How many of you worry the name you pick is too popular?

I have an unusual name, Seren. Actually not so unusual now, it's becoming better known but it was 'wierd' when i was young.

It means Star in Welsh. I love it. I was the only one in my class and it is always remembered (though rarely spelt correctly which is annoying) and I wear a lot of stars in my jewellery and its lovely to have a name that actually means something, and people tell me constantly how pretty it is.

I would hate my kids to have a really popular name that was the same as everyone elses, but on the other hand i personally love traditional names. So I think its a balance of finding something you like that isnt TOO mainstream or unusual.

And yes, you can personalise almost anything nowadays - that really shouldn't be a consideration imo.

If you accept that the point of NAMING someone or something is to IDENTIFY him/her/it, then the more popular a name is the less it serves its purpose to identify and you need to add an initial, an adjective (little Ella, big Ella, whatever).

There are thousands of names to choose from (over 5,000 boys names alone were used last year), and we really enjoyed choosing a name for our dd that we love, that sounds good with our surname and that wasn't already used by thousands of other little girls.

My first name is Emma.

In my first school there were 4 Emma's in my class of 25
In my second school there were 5 Emma's in my class.
In my college at university there were 4 Emma's out of just 30 female students in my year.

I hated it. I was never able to be just "Emma", instead it would be "Emma X".

I deliberately picked names that were outside the top 100.

My RL name is common as muck and I hate it, we had 4 in my class at school. It's a PITA. I didn't want the teachers to get my dc's muddled up with any others.

Dd2 has a really popular name, one of the most popular ever It doesn't bother me - we haven't met that many Olivias, there are very few in dd1s primary school and none in dd2 nursery school. I think it depends on where you live as well, I have heard Elijah about 20 times this summer out and about in parks (all around 2-3years) but very few Olivers, Jacks etc.

Names are normally popular because they're nice. I don't really mind that much

My sister and I have really unusual names and we both hate them. Stick to what you like, even if it's really popular, and don't chose something for the sake of it.
We didn't chose Emily as our eldest DD's name because it was number one, but there are only 3 in their school, out of 600 pupils.

I had every intention of giving DS an uncommon name. My first choice was vetoed by ex. He hated it so much he begged me not to insist on it. He was OK with my other weird choices. DS for a long time was going to be called Orion. However there was a name I had loved for a decade which wasn't so popular when I first heard it, but has been in the top 20 for the three years since DS was born. I love his name. It was the last name to make my shortlist and two distant friends have given their babies this name since mine was born. But I really don't mind. He suits his name much more than Orion or Oberon (my other choices!).

When your child is at the shops looking for things with names printed on (note books, badges, bed room door names etc), you will be pleased to say "yes darling here it is". The alternative is a child so disapointed that there is nothing with their name on (tears will be shed).

I picked a nap I liked, I didn't even look at popular name lists until I happened to come across one when he was a few months old.

As it happens I have only ever met one other child with the same name as him in the last 20 months and his name is one of the top names if you go off the lists. The name Kyle only comes pretty low in the top 100 I think yet I know of at least 5 kyles under the age of 5!

I think ds's name is becoming more popular (it's top 50 but not top 10 at the moment) - I don't really mind that it's popular but I didn't want him to be one or three or four boys with the same name in his class at school.

Even if you choose a very uncommon name, it could be the next big thing anyway. Just choose a name you love - but be prepared for her to be always known as Big Olivia, Little Evie, Amelie J or whatever throughout school!

I agree, a totally unusual name sounds great on a film star but most kids just want to be normal and fit in. I am usually happy when I meet someone with the same name as me. I also tend to give people nicknames, really good friends/family so you can always have an unusual name at times but just not on your certificate and not when you go for job interviews.

I am sure it is popular because it is beautiful.

why oh why oh why is it a competition to have unusual names?

Names might be on a popular list because they're popular because they're... nice names?

Catnip sunshine really will not love her name in 25 years time!