Favorite Gen X name?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gen X names I love:
Emily, Meghan, Laura, Julie, Kristen

Gen X names I don't like:
Kim, Dana, Angela, Stephanie, Ashley

Is that you, Mom?!
Your daughters,
Emily, Julie & Megan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claudia...so sweet valley high!

Lol Claudia was from Babysitters Club not Sweet Valley

Babysitters Club was Millenial, not Gen X.

Ha, yes! Try Sweet Valley High. 🙌

[Anonymous]

Gen X is 1965-1980.

I was born in the early 70s and am a Jessica. I like being a Jessica. My parents were early on the popularity curve.

My parents said they were torn between Jessica and Desiree for my name, and I’m so glad I ended up a Jessica.

I also named my child a name that has become one of the top 10 names in the country in the past 5-10 years, and it wasn’t when I picked it, so I guess there’s no escaping it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Claudia
Blair
Tiffany
Stephanie
Cynthia (hate Cindy)
Maria
Patricia (hate most nns)
Veronica
Courtney
Yolanda
Melinda

Yolanda?

The only Yolanda I ever heard of was in Pulp Fiction. Definitely no one in my class was named Yolanda.

--Born in 1975 and graduated high school in Southern CA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never know what generation I am. Born in '80 and have been told I'm most definitely Gen X, most definitely millennial, and most definitely neither one (Xennial/Oregon Trail/Catalano). The most common names in my class were Jessica, Allison, and every possible form and spelling of Katherine/Katie/Kate. My babysitter (definitely Gen X) was named April, and I loved her name as a kid.

I was also born in '80 and what I've found is that Gen Xers are VERY attached to the idea of having been born in the 70s or late 60s. Like it's really important to them. So as a result, even though my husband and most of my friends were born in the 70s and consider them Gen X, I am randomly a "Millenial".

One definition I've heard is that if you were Gen X, the earliest you would have had an email account was college. I got a hotmail account my senior year of college (to communicate with my friends who were at college and had just gotten college accounts!). So by that metric, I'm a Millenial but only barely.

Oh, and my name is Emily, so there you go.

Also born in 80. I like this description: analog childhood and digital adulthood.

Most common names for me is Heather, any variety of Christine/a/Kristin, Katherine, Nicole and Amber. And always Jessica.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Melissa, Samantha, Jessica (or is that more early millennial?)

My brother graduated high school in 1989 and most of his female friends were named Jessica or Megan.

I mean...I graduated from high school in 1989 and I can't believe this is true, unless he was hanging out with the elementary school crowd, LOL. Jessica was ranked #183 in 1967 and #177 in 1968. Megan was even less common, ranking 328th in 1967.

Class of '89 is very early Gen-X. The most common girls' names in my high school class were Lisa, Kim, Michelle, Susan, and Laura/Lori.

Is it though? Class of 89 would've been born in 1970 or 1971 -- Gen X is 1965 – 1980 so they're on the early end of middle.

[Anonymous]

I was born in 1970. Megan and Jessica weren't popular in my graduating class -- when I was in HS those were more common for the elementary school set. My class had a ton of:
Jennifer
Lisa
Julie
Karen
Christine/a, Kristin/Kristen
Melissa
Amy
Rebecca (becky)
Angela/Angie
Tracy/ie
Lori/Laurie
Michelle

Guys were Mike, Matt, James (Jim, Jimmy), Brian, Scott, Jason, Kevin, Steve, Joe

[Anonymous]

I'm a Heather, and i was bracing on this thread for Heather to get thrown under the bus.... but was pleasantly surprised at the positive vibes! I also think it's odd how it's on the top of so many people's lists of "there were so many heathers in my school", because there was often one other heather in and around my grade at school. But it wasn't like Jennifers and Sarahs, and worst of all, the kathy/kathryn/katherine/catherine/christy/kristin etc, where literally everyone was named that.

But again, super happy this name has trended positively, because for a while in the 80s, "heather" was the name of the trope "slutty" blond who made a one minute appearance in every sitcom for laughs.... Night Court, Growing Pains, Family Ties.... whatever, they all used heather in a derogatory way for a vapid, person-less character.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Heather, and i was bracing on this thread for Heather to get thrown under the bus.... but was pleasantly surprised at the positive vibes! I also think it's odd how it's on the top of so many people's lists of "there were so many heathers in my school", because there was often one other heather in and around my grade at school. But it wasn't like Jennifers and Sarahs, and worst of all, the kathy/kathryn/katherine/catherine/christy/kristin etc, where literally everyone was named that.

But again, super happy this name has trended positively, because for a while in the 80s, "heather" was the name of the trope "slutty" blond who made a one minute appearance in every sitcom for laughs.... Night Court, Growing Pains, Family Ties.... whatever, they all used heather in a derogatory way for a vapid, person-less character.

And then there was the Heathers movie which did no favors to Heathers everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Heather, and i was bracing on this thread for Heather to get thrown under the bus.... but was pleasantly surprised at the positive vibes! I also think it's odd how it's on the top of so many people's lists of "there were so many heathers in my school", because there was often one other heather in and around my grade at school. But it wasn't like Jennifers and Sarahs, and worst of all, the kathy/kathryn/katherine/catherine/christy/kristin etc, where literally everyone was named that.

But again, super happy this name has trended positively, because for a while in the 80s, "heather" was the name of the trope "slutty" blond who made a one minute appearance in every sitcom for laughs.... Night Court, Growing Pains, Family Ties.... whatever, they all used heather in a derogatory way for a vapid, person-less character.

I agree that would suck. The movie really did a number on the name Heather, much like Carrie did a number on Carries. Unfair, really. My DD's name is also a movie title, but a tiny one no one saw so hopefully not troublesome for her.

I do think some names became stand-ins for a certain type of young person in the 80s and early 90s. Heather with the mean girls, or Tiffany with malls and side ponytails. And while Sloane has become a trendy name for babies now, for me that was the quintessential UMC white suburban cool girl, a la Ferris Bueller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Squarely GenX'er here; graduated HS in 1985: Names from my high school (am counting ones where I knew two or more people with the name):

Stacy
Tracy
Rhonda
Jill
Amy
Catherine/Cathy
Cynthia
Kimberly
Jennifer
Melissa
Elizabeth in all its variations: Lisa, Liz, Beth, Betsy
Susan
Deborah (Debbie)
Maria
Margaret
Lori/Laurie/Laura/Lauren

I think most demographers agree that high school class of '85 (born ~1963) are late boomers.

I was born in 1966 and graduated HS in 1984 so I don’t think your math is correct. 1963 is more like the class of 1981

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gen X is 1965-1980.

I was born in the early 70s and am a Jessica. I like being a Jessica. My parents were early on the popularity curve.

My parents said they were torn between Jessica and Desiree for my name, and I’m so glad I ended up a Jessica.

I also named my child a name that has become one of the top 10 names in the country in the past 5-10 years, and it wasn’t when I picked it, so I guess there’s no escaping it.

Your parents were right on the curve for Jessica. As for Desiree, I knew one born in 69 and one born in 75 (after Neil Diamond's song!) Desiree is more unique with a better backstory but Jessica is more classic and I love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never know what generation I am. Born in '80 and have been told I'm most definitely Gen X, most definitely millennial, and most definitely neither one (Xennial/Oregon Trail/Catalano). The most common names in my class were Jessica, Allison, and every possible form and spelling of Katherine/Katie/Kate. My babysitter (definitely Gen X) was named April, and I loved her name as a kid.

I was also born in '80 and what I've found is that Gen Xers are VERY attached to the idea of having been born in the 70s or late 60s. Like it's really important to them. So as a result, even though my husband and most of my friends were born in the 70s and consider them Gen X, I am randomly a "Millenial".

One definition I've heard is that if you were Gen X, the earliest you would have had an email account was college. I got a hotmail account my senior year of college (to communicate with my friends who were at college and had just gotten college accounts!). So by that metric, I'm a Millenial but only barely.

Oh, and my name is Emily, so there you go.

I meant I got my hotmail account senior year of HS.

Born in 1970. Graduated HS 1988. I got my Hotmail account post-college. Email didn’t exist when I was in college and ATM machines has just started...they used to let you take out $5. My sister born ‘66, brother ‘67 and myself are all Gen X. The 70s were a great time to be a kid!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every Kimberly/Kim I’ve known has been a major slut. So anything but that...

The 50-year old Kimberly I know is a slut so I think you are into something.

Why is that? Same!

[Anonymous]

Sarah
Jennifer
Elizabeth
Heather