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?

I just want to know when it'll be fashionable to name children in Klingon.
Fuckin speciesists

Prince was Prince's real name
The symbol was over a trademark fight

We loved Noah when pregnant with DS but it was sooo high on the baby charts I was mindful of him being one of a dozen, much like Katherine and Jennifer when I was at school. In reality I know one other Noah and they possibly wouldn't have had it of we did.

Instead we had Xavier which apparently is destined to a lifetime of bullying and him using his middle name.

They're both beautiful names imo and were both picked because we likes them. That's what counts

I will share one as the other is more unusual and it's very outing. My sons name is Myles James Surnaso

Tbf if you know someone with two kids, one is Myles and one is ""unique"" I reckon you're already outed

Fwtw, I've known loads of Myles and Miles
Run around circles of Jazz fiends and you will

It's not an uncommon name in a lot of places

My youngest son has a name that is popular but at the time was just outside the top twenty. He went to a large urban primary school and was the only one with his name in a school of 625.

We then moved to a small rural school. There were 4 other boys in his year, 3 had the same name as he did!

*Surely part of the practicality of naming a child is knowing whether they're going to spend the rest of their life as Sophie C or Will G.

Anyone who has a very common name will always be known with an added initial or part of their surname.*

I am always referred to with my surname attached and I HATE it. I don’t feel like an individual person. HOWEVER, if you like a name in the top 10, there’s no reason not to use it. I just wouldn’t personally she says, the name she’s wanted to use for her DD since age 12 now being firmly in the top 5 as a non-mover

I have a top-10 son, he's named after Peppa Pig's little brother. Comes from letting his toddler brother pick his name. I'm just glad he wasn't a girl.

Chances are, though, that overly common names will get nicknames or will be known by their middle name.

Many Olivias will be Libby, Livy, Ollie, for example.

Obviously unpopular with the popular name using crowd but ops is a perfectly valid opinion to hold. Naming very subjective.

One of my children is called Lucas, it's number 27 in the UK and about number 5 in the country we live in.

I like the name, I don't really care what other people name their kids. My child is unique, no other child is like him, even if they share his name.

I so desperately wanted to be called Sharon in the 70's - or Sabrina (my favourite Charlie's Angel).

It's just the zeitgeist. Some names become fashionable and people like them, even if previously the names were old-fashioned. They don't necessarily like them because they are fashionable - it's just that they sound current and novel to their ears, because the names are not the names of their own generation. Names like Alice and Isabella are called classic nowadays, but a few years ago they would be considered old-fashioned and Victorian, not classic. Classic would be Sarah and Jane. In a few years, Alice and Isabella will be relegated again amongst the general population. It's already happening now. I know people who are moving away from those names and going on to names like Barbara and Hilda.

@KERALA1 it's more that I don't understand how anyone can have such a strong feeling about the names other people choose for their children that they start a post claiming to be 'baffled' why people would choose a popular name. She's allowed her opinion of course.

Most people aren't as angst-ridden as the average mumsnetter seems to be and will choose a name they like the sound of that goes with their surname.

Daisypond, I agree, names like Susan, Jane, Margaret, Richard, Peter and David sound appealing and very fresh to me. Some might laugh but 15 years ago I was floating names that even on mumsnet were shot down but are now considered fashionable (in certain circles) so I believe [modest] that I am tuned in to name zeitgeist.

ps, funny you say that you know people moving on to names like Hilda and Barbara. I am not ready for Barbara myself BUT I can see Linda having a sound-pattern that is ''next up'' for want of a better word. Belinda, Rhoda, Zelda.......... I feel them coming.

I know a baby Linda born this year.

1950s names will boom in the next decade.

Mine are all top 25. The big two i had the names picked for years. The last I didn't realise how popular it was.

I saw an article than compared names in 2016 to 1996. What struck me was how many more names there is now. But I guess explained by people spelling the same name differently and/or adding Rae/Mae etc on the end.

I think Mumsnet has been predicting the return of names popular in the 50s for a while now. Baby Linda. Soon to be followed by Pamela, Christine, Anne, et al.

@Alltheprettydoggies

Bloody hell people my whole point is that it's not top ten. The point is that there are names out there that aren't whacky but aren't top ten.

Our top 10 name for our first was on trend as so many people my age had elderly relatives with said name. The name suits her and is perfect. She can bè mad at me later for her common name but I would never choose something too unusual as I know how quickly people judge those with unusual names

Baby Barbara's are happening, Victoria Coren has one.

Also baby Joan's.

I know a toddler Walter,born at peak Breaking Bad popularity though I'm sure that was more coincidence than design.

I do like Jane. I had that on our shortlist before we knew DC was a boy.

I'm going off on a slight tangent here but I'm amazed at the number of black labradors I know called Oscar, Archie and Ollie.
I feel there's a slight lack of imagination there, lovely though they are.
If you're going to give a dog a human name at least make it a little different, for example I know a golden retriever called Dave.