Girls’ Names in Limbo: When can Kay come out to play?
We’ve all pretty much on board with the Hundred Year Rule that says it usually takes a full century for a name to shake off its musty image and start to sound fresh again. Which is why so many turn-of-the-last-century names have returned, names we don’t associate with any older person we have actually known–those belonging to the great-great or great-great-great grand generation–all those lacy girls’ names like Amelia and Matilda and Clementine that now sound so appealing.
But what about the girls’ names of the generations that followed those in the first half of the twentieth century? Most of them are much more simple and matter of fact, often two syllables rather than three or four, feminine rather than feminissima. These would be the names of our grandmothers and great-aunts and mothers-in-law—the older women in our lives.
Though there are some exceptions, such as the relatively recently revived Sylvias, Audreys, Lillians and Evelyns, and starbabies like Julia Roberts’ Hazel and Sarah Jessica Parker’s Marion—most of these examples that were mega-popular from the twenties to the sixties have been consigned to onomastic limbo.
Our question today is: Are any of them ready to be sprung?
Listed here some of the names that were most popular back in their day—leaving out the classics, the nicknames and the ephemeral trendies. They’re in reverse chronological order, starting with the names that peaked in the 1920s, showing the time span in which they ranked in the Top 100, followed by the highest number they ever reached.
And who knows? Maybe we’ll come up with a Half-Hundred Year Rule!
1920s
Bernice— 1900-36 #39 in 1921
Doris— 1902-54 #6 in 1929
Gloria— 1922-63 #29 in 1925-26
June— 1915-49 #39 in 1925
Lois–1902-1953 #17 in 1929-30
Lorraine—1918-48 #39 in 1928
Marian —1912-34 #64 in 1924
Marjorie—1904-45 # 16 in 1921-23
Maxine—1915-30 #76 in 1923
Phyllis–1916-58 #24 in 1929
Virginia—1893-1959 #6 in 1921
Wilma—1912-40 #62 in 1925
1930s
Arlene 1931-43 #53 in 1934
Barbara 1913-76 #2 from 1937 to 1944
Beverly 1926-64 #14 in 1937
Dolores 1923-44 #13 in 1930
Elaine 1923-57 #42 in 1938
Geraldine 1916-46 #38 in 1931
Janet 1928-70 #17 in 1939
Jeanette 1936-41 #82 in 1939
Joan 1924-64 #5 from 1931 to 1933
Joanne 1930-60 #45 in 1934-35
Joyce 1924-89 #11 in 1937-38
Loretta 1931-44 #62 in 1938
Marilyn 1925-58 #13 in 1936-37
Marlene 1931-42 #39 in 1935-36
Norma 1918-47 #22 in 1931-1932
Rita 1914-60 #42 in 1930
Roberta 1935-53 #64 in 1936
Shirley 1918-63 #2 in 1935-36
Wanda 1922-66 #47 in 1934
Yvonne 1935-37 #77 in 1937
1940s
Bonnie 1928-66 #33 in 1941, 46, 50
Carol 1928-71 #4 in 1941
Ellen 1880-1961 (on and off) #59 in 1942
Glenda 1941-52 #79 in 1944
Judith 1934-64 #4 in 1940
Kathleen 1920-90 #9 in 1949
Kay 1936-45 #70 in 1941
Linda 1936-77 #1 from 1947 to 1952
Rosemary 1926-49 #75 in 1946
Sandra 1934-94 #5 in 1947
Sharon 1935-77 #8 in 1943
Suzanne 1941-73 #52 in 1946
1950s
Cynthia 1945-93 #7 in 1957
Deborah 1950-76 #2 in 1955
Denise 1950-81 #23 in 1955-56
Diane 1937-71 #14 in 1955
Donna 1926-76 #5 in 1959-60
Gail 1937-61 #36 in 1951
Janice 1932-67 #21 in 1951
Marsha 1946-54 #68 in 1950
Nancy 1920-78 #6 in 1950
Pamela 1943-83 #10 in 1953
Paula 1943-74 #38 in 1954
Susan 1937-85 #2 1957– 1960
Valerie 1953-87 #60 in 1959
60s
Anita 1937-67 #77 in 1963
Annette 1957-67 #62 in 1960
Brenda 1939-77 #11 in 1961
Karen 1938-85 #2 in 1965
Lisa #1 1962-69
Michelle 1954-2007 #2 in 1968-69, 71-72
Renee 1960-78 #62 in 1967
Teresa 1938-81 #18 in 1961- 63
So which if any of these names do you think show some promise of returning? Would you use any of them yourself—and not just because they’re family names?