Names of the 70s return

WE know names from yesteryear have well and truly made a comeback.

Nobody bats an eyelid at the likes of Alfie and Archie as names commonplace among our elderly folk have crept back into the classroom.

But now it seems a different decade is inspiring our baby names – the 70s.

BabyCentre says last year saw a rise in classic 80s names like Michael and John. But now the pregnancy and parenting website reckons parents are now going back even further for inspiration as familiar names of the 1970s gain a stronghold.

Among the biggest surprises in the 2018 charts was the huge increase in registrations for Brian. Barry and Patricia were also popular with parents and BabyCentre is predicting names like Cliff, Christine and Susan could make a comeback this year.

We’ve been on the hunt for babies in Manchester whose names were popular in the 70s – and we’ve certainly found a few cropping up.

Mum Hannah Jackson liked the 70s name Kenneth for her two-yearold son, but changed it slightly to Kenny.

The mum-of-eight, who lives in Hyde, said: “We named Kenny after his grandad Kenneth. We felt turning it to Kenny kept the old style but made it a cute, more modern name and he so suits it.”

Mum Briony Evans was premature with the 70s trend, calling her Brian Blessed and Patricia Routledge – names are back! son Steven when he was born in 2007.

The 11-year-old, from Stalybridge, was also named after his grandad.

So what other names might be making a comeback this year? Well here’s a list of the top 100 girls and boys names in England and Wales back in 1974, according to British Baby Names. So watch this space!