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Baby names

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Original poster

How about Emily? Is it too popular? Will it date?

36 replies

somethinganything · 18/01/2010 21:31

Sorry, should have done boys and girls names in same thread but anyway...

I love names that don't have any particular preconceptions attached to them. Emily is currently top of our girls list but would be interested to hear what others think.

I know lots of Emilys my age but are there lots of little girls around called Emily?

What do you think of when you hear the name?

Thanks, all

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thereisalightanditnevergoesout · 31/12/2010 18:38

I think there are lots, but I don't think it will date.

Komondor · 31/12/2010 17:58

No it wont date, and it is a nice name.

Popular for a reason.

ValiumTinselton · 30/12/2010 23:05

very pretty but there are so many of them that I guess it will be the Jennifer of 2025

But does that matter? it depends. I still expect a Jenny to be friendly, grounded, normal. I don't think, ofgs, another Jenny.

mumblecrumble · 30/12/2010 23:00

Op. What did you call your baby?

SE13Mummy · 19/01/2010 09:50

Emily is a lovely name. I know lots of them ranging in age from 30 to 0. Friends of ours named their DD1 Emily because they wanted her to have a name that wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb at the local state school (SE London). In my DD's Reception class there is an Emilie and Amahle (both French-speaking families). I know of more baby Emilia/Amelia/Emelias than I do Emilys at the moment.

Original poster
somethinganything · 19/01/2010 09:29

coldtits DH absolutely loves Hannah but we have v close friends with a toddler of that name.

Celtic Emmeline is a great alternative - embarrassingly, I'd always thought it was Emily Pankhurst

Lenni DH said exactly the same about Rebecca sounding a bit harsh

MrsW Elizabeth is a lovely name

momof yes, Anna is also a potential candidate!

Lots to think about, thanks ladies

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coldtits · 19/01/2010 02:07

I never met an Emily I didn't like.

My ds's would have been Hannah and Emily if born girls.

CelticStarlight · 19/01/2010 01:59

How about Emmeline? Lovely name and has the added benefit of being one of the Pankhursts, so a good role model to live up to.

Lenni · 18/01/2010 23:44

I know lots of Emilys but love the name all the same - it is one that doesn't matter if it is popular since it is a nice pretty name. I don't think it will date - I grew up with Emilys and know plenty of children with the name now.

Rebecca is nice but I dislike the shortened versions and it can also sound a little harsh imo.

MrsWainwright · 18/01/2010 23:38

Agree with Two4One. You'll be laughing with your timeless Emily whilst others cringe with their Esme, Scarlet and Islas.

My DD is Elizabeth, another timeless classic.

momofnearly2 · 18/01/2010 23:28

I like Emily. For me it's the same as Sophie. When I hear of those names I think soft, petite, feminine. I had an english teacher at school who's daughter was an Emily but Milly for short.

I love the name Anna, which your Dp can shorten to Ann.

Not keen on Rebecca but only because of the nn's. If she was gonna be called just Rebecca and not becky/becks/becca then I'd like it but I suppose that wouldn't happen.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:59

two4one it's a very good point, and I'm certainly not looking for anything unusual - it can so easily backfire. I suppose the point about it dating bothers me a bit more but as Heated said, it's stood the test of time. I also only know very likeable Emilys, which is probably why it's top of our list.

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Two4One · 18/01/2010 22:55

Beautiful name. Popular for a reason. Ignore all the threads on MN with people desperately searching for an unusual name for their baby. They usually end up with daft/ugly names that make the parents look very "try hard". It doesn't make the kid any more special or popular or bright or well-adjusted. Just means they have a name that invites constant query and

Some people love that though...

Plonker · 18/01/2010 22:54

Emily is a lovely name!

I have a gorgeous, bright, fiery, warm-hearted, beautiful neice called Emily. She's 11.

There are loads of Emilys around, yes, but that's because it's a fabulous name

OmicronPersei8 · 18/01/2010 22:52

If DS had been a girl he would have been an Emily, I think, partly because it is a pretty name, partly because I have only known lovely people called Emily. I too have a fairly common name, it never bothered me.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:51

Ahhh, mumblecrumble that's lovely.

zozzle weird, I'd genuinely never thought of it as being a really girly name (like felicity or gabriella or isabel etc) always saw it as quite kind of neutral. So interested to hear everyone's views though

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Heated · 18/01/2010 22:47

Know it is popular but personally I don't come across that many Emilys and it has stood the test of time.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:46

Emkana that's helpful, thanks. I think Becca is probably my favourite shortening of Rebecca, also not keen on Becky particularly. Milly as a shortening for Emily is new to me too. And Matilda is lovely too - but we know a Matilda and its sufficiently unusual still I think that it might feel a bit weird to name our DD that.

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zozzle · 18/01/2010 22:44

Personally - its too girly for my tastes but fits in with the current trend for frillier, girly names.

mumblecrumble · 18/01/2010 22:43

Our dd is an Emily. LOVE it! Even though there were 3 EMilys at our swim calss of 10 babies today. She doesn;t need an unusaul name to be special (my name is unusual and it sucks anyway).

Emily is SUCH a great name. Its the name of the first strawberry to flower..... also I don;t know anyone called Emily who isn;t lovely...

Also you can make great nick names. Ours are:

Emble Pemble
Elpembelio
Miss Pemelicious
E meister
Little Miss Pumpy Pants.
(though that would also work with Rebecca...)

ALso. if you shout " Eeeee mi leeeeeeeey' out the back door at dinner time it still sounds pretty.

Sounds good for all ages

Looks really nice on a cross stitch

Easy to read and spell.

I love the name......

emkana · 18/01/2010 22:38

If I had another daughter now I would call her Matilda/Tilly. Lovely.

emkana · 18/01/2010 22:37

I was torn between Emily and Rebecca when I had my dd. Chose Emily in the end because I didn't like the thought of Rebecca being shortened to Becks, which is probably would - also not so keen on Becky - whereas I quite like Emmi/Ems/Em. Have never heard Emily being shortened to Milly.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:35

DiamondHead that's so clever - and v useful, thanks.

I still really do like Emily, though.

Any other thoughts on Rebecca?

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Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:27

Annasophia don't know - will have to google these polls of most popular names that I keep hearing mentioned. Good place to start I suppose! I just don't know many primary school kids or indeed that many preschoolers apart from DDs v small circle of friends (she's just turned 2) so am a bit in the dark. The kids in my extended family all seem to be teenagers now

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DiamondHead · 18/01/2010 22:25

Here www.babyplanners.co.uk/namebrain_100.php

you can plot Emilt popularity over last 100 years.