Would you call your child Millicent? Medieval baby names bounce back

Poppy, Works from Home, 41, Mile Cross. (Image: Archant)

Traditional baby names are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, whilst fantasy names risk the fastest decline, according to a new poll. Medieval boys names such as Wyatt, Audley and Peyton and Medieval girls names like Millicent, Elvina and Kendra are increasing in popularity.

Emily, Marketing Manager, 35, London. (Image: Archant)

Claire, Doctor, 34, Mile Cross. (Image: Archant)

This new trend could instigate the decline of Edwardian names such as Mabel, Stanley and Elsie, which have been particularly popular in recent years.

Tish, Customer Services Assistant, 57, Northern Ireland. (Image: Archant)

Gillian, Early Learning Centre, 59, Sprowston. (Image: Archant)

Fantasy names of the likes of Princess, Crystal and Prince are at risk of losing popularity the fastest, with nearly 36% of parents viewing these names as outdated.

Denise, Mothercare, 38, Aylsham. (Image: Archant)

Siobhan Freeguard, founder of Netmums online parenting forum, said: 'Baby names usually work on an 80 year cycle of popularity – but some of the Olde English baby names coming back haven't been in fashion for almost 800 years.'

'However they tick all the boxes for modern parents, being unusual but traditional, and cool but not too wacky.'

The survey also revealed that the majority of parents choose their baby's name between the twentieth week of pregnancy and the baby's birth. One in eight mums chose their baby's name before they even become pregnant, whilst nearly one percent of new parents wait until the last day they can register the birth before coming to a decision.

The effects of immigration can also be seen as an influential factor with six percent of those surveyed opting for blended cultural names which represent both parents' ethnicities.

We asked mums on the streets of Norwich about their inspiration for choosing the names of their children:

Denise, Mothercare, 38, Aylsham. 'I have three sons called Matthew, Benjamin and Adam. They were all born on Fridays and their names all link to Friday. It was important to choose names that could be shortened to a nickname without being silly. I really liked the name River but you have to consider the name for when they grow up and go to school so that they don't get bullied.'

Emily, Marketing Manager, 35, London. 'My son is called Jamie. My husband is a big Liverpool fan so Jamie Carragher was a big inspiration for him. I like traditional names and my husband likes modern ones so we found it hard to find a name we both liked. It also had to fit our surname and not be something which Jamie will be embarrassed by in the future. My husband is South African so I think we had slightly different cultural approaches.'

Gillian, Early Learning Centre, 59, Sprowston. 'I have two daughters called Angela and Lisa. Angela we chose before she was born but Lisa was going to be called Caroline, but when we saw her my husband thought she didn't look like a Caroline and looked like a Lisa Louise.'

Claire, Doctor, 34, Mile Cross. 'My two sons are called Otis and Winston. Winston is called Winston Phillip and we call him Pip for short, which we took from Great Expectations but we didn't want his first name to be Philip. We didn't choose Winston until the day before he was registered.'

Tish, Customer Services Assistant, 57, Northern Ireland. 'We called my daughter Lucy Sorrel as we both liked the name. Lucy means light and Sorrel is taken from the herb. If we had had a son it would have been called Adam Christopher. It was very important to us that we didn't know anyone with this name, and there certainly wasn't any inspiration from celebrities or famous names..'

Poppy, Works from Home, 41, Mile Cross. 'Charlie and Willow are the names of my two children. My husband chose Willow after watching the Wicker Man movie, and Charlie just seemed to fit.'