To think unique child names take away some childish delights?

[EugenesAxe]

I was musing about this today - my DS (4y) came to me and said a boy on a certain CBeebies show had the same name as him, and he was really chuffed about it.

There is a book we read in which DS likes to point out some names in a school that are his and his two cousins' (all names in recent top 10s).

One of my favourite things about The Twits when I was young, was that it was 'For Emma'.

It seems popular these days to search for a unique name and I sort of think it's a shame that people forget the vague affinity you feel when you meet someone with your name. Or is this just me and AIBU? Not a very important one to be fair.

'Common' (as in frequently used) names do age you though. I only have to say my name to indicate I was born around late 70s early 80s time period

My DD has a name that hasn't appeared in the top 500/1000 for many years (possibly ever?), but is still the main character in a children's story.

On the other hand, many moons ago, in Y9, I was one of 23 with the same bloody name. We had lockers and the girl beside me as well as both of the ones opposite me had the same name. It was infuriating.

Uncommon names are not the end of the world.

My sisters and I LOVE having names that we have never heard used by anyone else. We have never seen our names on any personalised items either.
My Dc's names are unusual but not unheard of.

Me and dsis have both got unusual names. Dsis hates coming across people with her name, she feels it's almost like identitiy crisis.
Doesn't bother me, I never came across another as a child, although as an adult I've come across several, and even worked fairly closely, with one.

On finding personalised things, I find dd1 is much more bothered that when she does find it half the time it's the wrong spelling, than I nor dsis, or ds ever were/are that there wasn't our names.

My name was in the top 10 in the 80s (when I was born) but is now not even in the top 500 baby names, so it is going to be a very dated name unless it undergoes a revival a la Florence, Alfie etc. There were 3 of us in my primary school class, which we liked - and two of us even had the same (also very common) middle name too! Then at my relatively small secondary there were no others in the whole school, which was odd for me. On to uni and there was a girl with my name doing my subject at my college in each year for five consecutive year groups, plus a few others doing other subjects, so I was known as "Sockthesubjectname" with clarification re. year group if needed.

DH's name was popular in the 80s but has remained so, unlike mine. He still has a cup his Grandpa bought him which bears a completely different name, beginning with the same letter, because the shop had sold out of his name. Weird.

No DC yet, but we don't want to be totally unique, or go down the yooneek spelling route, but want something not too popular or dating, if possible.

However, the two Bobs who work in Despatch are merely known as Bob and Other Bob.

Really laughed at this

Two DDs have quite unused names. They're not 'out there', but at their school there are no others with the same name.

DS has a name that is very popular at the mo and is in the top 5. his named after his great grandad rather than following the popular trend.

My name was unusual, but now it's become much more popular. I used to love being the only one and was pissed off the day I first met another when I was 18. However, I remember the joyous day when I found a keyring with my name on it in the USA.

However, the two Bobs who work in Despatch are merely known as Bob and Other Bob.

In a previous company the CEO had an incredibly common name, there was also a member of the building support staff with exactly the same name. They were known as 'Dave T' and 'the useful Dave T'.

DD1 and DS2 have unusual names. Both of them encountered another child with their name when they were in 6th form and the other child joined Y7. Both were furious

I am, to the best of my knowledge, the only person in the world with the combination of my first name and last name, both Celtic names but one is Irish and the other is Welsh. I quite like it.

When I was a child I was a bit frustrated that my name was never EVER on pencil cases/mugs etc. But the Webb Ivory catalogue we got at Christmas meant I could have personalised stationary a-go go (and no one at school could get away with nicking mine, unlike the three girls called Julie who were constantly having their stuff disappear!).

I think a unique name builds confidence - every time I introduce myself I have to explain my name and it's origin.

I still think fondly of the editor of Puffin books in the 70s because she was the only other person I'd ever heard of who shared my name with the same spelling.

In a previous company the CEO had an incredibly common name, there was also a member of the building support staff with exactly the same name. They were known as 'Dave T' and 'the useful Dave T'.

Which one was the useful one? Not the CEO I'm guessing.

My bro and sis have very popular for the time names. I have not that popular, but not unheard of name. They always got the personalised stuff in the gift shops, i never did .

I used to work somewhere that had 4 Chris's. CEO was Always known by his full name. FD was Chris. Finance manger was known by his middle name. And finance assistant/junior was 'young Chris'.

Someone just the other day told me that a friend (born late 80s), was naming her new baby Maggie. My first thought was of Thatcher.

Welcome to my world! Doesn't happen as much nowadays. Oddly, I think Maggie is more associated with Thatcher even than Margaret. Perhaps with the passage of time more people will think of The Simpsons.

PS I have steadfastly refused all my life to have my name shortened. Can't stand any of them - for me. For other people, I rather like Maggie or Meg.

Both my dc have unusual names, and they don't seem to mind. We do occasionally hear of someone else with same name, and DD finds that very exciting, but they don't seem disappointed by the personalised tat issue. Maybe because neither of them can find their name so it's not unfair at least. I have sometimes seen an option that says "they didn't have my name!" :o.

I would love to have a weird unusual name myself. Maybe it depends what kind of person you are? My DS is a bit of an oddball in his tastes, views etc. and likes his unusual name and the fact we named him after a specific and relevant thing. DD is younger and a bit more of a fitter-in, so it's possible she'll tell me she doesn't like her name, but not so far.

I'm aware that for me, having the same name as five other people in the class would be awful, while some people would love it. As a parent your name choices reflect what you like, not what your baby likes. But that's true for everyone.

I have a unique name and met someone with my name at daycare when I was little, I was very surprised and I have never met anyone else with my name. They do not have my name on cups, or rulers and I would look for it, but I was more happy they didn't have it. Everyone always says that I have a beautiful name and isn't it unique.

The thing I personally hated was that teachers always butchered my name and I was too shy to correct them if they made the mistake more than once. My name is Sam-ra, NOT Sa-mar-a, Jesus, how hard is that?

However, I think the positive far outweighs the negative. I'm hoping my DD will feel the same about her wonderful name.

C'mon, we are all itching to hear what all these unique/popular names noted in this thread are!
Also, what bulbasaur said. There are tons of awesome websites that can pop your kid's name on a mug or a pencil or a bag for relatively cheap. Good stocking fillers too! [ducks for cover at having mentioned Xmas)

I have an unusual name, never met anyone else with it, and I love it, despite never getting pencils or keyrings with my name on when I was a kid.

Can't think of a unique or rarer name for our kids that we like/isn't just random. Whatever fits the kid is best!

I think having an unusual name will become more common, if that makes sense.
Thinking about the nursery class I teach I have, out of 39 children, only one repeat and that is a name that wouldn't have been classed as a name 10 years or so ago (it's a shortened version of a name that isn't very common).

Most if the rest of the class, especially the boys, have variations on names starting Ky and Jay.

In fact I recall looking at the class list and seeing the class list and the one name that jumped out as unusual was the most ordinary (think James Thompson)

Looking at the class list and seeing the names, not seeing the class list. DH was talking to me about something or other.

There are tons of awesome websites that can pop your kid's name on a mug or a pencil or a bag for relatively cheap.

As a child I wanted to find my name on the shelf of stuff and was always disappointed it wasn't there - so my mother ordering me something with my name would not have placated me

One of my DCs has a very unusual name, as far as I know there is no one else with the same name. He loves it but we did give him a very middle of the road middle name just in case he prefered to use this. His name is so "him" now and I don't know how I would feel if I met someone else with it! Apart from thinking their parents were fab of course

I could never find my very boring and old fashioned name in gift shops. It's unusual because it's not a very nice name.

So I agree absolutely with the op!