Are these names headed for extinction?
Woman in the Middle | April 11, 2013Some website that had “Style” in its name had a list entitled ”These Names are Headed for Extinction: 15 Female Names We’ll Never See Again.” How could I resist giving that list a look? You will note that there are only 14 names on the list….I have no idea why the list had fourteen names even though it said there were 15.
I am going to tell you what I think about the names on the list. Feel free to tell me your thoughts as well!
Myrtle – OK, I agree that this one has a big whiff of 1919. But who knows. One of my daughters had a friend named Hazel, and I would have never expected that either.
Ethel – Watching too many episodes of I Love Lucy as a child would keep me from ever using this name.
Barbara – Really? Barbara is a nice name, it is classic, and one of my good friends is named Barbara. I don’t think this one will ever go extinct!
Mildred – Mildred…mildew….I think this name may not be seen very much in the near and far future.
Agatha – I think the hard “ag” sound at the beginning of this name, the same “ag” sound we hear in “gag,” is this name’s downfall.
Phyllis - Once people who remember Phillis Diller are no longer naming children I think this name will become more popular again. Not that I have anything against Ms. Diller. She was a real kick, but the character she played in her shows was not the kind you want to name your child after.
Beatrice – This is a much more British name, I think and what is popular in Britain in names isn’t necessarily popular here.
Marge – Once again I think the hard sound in the middle of the name makes it a less popular choice now.
Ruth – I think this name will come back in style one of these days.
Gretchen – I was surprised to see this name on this list. While I don’t know many people with this name I don’t think it is going extinct!
Gertrude – Well, I have to agree that this name will not be returning to popularity anytime soon, if ever.
Martha – I live in an area with lots of people of Hispanic decent and that culture is good with the name Martha so I don’t anticipate this name becoming extinct.
Opal – I think this is an old-fashioned name, in a good way. It would just take one Hollywood star naming their daughter Opal for it to become popular.
Rose – I have a friend who named her daughter Rose, which was a family name. I think it is a very pretty name. Once again, it just takes one Hollywood kid with the name to send it right to the top of the list! After all, a Kardashian named her son Mason and it is now a top ten name. Who would have thought?
Some of these are definitely duds but some are not. My friend’s granddaughter (age 5) is named Ruth and a woman at work named her daughter Rose (age 6). I think there should be an intelligence test to take before you can name a child. Especially for celebrities who go a bit bonkers!
Too funny…I was pondering the name Bertha today for some unknown reason. It should be on the list.
You are so right! Bertha should be on the list!
I like the name Ruth because it’s a Biblical name, it’s pretty, and it reminds me of one of my former teachers I used to work with. So I hope it doesn’t go out of style. And I doubt Barbara will go out of style if Barbie has anything to say about it!!