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?

Years before i was even married i chose my future daughter's name. When i had her it wasnt even top 100. Now, if it was always spelt the same correct way it would be top twenty. Positions change even if you try to go outside the popular names, tastes change.

I am from 'the North', DD1 was born abroad. We named her Emily.
It was only when we moved to South West England I realised how popular it was.

I have an Oliver, I just loved the name and it didn't matter how popular it was. I'm in Scotland so I'm not sure if it's No1 here as well. There wasn't any Olivers in nursery with him and I don't know of any Olivers in his school, definitely not in his year. I'm sure there are plenty of lovely unique names but I'm happy with my little Oliver.

Ds is due next week. We've picked a top 10 name for him. But not for that reason. We're naming him after my grandad. And also we like the name.

DD's name was in the top 10 in the year she was born (and still is). We didn't have a shortlist or ever looked into popular names list. When she was born, we picked a name that we thought would suit her. It wasn't a name DH and I had ever talked about before.

She's 8 now, loves her name and isn't bothered by the popularity at all. There aren't others at her class, though we do know several others.

Most people choose ordinary names because they are ordinary people who don't see virtue or merit in standing out from the crowd.

Just like people follow general trends in clothing and home decor. We want to fit in. For some groups 'fitting in' means making slightly unusual choices but all that happens then is that there is conformity within that sub group. I live close to a fairly artsy area and in my daughters preschool class of 25 the only duplicate names are outside the top 100.

There were EIGHT Sarah's in my year at secondary school. And FIVE in my class alone. It was a nightmare. I would definitely check the Top 20 list and avoid all of those names.

I think unusual names are over-rated.

I didn't set out to have kids with unusual names but it has ended up that way!

It's frustrating having to spell and pronounce the names, and having people, some of whom have known my kids for years, still get the spelling wrong!

My son has a top ten name. He's the only one in his year of 90 students. In his class there are two boys with the same name outside of the top 100.

They're in the top 10 because they are good names. Why shouldn't people choose them? Even the #1 name is only around 1% of babies born that year.

What I find odd is I dont know any little Olivias and Olivers. I know one of each aged 17 when the names seemed to suddenly become popular. Same for other top ten names Ella, Amelia and Lily. I only know teenagers with those names not babies or toddlers.

original names. YUK

Ha ha seriously? YABU. Names are in the top 10 because they're nice

I know what you mean OP. This is going to sound horribly scathing but I hear the same names over and over amongst my children's peers and they sound so basic. You may as well christen your child Boy or Girl because that's how much those names stand out from the crowd.

Thing is with naming kids after grandparents is it is fine if they are called Lily and Alf but not so much if they are Ronald and Doris! Personally, I think it is nicer to have original names anyway. But my grandparents had awful names

You realise how supsetible you are to branding when you see these list.

We gave our daughter a T name that i had never met anyone called so we thought we were being very original...there's 3 T's at her nursery.

When I picked my DS's name, I genuinely didn't know it was in the top 100, I was quite surprised. It's in the 30's I think, a shortened version is in the top 10. I have never known anyone else with the same name.

I suppose then people think I'm being unoriginal, but I came across it in a baby name book and that was it really.

Because they don't know it's so popular. It's your first child, and you don't know many other children.

Because you really like the name.

Because your partner really likes the name.

Because you struggled to find a name you both loved, so picked the only name you could agree on.

Because you've loved the name for 10 years and now you've got chance to use it, but everyone else had the same idea.

Because you want to name your child after your beloved Grandpa George.

Because you actually want a popular name for your child, or don't mind either way.

HTH

My eldest has a name which is apparently hugely popular. In his school of over 1000 there are 2 children with his name. My youngests name is apparently about #300 and dropping fast but I can't move for people yelling his name across parks and playgrounds

DD1 has a name that is high up in the top 10.

The year after she was born it was number 1.

I chose the name not because it was popular, but because I loved it and had done for several years.

When deciding her name, I didn't even know there was a top ten name list or that names were ranked!

Prior to naming her, I didn't know of any other children with that name so was very very surprised to find it so popular.

When registering her, the registrar said 'oh that's the 3rd today...' ...it was before lunch!

Luckily there's no others in her year group with the same name!

Surely it's a cultural thing as well. Isn't Abdullah a very popular name?

Many very good names and very conventional names are outside the top 50. Some names that seem perfectly normal aren't in the top 200.

I did google name lists and rule out any in the top 50 when DD was born.

Picked my sons name (which is one of the popular ones) because I wanted something traditional. I didn't want to consign him to a life of always having to spell his name or correct people. A lot of "unique names" identify with certain social classes. He was never going to be left with a name where he could never get a gift with his name on lol.

(I did however care about the supply teacher test; can a supply teacher walk in the room and say it/ spell it correctly, or are you inflicting a life of the child having to constantly correct people upon them)

Blimey the amount of times I've been part way through taking the register and had to apologise and ask how the next person's name is pronounced! It's one of the worst parts of my job

dd has a name that only 50 or so other kids are named per year.

ds on the other hand is one of thousands. He was named as we like the meaning of the name.