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Re: Names you hope to see make a come back
I like Cyril and have come across it a couple of times as young kids' names. It does have a slightly elderly vibe but it's still a sensible name that is perfectly useable and actually quite refreshing.
Oswald would be a hard no here in the UK, I really don't think it'll be useable due to a certain famous British fascist, and I would actually be judgmental if I came across it. He's well known enough here that if you don't know, you should do.
Murray is ok but makes me think of tennis.
A lot of these feel both dated and American, by that I mean... many don't feel like they were ever popular enough to make a "come-back", yet they still somehow feel dated. Maybe they lack some element of nostalgia. There are a few that cross over, but I don't find them charming.I love Zenobia. A lot. It's regal.
Iola is ok, I prefer Ione, Iona, Iolanthe or even Io, I think Iola is my least favourite of the io- names, but it's still ok.
Portia will always make me think of pigs and I don't know why...some childhood memory? Or maybe it's just porcine.
Fern enrages me way more than it should, there's nothing wrong with it but it makes me irrationally angry.
Mozelle makes me think of 'mouse hole' and also some of the funky UK place name pronunciations we have.
Lera has never been popular in the UK but I've known some Russian Leras. I think it's pretty.
Aura is deeply dated new age and nms at all, there's something self-aware in it I dislike, a bit like Aurora. Like it embodies this idea of 'pretty mystic femininity' but the sounds don't match up and it's a bit too princessy and it knows it. That doesn't make sense at all, but something about Aura / Aurora throws me off bad. Aura feels like it's gonna make the leap to overbearingly trendy soon and no thank you.
Honora is ok, I think Honour is better and actually kinda cool but people do freak out about it being misogynistic and 'female honour' etc... and I get that, but I don't get why it can't be more neutral than that.
Imogene is ok, but Imogen gets sooooo much random hate from people, I don't know why. I even have a friend who's husband likes Imogen who has strong opinions on it being the ugliest name ever and I'm like '... is it, tho...??!'
Iona... see above
Leda is pretty
Viola is pretty too
Dove is a bit basic and literal, it also makes me think of soap etc. The imagery is cute enough that it might be an ok middle name.
Sibyl is nice, but I think it'll struggle to come back in the UK until a certain sitcom fades from popular pop culture reference.
Maybelle makes me think of the phrase 'may belle', which feels like a weird country variant of 'may queen', or the company Maybelline
Lula is very bumpkinish. I dislike Lola on humans and think Lula is worse.
Novella is a short novel... no thanks... or telenovela? I also don't like Nova on humans and this isn't better.
Cara / Kara feels very 90s/00s to me, at least it was popular in my area for some reason.
Blossom is not a good name for a human.
Alta makes me think of the word 'alter'.
Vira makes me think of 'viral' or warts for some reason.

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Yeah you're probably right. I am from America so I apologize for the American bias and ignorance of Oswald, now I know. These are based off the popular names in America in the 1880s that I found on this site, top 500. Thank you for your input and elaborating on your opinions! Some of them made me laugh (the viral warts lol). I love names that have an english word in them or are quite literally just a word. Do you have any in mind that you think would better fit "making a come back"?