Re: Joan
in reply to a message by Antique_Cherub (nsi)
I love it and would happily use it. It's odd - I see Diane as being as dated but I don't get that feeling from Joan. I think Joan has a longer history of usage.
Replies
Joan has an ancient history of usage---it was popular in the Middle Ages. Then it was supplanted by Jane and eventually was considered dead. Think about it---when have you ever read about or heard of a nineteenth century Joan? Then unexpectedly, in the twentieth century, it came roaring back. Who can say why? One of the fascinating things about names, these inexplicable surges in popularity. But I think the rising-from-the-dead-status takes Joan out of the classic category. Classic names have been consistently used.
It was consistently in use in the UK, although nowhere near as popular as it got around the turn of the 20th century.