Does it matter if it’s popular?

Well I was obviously using that as an example,

Though I do know a Persophone, and her parents are social climbing idiots

Who picked Persephone?

Insisting that you picked Persophone because you loved it, and didn’t even realise it could be seen as Posh/pretentious seems a bit disingenuous to me...

Well I think those are the assumptions most people would make about those names. I’m the same way I would assume a Mohammed came from an Asian/Muslim background and a Hamish was Scottish.

If you don’t like them, pick a different name?

*If it’s a name associated with the aristocracy or a lengthy hard to pronounce Greek mythical name - the statement you are making is ‘look how posh and educated I am compared to you’

If it’s a double barrelled phonetically spelled name, it could be: I consider myself unique, and don’t set much store behind the ‘proper way of doing things and don’t set much value in education
*

No, it's not the statement I'm making. It's what YOU assume I'm stating. Big difference. You can make all sorts of assumptions about why people chose the names they do. But don't be surprised if they turn out untrue.

Dds name is now top 10 but 15 years ago when I had her it wouldn’t even have occurred to me to check the lists (were they even available then?)

Ds1 name is in the top 100 now and ds2 is way down at the bottom somewhere, but if they had have been near the top I wouldn’t have changed my mind.
Funnily enough, the only repeated name in dds year group is Shannon - which I wouldn’t have thought of as popular at all.

Think of how many cities, towns and villages there are - these children with the top name will be spread all over the U.K. - it’s very unlikely they’ll all be in the same school.

I don’t mind at all. I have an unusual name and don’t think about it at all. I agree that popular names are popular because they’re nice.

My D.C. are now in the top 20 ish (they were more emerging when we chose them) but this year it was still only a couple of thousand babies called by their names. A couple of thousand amongst a population of millions. School years are fleeting, although I do sympathise with the point about being one of 7 Sarahs

Agree with the comments on depends on the name. I like the girls names Sally and Jane, both outside top 100 but easy to spell and not pretentious. My DH didn't like either though.

I think the point people are making is: it’s more difficult to guess the statement/intention/view of themselves of the parents of Oliver/Harry/Owen/Peter, than Gucci/Acorn/Lexi-Maii/Lysander

But the mistake people are still making is thinking that popularity has much to do with that. Lots of names ranked below 200 are normal names that are not car brands, not nature related, not taken from ancient mythologies, etc.

Then you get below the 1000 mark where they get a bit more "unique", but tbh they're mostly just alternative spellings and foreign names.

I personally wouldn't pick any name in the top 100 but I'm weird lol, my little boys name has now crept up to the 60s but wasn't in the top 100 when I named him, my little girls name I highly doubt would ever be in the top 100, it's never been mentioned on mumsnet or even in RL as a suggestion x

I think the point people are making is: it’s more difficult to guess the statement/intention/view of themselves of the parents of Oliver/Harry/Owen/Peter, than Gucci/Acorn/Lexi-Maii/Lysander

So, what’s the name?!

If it was the name of a prestige luxury item, e.g Mercedes, Gucci, Vuitton then the statement you are making is: I’m very materialistic, and I want to be seen as mor rich/aspirational than perhaps I am

If you give them a very naturey word name that isn’t typically used as a name, E.G Acorn, Ocean, Oak you are saying: I consider myself a hippy, and will raise my children in an alternative ‘natural’ way as I disapprove of modern society

Need to know the name to determine what the name is sunflower.

If it’s a well known but underused name, probably none e.g Terrence

If it’s a name associated with the aristocracy or a lengthy hard to pronounce Greek mythical name - the statement you are making is ‘look how posh and educated I am compared to you’

If it’s a double barrelled phonetically spelled name, it could be: I consider myself unique, and don’t set much store behind the ‘proper way of doing things and don’t set much value in education

Etc etc etc

My boyfriend's name is made up. As in his mother picked some sounds she likes and put them together. He hates it. He maintains that if we have children they're having popular names so they don't have to deal with the nonsense he does. People have to hear it pronounced atleast 3 times on first meeting and then they still say it wrong. The variations of spellings always entertain me too. It's not people's fault, it's his mother's because its not a name. Popular classic (non fashionable) names are the best in my opinion.

Totally depends on the name Sunflower.

There’s some names outside the top 100 that most people will be familiar with, but that are currently out of fashion.
E.g. Peter or Susan - currently unfashionable, but well established names that won’t raise many eyebrows.

And then you get the wacky trying to be unique ones - Apple, Gandalf etc.

One sort is a “statement” name and the other isn’t, despite both sorts being outside the top 100.

I love sharing my name! I feel like part of a club.

I wonder if your boss/teacher/colleagues also love not being able to differentiate between you all

There's five of us in my office with my name. I was the only one at school with it as it was very rare until it experienced a big surge in popularity when I was about 10. I love sharing my name! I feel like part of a club.

Possibly none sunflower. Depends on the name.

I like really unusual names. DS2 is the 1st person with his name in the UK for 200 years. 😆

In fact, I'd love be to know what 'statement' I'm making by giving my dc a classic well known easy to spell name that just happens to be less popular (used about 30 times last year)?!

I guess it’s more names outside he top 100-200 that tend to be more ‘statement’ names

What ?

Just because a name isn't fashionable does not mean it's making a statement!

I've just named my little boy Max which I think was about #30 in 2017

I wasn't really bothered about popularity (my other favourites were George and Oliver), I just wanted him to have a solid name that wasn't spelled ludicrously and would suit both a child and an adult man

If there are other little boys in his class called Max, I don't think it's the end of the world

So Mummers?! =summed 😂😂😂😂

Although I take the point that if they were called bottom 100 names, e.g Martha, Violet then it also probably wouldn’t be an issue. I guess it’s more names outside he top 100-200 that tend to be more ‘statement’ names and thus very marmite. I think it’s best to avoid the line o f thinking of ‘I want something that says how posh/unique/modern/cool/antiestablishmentwe as a family are’