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HelpThoughts on these extinct girl names?
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Last time I checked here, people hated Kirstie. I like it. But, it's kind of a curio ever since I noticed it sounds like "cursed"
I seem to remember Paralee is "Par" (like the word par) -a-lee, and the origin is unknown. I think it's neat.
Gilda, if pronounced like "gill duh," seems like it could be revived. If those sounds were.
Delphia seems revivable, considering that Sophia and Delphine /a are. Maybe it's the ambiguous pronunciation that is the problem (DEL-fia vs. del-FEE-a vs. del-FIE-a). I dunno, I'm kinda liking it alright as DEL-fia. It's better than Delphine imo. Not so much dolphininess.
Maud sounds too much like "mod" today imo and won't come back at scale any time soon.
I feel like Latoya was not meant to be lasting, it was meant to be youthful in its moment. Basically all the La-names seem like that to me. Like the Mc-names too.
Shaniqua got kinda stereotyped. The sound of it reminds me of "je ne sais quoi" in English. If it was meant to sound regal and exotic, I think that worked pretty well, in its moment anyway ... it's also kind of a name of its moment, like Latoya, to me.
I hate Hester, I think it sounds sloppy and small. And sort of hostile and rude. Word associates with heckler, hassle, hiss, hysteria. Just bad sounding to me. Esther isn't much better imo.
Minta seems like it could be resurrected.
I seem to remember Paralee is "Par" (like the word par) -a-lee, and the origin is unknown. I think it's neat.
Gilda, if pronounced like "gill duh," seems like it could be revived. If those sounds were.
Delphia seems revivable, considering that Sophia and Delphine /a are. Maybe it's the ambiguous pronunciation that is the problem (DEL-fia vs. del-FEE-a vs. del-FIE-a). I dunno, I'm kinda liking it alright as DEL-fia. It's better than Delphine imo. Not so much dolphininess.
Maud sounds too much like "mod" today imo and won't come back at scale any time soon.
I feel like Latoya was not meant to be lasting, it was meant to be youthful in its moment. Basically all the La-names seem like that to me. Like the Mc-names too.
Shaniqua got kinda stereotyped. The sound of it reminds me of "je ne sais quoi" in English. If it was meant to sound regal and exotic, I think that worked pretty well, in its moment anyway ... it's also kind of a name of its moment, like Latoya, to me.
I hate Hester, I think it sounds sloppy and small. And sort of hostile and rude. Word associates with heckler, hassle, hiss, hysteria. Just bad sounding to me. Esther isn't much better imo.
Minta seems like it could be resurrected.
I wonder if Delphia reminds people too much of Philadelphia.
I LOVE the name Kirstie! I was honestly shocked to see it's not used at all anymore.
Par/para as in by/for/from/with/alongside/against? + Lee? It seems to exist a bit pre-1840, though now I wonder if it peaked during/after the Civil War (maybe originally it was a reference to Richard Henry Lee, as in: indepedence, antifederalism, states' rights? And then more popularly, maybe also a reference to Robert E. Lee and the actual Confederacy? Used about the same period as Pharisee "separatist"?). Aaaaaa.
I guess one could also say it's 'equal + an elaboration'.
I guess one could also say it's 'equal + an elaboration'.
This message was edited 4/12/2024, 11:25 AM
Dr Evans implied he didn't think people in the 1820s used -lee as an elaboration https://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/322573
It wouldn't surprise me if the name "Lee" could have made it feel more fashionable to CW-era Southerners, too, but I doubt that's anything to do with the origin.
This person has an interesting theory about it:
https://appellationmountain.net/paralee-baby-name-of-the-day/
It wouldn't surprise me if the name "Lee" could have made it feel more fashionable to CW-era Southerners, too, but I doubt that's anything to do with the origin.
This person has an interesting theory about it:
https://appellationmountain.net/paralee-baby-name-of-the-day/
I like that it's related to cards. That is funny.
The only one I’m comfortable mentioning is Hester, which I find sleek and stylish.
Manila seems weird. When was that in the top 500? Why?? It doesn't sound terrible but reminds me of beige office supplies and the Philippines.
I really like Golda, but Gilda (assuming the BtN pronounciation) just reminds me of "congealed"...
Paralee seems like it would be a spelling variant of Pearlie? It seems quaint plus reminds me of paralegals and parakeets.
I haaate Permelia. It's like if I say Pamela with a mouth full of marbles, and I already greatly dislike Pamela. It reminds me of Bearsheba but is nowhere near as fun.
Hester always seemed scratchy to me, like wool. I saw it in a combo recently that improved it some, but I prefer Esther.
I love Mozelle! Or Moselle. I am distantly related to a bunch.
I really like the sound of Shaniqua.
Other ones I like are Minta, Maud, Delphia. The rest are ok but don't stand out to me.
I really like Golda, but Gilda (assuming the BtN pronounciation) just reminds me of "congealed"...
Paralee seems like it would be a spelling variant of Pearlie? It seems quaint plus reminds me of paralegals and parakeets.
I haaate Permelia. It's like if I say Pamela with a mouth full of marbles, and I already greatly dislike Pamela. It reminds me of Bearsheba but is nowhere near as fun.
Hester always seemed scratchy to me, like wool. I saw it in a combo recently that improved it some, but I prefer Esther.
I love Mozelle! Or Moselle. I am distantly related to a bunch.
I really like the sound of Shaniqua.
Other ones I like are Minta, Maud, Delphia. The rest are ok but don't stand out to me.
This message was edited 4/11/2024, 8:21 PM
Apparently Manila randomly appeared in 1898-1899, then disappeared. I think it's a pretty name, though.
Oh, that explains Paralee! I was really confused by that one.
I always assumed Gilda was pronounced like the character on My Little Pony, wow. I never even looked at the BTN pronunciation.
Oh, that explains Paralee! I was really confused by that one.
I always assumed Gilda was pronounced like the character on My Little Pony, wow. I never even looked at the BTN pronunciation.
That seems like too big of a coincidence for Manila not to be related to the place in the Philippines, then. Curious. (1898 was the end of the Spanish-American War and Philippine Revolution; 1899 was the beginning of the Philippine-American War.)
Apart from that, I guess it's a bit like Manuela.
Apart from that, I guess it's a bit like Manuela.
This message was edited 4/12/2024, 8:05 AM
It could be related to that! That is the first thing I think of when I hear Manila.
I like Gilda, Hester, Kirstie, Maud and Minta.
Yes, I totally agree! I'm honestly surprised Hester hasn't come back yet given its similar to Esther.
The only one I like is Kirstie
I only like Kerstie and Delphia.
Extinct may be overstating since I have encountered Gilda, Kirstie, Maud, and Hester, and if 1 person knows of 4, well...statistics.
You’ve encountered them on older people. They’re not being used anymore. The quiz used extinct, but perhaps endangered is a better word.
This message was edited 4/11/2024, 2:11 PM
Actually Kirstie is 11. Maud is 30 something,g granted Gilda is older, but couldn't begin to tell you how old Hester is.
The SSA data only includes names that were used 5 or more times in a year, so there will be exceptions. The last year there were 5 people in the US named Kirstie was 2011. Gilda was used 12 times in 2020, but not enough to be recorded in 2021. Hester was last recorded in 2019, with 7 uses. It's also tricky because of variations - Kirsten and Maude get used a bit more than Kirstie and Maud (still nowhere near the top 500, though - I think that would be more like 700 uses nowadays)...for comparison, in 2021, there were 55 people named Breeze and 17 people named Horace (those seem pretty rare to me personally)...I've met a boomer Hester and a Gen-Z Maude, but also I've met 4 or 5 people named Perdita, which was last recorded at 5 uses in 1971 (life is improbable sometimes).
Minta and Docia haven't been recorded for more like 30-45 years (but Theodosia and Araminta are being used currently, rarely), and for Permelia it's been about 60 years (but Pamela gets around 100 uses still), so there is some difference in degree.
Minta and Docia haven't been recorded for more like 30-45 years (but Theodosia and Araminta are being used currently, rarely), and for Permelia it's been about 60 years (but Pamela gets around 100 uses still), so there is some difference in degree.
This message was edited 4/11/2024, 7:39 PM
I love Hester and Maud and like Minta (as a nickname for Millicent), Annetta, Delphia, Docia (as a nickname for Eudocia), and Gilda.
Those are some of my favorites on this list too!
I know a Hester; her home language isn't English. And I once taught a Maud whose home language wasn't English either.