View Message

Linda
Patricia
Sandra
Kathleen
Brenda
Margaret
Judith
Cynthia

---

I could definitely see these having a major increase in the upcoming years!

Interesting!
Linda - prefer Lindsey or Lyndall, but not Lynn
Mary - used as a mn for my daughter, for family reasons; like it
Patricia - mn only, for nn reasons
Barbara - I like it
Susan - prefer Suzanne, but not enough to use it
Nancy - never very popular where I live; I like it
Debra - revolting; Deborah is fine but again, nn issues
Sandra - no. I like Sandy as a male nn for Alexander
Carol - dislike; far prefer Caroline
Kathleen - too many Kath- names in use. so no
Sharon - uninteresting
Karen - OK if it's KAHren, as in Lark; awful if it's KARen as in apple
Donna - trite and silly
Brenda - awful; not interesting at all
Margaret - I'd use it happily; much better than Megan
Diane - no; no also to Diana
Pamela - love it; not sure about Pam but it's unavoidable
Janet - Oh, dammit! Inseperable from Brad.
Shirley - like it a lot
Carolyn - no; Caroline, yes
Judith - nice if Judy can be avoided
Janice - awful
Cynthia - over-elaborate
Betty - much prefer Betsy; I've used Elizabeth as a mn but wouldn't use it as a fn for nn reasons
Judy - don't enjoy nns as fns; they only cause confusion
Elizabeth*
Judy

Idk but I most like the idea of seeing these used for a baby now:
Linda - I think it seems sweet
Mary
Barbara
Margaret
Janet - though I'd prefer it as a MN or as Jane "Janet"
Cynthia

---

Mary stayed fairly popular and only dropped out of the top 100 in the 2010s. I think it'll just coast along for a while - won't rise much soon and probably won't drop dramatically either.

---

Patricia I like to see as a MN but only that, mainly because I dislike Pat, Patty, Patsy. I also like Judith in some combos but only as a middle name.

---

I like Brenda for the sound and meaning, but it still seems a very stereotypical boomer name to me. I like Nancy because of a personal association, but it also seems dated to me still. Other ones I wouldn't hate to see come back (yet don't quite like for a baby atm): Pamela, Diane, Carol, Carolyn, Susan, Kathleen, Sharon, Betty

---

Ones I'd prefer didn't come back: Shirley, Janice, Sandra, Judy, Donna, Debra (Deborah or Devorah would be better)

---

I'm not sure how I feel about Karen but think it's one of the least likely to back soon because of the meme/slang.

This message was edited 3/29/2025, 10:47 PM

I think Kathleen, Shirley, Carolyn, Judith, Cynthia, and Betty could make an early comeback. The rest, I don’t think so.

The only ones I like and wouldn't mind a comeback would be:

---

Susan "Suzy/Suzie" Cynthia, Sandra & Brenda.
We all know Karen isn't coming back anytime soon.

Linda: Doubtful.
Mary: This still is fairly popular and will likely remain at least somewhat popular.
Patricia: Maybe.
Barbara: Probably not.
Susan: Probably not.
Nancy: Doubtful.
Debra: Very doubtful. Deborah has a very small outside chance.
Sandra: Probably.
Carol: Maybe.
Kathleen: Reasonable chance.
Sharon: Doubtful.
Karen: Not any more, not with the Karen meme.
Donna: Doubtful.
Brenda: Doubtful.
Margaret: This is still fairly popular and isn't likely to go anywhere much.
Diane: No. Diana, probably.
Pamela: I don't think so but I'd like it to.
Janet: No.
Shirley: Slight chance as it's one of those lee-ending surnamey names and also of the same generations that brought us currently trendy Ella and Lillian.
Carolyn: Modest chance.
Judith: Modest.
Janice: No.
Cynthia: Possibly.
Elizabeth: No danger of this one ever going away.
Judy: No.

I think these could see some more appreciation soon:

---

Judith, Judy
Margaret
Kathleen
Patricia
Nancy
Mary
Sharon
Cynthia
Janet

---

*Elizabeth is still in the Top 20, it doesn't need a revival because it's right there.

This message was edited 3/30/2025, 12:07 PM