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When I was a kid I loved Pansy as a name for characters, but I haven't liked it since finding out that it's usually used as an insult. I'd replace it with Violet for a similar-looking flower or Tansy for a similar-sounding flower name.

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Alan is pretty good. Neil is dated but not terribly so.

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Pauline is also pretty good, but I prefer Paulina (sounds less dated and I like the nickname Lina). Could also be Polly as in Pauly?

I think Pansy just follows the flower trend + the vintage name trend.

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I think Alan is more like a classic than dated.

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Neil is probably the most dated of these.

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Pauline is kind of pretty, but I supposed it is "dated."

Every name except for Pansy is completely fine, in my book!

Actually aside from Pansy they are not bad. I’d have gone with Pamela or Priscilla instead.

I was surprised to see that Alan is #189 in the US. It was #50 when it was given to my husband. His middle name is Paul and he has an aunt named Pauline. We used Allyn, pronounced the same way, as our daughter's middle name in his honor.

I think this set is actually ahead of its time! Unassuming retro names are going to make a comeback, I'm so sure of it, and Alan, Neil and Pauline fit the bill perfectly.

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Pansy is an odd one, yet it still sort of works here for me? It adds playfulness and a bit of modern edginess. If it was Rose, Alan, Neil and Pauline it would be a little TOO cohesive and sensible and make the family look behind the times.

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Pansy is a tough one though.

Pansy is the worst one. I think all of the others are vintage instead of "dated".

Alan and its variant spellings are not that uncommon on young boys today. Neil is definitely a grandfatherly sort of name, at least it is here in the US. In the same sibset with Alan, it definitely makes Alan feel older than it really is. Pauline is very old-ladyish. And Pansy thankfully never got much use in the US at all, and is an old-fashioned word for either an effeminate man, or just a wimp of either sex.
Pansy and Pauline sound like a pair of cartoon chickens or something.

The only name I like there is Alan, and I'd happily consider using it, dated or not. I dislike the other three, dated or not. Pansy seems more likely to be used now; lots of flower names around.

Yes dated and Pansy is terrible, much teasing potential