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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

If you called your child a very popular name...

80 replies

ShushBaby · 25/05/2012 14:44

... did you realise it was popular when you chose it? If so, did you care? And does it now bother you that it's popular?

Playgroups in our (middle class) area are filled with kids with the same or very similar names. I've even come across more than one set of siblings with the same combo of names. One mum introduced her child to me (Eva) and then said quickly 'but I didn't realise it was so popular when I chose it', so its popularity obviously plays on her mind.

We are trying to think of names for dc2 (currently gestating) and my instinct is to avoid very popular names. I almost want to ditch a name if someone else has mentioned it on here, for example. But then, is that just silly? After all, everyone is subject to the zeitgeist- a name that seems unique could turn out to be very popular. And if your child has a name, does it become uniquely 'theirs' to you, even if there are five others in the class?

FWIW my name was the most popular in the year I was born and I can't imagine my parents gave it a second thought- and it certainly didn't bother me. But then, thirty years ago I reckon most babies were named from a stock of about ten names! (Rebecca, Sarah, Elizabeth, Charlotte etc).

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TheOneWithTheHair · 25/05/2012 15:05

Ds1 was one of seven with the same name in primary school. I chose it because I liked it and it never bothered me or him that there were so many other. One even had the same birthday. Shock

I don't regret it at all because it's always suited him so well.

I did feel sorry for the teachers though. Grin

MoreCatsThanKids · 25/05/2012 15:04

My DD's name was, it turns out, very popular the year she was born, there are I think, six of them with a variation on the name in her class at high school, with several more sprinkled through the year group.

I'm so glad I was blissfully unaware of it's popularity at the time as there is no way I would have chosen it and that would have been very wrong of me. We chose it because we loved it at the time and still do.

Just annoys me that everyone else had to 'copy' Grin

ExitPursuedByABear · 25/05/2012 14:58

When I was at school many, many, many years ago there were 6 Kathryns in my class, but all spelt differently and all with different nicknames. They survived.

I think you should choose a name that you really like and stick with it.

BringBack1996 · 25/05/2012 14:54

DS (Edward) is one of many with his name, although it doesn't bother him too much as most of the boys in his year refer to each other by their surnames - makes me wonder why we spend so long deciding on a name!
DD's name (Emilia) isn't popular itself but her nn (Millie) is. However she really suits her name so it doesn't bother me. If we'd realised that the nn would be used we probably wouldn't have picked that name though.

The names we've picked this time are a lot less popular but that wasn't deliberate, however I'm happy that there shouldn't be more than one of them in a class with the same name.

FrankWippery · 25/05/2012 14:48

Didn't really think about whether the names were popular or not (all of them have been/are in the top ten.

Nope - couldn't give a stuff! Love my DC's names.

DDs 1&2 are 17 and 18 and neither have ever been in a class with another, despite their names being between top 2 and top 6 over the years.

DS's name will probably forever be in the top 10 and he's only ever had one other in his classes.

DD3 is 3, no others at her nursery, but there are some about. Doesn't bother me though.