A few friends and I were discussing names of fictional characters and whether some names sound too “old” or not. The conversation soon disintegrated into laughing childishly at antiquated-sounding names, such as Edith, Cyril, Cuthbert, and Dogbert. (We agreed that any name ending in -bert sounds painfully old-fashioned. Or ones that start with Bert for that matter, like Bertram.)

Elizabeth, Sarah, David, and Matthew seem to be perennially popular and modern, while many newer names now sound like something out of an Enid Bylton book.

What is it that makes a name sound “old”?

One factor that makes a name sound young or old is whether it’s common to young or older people. If there are lots of Ethans running around in the playground, the name is seen as “youthful” and “modern”. If Chester is more popular in the nursing home than school, then it is seen as old-fangled.

CBS’s TODAY show has a segment sponsored by the Smucker’s jam people that honors Americans who celebrate their birthdays of 100-years-of-age or beyond. These centenarians always have names like Esther, Gertrude, Wilbur, and Clarence, without a Destiny or a Rainbow in sight…

Some older names fall out of favor because they have developed certain connotations. Gay once meant “merry” or “Carefree” and was a popular name until the mid-nineteenth century, but the word is now more strongly associated with homosexuality. Fanny was popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that is, until the word took on the connotations of its other sense, meaning “bottom” (although it means “vagina” in Australian and New Zealand English!)

We’re also prejudiced towards names that we associate with people we already know. Oliver may be a cute name for a little boy but if we have a crotchety great-grandfather named Oliver, we may perceive that name as outdated.

Older names can have a new life breathed into them when their nicknames are preferred. Harry, Zak, and Max sound much cooler than Harold, Zachariah, and Maximilian.

Like flared jeans and wide-legged trousers, many retro names make a comeback. Movies, books, songs, and celebrities often make out-of-style names trendy all over again. The British royal family are particularly good at revamping historical names, such as Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie, and most recently, George.

I remember when I was in high school a friend’s mother gave birth to a baby girl who they named Madeline. At the time I thought, “that’s a pretty but very old-fashioned name”, although today the now-fashionable name can be found in classrooms across many English-speaking countries. Names go in and out of fashion. In recent years, Alice, Violet, Lillian, Owen, Harvey, Frank, Victor, Sebastian (I have a relative with this name) and other quaint names are all making a comeback. There are websites dedicated to suggesting such “vintage” names for your newborn.

So when a name emerges on top 100 baby names lists instead of only appearing in obituaries, it is perceived as modern, even if it isn’t.

It’s really just a matter of fashion, where everything old is new again.

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