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?

has anyone studied what impels these choices and what the influences are?

Have French names way back in family because the Belle epoque was fashionable but we have ditched the early English ones (Athelred or Cedric anyone?) which seem to have come from the 19C return to Gothic revival and Arthurian legend.

Some names I love but sound silly with basic surnames though secretly fancy a Beowulf Mou.

One of my 19thC ancestors had the name Aetheling. As an Anglo Saxon scholar, I know what that means. (And can guess how it was mispronounced). He was one of about ten kids. But his brothers have boring standard names like Thomas, John, Robert, etc.

In the 19thC, vicars often wouldn't agree to christen a child - particularly a working class one - with any name other than a standard, 'respectable' one, so in some parish records you see page after page of Williams, Johns, Anns and Marys. But then the vicar's own kids would be Walters, and Christianas... I was born in the 60s, but my parents weren't allowed to christen me with the name they wanted - the shortened form of my name. They had to have the full, lengthy, pretentious name or nothing.

People often pick very 'ordinary' names because that is what their social group do and they want to fit in, even if it's subconscious. People sometimes pick 'unusual' names becaue that is what their social group do and they want to fit even, even if it's subconscious.

It's often a class thing to be honest. The middle class like a very ordinary name that doesn't shout and draw attention to the child and family. They believe the child will have enough about them for other reasons to gain attention. They often see unusual names as a bit tacky.

It's often lower classes who like an unusual name, often with a unique spelling. Perhaps they feel greater need to draw attention to the child from the start.

Sometimes aristocracy have unusual names. However, these are often nicknames and they have very ordinary or family names as their full and official names, which can be wheeled out for official things.

It's funny how people shudder at the idea of unusual names or shudder at the idea of a popular name. I think it says a lot about what they value and what things they believe give someone worth.

I will put money on the names like Philip and Geoffrey reappearing in the next decade or so. I'd say Kevin will take slightly longer but it will be back.

My youngest boy name is Alan. So there. The others are Joseph and Cormac. So we've gone trad, unusual, 70s retro. All are family names.

Well I find it fascinating as to why particular generations are drawn to certain names, proof being the changing top 10 names over the generations. Eve and Jack are this generations Susan and John (our grandparents fave names), or Claire and Mark (our parents choice).

My father and all his friends I kid you not are named John.

I was the first to get pregnant and knew few other parents with young children but I was initially drawn to Oliva/Emily/Eve as was everyone else. Why?!

I was drawn to names of my great-grandparents' and grandparents' generation. Names from my parents' generation were a total non-no. Names from my parents generation sound terribly middle aged to me. Of course I am now middle aged so that perception is clearly wrong.

I like names that are half a generation older than me.

So they are well known but not trendy.

I was born in the early 80’s no one had heard of my name when I started school, I got the mickey taken. I was named after an elderly family friend. With the current trends it’s a very popular name now.
We picked ds1 name because it isn’t popular but isn’t considered strange. When we went up to the ward after he was born the baby in the next bed had the same name & middle name!
Ds2 name wasn’t popular when he was born but has risen in popularity in the last 5 years! Doesn’t bother me, there’s something nice about being ahead of the trend

I could never buy things with my name on when I was a child. Now as a 36yr old I have pens, a keyring & a bookmark. My sister is the same, she’s got an old lady name that has become very popular, we getting giddy at seeing things with our names on.

I have a very unusual name for my age- 3 of us were born in England the year I was born.
DS has a popular name, top 10 every year. He was named after my grandfather and there is a DS name on almost every branch of the family tree in the family Bible.
I hate my name, love his.

Sorry, the 10 year old Philip I mentioned is actually Filip.

In our case, it was because we both liked the name, and BECAUSE it was in the top 2 for the year before, it meant that it wasn't weird that it was the same as my boss's child's name.

As an aside, why would you saddle a child with an unusual name? Mine is also super common, while my husband's name really is not. I thought it was funny when, out of a class of 30, 5 of us had the same name and there was one male version of that name. I always was able to find my name on the plastic tat. Contrast to my husband, who was always sad that it wasn't there, and even when it was added onto something (a ceramic bowl at a tourist location) the painter managed too miss-spell it! People are stupid, why make it harder by chosing a youniquwe (miss-spelling intentional!) name?

CycleChic because naming your child should be done with consideration,and not only cause they get their name on a keyring.There is nothing wrong in giving your child unique[ish] name.It would be a very boring place otherwise.

Ahhhh the joy of not being 'googleable' who would ever have thought that would be a thing

I typed my full name into you're not me and I don't exist! 😂