When everyone tells you your forever favorite name is dated.

[Anonymous]

I was given a dated name by my hopelessly uncool parents and hated it so much I changed it as soon as I was old enough. I hated feeling like a weirdo. It is a selfish thing to do to a child.

[Anonymous]

I like Heather. There was a poster here in the past few years with a little Heather. Hopefully she will see this and weigh in! I also like Susan FWIW and think Susie sounds fresh and cute.

Imagine a conversation about the name "Sophia" circa mid-1990s. "Dated sounding Italian grandma name", "Golden Girls", etc. Yet by 2012 it was the #1 girls name and now everyone is all "not another Sophie or Sophia, please". Name trends come and go, so choose what you like.

[Anonymous]

I envision Heather as a lower-middle class girl with frosted hair, cruising the mall for blue eyeshadow and Madonna tapes with her friends Tammy and Amber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was given a dated name by my hopelessly uncool parents and hated it so much I changed it as soon as I was old enough. I hated feeling like a weirdo. It is a selfish thing to do to a child.

I'd say this is a vote in favor of Heather - if your daughter really hates it (which she won't, because it's a lovely name) she can change it later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I envision Heather as a lower-middle class girl with frosted hair, cruising the mall for blue eyeshadow and Madonna tapes with her friends Tammy and Amber.

I’m 25 and don’t know any Heathers (and don’t know what frosted hair means) so no association except the magnificent Heather growing on the hills of Scotland when I went to a year abroad at University of Edinburgh.

I would definitely name a baby girl Heather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I envision Heather as a lower-middle class girl with frosted hair, cruising the mall for blue eyeshadow and Madonna tapes with her friends Tammy and Amber.

Hmmm. I envision Heather as the coolest girl in the 4th grade, which she was. She got us all started eating chocolate velamints.

I was raised middle class, or maybe a little higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignore them and go with the name you love. The silly comments will stop once she is born or shortly after. It is a pretty name that will likely become more popular again given time.

+1 and congratulations!

[Anonymous]

I actually like the names Amber and Jade, which people are constantly making fun of

They seem perfectly normal to me

[Anonymous]

Also, Madonna was the coolest in the 80s

I can’t even tell you how many times I watched Who’s That Girl

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I envision Heather as a lower-middle class girl with frosted hair, cruising the mall for blue eyeshadow and Madonna tapes with her friends Tammy and Amber.

That’s interesting. Genuinely, I envision Heather as girl-next-door pretty with thick straight golden blonde hair wearing a luxurious and beautiful cashmere sweater. Simple pearl studs and a little lip gloss.

[Anonymous]

I love it, pp. I am 45, grew up with girls named Heather, Jessica, Tiffany, Nicole, Stacey, Rachel, Lauren, Melissa. This generation of names is going to make a comeback. Others include Alison, Tracey, Sarah, Amanda, christy and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually like the names Amber and Jade, which people are constantly making fun of

They seem perfectly normal to me

Me too. Love Amber and Jade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like Heather. There was a poster here in the past few years with a little Heather. Hopefully she will see this and weigh in! I also like Susan FWIW and think Susie sounds fresh and cute.

Imagine a conversation about the name "Sophia" circa mid-1990s. "Dated sounding Italian grandma name", "Golden Girls", etc. Yet by 2012 it was the #1 girls name and now everyone is all "not another Sophie or Sophia, please". Name trends come and go, so choose what you like.

I have a Susanna (named for my mom Susan) and we call her "Sus"

[Anonymous]

IME, names that are relatively ‘normal’ to American ears get minimal commentary once the baby is actually alive. Names that are funkier might, but most people have enough tact not to comment to people about how their name is ‘dated.’

Heather does have an 80s vibe but no more so than Jessica or Jennifer to me, and people don’t think twice about those names. Maybe it’s like Courtney or Lauren, but again… not odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love it, pp. I am 45, grew up with girls named Heather, Jessica, Tiffany, Nicole, Stacey, Rachel, Lauren, Melissa. This generation of names is going to make a comeback. Others include Alison, Tracey, Sarah, Amanda, christy and the like.

Some of those names never went away. Still plenty of Sarahs, Rachels, Laurens.