What is a 'common' name?!

How 'common' or 'popular' a name is has nothing to do with class ( whatever that even means).

Common names are the opposite of uncommon or unusual names, names outside the top 100 or so.

People refer to class with terms like 'chavvy' or 'posh' although I hate this classification.

I think there's always been some names that are recognised as being used by different classes- and names with the most longevity are often those that transcend class and make it hard to make assumptions about the bearer.

When I was at school Sharon and Tracie and Wayne and Craig were definitely "working class choices". Similarly you'd only imagine Ruperts or Sebastiens or Arabellas at boarding schools.

Names like Thomas, James, Emma, Mathew, Laura though seem classless and are still around today.

Everyones judgey - I'm afraid that I'd make assumptions about children with names from TV shows (any GOT basically), unconventional spellings (Jaxon, Kourtney) or unsavoury connotations (Tyson??)

Common perfectly decent names include Amelia/Emilia, William and Harry.
Common non-decent names include -Mai, -Rose, Ellie, Kayden and Luca.
I wonder which 'common' was meant.

CassianAndor I agree!

Common (not the ‘popular’ meaning) always seemed to be Eastender characters like Tracy, Michelle, Angie and Sharon. Really dating myself there!

deep blue you mum got to name you and your sister (and any other siblings you have). Your sister has named any children she already has or will get to name any she has in future. You get to name yours. I would tell them I have chosen Khalessie-Navaeh-Mae or J'xx'n-Jaden-JJ and hope the shock prevents them from speaking. Then actually announce the real name only when the baby is born. Don't discuss name choices with them. Choose the name you and your DP (assuming you have one) want. Everyone else can butt out.

Are people really that judgemental when you tell them the name you have chosen for your baby?

Oh OP - just spend 5 minutes on the baby names boards! The judgementalism on names is an excellent prep for being a mother since a mother's place is invariably in the wrong

overused? That's quite subjective. Nothing wrong with a popular name, unless you're a MN snob!

For boys it's surnames for Christian names (Mason, Tyler, Harrison, Jaxon etc), for girls anything hyphenated or misspelled (Lydia-Mai, Saffire-Rose) and for either it's a nickname on the birth certificate not the full name (Charlie, Theo, Archie, Jessie, Betty).

Common is overused so names like Alfie, Archie, Evie, Ellie etc

I find ones that are spelled in a made-up way quite 'common'. Ironically it's probably in an attempt to be different.

If I was having a baby the absolute last place I would discuss names would be MN. A more snobbish bunch I have yet to come across.

formerbabe
It is.

I remember my parents and grandparents talking about how certain fashion trends were 'common as muck'. By secondary school we knew which kids were the ones always trashing lessons, smoking, being antisocial on the streets, the ones who'd be getting into fights in y9 based on who slept with whose boyfriend/girlfriend, who was getting excluded or in trouble with police. With it came certain nicknames, fashion trends, items of clothing and so on that made up the chav subculture.

If only we had some dogooder middle class folk who could have come in and told us working class teenagers that it's really quite crass to look down on that behaviour and how we (despite being working class) were demonizing those who aren't affluent.

Number one rule of Mumsnet baby names board: anything hypenated.

I've worked in schools in the more deprived, high crime areas of town and they still had strong feelings about who and what was chavvy. I didn't see any poor working class kids lamenting how unfair and mean it was to judge those who hung around the shops smoking and being antisocial at 14

Yes, it only appears to be the middle class do gooder types who get offended by the word 'chav'.

I hate people who use the terms 'chav' or 'chavvy' it's such a derogatory term and used to be insulting
Whereas in our region people of all classes know what a chav is and what it is to be chavvy, yes it is insulting because most people don't want to be a chav.

The only people I've ever met who fall over themselves to be offended by any way of identifying a particularly culture/set of behaviour are, amusingly, very middle class folk who wish to appear oh so woke whilst claiming they've had enough with class or they don't see class or whatever faux- naive woke nonsense makes them feel nice.

I've worked in schools in the more deprived, high crime areas of town and they still had strong feelings about who and what was chavvy. I didn't see any poor working class kids lamenting how unfair and mean it was to judge those who hung around the shops smoking and being antisocial at 14.

I think 'common' is applied by snobs who think they have the best taste and wrongly think everyone else is aspiring to have their taste.
I think many people don't associate popular names like Ellie, Sophia or oliver as 'common' because their understanding of what 'common' means is something else ie not wanting to branded as having bad taste.

I hate people who use the terms 'chav' or 'chavvy' it's such a derogatory term and used to be insulting.

When I use the word common I mean popular, used often.

I also think common means over used

I try to stay away from last years top 20, definitely top 10.

Four dc so far and none have ever had another child with their name in their school year.

Dc5 due later this year and i have told dp 'no' to several names i regard 'too common'

To me common means overused so Alfie, Archie, Ollie, Charlie, Jack, Evie, Ellie, etc

I always thought that the "chavvy" names were those that were made more common by being a character or stars name from a tv show. The same thing is happening with G o T just now. Think of all the Khalessi , Arya and Briennes that will be around in a few years time.

Common:
Mackenzie
Harley
Harrison
Tyler
Jayden
Chantelle
Jaxon
Lexi
Scarlett
Ruby
Anything with -mai
Anything with a hyphen
Chloe
Jackson
Kobe
Dexter
Vinnie
Frankie
Corley

OR

Arthur
Leo
Sophia
Olivia
Oliver
Thomas
William
Masie
Violet
Evelyn
Hannah
Isobel
Alexander
Jack

Names are a minefield.

I’m due to give birth to dc2 (a boy) any day now and we haven’t found a name. Mostly because we made the catastrophic error of mentioning choices to parents. My mom pulled a face and my MIL rolled her eyes. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Dd was much easier!!

I’m also a childminder so I have known a lot of boys over the years and there have been lots of names I wanted to use but couldn’t. I loved the name Joel but I looked after one who was a right little so and so, and now I can’t see any other child but him. (He is a gorgeous young man now, just a terrible toddler!)

DH and I are very working class, and I have no desire to be anything else...I like names such as Rupert and Percy but I do worry they are a little try hard. My children will never be privately educated or live in Chelsea and Westminster, and I’m very aware of that fact.

Where I live in the north "chav" names are similar to -
McKenzie
Chantelle
Harley
Hayden
Jayden
Kayden
Mia
Poppy
Destiny
Harrison

Etc. It seems that the more "modern" or the more abstract the name's meaning the chavvier it is.

"Common" is more to do with popularity in my opinion.