Snobbery to popular names

OP definitely needs to look up the term 'snob' in the dictionary. Sorry if this has been mentioned, haven't RTFT.

I dislike popular names because I am a name geek and I find them boring and unimaginitive.
I'm definitely not a 'snob'
Quite the opposite. I love the name Kai due to its Hawaiian meaning, also Kaia. Both names are sneered at by people who think they are down-market. Disliking a name because you think it is downmarket or inferior or belonging to 'chavs' is snobbery and that is rife on Mumsnet

I recently met a baby Coralie and a baby Karana and thought how lovely. They are gorgeous underused names.
Whenever I hear a baby Ava or Olivia or Oliver I just think yawn... But I don't judge the parents I just assume their taste is different to mine and that's fine, there's nothing wrong with those names.
It's the same for my age group with names like Sarah and Dave. Sarah is a nice name but sooo overused. I know about 20 Daves. I would want to avoid that for my DC.
I also have a boring popular 80s name and would rather have something more unusual and imaginative.

One positive with a popular name and common surname is stalkers find it harder.

I think you need to look up what snobbery means.

I actually do think there is some snobbery on Baby names threads sometimes, but that isn't anything to do with posters pointing out to the person asking the question, that certain names are popular at the moment.
I had my dc before MN. Before we had the internet at our fingertips. Someone did give me a hand-me-down book of names, but I knew nothing about which names were popular. My ds has grown up with a name that - whereas I still love the name - means he has NEVER belonged to anything where he is the only one with his name. One Scout camp there were 11 young people on it, 3 were girls, and 4 of them were called ds's name. Currently he plays in a football team (formed of people that went to school together so they are almost all the same school year) and there are 3 of them with the same name in his team. He's never just been able to be 'his name', he's always needed to add his surname. In junior school there was a child with the same first name and surname in the year above him, and another in the year below him.
Believe me, if I'd known all this at the time, I'd have used a different name.
People might not be aware about name popularity, so people mentioning that to a poster who has asked for opinions about their name choice, seems helpful to me, not snobbery.

I know, op, it's odd. When I was having ds3 and before we knew his sex, we were planning to use Sofia for a girl. So many people told me it was "too popular"... well duh, it's a beautiful name that works in many languages and cultures, that it is popular is hardly a surprise. My name was massively popular when I was little and it never caused me an issue. I find the desperation to be different interesting.

Lots of people saying that they hated being one of a thousand Catherines or whatever.

I actually didn't mind having a very popular first name. Always felt a sense of affinity with other kids of the same name, as though we were part of the same 'club'. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate the degree of anonymity my name can give me.

However, I have a very unusual surname which always attracts comments, so that may be a factor.

Also, I was always extremely thankful that my middle name wasn't Louise, since it seemed every girl born in the '70s or '80s with my first name invariably had 'Louise' as a middle name.

Therefore a popular first name might not matter so much with a more uncommon middle name or surname. If you have a common surname, perhaps something more unusual would balance it out.

I don't think that's snobbery - people often come on asking if X name is popular or not, so I think many posters just think popularity is worth mentioning, or are just expressing their opinion.

I think there is sometimes distaste for short forms and similarly new names or nouns used as names etc, which I think may be partly down to snobbery - but equally can just be about the appreciation of the history of names, or a genuine belief that certain names may not be helpful for children in later life, or that it's good for the child to have the choice of full or shortened name.

But this is a forum, so opinions and points of view are what it's about...

If your child is one of several in their class it doesn’t matter what you call them as they will just be called ‘surname’ instead. That’s the main issue with popular names I thought?!

I remember as an older teenager speaking to a small cousin who I'd called Emily-Em since she was born. She was now at school. She asked her mum why I was calling her by another girl's name - because now she'd started school she was Emily S and someone else was Emily M (and someone else Emily R). That put me off super popular names.

I've not read the whole thread.
I dislike very popular names because I find them boring. I'm not sure that that's snobbery?
I am snobby about lots of "uneek" names which often are awful and only used because of their rareness.
I do like unusual classical names and have done since childhood - don't know where it came from.

I just find the most popular names really boring and dull. It’s not because they’re ugly or anything. I just wouldn’t choose them myself because I prefer names that I find fresh and interesting.

See my only criteria for a name for my child would be that it hasn’t been used already by friends or family, I would like to use a different name (not fussed if it matches a middle name) and the most important thing is I like it and that it feels right.

I’m all prepared for possible future backlash over the names in my head for girls. One that I like is pretty popular (and a TV character) so people won’t bat an eyelid. My other couple of names, and the one I’m really set on, are much more unique. I wouldn’t call them insane - it’s not Cupcake or Hula Hoop or Penguin or any celebrity style - buts it’s also not in the top 1000. I just came across it and liked its meaning and it’s a very “me “ name. I once made the mistake of looking up threads with it on here and I would say it’s a very marmite name. Im sure if I have a girl and use the name I’ll get comments.

Boys names however, the ones I love are popular! All my friends and cousins and family friends in my generation who have had children in the last 6 years have all had boys. 12 little boys on my Christmas and birthday lists to buy for each year. And they’ve all got the most popular names so I’m slightly thin on the ground for popular choices anyway! I love Freddie - there’s a Freddie in every single class bar one at my school it’s crazy! Wouldn’t stop me though.

I also like welsh names - and have no connection to Wales at all so have been questioned about them.

To be honest, having spent my whole career in education the big thing for me is has any child just totally put me off a name? Oh yes. I’ve lost a few options. They’ve been ruined

I get what your saying. But I dont think its snobbery. I personally wouldnt choose a 'popular' name and I have said that as my opinion on threads multiple times. It just a preference. Yes when I was in school there were loads of Sarah's, Tom's and Emily's. My name is common and, again this is just my opinion, I found it boring. Just one of many. I always loved a different name! They stuck out and I remembered them. I hated being one of 6 or 7 other girls in my year. It was annoying.
Saying all this if a certain name was 100% my favourite name I would go for it even if it was on the charts. For instance I love the name Luna, which is high on the charts, I would of used it but I have a close friend with that name.
But it does put me off as I dont want my child to have the same name as 8 other children in their class. Just like if you have a name that you associate with someone bad imo. Each to their own at the end of the day. It's not snobbery, just an opinion. I found on here that people are MUCH more rude about names that are not ordinary and common. So people having the opinion that it's too popular is quite inoffensive.

Stroke, I note Cupcake is in America.....

About 10 years ago a woman at work was talking about her new grand nieces, twins named Beatrice and Florence. Dreadful old lady names, what were their parents thinking, that sort of thing. My DD was at nursery at the time and I told her that Beatrice and Florence were the Emma and Katie of her DD's generation. She wasn't convinced.

I don't think it is snobbery as such but agree with pp who suggest that the reason people often hesitate with really popular names (say top 10 or so) is twofold:

1. Some posters with popular names of their own generation disliked being known as "Sarah A" themselves and hope that if they pick a slightly less popular name (even if it's still in the top 50/100 or very well known) they stand a better chance of avoiding this for their child.
2. Most names date to some extent, but by either choosing a name that has always been well used (eg. James or Elizabeth sort of names) or going for a name that is much less common (but doesn't have to be strange or made up- say something like Claudia or Marcus); you can't as easily tell how old the person is just from their name. Not very important when they are a child, but could be annoying if they want to fudge their age when older.

There is nothing wrong with Alfie or Ava (to use 2 of your examples), they are nice names but in 50 years most people will likely to be able to guess what decade/s they were born in without meeting them, and they may well be one of several in their class/sport/hobby group, (which may or may not annoy them). That might bother you or not - it personally wouldn't stop me from using a name I've always really loved, but I might hesitate if there was another name I liked nearly as much without these problems and choose that instead.

Tom, Steve, Dave or Fred
Friend's DC is just Tom. Other Toms I know are Thomas or variations of Thomas in their mother tongue (Tomos, Tomasz).
Steve - I'd assume was short for Stephen or Steven.
Dave - I know so many, presumably all Davids.
Fred - I know 2, one is Frederick and the other is Frédéric.

It was all Katherine's and Jennifer's at my secondary. So much effort to come up with their own nn and spelling.
All Dave's where I used to work. Postie Dave. Army Dave. Navy Dave. Baker Dave.
All Amy's at my other job. Runner Amy. Little Amy. Doctor Amy. New Amy.

That's why is avoid it. Not because I think they're parents are somehow inferior to me

It's not really snobbery, more I didn't want my kids to be like one of the 8 Katies in my year at school. Often popular names are nice, but you don't want your child to be Katy 6 or James M (as opposed to James A, B, C and D).

DD has a name which we sensed was getting more popular, and was happy with that as then it wouldn't be 'weird' but wouldn't be everywhere either. Funnily enough there are very few repeat names in her secondary school year but one other girl in her form with same first name and same surname initial!

I agree with a previous OP, I don't like shortened names entered on birth certificates. Nickname fine in day to day life. But Alfred is the proper name, Alf or Alfie the shortened version. I always apply the judge test. Would it pass as a His Honour/Her Honour/Lady Justice etc

I really struggle to see why having a nickname as a name would have any impact on a person in this regard, though. When I meet a Tom, Steve, Dave or Fred etc, I might at some point ask if it was shortened but I wouldn't assume it was, as it often isn't, and it wouldn't affect my opinion of their ability to be professional at all. I think a lot of the "nicknames" people list on MN and say "everyone will assume it is short for x" are actually very common in their own right these days, and I don't think everybody does assume they are nicknames anymore.

I know what people are getting at with the more "cute" sounding nicknames like Alfie and Archie, but honestly I think people are failing to take into account that by the time these children are applying to be high court judges, there will have been 30 odd years of this being one of the most, if not the most common style of name, and it would be very odd for their peers to reject them for having it when they are so used to it.

I don’t get it either.

I called my middle DS a very popular name. Got all sorts of rude comments like how he’ll be one of 10 in his class, no individuality, might as well just called him sheep generic child #300. He hasn’t started school yet but I’ve not met a single other toddler yet at groups with his name (clearly because everyone was avoiding it!) and don’t know a single one in his brothers year group at school.

However plenty of [insert Unique name of choice] at the groups. The amount of mums I’ve met who say oh I can’t believe there is a another Ruben At this group is crazy!

Although that being said I’m firmly in the camp of name your baby what you love and don’t be influenced by how popular the name
Is it what others think.