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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Why do the mumsnet community hate popular names?

112 replies

YourAmberFawn · 13/03/2025 19:07

Hi everyone,

Maybe a little rant… but I am genuinely curious.
I see a lot of hate on here for names for being popular
Names such as Margot, Jude, Sophia, Luca, e.x.t
While I understand being wary of a popular name, I personally think there’s a difference between popular and trendy - and most of these names have stood the test of time! A lot of the time a name is popular because it is a good name!!
I was wondering why a lot of you dislike popular names? But on the same hand, dislike any new and usual name and brand them impractical?

How high / low in the top 100 would your ideal baby name be?

OP posts:
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Zeldasie · 13/03/2025 22:32

If a certain name is ten a penny where one lives, it's likely to become dull and uninspired in that person's view

Yes!

My dc's names are all outside the top 100

SkaneTos · 13/03/2025 22:26

I think posters here are nice about popular names, in general?

Sometimes the OP is something like
"Should we name our son Archie or Arlo? We don't mind that those names are popular, but we can't decide. Help us."

And usually the people responding are very nice, and just write which name they prefer, and why.

ForFunGoose · 13/03/2025 22:21

My children have names that are common as muck, they’re still very much individuals and very unique. Some people just overthink everything imo

sevenIsNewEight · 13/03/2025 22:16

Can it be because it allows the posters to feel superior to many people with just one sentence?

Original poster
YourAmberFawn · 13/03/2025 22:13

Emanwenym · 13/03/2025 22:07

Margot - none my age. Popular because of a celebrity
Jude - the ones my age are Judy or Judith.
Sophia - none my age. too popular, so it seems unimaginative.
Luca - seems like it's popular because of a celebrity

They're the Tracey, Sharon, Karen and Darren of their generation

Darling you haven’t answered the question you’ve just furthered my point 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️

OP posts:
Emanwenym · 13/03/2025 22:07

Margot - none my age. Popular because of a celebrity
Jude - the ones my age are Judy or Judith.
Sophia - none my age. too popular, so it seems unimaginative.
Luca - seems like it's popular because of a celebrity

They're the Tracey, Sharon, Karen and Darren of their generation

ClaudineMallory · 13/03/2025 19:44

There are many, many threads where people discuss more alternative and different names. Wren seems very popular, and names like Seren, Tosten, Wolf, Amaya and Clay. So I think it's variable.

Pinkbirds · 13/03/2025 19:41

The baby name forum is scathing on MN. You’re not allowed to like popular names because it’s deemed as common 🙄

I find most posters are aspiring to be the type of person (educated, six figures, CEO 😂 who live in a 1 million pound house😅) they think they should be, it’s just pretentious nonsense. I also think the demographic posting on here are older so they seem to love names like Edward and Sarah.
i find MN is pretty awful if you don’t fit in to their thinking.
Id never post my name choices on here because no matter what they’d get destroyed.

ClaudineMallory · 13/03/2025 19:22

There is no "Mumsnet community". I think there a lots of different posters at any one time. It's not a hive mind. I've seen lots of different opinions on baby name threads, so it depends who's posting.

Zeitumschaltung · 13/03/2025 19:21

Because MN users are disproportionately middle class. The chapter on names in Freakonomics explains the phenomenon

username462025 · 13/03/2025 19:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Reugny · 13/03/2025 19:14

My DD's name isn't in the top 100.

And it's your grandmother's name if you are aged 70+ but not rare.

A couple of my friends have one child with a name similar to my DD's and another child with a more popular name.

Point is there are millions of names out there so you have a bigger scope than the top 100 and the usual name you are trying to make up likely has a variant that already exists that some people have heard off.