Why Australians love old people's names

Theo, Alfie, Archie, Arthur, Edward... Ten years ago, these were names you'd hear at a retirement village. Now they're names you hear at a playground. Welcome to the great old-people's-name revival.

It started around 2010, when parents got tired of the same old modern names. Everyone was called Ethan and Olivia, and it was getting boring. So they looked to the past — to their grandparents' generation, to the 1920s and 1930s — and found a treasure trove of cool names.

Archie is the big one. It was dusty and forgotten for decades, then suddenly it was everywhere. Same with Theo. Same with Arthur. These names sound classic but fresh — like a vintage jacket that's come back in style.

The funny thing is, the cycle never stops. In 30 years, today's trendy names (Mason, Harper) will be "old people's names" again, and parents will be naming their babies after whatever's cool in the 2050s. It's like fashion, but for your kid's identity. Good luck, little Mason. You're going to be a grandpa name one day.