To wonder why you would pick a name in the top 10?

[FreckledFrog]

So the latest top 100 baby names have been released this week. It has prompted me to wonder why on earth you would pick a name in the top 10-20 names.

There are thousands of beautiful, unique names out there, yet so many people are happy to pick the same names despite knowing their children will go to school with multiple Olivia's, Noah's, Amelia's or George's.

Do these people not desire some originality for their children?

Am I being unreasonable? I have a very very unusual name and have picked less common names for my children and I wonder if this clouds my judgement?

"Mundane"?

Oh, ffs.!

I will say though, wrt preconceptions, one of the names i loved for my son was Donald. But now I'm glad he's not starting secondary school called Donald!

I chose my childrens names based on much more important criteria than if it was popular or not. But I don't feel something needs to be labelled as different to be unique and beautiful.

No. I am a teacher. I wanted a name both DH and I liked. A name that was spelled in a way in which the vast majority could read and know what it said. A 'normal' name in the UK, spelt 'normally'.

Boring, maybe.

My name has never been popular, and I've only ever met one or two people with it. It's quite surprising because it's a classic name, not made up or anything.

I've always really liked it. It was nice not to be one of many Sarahs, for example.

When I read people complaining about 'multiple Olivia's, Noah's, Amelia's or George's', I always think that's a benefit of living in an area that's a bit more multicultural. Since lots of the children in DS's school have names which are Japanese, Spanish, Bangladeshi, Ethiopian, French etc. that's not something that happens here.
But actually reading this thread lots of people are saying they don't recognise that description. So although there are local clumps, people giving their children names in the top ten doesn't mean they'll be surrounded by lots with the same name, though they might know one or two. As someone pointed out, only one in every 52 baby boys, or whatever the statistic was, are called Oliver.

DS has one of the age-old common names, a really really common name shared by millions and millions over centuries.

I like it. I named him after a relative close to me, and it suits him. I also hoped that it would make him ungoogleable, but then he has a very distinctive last name, so that didn't work out!

Oh, and I liked that when you heard his common name, it meant that you couldn't pigeonhole him - you couldn't decide his class, his race, or much else about him in advance of meeting him. It doesn't scream it's origins in the way that"Hugo" or "Kayden" might (though I like both those names, too!).

This is completely irrational, but the one that annoys me is May. Every other girl under the age of 5 has May as her middle name. Never just because the parents liked it but there is always somebody's great granny called May. Just use the bloody name!
Dd is 20 May has always been a common middle name not just recently
My mum 1937 and grandmothers 1912 middle name were May so carried on the tradition.

DS2's name is very high on the popularity list. We named him after my dad who had died not too long before DS was born. If DP's dad had died, then maybe our son would have had a less common name!

Ironically though, if my dad's name had not become popular again, I might have thought twice about using it, because to me it was an old man's name that belonged firmly in the past. I might have used his middle name instead. But my attitude to the name changed as it became more popular.

And both dd and dc had top 10 names.
There was only one other dc in whole of ds primary school, but a few more in secondary.
Similar for dd, only problem was a sign in for computer when another girl had a surmane with the same first four letters as ours.

YABU. ‘Popular’ is still dependant on area. For example, Mohammed/Muhammad if you combine all spellings is actually the most popular boys name nationwide, however it most certainly isn’t here in the leafy Home Counties. We have a million Jacks, a fair few Alexander’s and a dearth of George’s, Harry’s, Alfie’s and Archie’s. They’re everywhere! But those names aren’t all as popular everywhere.
It’s the same with girls. I don’t know a single local smal child named Olivia or Amelia. I love Olivia and I’d use it as it’s pretty, DH and I agree on it (rare) and she’d likely not be in class with one here.

BertrandRussell funnily enough DD and I had a similar discussion!

How did it work for your brothers step children, did they change names by deed poll, or just use 'known as'?
I was trying to explain that once you are know by a certain name it is difficult for people who have known you for several years to know you by any other name.

Way to tell your kid they're mr joe average and not unique

Yeah, if that's your reason for choosing a name I'd say your doing parenting wrong

Will I be shot down in flames if I say it's a class thing?
I don't see why not. Multiple studies from around the world have found links between non-traditional names and employment, social and economic outcomes

I wanted an elegant, neutral names for my dds that would allow them to be comfortable in a variety of different social situations and take on the world. It was nothing to do with limited horizons - more about wanting them to have the freedom to choose any path and not be circumscribed by a name that branded them. Too many people worry about what a name says about them, imo, rather than how their child will wear it.

I had no idea whether my children's names were in the top 10/20 or whatever. I cared not one bit! We wanted names that were fairly normal and that people could spell. Would drive me crazy having to spell out my first name all the time. They're also names that I think suit both children and adults, plus I like the shortened versions if they wanted a change as well.

Turns out my son's name is in the top 10 and a very similar version of my daughter's, but we haven't come across many others and they've always been the only ones in their classes.

But if people didn't pick top 10 names other names are going to become top 10 names 🤦🏼‍♀️

YABU OP. People call their kids what they like. Maybe being "original" doesn't matter that much to them.

I was one of 5 K's in my secondary school form and I can't say I ever gave it much thought. Certainly didn't annoy me.

Being asked if I was actually called Katherine did though.

For the first time EVER two of my DC's names are in the top 50/100 (can't remember).

They are both names hate on MN and you would never have described them as popular.

Yet there they are.

Today's 'posh' name is tomorrow's 'chav' name
Today's unusual name is tomorrow's common name
Today's traditional name is tomorrow's old fashioned name.

So best just chose any name you like for your child.

Well I just read an article on BBC news and in the UK there are 69 baby girls named Khaleesi.... I know what I'd rather...

I have chosen the names I liked best for all of my children regardless of where they fall in the lists...I find it weird that people would compromise on a name just because there are others called it...I often come across multiples of supposedly less common names rather than the top 10 names so I suppose I would feel sorry for the parents who only chose the name to be different and then their child ended up with someone with the same name in their class!

Everyone views names differently - I would have never said Lily was a strong name. Pretty, feminine, flowery but not strong.

I've been supply teaching for many years and only met one Ava.

Re - Oliver - in my child's (almost 15) there are 2 Olivers

and 3 more across his year.

Do people other than the poster here anyalyse every year's data to see how more popular a name is becoming! Bizarre.

Some of you mentioned timeless names and I really don't think there are that many. Some were real classics when I was young and have died a death now. Others like Sarah are still popular but in my experience usually among Arabic speaking families.

I actually agree with you on this one...
We are expecting a boy this year and have picked out a name that we love that isn't 'weird' (as in bear or something crazy) but I certainly didn't think would be popular... but now I've checked the list, it is actually inside the top 40! I'm actually quite disappointed! But probably not enough to change it

We picked a name that we liked. It wasn’t the name we had in mind, but that didn’t suit DS when he was born.
It wasn’t until after we realised how popular the name was. Wouldn’t have it any other way though as it completely suits him.