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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to worry that my child's name is becoming a bit common?

154 replies

ZombiesAteYourCervix · 27/10/2011 12:02

when she was born it was unusual and didn't feature in any top 100 names.

In the last week alone, I have met 3 babies that will be called this name. There will be hundreds of them all over the place. My child will no longer stand out and be unusual and unique.

Obviously there is bugger all I can do about this. It is still a nice name and I generally approve of people using it but it is turning into something a bit common.

OP posts:
bigmouthstrikesagain · 27/10/2011 13:42

I sympathise as when my son was born (7 years ago) his name though well known was unusual but now thanks in part to a certain London based soap his name is much more commonly used.

I get narked but it is entirely a waste of time...

Rollon2012 · 27/10/2011 13:43

Oh heavens no! not common!!

oohlaalaa · 27/10/2011 14:02

BatmanLovesRobin - thank you.

ZomebiesAteYourCervix - I understand if you have three children, you are not going to provide all three names, but one childs name is not going to out you.

We have babies called Mabel and Audrey in my family, but if I saw it on mumsnet, I would not assume it to be one of my cousins.

hepcat · 27/10/2011 14:17

If you just give us the name, I will assume it belongs to one of the 3 babies that you encountered, not you. :)

Mandy2003 · 27/10/2011 14:33

Some friends of mine 20 years ago named their daughter with a blend of their two names. It made a really pretty, unusual name.

Since then though I've seen the name several times on TV and in the papers, from different parts of the country, and the child's parents don't have the same first names as my friends, so how does that happen?!

OhdearNigel · 27/10/2011 14:41

I was in a children's book shop yesterday with my DD and there were two ghastly, braying, attempting-to-be-terribly-posh women in there with 4 children by the names of Layla, Hugo, Hector and Isadora (they were being told off so much and in such loud tones it was impossible not to hear). I can imagine that the poor unfortunate Hector and Isadora will wish they were called something a bit more normal.

lesley33 · 27/10/2011 14:42

I understand people not wanting their kids to have "common" names i.e. the sharon and tracy equivalents. But i dont think really unusual names are good either. We named our 1st son Zak. Just because we really really liked it. We actually agonised at the time because I had only ever read about 1 other person who had it and we worried it was too unusual.

Now its not an unusual name at all - although a bit "posh" - and wew eren't trying to choose a posh name!

lesley33 · 27/10/2011 14:42

I know a few kids called Hector. Isadora though - that is much rarer imo

peacypops · 27/10/2011 15:56

Zak's not posh!

oohlaalaa · 27/10/2011 16:27

I love the name Isadora. My DH doesnt like frilly or poncey names though.

GetOrfMo1Land · 27/10/2011 16:30

My daughter's name was rather uncommon 16 years ago, however it is very popular now (Sophia).

A bastard WAG named her daughter it. That made me fume. Grin

MorelliOrRanger · 27/10/2011 16:33

YABU - you don't own a name and I haven't read the whole thread, I can't be bothered, but if that is all you have to worry about then you are bloody lucky.

NorfolkBroad · 27/10/2011 16:37

I felt just like that with my dd. My mum, who had been teaching for 30 years said she'd never taught a child with that name etc etc. I took dd to a baby music group when she was 5 months old and there were FIVE babies with the same name! Nevermind, who cares, i still love it and it suits her.

ouryve · 27/10/2011 16:54

I chose a not top 50 name for DS2, since I have a very common surname.

For the year he was born, it zoomed into the top 30 and every single day on the CBeebies birthdays, either a child or his dog or cat with his name crops up. There's even a really annoying comedian who features his name in one of his 3 gags.

ouryve · 27/10/2011 16:57

And yes, DS2 is an Oscar Blush

usingapseudonym · 27/10/2011 18:07

Lots of Zak (or Zack/short for Isaacs) around here - not at all posh!

We chose a name that ended up being top 5 first time around without realising it at all as it wasnt popular when I was young but I do like it.

We can't now decide whether to go with Beatrice (normal name but not everywhere) or Charlotte (more common and therefore perhaps "goes" better with no 1)!!

carabos · 27/10/2011 19:05

Named both DS with names which were well ahead of the curve when they were born. DS1 name has gone from being cool and unusual when he was born 25 years ago, to cool and popular and now totally chavvy. DS2 name still at the relatively cool and popular stage, but I have no doubt that it is headed for chavdom over time - that's the way it goes....

marriedinwhite · 27/10/2011 19:28

I have an unusual, Shakespearian type of name and spent my entire childhood wishing I was called Sarah, Claire or Helen (or such like). DH really wanted to call DS Hector or Theo (Theodore) and was very keen on Madeleine for dd. I won and they both have very ordinary classic names that are heard in most playgrounds and they are very comfortable with them. My argument was helped by our very long and difficult to spell and pronounce surname.

HairyBeaver · 27/10/2011 19:47

I have never come across anyone with my DD's name [stealth boast emotion] and only 2 others with my DS's name [hgrin]

seeker · 28/10/2011 07:38

There is sometimes a really good reason that nobody else has used a name........!

rubyrubyruby · 28/10/2011 07:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rycooler · 28/10/2011 07:59

I gave my 4 dc all good well known classic names - ( think kings and queens ) you can't go wrong like that. I hate poncey names on kids - a bit chavvy imo.

scattermummy · 28/10/2011 08:43

12 years ago DD 2 was named Ruby.We did not know of any at all.Now it is very common.I still love it .When I was at school, in my music class,all but one girl was called my very common name.Catherine!
Never mind Sharon and Tracy being common.It was us!

seeker · 28/10/2011 08:56

Scattermummy- we dithered between Ruby and Grace 15 years ago in out search for an unusual but not odd name! We chose Grace. You and I were obviously trend setters!

Sleepwhenidie · 28/10/2011 09:09

It's so strange how these things work sometimes. I have an Australian friend with a tiny baby girl, born a month before baby girl Beckham and Harper was her favourite name for a girl...when DD arrived though, they decided it didn't suit her and went with a much more traditional name, friend is very relieved! not sure which would have been worse, having people thinking you copied VB or constantly explaining that your DD had the name first (and appearing a bit of a sad case that you feel the need to point it out!)