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.

When we were kids my name was popular and easy to find personalised stuff for, while my brother's name was really unusual. His is now more fashionable than mine, although the short form of mine is still quite popular.

What I find really funny is that DS1's name is what I would call timeless and neutral (in the same way that say Stephen or John would be) and you cannot get anything with his name on unless it's obviously for middle-aged men, like socks or shot glasses. He was thrilled to bits when it turned out there's a Coke bottle for him. DS2's name would have been considered really old-fashioned when I was a kid and now it's everywhere.

I've also worked in a school where there were two boys with exactly the same first and last name (let's call them Connor Brown). One was in about year 5 and was quite rough and naughty, the other was in year R, small even for his very young age, and very quiet, shy and a bit whiny. Once in assembly the deputy head suddenly barked out "Connor Brown, stop that at once!" and the little one, not realising he had a namesake, jumped about 10 feet in the air and started to cry!

I have an unusual name and it was absolute hell as a child because everyone else was Susan, Elizabeth, Margaret et al. I was actually christened with it, so it was bona fide. We moved when I was 10 and I begged my mother to let me use my middle name which is Margaret. This was fine until someone in the class spotted an initial in front of Margaret and prodded and probed until they found it out. Whereupon desperate teasing again. Eventually when I went to university I decided I wanted to be unique and used my first name and found I was actually sometimes complimented on it. Now I like it, get quite cross if anyone gets it wrong and revel in being unusual. I have never found anyone else with my name though a friend called her cat after me but the first 18 years with it were terrible. However, looking back, I would still keep it, but perhaps as my middle name. And I wouldn't do it to any child of mine!

Blackeyedsusan I don't understand your post, sorry. How can there have been 55 girls with the same name as your DD in her school year yet she gets stopped in the street because it is so rare? I keep re-reading your post thinking I've missed something. Do you mean that your surname makes her whole name rare?

I have a unique name with a unique spelling. I really really hate it. No one can pronounce or spell it. It still pisses me off.

However, i'm glad i'm not called something really common. There's really no pleasing me!

I think that she means there were only 55 girls in the country given that name the year she was born. Not her school year.

Yes you can check national statistics office website and it tells you how many children were called each name providing that there were a minimum of three babies called that in the last year. It is very interesting.

I was 17 when i first met someone else with my name. We were instant friends . I had one mug (made to order) but never any gift shop tat which made me sad. And yet it isn't a really odd name - everyone has heard of it IYSWIM?

However it has recently got more common and i've met a couple of babies with my name which i find quite strange. And i found a coke bottle with my name on it at the weekend!! I don't drink coke but bought it anyway.

My DCs have quite common names - possibly in reaction! They have both been in the top 20 in the last few years...

I agree about the personalised stuff. For example, my mum was able to buy baubles printed with Happy Christmas Anna and Happy Christmas Thomas, but DD2 Cara had Happy Christmas to a special little girl :-(

Even Anna is rare on pre-printed stuff, Cara is never on them, but THomas is of course on everything.

And, despite not being freakishly wierd names, they have been the only Anna and Cara in their class, and amazingly, so is Thomas, though there are 2 Jacks in his class.