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

It's so regional and local. Round here (London) it's

Leo
Ted
Freddie

Isabella
Isla
Freya
Florence

I have an Eleanor and in 4 years of going to groups have never come across any others. It is an offbeat area though and we know lots of kids with unusual names (Duke, Forest, Hunter, Red, Gala, River, Tiger etc)

Mike - I think the point is that even classic names can have their 'moment' - they're popular, and then fade, and so you can date their owner to a particular generation.

Names that I don't think you can easily tell how old the owner might be are Celeste, Tabitha, Briony, Cecile/Cecily/Celia, Fleur, Lenore, Marianne, Cordelia, Portia, Blythe, Antonia, Bianca, Greta, Cressida, Rosalind, Elinor, Ramona, Silvia, just off the top of my head.

They won't all be to everyone's taste, but there are so many names out there to choose from - it's interesting that people seem to go for the same ones.

And the argument that 'they're popular for a reason - because they're lovely' doesn't really stack up.

Jennifer, Karen, Nicola, Angela, Joanne - were all popular once, but people naming their babies now don't seem to be finding them as lovely.

Arlo

Rose is ubiquitous but I met a Rosa yesterday which is more unusual

tillytoodles1
I'd say Layla is a pretty common one. Or maybe it's because it sounds so similar to Lola that I think that.

Ava
Eva
Lily
Rosie
Ella/Evie-May/Mae etc
Lola

Loads of boys' names are v popular. Too many to mention.

Hannah - from the Bible
Charlotte - from France, dates back to the 14th century
Elizabeth - from the Bible. Popular since E1R. Lots of elderly Lizs and Bettys etc.
Sara - Sarah has been popular since the 1950s
Emma - popular since the Norman conquest.

Not names originating in 1990s. All classics.

Erin is very popular in my work (a nursery).

It goes in spurts. I worked in a nursery with 6 Jacks, 5 Sam's and 7 Ben's.

Names I like that aren't popular, Paige, Kristen, Layla, Thomas, Matthew and Max.

Thedowagercuntess - what names are those?

Often people suggest ‘classic’ names of people I went to school with in the 90s - Hannah, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Sara, Emma,

You can date them to my generation!

Lily sounds like Lully in Glasgow!

... and in NZ!

Most names are cyclical, but some are much more so than others. I know what the OP means about David - people of my generation know at least three Daves, whereas no one is calling their baby David now.

Same with Michael, Mark, Simon, Peter, Charles - all classic, solid names that are out of favour now - instead George, James, William, Daniel - and the ubiquitous diminutives are much more in favour - Harry, Charlie, Alfie, Archie, Freddie, etc.

Girls names that you can't move for are all listed above.

It's funny, because there are so many names out there - lovely, classic, elegant, perennial names that are under-used and won't date, but people go for the same old Ellies, Millies, Evies, Evas, Amelias, Chloes, Graces, Sophias, Olivias, Ellas, Islas, etc...

Evie/Evelyn
Ava
Alfie
Archie
Olivia
Oscar
Isla

Leo (3 in my daughter's nursery)
Oliver
Mia

I'm in the South East for reference

I looked up the regional link for home town and nearest towns and it varies so much.

Isla!!

Grace
Aimee/Amy
Isla
Mabel
Daisy
Holly
Evie
Eva
Lily
Molly
Millie

Harry
Archie
Noah
Jasper
Oscar
Charlie
Thomas
Max
Jackson
Harrison

Those are the names in my area where there tends to be more than one per class.

I know about 3 Caitlins but 2 are spelt with a K.

I’ve got a really common-to-my-generation name (3 of us in my secondary school form!) but I really like my name. It’s quite classic, and has a lovely meaning. So choose something you love and don’t worry.

I do have my mum’s first name as my middle name and I LOVE that (it pleases me having something matrilineal in my name, and it’s a lovely name, and I adore my mum and like feeling connected to her. If I have a girl she’ll have the same middle name too.)

I forgot the Emilia, Amelia, Amelies and the Tilly/Matildas.
Know several of those.
And quite a few Joshuas, Ryans and Conors aged about 20.

right now

Ava
Amelia
Reuben

DD is 16. At one point on her hockey team there were 6 girls called variations of Alex/Alexandra/Alexia etc. Was quite confusing.

The little ones I know:
Ella
Olivia
Isabel
Freya
Jack
Harry
Noah
Thomas

Lots of slightly older kids called Jack, Harry, Oliver, Chloe, Molly ...

On here; Ezra, Ava, Darcy, Dylan,Theodore etc, and Mae, Rose or Grace as middle names. Usually quite ugly names that are likely to be Darrens and Traceys of the future.

Ella
Lottie

Theo
Oliver

There’s a great website called Darkgreener which shows you names over time. So you can see for example that Ava came out of nowhere and is now massively popular (so it will date) whereas Harriet has been in the top 100 for ages but never right at the top (so it would be much harder to guess the age of a Harriet)

Lilly
Molly
Millie
Mia
Sophia
Ruby
Ella
Amelia
Isabelle

Alfie
Noah
Jack
Harry
Reuben

I’m really glad we are over the kayden Jayden Hayden era