Why does it bother me/others

I have a very, very unusual name and for that reason I gave my DS a normal name, I hated my parents for it, I really couldn't give a tiny monkeys left ball that my name was different, it made life hard for a small shy child!!

I also think this is quite a new thing as I don't particularly think about my name ever,, it's just my name. No big deal ifyswim.

I think you're missing my point lebkuchenlover, I am simply saying that you shouldn't be put off a name just from the stats alone. The OP says that the name she is considering is top 10, yet she knows of none personally so can't understand why she is letting the stats put her off. She is not saying she finds the name " dull" due to its popularity.

All I am saying is that you can never tell whether your child will be the only one in a class with a certain name from looking at the statistics alone, and that you may bypass your favourite name for one you like less only to discover someone else with your "unique" DC's name anyway (and none with the more popular choice you loved). In a class of 30 or less, name duplication of even the most popular names is statistically unlikely. Being put off a name due to the frequency of hearing it is not quite what the op's post is actually about IMO.

Completely agree. I have a traditional name as do all our family and I love it - the fact that there were two other girls in class with the same name was irrelevant. I am me!

Think there is a definite trend of try to hard to be different these days, but each to their own.

I have a VERY common name. There was always at least one other in my class, and at work currently there are 4 of us (though more have come and gone). I said right from the off that no child of mine would ever have such a popular name.

However...

I always liked the name Amelia (having first come across it when we were choosing a 'Victorian' name for ourselves at primary school), and I always wanted to call my daughter it. It's been out of favour for decades, only to jump to the top spot in the year I finally had her (we were trying for over three years, so could have been anytime!). It did almost put me off, but we went with it anyway as it was the only name we could agree on.

Funny how life turns out!

I don't agree it's a relatively new stress. My eldest children are 22 to 28 and I didn't want them having the same names as anyone we knew. My friend when I had DC1 called her baby Hannah. We didn't know anyone called that, but it soon became clear that most of the girls born locally that year were named Hannah . It seems that everyone has the same idea at the same time.

Similarly when DC5 was born in 2007 a colleague who had her baby at the same time called her Evie. Everyone at work said "how unusual". Everywhere we went every little girl that age was either Evie or Isabel. (Oddly though there is no-one called either Evie or Isabel at DD's school).

I had a typical 1960s name and frequently meet people with the same name. It's very boring. It instantly dates me because it isn't a name given to older/younger women.

"I frequently hear posters on here saying that they have disregarded a name they love due to its popularity as they don't want their dc being one of 7 in a class"

Yes, their love for the name has therefore been diminished due to the name being too widely used. Fair enough. I too find some names a little dull simply because I hear them so often.

But lebkuchenlover, I frequently hear posters on here saying that they have disregarded a name they love due to its popularity as they don't want their dc being one of 7 in a class. In my dd's case we choose a name we loved which happened to be well outside the top 500 and yet there is still another in her class, so you really cannot predict from the baby name stats whether they are going to be the only one in the class or not. I would just say disregard the stats and choose the name you love most.

There were 5 Andrews in my class at primary school, that was confusing.

I have not come across that degree of prevalence in any setting my DCs have been in (they've had two Matthews, two Thomases, two Isabels, two Olivers, two Ellies). All differentiated by use of last initial.

Of course you should choose a name you love! Nobody is implying that those of us that choose less popular names don't love them .

I don't think that the duplication of names is anywhere near as predictable as it was in the 70s when the top 10 names were proportionately far more heavily used than they are now - even the most popular names these days are used by less than 1% of the population and therefore it is statistically unlikely that you will find another in a class of 30. Interestingly, the duplicated names in my dd's year group are names which you would have never predicted would be duplicated - some from even outside the top 500 for their year of birth (one being my dd's name!) I genuinely think you should choose a name you love rather than get too bogged down with its popularity.

I think it's been a problem for a long while, half the girls at school were called Claire, Louise or Kelly and they all moan now that they have such generic boring names. It;s definitely something I thought about when naming my DC.

"Whenever I hear another child with the name (Harry) it makes me smile"

It may make YOU smile. But it probably won't make the teacher smile who has several Harrys in her class, some of which perhaps sharing the same surname or surname initial .

Also, depending what area of work you're in, it can help if you have a name that easily identifies you (e.g. in terms of marketing etc).

Id rather my child had a 'popular' name than a name that was very unpopular/too unusual. I'd probably rule out the top 10 (unless I loved it lots) and also any name that had become very recently popular. I'm not a big fan of 'classics' either to be honest, would prefer something that suits the era we live in.

It's never bothered me at all.

My career is very unusual and creative. I have a very common 1970's name. My 3 friends at college all had the same name. In fact it bonded us together and we all chose nicknames that we still use with each other today.
When I had dcs I had lots of barbed comments from people that is chosen rather 'normal' names and people expressed surprise.

When I had dd (9) I chose I timeless top ten name that worked with the time she born so it meant something to us. She's the only one in her school of nearly 500 children.

Then I have a Harry. I knew how popular it was. I very nearly didn't choose it. However it was my granddads name and we really wanted it. I still love it. Whenever I hear another child with the name it makes me smile. There is one other in his class, and about 5 in the school.

I have no regrets. I don't get the wringing of hands about unusual names either. Just chose the band you like - if it's unusual, great. If it's in the top ten, great. Everyone's happy.

3 of my DC have popular names, I didn't think they were popular at the time though. In fact I thought they wouldn't be popular.
DC4's name seems to be featured on here a lot now so will probably go the same way.
So far though DD was the only one in primary and there are only three in her secondary none in her year.
DS1 is the only one in his class and there are only three in the school.
DS2 is so far the only one is his nursery class and there is one other in the school.

I never understand what people mean when they say a name will be dated or date badly.

I had an almost popular name like being Rose in a sea of Rosie's at primary school. At the time I wanted to be another Rosie but as I got older I find it annoying that I can say " hello I'm Rose" and people say
"Hi Rosie nice to meet you"

I raised eyebrows with a Finlay, known as Finn, twenty one years ago - never imagined it would become so popular.

*long term

Yes, for me a popular name which is a log term classic- like James- wouldn't be an issue. But I would rather try and avoid names which will date badly.

"I always think that top ten names are popular for a reason )"

Absolutely. The reason is that these names are fashionable and, just like clothes, we all want the same ones until they are so overused that they fall out of favour and sound/look dated!

Names like Sharon, Tracy, Mike and Gary were all "popular" for the same reason!

In addition, if you have 3 or 4 Harrys or several Evies/Eves in your class (sometimes with the same surname!), things can get a little confusing at times.

There are SO many lovely names out there to choose from!!

I have to agree with poppydaisy. The top names that are being championed as "popular for a reason" will start to sound dated in the next 10 or so years. It's just the nature of names. If you look at the top 100 popular names through the decades, it's staggering to see how drastically the styles change. There are only a precious few that have never gone out of rotation.

Sometimes we forget why we name a person - so they can easily be identified.

I hated being one of 4 or 5 in my year and always having to add an initial or adjective to my name. My name, having been fashionable in the 1970s (yes, names are popular for a reason!) now sounds dated.

But many parents don't seem to mind about these things.

My dts have got pretty popular names, both are in the top 30. We liked the names before we even realised they were popular and picked them anyway despite the fact that there may be another child or more with the same name in their class. I don't regret their chosen names, they are popular for a reason.
A woman I worked with fretted over picking a nice but different name and scoffed when I told her our choices, she thought they were far too common. The name she chose was used in a tv show and is now really popular, so there are no guarantees that a name will always be unusual.

In my class at school there where 7 variations on the name Mary, maria, Marie, moira, Annamarie etc. Just got a little dull.

Yes I am from Ireland