Can't shake name regret of my 4 year old

I called my son Isaac. Always loved it, had never met one. Yet there are 3 in his school year and I know 3 other people who have since called their babies Isaac. Just happens that way sometimes. Lily is lovely!

Lily is in the big pile of names I regret not giving my DDs.

So many names, and only 2 DDs

Does she have a middle name you could tag on ie lily-Ann or liliana, or similar, you could do that or change it to lily but known as Milly/Jilly/Tilly

It's beautiful without being twee or childish. You made a good choice. Really.

It is her name now, you just have to accept that. At least you didnt call her Chardonnay.

Lily is a beautiful name. DD2 has a Lily in her class and she is lovely.

Dd1 (mid teens) has a name that was popular at the time, and in nursery there were 3 of them.with the same name, but hardly any in secondary.

Dd2 has a name in top 50 in her year of birth, I didn't love it, Dd1 and Dh chose it really but I've grown to love it because it's her name and she really loves it.

I hope you start feeling the same way, it really is a gorgeous name.

Lots of love for the name Lily on this thread OP!

I loved my own name and my kids names until I read the threads on mumsnet.
In my op Lily is beautiful, simple and I would consider it a classic that is cute on a little one and great for an adult too.

For the people suggesting you just change the name, as if a 4 year old doesn't already know their own name

Lily is fine. Popular for a number of years but absolutely nothing wrong with it. FWIW I was born in the late 80s and was in a form class in high school that had 3 other people with my name, so 4 of us in total in a class of 30. It never bothered me.

Find a way to make peace with it and move on

I know more Thea and alices than I do Lilys

She's only 4, I would definitely change it!

You can't change a 4 year old's name, ffs! Lily knows herself to be Lily - she can't just be told to call herself something else.

Lily is a lovely name. The Lily's I know are lovely people too

Honestly Op, it’s lovely.

Spare a thought for me though, I’m 25. I’m Joanne! I mean how boring & unoriginal. It wasn’t even in fashion when I was born. My name should be classed as abuse it’s so dull

I now take an instant dislike to threads when the parents want to regenerate an old fashioned name

Lily is a beautiful name. I work in a very small prep school (just over 60 children) and we don't have any girls called Lily.

Going back a few years, we had a form of 5 girls and 3 boys. THREE of the 5 girls were called Talullah. (I'd never heard the name outside of Bugsy Malone!) I have never met another Tallulah since.

She's only 4, I would definitely change it! I agree it's a very bland name.

I'm thinking when pp's have said they couldn't believe it when they heard their unusual child's name either soon after or starting school etc, if the names got round by word of mouth. You only have to tell a few friends, then they tell theirs and so on.

I was at school with four Sarahs and four Alisons. Popular names are just that - popular. Lily is a lovely name, and although you might now feel you wish you had chosen something slightly more unusual, she is probably loving the idea of friends with the same name. You can never be sure what will come into fashion - my brother was called Andrew and a few months later Prince Andrew came in to being, so there were several in all his classes as he grew up! Just remember you chose that name because it is pretty and lovely (and at least it hasn't suddenly become popular after a page three girl, or naff TV programme or something...).....

It's a pretty name. I did the same as you OP, named both kids names that I thought were relatively rare but well known. Now all I hear at the playground are parents shouting my children's names! It's fine though, I grew up with a slightly obscure name and people got it wrong all the time. Better that your DD have a popular name that people won't mispronounce or get confused by than a rare one which everyone gets wrong.
It's not trivial at all, it's how you feel - but try not to upset yourself over it. It's her name now, and doubtless she will make it her own in time! How many Kates are there out there, for example, who have a common name but who have made it their own? Or Daniels, or Jameses, or Elizabeths?
Don't fret OP. It's out of your hands anyway. Just be glad you didn't name her Khaleesi

Don't change it to Lillian either. Lily is lovely, and it's her name. Lillian isn't.

The way I look at it is that she's YOUR Lily with all her special ways, quirks and all and that makes it the right name for your little daughter.

I only know of one Lily locally so I think its popularity varies according to region. So later in in her life, she may not know any other Lilys.

It is a lovely name. At least you don't regret it being a bit chavvy or something.

Please don't change her name to Liliana or something or hyphenate it.

Being known by your middle name is a PITA. Any time you have to use the full name e.g hospital visits, you will be assumed to be known by the first.

The PM is Al to his family.

Mrs Thatcher was Hilda but chose to use Margaret.

I like the name Lily. The name Titus mentioned by another poster is a really nice name.

My DS has a ‘top 5’ name, there was never another boy in his class at school with the same name, and if there had been, so what? He is at Uni now and his best mate does have the same name, but neither of them care .

My DH has a very common name for his generation, we know lots of men with the same name ... (three in our row of seven houses!) but it really isn’t an issue.

Lily is a beautiful name.

I've always slightly regretted not calling my dd Cerys. Dh talked me out of it so I chose Rebecca instead. I do love her name, it's always been one of my favourites. Named after the dead chic in the book.[Grin]

She says if I had gone with Cerys she'd have run away as soon as she could walk!