Too Popular?

I'm still trying to figure out the reason why having a very popular name bothers some people. I will admit it would bother me, and I gave my kids weirdy names partly for this reason but I can't figure out why.

I suppose when you hear a name all the time it becomes like having chips every day...just a bit 'boring', not the name itself but its sheer ubiquity.

Again though, why is it boring? Why are we not all content to call our children one of say, ten standard issue names?

In Germany I believe there is a choice, a large choice albeit but nevertheless a choice. You can be taken to court if you deviate from it.

I just know that if I knew ten other people who had called their son Michael, I couldn't add mine to the list.
I'd have to change it a bit at least!

Isabella is a pretty name and is popular nationally. However, the popularity seems to vary a lot geographically so you could choose a fairly popular name and not come across any in your particular area.
I have a son called Lucas and we don't know any others where we live at all and we have met a lot of children!!
If you love the name and will regret using it, go for it. However, if the most important thing is for your child to have an unusual name, you may have to think again!

MamaLazarou- what are your children called? (Hope you don't mind me asking).

My DSS is Jack and he loves it, despite its overwhelming popularity. He naturally gravitates to make friends with other boys called Jack! So even if i bugs you if there are 2 or 3 Isabella in her class, it probably won't bug her!

Plus there's never any trouble finding 'personalised' stuff in Jack's name! It suits him and no-one's ever made negative comments about its populalarity. If you love Isabella, go for it.

"I would regret not using a name I loved just because someone somewhere else may have had the same though."

So would I. I wish I didn't care about it, but I just have an irrational aversion to popular names. It annoys me (and DH)!

MamaLazarou, the other child with the same name might be in their class for a term/year or nursery etc but having a similar/same name doesn't make my child any less important or unique to me and nothing in life is static.

I would regret not using a name I loved just because someone somewhere else may have had the same though. We might move/they might move etc etc

I picked a name for DD2 because I loved it. It is not as common/popular as DD1 who is Isabella. I know 3 children with the same as DD2 who will be in the same year as her if nobody moves before they go to high school (they are only 3btw so chances are high) and no other Isabella's except one that is 3yrs younger than my DD1

"I really don't understand why people care if there's another one!"

I don't understand why people don't care!

Squeezy - do you not think that was just because one was big/little etc etc

I have a very uncommon name and I still got nicknames

as I've said before, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't - use a name you love for the right reasons and don't discount it just because there might be another one nearby

The problem with a popular name I guess is being landed with a silly nickname... in my class at school for example there were 6 boys called James so they ended up being big James, little James, fat James, etc etc. That's what puts me off going for a name in the top 10.

Having said that at least there are lots of variations of Isabella - Izzy, Bella, Bel etc so it might not be too bad and I agree it's a gorgeous name.

SK - your secret is safe with me

Why does it matter? There are two Isabellas in ds's year but one is Isabella and the other is Bella.

I really don't understand why people care if there's another one!

hollyoaks it's just at the maybe stage sshh don't tell as I have a RL friend on our thread lol

DD1's name is very popular there were 4 at her toddler group at one point, now she has gone to school there are none in her class and I think only one other one in the school.

Dizzy - totally agree, it really depends on where you live. My dd is an Isabella and don't know of any others around here. However, that wouldn't matter as dh and I absolutely love it and nothing else came close. Makes it really hard to think of a name equally beautiful for dc2 due in May.

SK - now I know your name if your having a girl, obviously think its a gorgeous choice.

You'll find there are regional variations in popularity too.

On the ONS wensite they showed top 10 for different regions in the UK.

Your chosen name might be popular where you are now, but doesn't mean your DD will end up working or socialising with lots with the same name when she's older....

If you like it then I wouldn't worry about it being popular. People can think they are being original and still have another in the class.

To me it is very important to give a child a name of their own that they won't have to share with multiple children in their class. Having to differentiate yourself with a last initial or surname in everyday life is not something I would choose for someone else.

Obviously plenty of people don't mind but I avoided isobel and variations for this reason even though I think they are lovely.

I think you should just choose the name you like and not worry about how popular it is. Otherwise you might always feel that you 'settled' for some other name.

DD's name is in the top 3, there are none in her class and i have only met one other. One of my best friends, however knows 5!

If you love it - go for it....she'll be your special Isabella It's popular for a reason, because it's a beautiful name. I think you'll regret picking something else just to be different.

It's popular but totally lovely so why not use it?

Lily is one of our choices for a girl but I love it too much to care about popularity.

Once you take in all the spelling combos: Isabella, Isobella, Isobel, Isabel...etc it probably is the no.1 girl's name or near enough.

But does that matter? Beautiful names are popular for a reason.

My name was very popular in the 70s and it has never ever bothered me. My brother used to wind me up and say it was 'common' (I prefer 'popular'.) His name was very unusal in the 70s and is now 10 a penny with the under 5s.
If you like the name then don't let popularity put you off. I also think there are real 'hotspots' of some names in some areas and in other places you hardly hear the top 10 names.

spose but it is a real name though!

It is a very popular, but equally very lovely name. I grew up with a very common name in the 70s (Catherine) - indeed there were 4 of us in my class through most of senior school, but I can honestly say that it hasn't ever bothered me in the slightest.

Amabel sounds like you couldn't decide between Amy/Annabel/Isabel etc

hi kitty

Janeite - we also had no idea it was so popular and tbh it isn't up here - I only know one other and she's 3 and known as Issy.

I have an Isobel and had no idea, when we named her, how popular it was going to be (she is one of three in her class, althugh the only one spelled like that). Tbh I think it is a lovely name and it really doesn't matter.