What's the true harm in giving a dated name?

[honeymoonchild]

There is no true harm in giving a dated name. I would just rather steer clear
from that. I like timeless names or more rare names that haven't been on the
radar. Alzora's post is something to pay attention to. She has a good perspective
on the issue.

[trillium]

I always wonder whether our kids will think the names we consider dated are as cool as the names our parents and grandparents consider dated? Right now we're all on board with names like Eleanor and Charlotte. Maybe our kids will be on board with Sharon and Heather! You may be giving your daughter a name that to her peers will sound fresh amongst the older, fashionable names of right now. I say go for it if you love it and it doesn't have any bad associations.

[bellababy]

As you can see from my signature, one of my daughters has a name that could be considered dated. First of all, I completely agree with your husband. Just the other day, I met a boy named Casual. I was shocked, but I doubt my kids will be when they're older. There are so many made-up and unique names out there that kids born today won't possibly be able to discriminate against names in the same way we did. Also, many of the 80's names are also vintage names, like the popular names today. They just happened to peak in popularity during an earlier decade. In the example of Vanessa-it has been around since the 18th century. Jessica and Miranda are Shakespearean names. So really ames from the 80's aren't that different than the popular names today, and they don't sound as different as for example the name Linda sounded among Jennifer's and Amanda's. 80's names may be easily identifiable to us as such, but our kids won't be able to tell that Vanessa sounds different than my ODD's name, Isabella because it doesn't. In fact, to me, they sound more similar in style than a lot of the more trendy options out there today, which is why I chose them for my sibset. With that said, I would probably stay away from names that were in the top 10 during the 80's because many moms will have those names, and that may make your child feel strange. But if the name was never that popular the worst thing that can happen is the child will meet one or two moms with that name. That won't be a big deal. Honestly, I can name so many kids in my daughter's elementary school with dated names. And PPs who mentioned Jaimie and Rachel-there are one of each in my daughter's class along with a Jessica. My daughter doesn't even begin to notice the difference between her own super popular name and theirs. So choose a name you truly love for the right reasons, and don't give in to trends just to please others. Trends will change, but your child will have to live with that name forever. Also, like a PP mentioned, make your child proud of their name. I know my kids' name history very well and plan to pass the knowledge onto them when they're old enough.

[uselesskitty]

I was named Cynthia well after the name peaked and grew up at a time when it was considered dated or considered a mom-name. It never bothered me. Especially as a child, I loved having an uncommon name among my peers. I was surrounded by a million Melanies, Stephanies, Jennifers and Rachels, but I was the only Cynthia!

[flick]

Eh......I think it's a matter of style. I try to dissuade people from using a name that's uber trendy NOW so it DOESN'T become dated later on, I don't think giving a name that's dated as of right now is as huge of a deal because the downfall to a dated name is that you can pinpoint the exact point in time the person was born and likely point out what a fad it was (again, based on style, to me and a lot of other people, fads are bad and should be avoided) BUT.....giving a name that's dated now is like.....breaking the date? Does that make sense?

[ebonyeden]

No harm in giving the name at all, IMO. People will assume it's a family name, probably, if they make an assumption at all. And if it's falling in popularity, it will be unique nowadays!

If you love the name, use it.

I agree!!!!

[notcinnamon]

It largely depends on the name, but from your description, it sounds like it will be fine. Agreeing gets major points

[katemcnamelover]

I agree with everything posted above. It's not an issue! One point I also want to make (apologize if it was already made) that giving your child a "dated" name will probably be even more unique - in a good way! Very old names are coming very much back into style now. There will be many Ediths, Florences, Eleanors, and Claras and such in kindergarten in just a few years. Even though this is so special now as this revival is just starting, it may not seem as special in a few years (still love the old names though.. and would use them regardless!). An 80s name, like, say, Jennifer, will be MORE unique than the above names- believe it or not! My top pick for my next girl (if I have one) is Rachel. There might not be anything STRIKING or SURPRISING about it but I bet she'll be one of very few Rachels her age, which I think is super cool. And best of all, I just adore the name

AND never underestimate the rarity of you and your husband agreeing on a name! It's a tough game in my house, I don't know about yours, so take advantage of it! Stop name hunting, sounds like you got it

[sweetrosie]

Thank you to everyone for your helpful responses! The name we are considering is Vanessa. I'm so very happy to hear that someone on this board named their daughter Vanessa and is happy with with their choice! It makes me feel better about using it for my daughter. Our baby boy's name is Vincent. We like Vincent and Vanessa together. We like that they both start with a V, seem to be similar in style (not trendy, but well known), and compliment our very Italian surname. We haven't decided on a middle name, but it'll have to be a family name. We have a Clair in the family, and I like Vanessa Clair quite a bit so maybe we'll go with that. Thanks again everyone! Your responses were very helpful and insightful. This is one of the friendliest boards I've come across.

[geauxtee]

I don't think Vanessa is dated in the same way that Heather or Jessica is dated. I like Vanessa a lot.