The Baby Name Wizard

From reading Laura's earlier blogs, I believe that even names that are popular, aren't actually that widely used...50 years ago, most boys were named John, James, Robert, etc. while today even the top ten names in the entire country are used by way fewer kids than one might assume. There are just so many more names in common usage now that even the most popular names aren't overused. (Please, someone with more talent, elaborate!!)

Let's not be too afraid of trendy names, because even when the name seems extremely popular, not very many kids have it. My son has a name in the top 100 and we've met three kids that share his name in 16 years. At the same time, his name is commonly recognized and usually spelled correctly. Win-win.

I have never heard either Ivy or Oliver firsthand. I don't think they're overused at all, even though they're more popular than 10 years ago.

hyz - Have you considered spelling Rowan as Rohan? I know it's LoTR, but it seems more masculine.

Long live bushy eyebrows!

Oh, and agree that going by mn is sometimes a problem. My dh does, and it's mostly the official stuff that is a pain to sort out - some you have to use your official first name for IRS purposes. He actually keeps a list of what name he uses where. They don't like it at the bank if they ask your name and you don't give the one that matches your account! He's also been tripped up at the airport. His office booked his ticket using mn ln (all they knew him as) but it didn't match his passport.

I guess that potential problem is disappearing though because with anti-terrorism laws you'll need your full name on everything. Which becomes a pain for me, because I have two middle names! None of it is insurmountable though, just life's little annoyances.

Cathie, didn't realize Rowan was that close for boys/girls. It still doesn't bother us, but it's pretty interesting. I think popularity has a lot to do with it, like you're saying--if you don't know anyone with that name, you can imagine it as either. Maybe. But I still wouldn't mind using Taylor or Casey or even Sasha for a boy, if they were my sort of names, so you can tell I'm not that fussy about that.

Kristin, Rohan is pretty nice too, and I don't mind LoTR references--although if I were going that way I might do Meriadoc and Peregrine! Honestly, I like those! I agree with what you're saying about popularity--I'm not looking for a name nobody has ever heard of, obviously. I just don't want the next eye-rollingly common "unusual" name. I don't think any of the ones on my list are there yet, and certainly not in my area, but I do worry about 5-10 years from now. The names being popular in Britain doesn't bother me at all, either, except to the extent that that may portend our future....

HYZ-I have good friends with kids called Rowan (girl) and Oliver. However, they actually spell Rowan Roenne so that it's clear that it's a girl when you see it written down. I actually much prefer the trad spelling and in my head, at least, it's still Rowan. Lovely names, anyway.I like a lot of the names on your list. Good luck with your decision!

Hyz-I think Ivy and Ronan fit your requirements well. I don't personally care for Ivy, but not for any good reasons. Of your other choices, I adore Willa (a name I was only so-so on when it was first mentioned here) and Laurel.
I love Everett, and it also gives you the dashing nn Rett.
I wasn't sure if you were thinking of Ellery and Linden for boys or girls. Both have a gender neutral quality I'm not nuts about personally. I am convinced that Ellery and Ellis are due to be discovered by moms of girls, partially because of the minor character on Grey's Anatomy, but mainly because they're similar to the uber popular Emily and Ellie.
Lavender, April, and Holly have a very different vibe to me.
Some similar boys' names just for fun: Roland, Roderick, Roarke...I also love Rody, Rolly, and Rory as boys' nns, although Rory is sometimes used for girls.
For other girls' suggestions, I thought I'd toss out Verity and Arden.
On Gloria-Does anyone else think of Francis's sister?

That was gracious of you, hyz. Thanks.

mj-- You are so right ON about going by your middle name! I've gone by mine since I was tiny, and have experienced everything you mention, including your so- aptly described "detachment from your official documents", etc. It's definitely a situation that makes for ambivalence, but there ARE some up sides.

I actually think that having ANY name abnormality, makes you more 'sensitized' to names and in my case, partially accounts for my life-long interest in words and names, which has given me so much pleasure! Does that make sense? Rats, it's time for me to get my little guy off to school, but will try to elaborate in a later post... Your topic is fascinating...

Continued, "middle name used as first name".

As mj said, the above syndrome can be annoying to deal with, but it DOES make you hyper-conscious of names in general, and perhaps stimulates your interest. Any name anomaly tends to do that. I have two "problems"-- not only have I always been called by my second name, but that name is a very old, unusual variant of a much more familiar name. So it requires constant spelling out for people, explanation (ONLY if they are curious-- I hate to be a name "bore" to the uninitiated!), etc.

That can be fun in itself. Some people are genuinely interested in naming "quirks" and interesting discussions are sparked in which you learn something about THEIR name history and associations...

Cathie, pre-9/11 I went to the Social Security office and asked them to 'drop' my first name for official purposes, and they acquiesced! So now I think my card says middle name as first, maiden name as second, and married name as surname. Is that all invalid now?

J&H's mom--yes, Ellery and Linden for boys. I tend to be one of those sticklers who likes to keep trad. boy names for boys, just because I like tradition, and those are both most traditionally boy names. Gender neutrality itself doesn't bother me, so while I wouldn't want to torture a boy with a name like Nancy or Susan :o), using a trad. male name that has recently been co-opted for girls is ok by us.

I did like Arden (g), and also Alden (b). Verity is pretty neat as virtue names go (more modern than, say, Chastity). I also like Rory from your list--I had a good (female) friend called Rory, and the name's on our longer list.

Kristin--I was thinking more about Rohan last night. The biggest downside I see is pronunciation--Ro-HAN? Ro-HAHN? Rowan? Roan? I was trying to avoid that issue, but otherwise I like it. I also like that they are the horse people in LoTR, since I'm a rider too. But maybe that gets too geeky and makes it an actual LoTR reference, since I'm thinking of it that way....

Cleveland Kent Evans -- wow! I feel like I *know* a celebrity! :)

One last question: is "Joal" pronounced "Joe-Al(like Alfred)" or like "Joel"? I've always wondered!

On mn as fn--I appreciate all the thoughts. Is there anyone here that was called by both names? i.e. Grandparents and other relatives, sometimes parents used your fn, but you generally went by the mn in public? This is how it has usually been with my Asian friends with this name pattern, and while it can sometimes be a hassle for them, they all see the Asian name as part of their identity and are glad to have it. I do have one friend with a Chinese fn, goes by American mn, both start with "C", and that seems to cause some confusion, because C. Lee on documents could either refer to fn or mn. With F. Scott Fitzgerald and C. Everett Coop, things are clearer.

Eo--I agree with you that having an unusual name can have upsides, too. I frequently have to spell/pronounce my fn for people, but it doesn't bother me. DH has a Korean fn which almost nobody can spell/pronounce, and it doesn't bother him. It is also often mistaken for a female name--no big deal either. We like knowing who the telemarketers are.

Sorry, make that C. Everett Koop.

I have a good friend whose goes by his mn. His name is Anthony Brian, which I think is general enough to share. He says that his parents decided to call him by his mn, because he didn't look like an Anthony after a few days. He jokes that he would be a different person if he had grown up as a Tony instead of as a Brian and I think is happy to be called Brian. He has never voiced complaints about it and it is a running joke with his friends.

Just to clarify: Tony or Anthony are fine names to him - he just doesn't think they suit him.

J&H's Mom: Yes, but it only makes it more endearing to my ears. :)
I was thinking the other day that Hoban (Hoe-bahn) would be an interesting twist on the "-en" trend. The pronunciation I put there is the best I can recreate form the records that my G'ma has of the Francis stories and how they pronounce the names in the credits list. :)

Hello, all!
Well, I'm a week away from finding out the gender of my baby (yay!), but I figured I'd post my top 4 girls name choices and ask you to weigh in on them now, since I don't want to wait any longer.
We have a very Irish last name, 2 syllables that starts w/ a C. I have picked 4 girls names thus far, with a few waiting in the wings as alternates if I decide none of them fit, but my DH likes all of them, too. Give me your opinions:
In random order
Megan Allison
Lara Abigail
Paige Cameron
Cathryn Alexa

I have the idea of using Meg as a nn for Megan and Kate or Katie for Cathryn (and I go back and forth between the ryn or erine, but it has to be a C, I think). I would pronounce Lara like Lars (only an a instead of the s, obviously) instead of Lor-uh (although that was also considered).

Thanks for your opinion - sorry for getting so far off topic!

One more week until we find out the gender of our baby, but I'd really like to get your opinions on the girls choices we're looking at. We have an Irish last name, 2 syllables, beginning w/ a C.
In random order:
Megan Allison
Lara Abigail
Paige Cameron
Cathryn Alexa

I like Meg for a nn for Megan and Kate or Katie for Cathryn. I'm willing to consider the erine ending instead of the ryn ending, but I prefer the C because of the last initial and the fact that both my DH and I are CC as well.

Would love your opinions!

sorry for the double (now triple) post but it looked like the first one didn't appear and I'd lost it!

I like all of your choices! I am partial to Catherine over Cathryn, just because it looks more formal, and I love Cate. I think my least favorite is Megan Allison, though I love Meg. I don't think you can go wrong - they are all slightly different styles, so I wonder what your goals are in the name and what kind of "feel" you're going for...

I love being given a ringside seat to Christiana's pregnancy/naming process! All this is obviously so subjective, and they're all good solid names, but of these I'm partial to Megan Allison, nn Meg. And being a traditional speller I much prefer Catherine to Cathryn. My least favorite pair is Paige Cameron, which I think leans a little toward the trendy (and to me Paige, for some reason, evokes a stuck-up prep school kind of girl, not that I ever knew such a person by that name.) Would you consider mixing and matching these any other way? Megan Cameron? Catherine Abigail?

Let us know the gender when you find out!

Going back to kristin dawn's comment "Let's not be too afraid of trendy names." I agree. Particularly if you have an unusual middle and last name, a wonderfully popular first name can be a real gift. Olivia and Aidan Johnson may sound ordinary, but Olivia Phetsamone or Aidan Papandreo will never be run-of the-mill.

Christiana--I like all your choices, don't think you can go too far wrong. I like Meg a lot, but Allison not so much. I'm sure it's just me, but I haven't known any standout Allisons--always seems to be a kind of plain/unpleasant person. I like Meg better as a nn for Margaret, though, so I think this is my least favorite pair.

I also like Cate, Cat, Kate, and prefer the Catherine spelling to Cathryn. Catherine Alexa has a nice flow. I think this is my favorite in your group.

Lara Abigail is nice, but you'll have pronunciation confusion (Lai-ra? Lah-ra?), and the last -a in Lara runs into Abigail a bit. It's pretty, though--I like it, if you don't mind those things. I could even see Lara Paige....

I like Paige--it is a bit preppy, but if you can deal with that I think it's a smart, crisp name. It sounds nice with Cameron, but maybe the pair is too trendy sounding? Maybe Paige Catherine, or Catherine Paige?

good luck! I'm just being fussy, since I think all your names are solid.

I like Lara and [Catherine] the best. I can't get behind Cathryn with a y... I know it's a legitimate spelling (don't mean to offend), but the "erine" ending has always looked much more "correct," formal, and classy to me. I like Abigail too, as a first name, but if you're using it for a middle, it's not my favorite with Lara. How about Lara Catherine, or Catherine Abigail? I like Catherine Alexa too, but not as much as with mn. Abigail. Paige Cameron sounds a bit stuffy to me (prep-school or waspy, I guess), and more trendy/less timeless than the rest. Megan Allison sounds a bit plain, but a solid name. If you want a very Irish sounding name overall, then Megan VeryIrishLastName great, but if you don't want a name that's as ethnically associated, I'd avoid Megan.

To Kate:
Sorry, I have never met Ms. Ryan personally but only corresponded with her through email so don't know how she pronounces her name. Why don't you send her an email through her website and ask her yourself?

http://www.joalryan.com/index.html

Thanks for your kind words, but I doubt if I am any more of a "celebrity" than Ms. Wattenberg is. :)

Christiana-
What a lovely list. Are we rooting for a girl?
I'm not personally a fan of Cameron on girls, or Alexa in general, but all the others are very appealing.
Lara is bound to be mispronounced at least half the time. Would that bug you?
I also wondered about Megan. I'm a Maegen myself, and I've always liked my name. I also always wished I had a nickname, so I love the idea of using Meg. I do think Megan is likely to be pronounced with the May sound at the front a good bit of the time, though, and I wasn't sure if that was your intent. Of course, such things are easily corrected.
I adore Kates of all stripes, and I'm quite partial to Cate with a C. I do also prefer the Catherine spelling.
Paige is actually my favorite of the bunch. I suppose it is trendy, but I just adore it. I think it's that rarest of names that sounds darling on a little girl and sophisticated on a grown woman. It's also a name that seems like it would fit a variety of personalities.
How nice of you to include us!

Chritiana, Like your name choices --would love them but I still have my aversion to popular names. ;) The name I would avoid with your last name is Cathryn because of the C in your last name (assuming it is a hard "C" not a soft C).

My favorite is Lara Abigail. I also like Paige, but not really fond of Cameron. Consider Paige Alexa...

Let us know the gender of your baby!

Thank you all! The middle names have been chosen for personal reasons to us (my mom's name, a favorite teacher, etc.) so I'm stuck on them in general.
On the question of Megan's pronunciation - I like the pronunciation of May-gan (and like the spelling Maegan accordingly), but I just have this huge appreciation for the essence of Meg Ryan (though I know she's a Margaret - DH hates that) and liked the nn accordingly, hence the spelling I chose.
The pronunciation of Lara doesn't bother me, though I will introduce her with my preferred pronunciation, of course.

I personally am rooting for a girl, since I'd get to play w/ my names that way! A boy will be named after his father and grandfather (Charles, III - nn Tre).

Paige is my husband's favorite, i think though he won't tell me a preference, just that he likes them all. I knew a 20 year old Paige when I was a kid and I thought she defined beauty and grace, so that name has always appealed to me. It has a bit of a tomboyish-ness to me and w/ my DH's family...

(cont.) being very into sports, etc. I thought it fit.

To me, Paige is the tomboy, Lara is my southern belle, Megan is my Irish girl and Catherine/Cathryn is the classic lady of the group. It gives me a wide range of associations, but I love them all.

Thanks for all your opinions! Please feel free to weigh in more as you see fit!

Hyz, I love nature names (my daughters are Phoenix and Indigo), but I never got to use them on a boy. Since you expressed an interest in Thornton, I thought I'd propose one of my top boy contenders, Hawthorne. Botanical and literary too! (Nathaniel Hawthorne, in case anyone is blanking.) Along the same theme, I also like Kipling (Rudyard Kipling, and a type of fish). I think the nn Kip is so cute, though it does have a dog-like quality to it as well. Steering towards the Asian nature themes, I love the word Banyan as a boy name. If you've ever been to Hawaii, those Banyan trees are so majestic and powerful. It might be *too* out of the mainstream for you, but it does end with the "n" sound, which is so popular for boys these days. Asian names for girls include Juniper, Pearl and Chrysanthemum. (Hubby wanted to go with Kiku, which is
Japanese for Chrysanthemum, but it reminded me too much of Kiki.) Bottom line, I thought you would like Hawthorne.

Tirzah--funny, I do like Hawthorne! Quite a bit! It was on my list, but DH nixed it (I think he said it was too pretentious--hmph!). Juniper was also on my list, but I opted for what I thought the more "normal" sounding names (DH didn't like Juniper, either).

I like Phoenix and Indigo, very nice. I wanted color names for awhile, when I was mad about Joni Mitchell and the song Green. Indigo made my list, as did Scarlet, Sorrel, Garnet, Hazel (again!) and I can't rememeber what all. There's a young (coincidentally half Korean) girl in my neighborhood named Blue--a very bossy, adorable little pip, belongs to some lovely grungy hippy-esque parents.

Hyz - I'm loving Scarlet, Garnet - Sage was on my list for awhile, as well. Beautiful choices. (Sage was a front runner for ages until one of our best friends insisted it was his father's dogs name - that sort of killed it for me).

I love those old literature names, too - Hawthorne and Kipling are great. DH always names his pets after literary characters (Desdemona from Othello, Starbuck from Moby Dick, etc.) so I have to be careful in my choices. :-)

Christiana- Still thinking about your list. What fun. I like Cathryn in relation to your own name and assuming that there will be a brother Charles III at some point. A formal name with a great nn would be a nice fit: something along the lines of Cathryn, Abigail, Madeline or Alexandra.

In many mother-daughter pairs I notice a certain similarity of style or sound,
especially for the first daughter, e.g. Lucy-Josie, Kari-Kelsey, Ruth-Hannah, Debbie-Amy, Hope-Paige. I take it as an indicator that the mom is very comfortable with her own name.

Kristi - I like the classic originality (if that makes any sense) of my own name, so I see what you mean. We really love Abigail on it's own, but it's way too popular for my comfort level (hence it's relegation to a mn in Lara Abigail) and Madeline and the fem Alex-names have all been tossed around (my mom is Alexa) but again, moved to the middle for various reasons. Thanks for your input!

Back to the topic of the post--have we discussed WHY old is new again? I've seen the talk of 100 year cycles--is that it? Predestined? Or is it that we are tired of being so novel and want something with a little old-world class and substance?

It's easy for me--just about everything I like is old-fashioned. Grew up riding horses with a yearning to live on a farm (thank you, Laura Ingalls Wilder), now I garden, knit, quilt, cook, etc., have/want lots of animals, and still want to live on a farm. DH actually grew up on a farm, does woodworking, loves hiking, animals, etc. We live in a 100 year old house and also like old furnishings, old literature, and history in general. So I guess you could say we're consistent. Old + Nature is our theme. :o)

What drives other people? Why are Henry and Oliver and Agatha and Mabel cool again?

Christiana - I like all your names, but have to vote for Catherine or Paige. Catherine is timeless and has great nn potential, and though Paige is not my style, I knew such a wonderful woman with that name that it has always sounded beautiful to me. (BTW, she was a little tomboyish, into horses and football)

I am so there with mj about the middle name thing! I am Catherine Kelly LN, and that's the way my parents wanted it, but I wish I had a dollar for every time I answered the question, "Don't you like Catherine?" or if someone calls me Catherine, and I say, no, it's Kelly, they say, "How'd you get Kelly from Catherine?" ARGH!

Lots of people go by their middle names, so it's not that uncommon. I think I would rather the name "flow" than reverse the order just so a child wouldn't have to explain about the middle name, even though I always had to do that.

And I agree, I can always tell a telemarketer. Catherine is *never* home!

I do love the name Catherine and often wished I had been called that, but I'm over it now. I did meet a Kelly Catherine once. We were both surprised by how "weird" the other combination sounded to our ears.

Re: Christiana's girls' names, I prefer the Catherine spelling, and I like the nn Kate, too, rather than Cate, so I always have a hard time b/c I like the spelling of my first name (see above post) but nn Kate. Anyway, I like your names, but some of the combos could be mixed up a bit.

Megan Abigail instead of Megan Allison
Paige Catherine or Catherine Paige
Alexa Paige
Allison Paige
I like the spelling Laura instead of Lara, but that's just a personal preference.
I don't think Cameron fits with the rest of your name choices, though you could mix it with some of the other names (Alexa Cameron, Abigail Cameron, Lara Cameron) to make it "flow."

I always like "flow" to a name, and not too many of the same sounds in names (like Megan Allison - so "un" sounds at the ends of both names.)

Also, I think the syllables should be somewhat mixed, too, like Allison Paige (3-1) flows well to me. It's almost musical la-la-la-lah.

Maybe like someone said (mj?) a mn child tends toward overanalyzing names!

Maybe part of my issue was that I don't actually like my real first name that much, and I love my middle ("real") name. I know some people don't much like their middle names, but you don't have to hear your middle name nearly as much as your first. So my first name just seems to get in the way. I have thought about officially changing my name to Middlename Maidenname Lastname, but since Firstname is a family name, that might cause some hurt feelings. This is also the problem with giving family names: if I don't like the name it's as though I'm rejecting the person!

I actually didn't mind the middle-name thing that much as a kid, but it's not as fun to explain as an adult.

Amazing how subtle differences in sound give names a different feel. From 1898, Emma, Ella, Eva, Ellie, Evie & Eliza sound great while Elda, Elma, Elva, Elvie and Elza don't. Well, maybe Elza has a bit of a chance.
Kind of like shopping for second hand clothes. A slight variation in hue or cut makes all the difference between retro chic and just plain old.

Christiana, very joyous news! I very much like "Paige" also. Think of medieval heraldry with that name, as well as someone with grace and charm. Our seven year old son has an adorable little classmate with that name. She has a sweet, wistful quality, but a sardonic sense of humor-- love that combination!

Unlike others, I DO rather like the Cathryn spelling-- old, variant spellings like that are just as "traditional" as others, but rare enough to be slightly off-beat. I vastly prefer it to "Kathryn", for some reason. My mother was a "Katherine", known as "Kit" or "Kitty"-- VERY Irish, and a darling nickname.

I like kristi's insightful comment about how that choice (Catherine/Cathryn) "relates" nicely to your own name...

P.S. I noticed recently that John McCain's daughter's name is "Meghan", which to me breathes new life into that name. It also has a very authentic Irish "feel" to me, but I could be wrong. Any Gaelic authorities in the house?

Kristi - I agree totally and I love your secondhand clothes analogy.

hyz - I, too, love old-fashioned things, but feel it's wise to be cautious with some of the older names. Just because Mom and Dad are old-fashioned doesn't mean Baby will be - and in fact Baby may run the other direction trying to prove how hip they are. So I guess I come down on the side of either classic, timeless names, older names that sound current and fresh, and some of the newer names - even when they seem to be increasingly popular. I think you and Christiana are definitely on the right track with your choices.

IMHO, some things from the past are not going to come back, ever, as anything but a curiosity - we don't see Elizabethan collars anywhere but the vet's office.

Not to be a name snob, but I read a couple of names on another board that not even I can defend - Sylar and Samara. What are you trying to raise your child into, guys, a supervillain?

Maybe they could name their third child Goldfinger?

Christiana: I love Catherine!!!

Hyz: I named my son George because I like the old, tried and true, "sound-like-they-have-a-history" names. I know that the names I really like are climbing in poopularity but I will be true to myself and keep using them. They have been my pick for years - I just now have the opportunity to use them.

"Favorite: Gloria Julienne, Orinthia Faye, or Jean-Marie Alana?"
These struck me as having notes of Irene's Mom to them. trivia.just trivia. O, and definitely Gloria. :)

kristin dawn,
I agree with you that kids sometimes run the other way from their parents' values and tastes, and hopefully, like you say, the names will be solid but flexible enough to withstand that. One of the reasons I like older things is that if they appealed 300+, 200, and 100 years ago, and now, they must be doing something right. Furniture is that way--many styles dating back centuries still look classy and sensible, while "new" things of the last 75 years or so have a noticeable (and often unattractive) time stamp.

And that's funny--I knew a girl called Samara in college.

kristi--to add an EL- name to your list--we have a dog named Elke (pronounced in the German way, ELL-keh), and have gotten some nice comments on it, although some people do seem to have trouble remembering it. A German name for a German dog. :o)

Kristin Dawn: Samara is an Indian boy name. I don't think Sylar is Indian but it may be from another culture.

As a Catherine I love the name and this spelling. My nn is Cat but I was Kate as a kid.

Megan is actually Welsh, rather than Irish, according to my sources. However, I think it still sounds good with an Irish last name. I'm excited for you, Christiana!

Christiana:
I like Paige Cameron the best. I think Paige is such a short and sweet little name, and I have always liked the name Cameron, it makes me think of Cameron Diaz who is the most amazingly beautiful woman. I just think of Cameron as a really cool, yet still distinguished sounding name.

I don't really like Megan Allison for a stupid reason-but it just sounds pretty 80s to me. I went to school with so many Megans and quite a few Allisons, even have a sister named Allison, so that name just registers as 80s to me.

Lara will be a pain in the pronounciation department, but it's a pretty name and I love Abigail.

Catherine spelled like this is very pretty, and its a timeless classic that you can't go wrong with and has a lot of nickname options. It's just way common, but if that doesn't bother you then that's a beautiful name as well.

On the Catherine/Cathryn debate (or Katherine/Kathryn, for that matter), I figured out why the yn versions look so much worse to me than the erine versions. It's because the y just looks like a modern cree8ive creation. I know it's a very old variant, but in the midst of Madisyn and Aidyn and other contemporary creations, it just looks silly to me. I think that using the y variants of the C/Katherine names today will lump the names in with other cree8ive names of this generation, because replacing any "ih" sound with a y is the trend. If you like those names or that style, definitely go for it. If you're looking to stick with the classics, I think erine is the way to go, at least until the cree8ive trends head in another direction.

Samara is the evil little girl on the Ring movies, and Sylar is the evil mutant villain on Heroes...this was a sis and bro combo and from what I gathered done very deliberately...sorry I didn't think to clarify that, I was too shocked!

I am expecting and am seriously considering the name Mary for a girl. I'm a Catholic and have no problem with the religious associations behind the name. So that's not an issue.

My issue is that I'm afraid that maybe Mary is so common among women in their 40s to 60s that it would be like naming a kid Linda. I truly thought Mary was a timeless name, but someone today told me that Mary registers as dated, not timeless for them.

Thoughts?