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I think Ethel will remain a dusty relic that will perhaps occasionally be chosen by edgy parents, but won't get truly popular. Although, I never would have though people would like Edith again and I was quite wrong about that! I suspect that Edith got a boost from Downton Abbey, so maybe if we have an interesting Ethel enter pop culture, Ethel will get the Edith treatment.

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I personally like Ethel and would use it, and my partner thinks it's a gorgeous name, but that's because it wasn't common in their culture so they'd never heard it before I introduced it to them. They don't have the same "old lady" associations that others do. I do think Ethel has a lot of cultural baggage that people will either love or hate.