What are the most overused baby names you know at the moment?

@Mousefunky yes every male teenager is Josh or Daniel! And the girls are Shannon/Megan!

I don't think anyone has said Imogen yet. I've met quite a few, ranging in age from babies to late teens.

Evelyn/Evie is also very popular around here.

It all seems to be the dead members of royal family 'traditional' names for boys and the (what the parents think are) 'cutesy' girlish names with hyphens for girls.

All the girls are Eva Ava Amelia Olivia Ella Nancy Brooke/Brooklyn Wynter/winter summer, autumn round here. With hyphenated rose/mia/miah/mai/May/Rae/Lou. Boys are Oliver, Charlie, Oscar, Logan, mason and Benjamin.

I swear an angel dies every time a mother screams the name Benjamin at a park, bloody horrible name that and Theodore, it's such an ugly name for a baby.

Oh and Joshua, that hasn’t stood the test of time. I went to school with three and I know two now that are my age but there are none in my DC’s school.

Name fashions do come and go though. Names that were common when I was at school really aren’t now. Daniel has stood the test of time, there’s two in my DD’s year anyway. But Rebecca, Sarah, Jessica, Emma, Bethany, Samuel, David and Benjamin aren’t as fashionable now like they were when I was at school.

Names common in my DC’s school are:
Evie
Ellie
Ella
Jack
Oliver
Harry
Theo
Noah
Gracie
Charlie
Lily
Violet

That graph is really interesting! It's interesting to see how some names that were really popular for my generation (I'm 26) are really uncommon now for new babjes- for example, Rebecca.

You also have the names that have remained pretty constant (eg Emjly) and ones that have sprung up from nowhere (e.g. Arlo)

I also don't really see the problem with a name 'dating' someone. I think for most of us, whatever our names, our faces give our age away far more than a name.

I'd also like to stick up for popular names.The great thing about having a name that is ubiquitous for your generation is that no-one pre-judges you based on your name. Chris and Claire could be absolutely anyone from any walk of life. I have an unusual name. I would much prefer to have been Sarah or Joanne and have people judge me on actually who I am and what I do rather than on their assumptions about a name that was decided before I'd even taken my first breath.

Oliver, Jacob, eve, Isabelle.

I don't think it's those that will be dated though. It's the "hipster" ones that will date

Jack is this generation's John.

John used to be everywhere, and now no-one's calling their boys John. It's Jack instead.

Even Elizabeth is relatively out of favour.

There's one in DS's (9) year, and I was struck by how out of current synch it seemed. Her siblings are called Mary, John and George (they're all under 10) - basically some of the most well known names you could come up with - but not quite in vogue right now (except George).

It's refreshing amidst all the Evies and Sophias.

Since becoming a parent I have lived in a few different areas so I have overthought studied this carefully.

Lily
Annabel (various spellings)
Emily
Megan
Hannah (at one preschool gym class there were 3)
Zara/Zahra

Teddy
Henry
Ralph (I know 6 including my DN)
Toby
Oliver
George

Jack isn’t timeless - it was a diminutive of John for most of its usage. It’s only recently been popular as a given name in its own right. Much like there were virtually no Harry’s until Prince Harry (actually Henry) was born. It was a diminutive of Henry.

Jack was the start of the “old man name” trend. Granted a gentle one.

Think is, ‘classic’ ‘biblical’ names go in and out of fashion like anything else.

How many Mary’s under 20 do you know?

I don’t know why people are so terrified of names dating. I mean, I’m 40 year old Karen is... 40. And that’s fine, why wouldn’t it be?

My daughter’s nursery has a Cosmo, a Cosimo and a Cozmo

Keith
Derek
Nigel
Clive
Doreen
Betty
Sheila
Gillian
Sandra

I’m joking, of course.

It’s the same inevitable procession of Jacks, Alfies, Archies, Harrys, Amelias & Ellas as everywhere else. Despite this, everyone politely pretends the parents have chosen ‘unusual’ names and not just followed fashion and the herd.

And as for Jack being ‘timeless’, I respectfully disagree. I was at secondary school in the 80s. Out of 75 or so boys in my year, the total number of Jacks was 0. There were none in the year above or the year below, either. There were, however 5 Sharons in my year alone...

Alexander and Daniel for boys also both v.v.v. popular!

Oh, and Felix!

Sophia
Olivia
Dorothy
Dotty
Isla
Lola
Lexi
Iyla
Elsie
Harriet

Parker
Carter
Logan
Albie
Harry
Mylo

Im in the north west

Isla
Freya

Theo

My DCs names have been mentioned, but only once each. I don't mind!

Both my DC are on here! But I only know of one other child with each name, there’s one other boy at nursery with DS’ name and a friend of a friend had a DD with the same name as my DD. There was 3 Olivias at a toddler group we used to go to, and I know several Amelias under 5.

It’s interesting how they change, at my secondary school in the late 90s most of the girls were Becky, Vicky, Katie, Laura, Sarah or Emma. Boys’ names were Robert, Matthew, Sam, Tom or James. The boys’ names have remained popular though!

Anna. Three in my post natal exercise class and another three in DD nursery.

Eva/Ava/evie
Mya/mia

Alfie
Jacob

Interestingly in my dd’s Nursery class there are no multiples of names (except Jacob). Shows how much more diverse names are nowadays.

I think
Harper
Maya/Mya
Freya
Amelie
Mason (and other surnames)

Will sound dated in years to come as they are ‘new’ names and currently mega popular.

Esme

Freya
Evie
Amelia
Freddie
Alfie
Harriet
Jack
Riley
Ameli

Elizabeth has been popular most of the 20th century. Different forms of it have spiked. Elsie, Betty, or Lisa, for example.
Emma has been popular since the 1950s, I think.
So I would say that they are both classic, but the other forms aren't.

A name that dates badly is often associated with a celebrity.