to me. If anything, Hazel has a hipster vibe to it, cause of that John Green novel, though now it's being made into a movie so... maybe not so much hipster by next year, and more trendy. If either name runs the risk of being dated, and that's something that worries you, then it'd definitely be Hazel.
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Yup, agree with all of this
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Ditto
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There was a girl of about 11 named Lydia in my dentist's waiting room and I overheard her name. That made Lydia real to me. It's just a name, and it's like Julia - dignified and classic, but not fancy or wizened, more modest and modern. And, it's pretty and youthful now too. Since it sounds a little bit like Olivia, it's fashionable.
I haven't seen Hazel on a person at all, or at least not any young person. I don't like it very much because of the sound, Hay-zle, which in my mind mostly connects with the brownish color, bales of hay, words like teasel and frazzle, witchhazel astringent, and a vague image of an older woman. I think if I knew any youthful Hazels, it would seem more like a usable name to me, and I could tell you exactly what I like or don't like about it. As it is, I'm not attracted to it. I'm pretty neutral towards it. It's like Tansy - doesn't sound very good on paper, but I think meeting a real person named it would make me like it more, not less.
Hazel is a little trendy. Because it is almost antique - so many people used it for so long, then so few people used it for so long, and the Hazels left from the last wave are quite old now. So it comes around again, like bell bottoms. It's a fashiony herbal name like Lily, Ivy, Violet, etc. But it's not "too" trendy for my taste like Peyton or London or Addison.
Lydia seems fashionable to me because it sounds like Olivia and feels a little like Sophia too. It's sort of the same style. It's not a fad, though, it's just a classic name that is on an upswing, like Charlotte, still having a slightly antique air.
It'd be interesting if Hazel made it to the top 20 (which I consider to be the only popular names worth considering as "very popular" because beyond that, the number of people named is really quite small). I don't seem to have much of a feel for predicting these things ... but I think yes it will become dated, if it does become very popular, and then again it might not become very popular, it might just peak a little and stay in quiet use for a long time.
The same goes for Lydia, though - if Lydia does what Charlotte is doing (and I don't think that's any less likely than Hazel becoming very popular), it can become dated too. I guess it's a safer bet, if you're trying to avoid fads.
I think either name sounds like it could be a sister of August. If it were me I'd use Lydia. I guess it just sounds stronger and smarter to me.
I haven't seen Hazel on a person at all, or at least not any young person. I don't like it very much because of the sound, Hay-zle, which in my mind mostly connects with the brownish color, bales of hay, words like teasel and frazzle, witchhazel astringent, and a vague image of an older woman. I think if I knew any youthful Hazels, it would seem more like a usable name to me, and I could tell you exactly what I like or don't like about it. As it is, I'm not attracted to it. I'm pretty neutral towards it. It's like Tansy - doesn't sound very good on paper, but I think meeting a real person named it would make me like it more, not less.
Hazel is a little trendy. Because it is almost antique - so many people used it for so long, then so few people used it for so long, and the Hazels left from the last wave are quite old now. So it comes around again, like bell bottoms. It's a fashiony herbal name like Lily, Ivy, Violet, etc. But it's not "too" trendy for my taste like Peyton or London or Addison.
Lydia seems fashionable to me because it sounds like Olivia and feels a little like Sophia too. It's sort of the same style. It's not a fad, though, it's just a classic name that is on an upswing, like Charlotte, still having a slightly antique air.
It'd be interesting if Hazel made it to the top 20 (which I consider to be the only popular names worth considering as "very popular" because beyond that, the number of people named is really quite small). I don't seem to have much of a feel for predicting these things ... but I think yes it will become dated, if it does become very popular, and then again it might not become very popular, it might just peak a little and stay in quiet use for a long time.
The same goes for Lydia, though - if Lydia does what Charlotte is doing (and I don't think that's any less likely than Hazel becoming very popular), it can become dated too. I guess it's a safer bet, if you're trying to avoid fads.
I think either name sounds like it could be a sister of August. If it were me I'd use Lydia. I guess it just sounds stronger and smarter to me.
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I like both names. I like Lydia more, but Hazel is a family name. This means that I'd be more likely to use Lydia as a first name and Hazel as a middle name.
Lydia makes me think of a seventeenth-century woman in a fancy seventeenth-century dress and a high, powdered wig. I know a couple who named their now five-year-old daughter Lydia, and the reason they used the name is because of its use as a character name in "Beetlejuice"---yeah, really, lol---but I don't make that association at all.
Hazel was the name of my maternal grandmother, so that alone gives it a positive association for me. I think of her when I hear it. But I also think of a 1920s era flapper, and this makes sense, because my grandmother was in her teens and twenties in the 1920s. It makes sense in a larger view, too, though, because Hazel was a popular name at the time that 1920s flappers were born. Hazel just really screams 1920s to me.
Well, they are both trendy. Both rising. Still not what you can call common, especially Hazel. But either one or both could become common. I see Lydia getting more popular than Hazel, but I could be wrong. You just never know. At any rate, my daughter's name was rising at the time of her birth, and afterwards became more common, and I do wish it were less common, but still I don't regret using her name. She says that she still stood out name-wise in her age group, and her name the year she was born ended up being number 65, more popular than either Lydia or Hazel is now.
The fact that Hazel has had more movement could mean that it will become more popular than Lydia, I suppose.
Lydia makes me think of a seventeenth-century woman in a fancy seventeenth-century dress and a high, powdered wig. I know a couple who named their now five-year-old daughter Lydia, and the reason they used the name is because of its use as a character name in "Beetlejuice"---yeah, really, lol---but I don't make that association at all.
Hazel was the name of my maternal grandmother, so that alone gives it a positive association for me. I think of her when I hear it. But I also think of a 1920s era flapper, and this makes sense, because my grandmother was in her teens and twenties in the 1920s. It makes sense in a larger view, too, though, because Hazel was a popular name at the time that 1920s flappers were born. Hazel just really screams 1920s to me.
Well, they are both trendy. Both rising. Still not what you can call common, especially Hazel. But either one or both could become common. I see Lydia getting more popular than Hazel, but I could be wrong. You just never know. At any rate, my daughter's name was rising at the time of her birth, and afterwards became more common, and I do wish it were less common, but still I don't regret using her name. She says that she still stood out name-wise in her age group, and her name the year she was born ended up being number 65, more popular than either Lydia or Hazel is now.
The fact that Hazel has had more movement could mean that it will become more popular than Lydia, I suppose.
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I will admit I made the Beetlejuice association with "Lydia," BUT I am 32 years old, and I love Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton, so I sincerely doubt that anyone in your child's generation would make the same association. Lydia is a fantastically classic name, I think.
Hazel I will always associate with Watership Down, by Richard Adams and published in 1972. It is my very favorite book. Hazel is the protagonist in the story, and a rabbit. So I very much like the name ;-).
I cannot make a decision to save my life, so I won't pretend that I could pick between two lovely names like these, I just thought I would share the associations I have for them.
Hazel I will always associate with Watership Down, by Richard Adams and published in 1972. It is my very favorite book. Hazel is the protagonist in the story, and a rabbit. So I very much like the name ;-).
I cannot make a decision to save my life, so I won't pretend that I could pick between two lovely names like these, I just thought I would share the associations I have for them.
This message was edited 5/18/2014, 1:01 AM
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