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[Opinions] Mildred?
Mildred is my paternal Grandmother's name and she's one of my favorite people ever. Do you think Mildred is hopelessly dated and will never come back in? Even by the time I have kids which is probably 7 or more years down the line? I'd use the nickname Millie which is the nickname she uses, and Millie doesn't seem quite as bad does it? Possibly as a middle name if it's unbearable for a first.. Anna Mildred?Caroline :-)

"There is no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard, And no song that I could sing but I can try for your heart. And our dreams, they are made out of real things
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No, I think it's a graceful old classic, refreshingly unlatinized. I like the dread and mildew part... I mean, I like the sound, without thinking of those things. I have liked the name since I found out it was the name of my maternal grandmother (she died before I was born - went by Millie familiarly).I wouldn't give it as a first name, though, because judging by other people's reactions (about 2/3 of people asked are negative), there's a pretty strong likelihood that a daughter would really dislike having it... even if she were Millie. It just gives too many people an impression of dowdiness and plainness. I think the reason is just that the sound of it isn't usually heard. Betcha if it had ever been written down as, say, Mildefrith or Milthred or anything else, it'd be coming back now.It's on my shortlist for middle names, for sure. Anna Mildred is lovely.- chazda
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Almost any name could come back in the future. I think it's a least a decade too early for Mildred in the USA, though. Too many young parents still remember elderly Mildreds, and a lot of people seem to really dislike the final syllable, associating it with the word "dread". Personally I wish that Milbrey, the name of the original medieval St. Mildred's sister, would come back.
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I've always liked Mildred. Had never heard Milbrey--nice!
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I had an aunt Mildred. I definitely see this one coming back into style. I don't think it's quite ready yet, but in a few years it will be. Image hosting by Photobucket
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I love Millie but i really don't like Mildred.
If you wanted to use Millie as her name but still have a full name for her you coud use an alternative of Millicent. You would still be honoring your grandmother by using Millie.
I know a gorgeous little girl with the name Millicent but she always goes by Millie.
This way she would have a full name to fall back on when shes older.
I liked the suggestion of Rose as a middle name:
Millicent Rose (nn Millie).
Hope this helped.
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Mildred reminds me too much of mildew (sorry!). Since your grandmother uses Millie as a nn, why not use it as a fn? Lots of people name their daughters nicknames because they don't like the formality of a longer name (i.e. Katie).Mildred seems dated to me, and I don't think it'll come back into style (at least for a long, long time). Millie is refreshing, though.Anna Mildred is a lovely combo!"Cultivate the habit of early rising. It is unwise to keep the head long on a level with the feet." -Henry David Thoreau--See my profile for my adopted PP's--

This message was edited 3/8/2006, 3:39 PM

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Mildred also reminds me of mildew.
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My image of a Mildred is a middle-aged lady with coloured red hair. I must have seen someone like that on TV. But I think Millie is very cute. It seems to me that people in UK would not hesitate to name a girl just Millie but people in USA think she must have a "formal name". Millie is among the top 20 in UK.I don't think Mildred as fn is unbearable at all. If you as parents like it, why hesitate? Are you afraid other children will tease her? Even if she is called Millie?Someone has to go first but maybe others will have paved the way for you in 7 years.Anna Mildred flows very well imo."But it’s all right now.
I learned my lesson well.
You see you can’t please everyone
So you got to please yourself."
Rick Nelson, GardenParty"It does not become me to make myself smaller than I am." (Edith Södergran 1891-1923)
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as long as she goes by the nickname Millie, I dont think its a problem. I really dont like Mildred (I think its very harsh sounding) but Millie is gorgeous!
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I don't think it sounds dated at all! It's wonderful, go for it!
My Gran's name is Ena, and I first worried about it, but now I'm absolutly fine with it (even if I am going to use it as a mn).
Mildred as a fn wouldn't be bad, it would be great. Especially with Millie as a nn.
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Just to comfort you, I taught a 6th grade girl last year who is planning on naming a future daughter Mildred, simply b/c she loves the name. And she's also planning on using the nn Millie. So in 7+ years, Mildred could be a break-out popular name. :o)
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Mildred reminds me of a cranky old woman, and I can't picture anyone under the age of 70 with this name (no offense).Although I don't like either name, Anna Mildred flows.
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I've actually always liked the name Mildred, as well as Milton. One of my favorite combos is August Milton and Mildred Rose.
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My knee-jerk reaction to Mildred was "No!" ... But now I've given it a chance ... I don't think it's so bad. With Matilda making a comeback, who's to say Mildred can't?Maybe keep it as a middle name though, since I admit I wouldn't want to be a Mildred myself, in this day and age. Even if she does go by Millie (which is cute)._____________________________________________________________________Elinor
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