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?

"Most people are ordinary so it isn't a surprise that that is what they aspire for their child, too."

Wow.

YANBU OP.

"Most people are ordinary so it isn't a surprise that that is what they aspire for their child, too."

Oh, I would give a lot to know what the person who said that called their child!

Something ‘unique’ I’m sure, Bert.

Something perfectly ordinary. I don't see ordinary as bad. In fact, i think an ordinary life has a myriad of joys. It's a pity you clearly disagree.

I know of a woman with 5 DS, and they are ALL called Justin. It makes it easy to call them in for meals etc. Someone once asked her what she does when she wants just one of them to come. "No problem" she replied, "I just use their surnames".

I have a DS who has ( I think) a fairly classic name. He has not as I recall had another one in his class but certainly more than one other in his school , both junior and secondary and now at University he is not the only one. I think he is about top 60 or 70. There are much older generations who have the name and indeed younger DSs.

I didn't read any lists or books - just picked it - ( actually discussed with DH )

I still wish he had a brother - he would have been called John - alas, too old to use it but I do think it is a lovely name.

SarahRelly and MyBoots, yes it's Charmaine! 😆 Now I seriously need to name change when I bitch about my family! 😂

It doesn't really matter about the top 10-ness of a name once they have left school.

My DD has an extremely common name in the general (all-age) population yet she has always been the only one in her year. I think there are about 4 of them in her school of 1500.

My DS2 has a name quite unusual in the general (all-age) population but there are quite a few at his primary school. I suspect that when he gets to secondary there will be a couple in his year. Yet once he leaves school it will seem more unusual I think. I think that goes too for all the Emilia/Amelia/Millie/Amelies that schools are swamped with at the moment.

DS1 is somewhere in the middle of these.

DS1's best mate has an unusual name (think something a Hollywood parent might name their child). They've just started high school and his best mate is miserable as sin because lots of the children who don't know him are ripping his name to shreds saying how weird and ugly it is. DS1 has a fairly popular solid, old-style boys name and I've never been more thankful that I didn't sit there whilst pregnant and think "how can I give my child a unique name that will ensure the only thing anyone remembers about him is what he's called?" because I'd rather have a boringly-named child than one who is being picked on for his name.

Life is hard sometimes for children. Why make it harder on your DCs by giving them names that you know are going to get the high school kids laughing? I fail to see the logic in deliberately making your child a target. Far better for them to be known as "Tim who plays basketball incredibly well" than "the boy named Luncheon Meat".

There are some awful comments on here about what pp consider normal names. Really fucking rude and judgemental. Both my DCs names are in the top now but weren't when I chose them. Names should be chosen based on what you like, what suits the child and something that means something to you. Whether that's popular with other people shouldn't come in to it.

Who actually chooses a name by looking at the 'top of the pops' of kids names? It because you like it, it's a family name or the name of someone you admire or respect?

Whoooo I haven't called any of my DC Dweezil, Moon Unit or Anakin. They all exist as names, they're just not very common.

There's not common - and there's downright odd!

That was my point really. I don't do odd names. DD nearly got saddled with the middle name Amidala by DH, I vetoed that one!

At least they won't have to spend a lifetime telling people how to spell or pronounce it.... That novelty wears off very very quickly.

Even if an unusual name was important, I don't get the smugness. You found an unusual name or misspelled a common one. As achievements go, it is on the small side.

What smugness? I followed a family tradition. Nobody even mentions their names, except for DS2's, they always ask where it's from. He's the one who's called King Neptune! 😉 I mentioned that this morning, and he got very upset, as he thought I'd given him a MN nn! 😂

The OP's smugness. The smugness that makes her state Do these people not desire some originality for their children? and why on earth you would pick a name in the top 10-20 names. All because she had the fabulous idea of picking the not-top 10 name Myles.

Oh, thank goodness! I thought you meant all of us who chose unusual names! 😂

I like all my kids names,they suit them.Thats all that matters to me.

As i said no name is unique,it doesnt have to be in the top 10 for it to be popular.I have a Zak,theres another Zac in his class thats not a top 10 name.

We gave DS1 his name as he is named after my granddad. It was in the top 10 and he went right through primary school being the only one with his name.

DS2 also has a name that's in the top 10 (I didn't realise at the time but wouldn't have cared as I like it). We've come across a couple of others but he's now started school and he's the only one in the school with that name.

In my experience top 10 doesn't mean every other child seems to have that name.

My brother worked in showbiz where a name is quite important. Our surname was one of the most common in hte world almost! When we were teens and he'd decided his direction in life, he wanted to change it to something 'better', unique etc. I told him that what mattered was what he was himself, that if he wanted to be unique it wasn't going to be because he'd chosen a name but because he himself was unique and would therefore make that name unique too.

He did it.

When he died it was something that most of the speeches ended with, something about a common name but a most uncommon man. I thought that was a truly worthwhile tribute.

Oh gosh Jux

One of my kids has a super common name because I let his dad pick it. There were three kids in his class at school with this name (Tom) so son changed it to Tommy, unilaterally. By then his dad was my ex and I had a quiet laugh as I could remember ex saying that he had always loved the name Tom but would be upset if it was ever Tommy because that reminded him of (Tommy) Cannon and (Bobby) Ball... Revenge!

I was a teacher and once had a class with 3 or 4 Emmas and 5 Matthews.

Remember popular names can be regional. Just because a name is in the top 10 doesn't mean there are everywhere. It can depend on location too.

Also remember the world is a big place. Your Jack and Olivia might choose a life in Asia where there might not be that many Jack's or Olivia's.

Plus you pick something you love. That is the only rule we followed for our 4. Guess what? it works a treat. I'd rather give my child a popular name then one I didn't like as much and felt uncomfortable with.