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 picked the names that I liked, I didn't consider the top ten or what was fashionable.

I really wouldn't care if any of my children's name were top 10. If I like the name it doesn't matter to me. My child's name shouldn't be anyone else's concern either.

Plot twist: people can name their children whatever they like, and choosing a perfectly ordinary, popular name is hardly something to criticise.

My name is Elizabeth. Hasn't done me any harm, despite being one of the only names consistently in the top 100 for over a century.

I loved Chloe, but I was put off by the popularity (it's more popular here in Australia). But I would never tell someone else that they shouldn't name their child Ava and Oliver because there are "other names", if the names they loved were Ava and Oliver.

My dd's name was number one the year she was born. I picked it because I loved it. It is really pretty. In a two form entry she is the only one. We never came across another little girl in baby group or toddler group with the name. I think there is another one in her gymnastics class! I also have three sons, one with a top ten name and think the others are definitely in top 100.

I once had a great put down from a fellow mum. She had three children all with unusual names (although not made up or anything). I told her my children's names and she said "oh such normal names, I'll never remember them!"

No, but seriously. If everyone stopped picking the popular names, there'd be no popular names.

I wouldn't touch any even in the top 100, let alone top 10. There's nothing more boring than another George! Way to tell your kid they're mr joe average and not unique.
I have a top 10 name and absolutely hated being surrounded by loads of others all the time.

I would wonder why you wouldn't pick a name in top 10 if that's the name you liked most.

I really don't understand why some people want their child to have a really unusual name, a name with a different spelling to the usual way etc just because they didn't want a popular name.

A woman I know was really put out as they chose an uncommon name for their first child. It became quite common about 5 years later, I think due to a film or tv programme and she was livid. So she didn't name her child that name because she liked it, she used it because it was unusual. That strikes me as odd.

Surely you just choose the name because you like it regardless of popularity.

*It's entertaining that the people with top ten names seem to validate this for themselves by claiming that all other names are 'yoo-nique', made up or have a stupid spelling...

No that's not the case they are just not top ten.

For example; Jade, Nicole, Melody, Elise, Sara, Summer or Lee, Edward, Bradley or Grant.*

Apart from Edward, which is very popular, these are just awful names. Baby Nicole? Baby grant?! 😂

I have a name which was unusual growing up. I hated it. All. My kids names are in the top 30 for the year of their birth. Interestingly the kis who's name was number one has never had a child of the same name in her school year but the. Child who's name was lower ranked knows heaps of kids with her name and when she competed in inter school athletics all three kids on the podium had the same as her.

As one of the eighty bajillion trillion Sarahs born in the 70s and 80s, no OP YANBU.

A name is supposed to be a unique identifier. My name is not that. I am one of at least 4 wherever I go - at work, at the school gate, socially, and within my own family. It sucks. I can't phone the people closest to me and say "hi, it's Sarah" because there's a pause while they try and work out which Sarah.

My husband has a perfectly ordinary, recognisable name but he's always the only one. People remember him. People can recommend him in his line of work, or discover mutual friends because they know who he is.

Consequently I have named my children Rainbow-Sparkles, Buttercup-Jade-Tortoise and Firey-Unicorn-Space-Planet*.

(*Names may have been slightly exaggerated for comic effect)

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

Yup. Telling your kid that if they have the same name as someone else, that diminishes their value as a unique human being; that's much more healthy.

How do I find a list of all the names registered each year in England? My DD had a very unusual name in 1987. I'd be interested to see if any others were named the same.

Just looked at the list via The Telegraph and both of mine were relatively rare until 2 orc3 years after their births, when both names exploded in popularity.

Are we early adopters or influencers? 😊

I think part of the problem is that people don't understand what "in the top 10" means in terms of how many babies are actually called a particular name.

12 years ago when DS1 was born his name was nowhere near the top 10 list, I think it was around the lower 40's or 50's in popularity.

7 years ago when DS2 was born his name was also fairly low down in the popularity stakes.

Both are now in the top ten, one because of Royalty, one just because it's a lovely old-fashioned name. I don't mind. I named them the way I did because I thought they were beautiful names. The fact that others agree doesn't bother me in the slightest. If being the only one of your name is the only way to be memorable, we're all screwed. My very best friend has the same name as me; we call each other by our surnames or nicknames, people manage to tell us apart daily.

I'm guessing because they like the name?

I really didn't want my kids to have names with 3 in the class or whatever, so looked for "less commonly used but not made up" for them.

I can't remember the last time I came across an Olivia so wherever these parents live, it's not in this very white middle class area.

OTOH I know a Devon, a Marybelle and a Clarissa.

Pick what you like, some names are classics for a reason but it is interesting to see generational differences. You don't always know what the new Helen or sarah is going to be even if you pick a popular name, often there are regional variations where in some areas a top ten name is everywhere and some you won't find many.

In our area (SE) there are Chloes everywhere. In a class of 10 that we go to there are 4, in dds nursery class there are 3 (all different). They're already referred to as Chloe a, Chloe B and Chloe M

It also depends on your surname. I think a common name can sound fantastic with a very unusual surname and vice versa

Quite frankly, I don't care what other people call their children, only what I call mine. If I like a name I will choose it regardless of what others have done. I find this quest to find the most unique name completely baffling. Why does it matter if your child shares a name with others? Have courage in your convictions.

My boy is top ten. Classic, elegant, timeless. Yoonique names make me cringe a bit. I don't know why you would be bothered about someone else having my the same name. When I meet someone with my name I always feel a light sense of kinship with them. Nothing more. The world is very big. You aren't unique or special I'm afraid.

Also, part of my job involves searching for people online and in databases. If you have an unusual name you have a HUGE digital footprint, whether you know it or not. So that's another thing to bear in mind.

Being a 30-something first time mum with mostly childfree friends at the start of this year I'd never met or even heard of anyone called 'Isla'. I saw it on a baby name board and thought it really unusual and pretty. I had no idea there are thousands of them now!

It's not the name I picked for my baby 8 months ago, but I have to wait another year to find out if it's top ten or not. Should I travel back in time then if the name has become 'too popular'??

Dd has a name in the top ten, my mum and gran have the same name (my gran as her first name and my mum as her middle name) which in their time was not common. I always wanted to call my dd the same and wanted to be called it myself as it is a family name. It became popular but I still loved it so went with it. My mum is pleased and my gran would have be thrilled. There is one other girl in her school year with the same name. My ds name is in the top 30 however in his class (which only has 10 boys) there are three of them

Meh. YABU and I hope your spelling of your unusual name is not on a par with your understanding of correct apostrophe use.

My dc have names which entered the top 5 the years after they were born. Don't care. They're beautiful, classic names which they will never have to spell out for anyone and will never be misprobounced.

Luckily my children have personalities so do not need an unusual name in order to be seen as individuals, as your OP suggests might be an issue.

*mispronounced