Names that have fallen out of fashion

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120283819#Comment_120283819

She won't be alone:

In 2022, Nancy was ranked 157 of all baby girls recorded in Ireland. In total, 33 baby girls were recorded with the name Nancy in this year.

As for Paschal \ Pascal it didn't register, so 0-3.

mariaalice

If I was naming a baby today, names I like for girls are, Jill, Nessa, Nina, Jan, and Claire all names that are neither popular nor unpopular there is always a few every year, and I think it's best to give a name that does not stand out.

Fionne

I'm 47. Names that were popular in my peer group:

Sharon, Claire, Eileen, Sheila, Deirdre, Angela, Denise, Anne-Marie, Yvonne, Sandra

Donal, Sean, Eoin/Eoghan/Owen, Liam, Finbarr

I worked in a heritage centre inputting 1801 census data once upon a time. The names I remember being common were Hanora/Hanorah of which there seemed to be at least one in every family and a lot of Cornelius in the male side.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284040#Comment_120284040

That's surprising. I've never heard this name before... Hanora/Hanorah.

Honoria as a character in Dickens is the closest.

There were 6 Hanorahs last year.

Cornelius didn't register.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120283976#Comment_120283976

No need to worry either way. Even the most popular names are just a very small percentage of the overall. If there are 1,000 Jacks born every year for the next 40 years, that is only 40,000 out of a population of millions. The only danger with rare names is that the parents might attract abuse on social media if they choose one which a celebrity child has.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284040#Comment_120284040

I Can't hear Sharon and not think A1

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284343#Comment_120284343

For me via Ross O'Carroll Kelly I hear it sometimes as Shadden...

lisasimpson

Popular culture really plays an influence. Im the same with sharon. 1A there sharon... also Karen is now ruined by the urban dictionary

cj maxx

I know alot of Philomena's but none under the age of 50

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284784#Comment_120284784

They are living far away from you.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284784#Comment_120284784

There were about 20 a year registered in 80s.

From about mid 90s it really dropped off radar looking at CSO graph.

Didnt register in 2022.

Panrich

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284040#Comment_120284040

Well That's you pegged as from Cork.

odyssey06

RTE archives... most popular names in 1998

This was the first time the info was made widely available

Boys

1. Conor

2. Sean

3. Jack

4. James

5. Adam

 

Girls

1. Chloe

2. Ciara

3. Sarah

4. Aoife

5. Emma

While Irish names are dropping down the list, there is a new trend towards place names such as India, Shannon, Tara, Paris and Brooklyn. 

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2019/0709/1060998-most-popular-baby-names/

Wanderer2010

DJ for boys and Caitriona for girls

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284955#Comment_120284955

Surely Shannon is an Irish name as would be Tara.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120285290#Comment_120285290

Open to correction but I thought the trend for them as a first name came via Irish America...

rainbowtrout

Had a look at my Leaving Cert class photo last night (mid 90s). There were four Gillians and three Jacquelines in my year.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120285302#Comment_120285302

Ya that's true. I should have put an emoji or something to show I wasn't serious.

dxhound2005

In the 1990 United States Census, Shannon was the 317th most common name for American males.

breezy1985

In fairness if you were to name your child after the final departure point of your immigrant family Shannon sounds much much better than Cork or Knock 🤣

jojofizzio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284076#Comment_120284076

I’d say a lot of those “Hanora” s were shortened to “Nora”….my Granny being one of them

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120286597#Comment_120286597

Doh! I should have coppped that.

Seems like the short form has won out - there were 50 Noras last year and 10 Norahs.

RetroEncabulator

I genuinely feel sorry for all the Karens. Most of them are lovely and their name has been completely destroyed by the current usage.

I know 3 Karens and two of them have stopped using their name, one has shortened it, even changing her email addresses and LinkedIn. The other switched to her middle name.

It’s rather unfortunate that a fairly common and totally inoffensive name has suddenly been turned into a descriptor for a set of behaviours, all driven basically by clips of public rants that became a set of internet memes.

I could see the name dropping out of use entirely. I wonder if this is the first time that’s ever happened?

It know it has happened with names associated with some notorious historical figures, but it’s the first time I’ve seen a name become oh you’re such “a ….”

dxhound2005

Kevin is the male version of Karen. Pat and Mick suffered much the same negative attention in Britain in the past. I was trying to come up with a shortened version of Karen, but I failed.

I see on the internet that Becky, Stac(e)y and Chad are names in America which have entered the language in the same way as Karen.

GAAcailin

There was a bit of a fad few years ago to tack 'Rose' onto a girls name.

Good few in my kids classes in primary school

Anna Rose, Molly Rose, Lily Rose, Laura Rose, Tara Rose

supernova5

in secondary school we had a lad named Bonaventure, we called him Bonny or Bon for short, I'm sure he was just thrilled with his parents as needless to say he got a right good ribbing most days...

New Home

I can't remember the last time I heard of a child being named Barbara.

Strumms

Hugh / Hughbert…. I knew three growing up. One a boy my age, two others more senior gentlemen, a neighbour at home and a neighbour of my grandparents. But I haven’t encountered a new Hugh for about 20 odd years.

cj maxx

Boys called Valentine. Why would they do that ??

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565532#Comment_120565532

I know of a Hubert (that would be the usual spelling of that) that's under 30. Wealthy parents.

I suspect the baby in the Addams Family movies of the 90s being Pubert didn't help that name come back!