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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To avoid top 20 names when picking a name for my baby?

108 replies

Mooveover · 05/01/2018 12:16

I am not bothered about my child having a completely unique name, and I don't like 'made-up' names. I want something fairly traditional.
However I don't really want them to be one of several kids in school with the same name.

AIBU to avoid top 20 names? Even though that means ruling out some really lovely names?

I'm aware the popularity of names can really change, eg someone I know picked a name a few years ago thinking it was quite unusual, yet now it's really popular and she's gutted.

OP posts:

Haint · 05/01/2018 14:46

There are two Paloma's in DDs class, bet their parents weren't expecting that

WhooooAmI24601 · 05/01/2018 14:55

I didn't look at any list for the DCs, we just waited to see what they looked like and chose something we liked. Both names are in the top 10 and their middle names are in the top 15. Neither has anyone with the same name in their class which is a surprise given how popular their names now are.

Rebeccaslicker · 05/01/2018 14:56

Haint - clearly they both had Faith in the name!!

CheesecakeAddict · 07/01/2018 20:22

Its completely up to you. We found a name and fell in love with it and about a month later we found out it was in the top 5. We decided not to change if because to us that didn't matter, but I can see why it might put others off. Besides, I have a rare name and I hated it. Not the name itself but
It's small things like being left out because you can't find anything personalised or the fact that no one could get a 4letter spelling correct

Crunchymum · 07/01/2018 20:27

DC1 has a name in top 10 (only one in year x2 classes of 30 kids )

DC2 has a name just inside of top 100 (90's when we named her and 70's now) Met more kids who share her name than I have kids who share DC1 name?

Planning a name just outside of top 100 for DC3.

SpottedOnMN · 07/01/2018 20:30

I did this, but apparently everyone else locally had the same plan and there have been at least two girls with the same name as her in every one of my daughter's classes.

Minestheoneinthegreen · 07/01/2018 20:36

I took so long deciding on a name - I'm a teacher and didn't want a 'popular' name. I had never met another child with the name I gave my child. Fast forward a decade and it's been in the top 5 consistently. I veer between gutted that my 'unique' name is now everywhere or thrilled I was such a trend setter.

ElsieMc · 07/01/2018 20:36

Well I am an Elsie and am in my fifties. I used to think my great aunts had hideous names Clara, Ella, Annie, Sarah, Jane when I was a child.

My own dm considered Susan, Wendy and Julie, names that have not stood the test of time. Imagine calling your child Wendy now (sorry any Wendys).

I think more traditional names are better in the long run. When I had my own dd's Charlotte, Rachel, Rebecca and Eleanor were very popular and I think they still sound fine. I decided to name my own after my great aunts!

Ermmm6 · 07/01/2018 20:39

It might not work anyway.

DD’s name was in the 90’s of top 100 yet she ended up in school with another 3 with the same name and even another one in her small dance class!

sycamore54321 · 07/01/2018 20:45

If the only thing stopping you choosing a name you love is its popularity in a previous list, then I think you are being daft. If you love two names equally, then maybe yes choose the less popular if that matters to you. But if you (and the other parent if applicable) adore Emily or Oliver and instead choose an alternative you like less just because of a list, I think you are being unduly swayed by the actions and opinions of others.

@heron
"I have a fairly uncommon name - yet there are four women with my name in my (quite small) office. This has never happened before. So there's no guarantees."
Snap, I had exactly the same. Never had another girl with my name in my year at primary, secondary or university, rarely met others and then stared working on a medium office with eight or nine women, four of us with the same name. Statistically highly unlikely but that was our reality for a few years. You can't control lots of things!

spanieleyes · 07/01/2018 20:45

My own name is currently in 1834th place-so less than 0.002% of the population. I went on a recent course and out of 30 people, 3 others had the same name, including the person I was sat next to!
Just call your baby what you want!

EverythingNow · 07/01/2018 20:47

DD1 has a top 20, but didn’t encounter another until secondary school
DD2 has a name that’s in the low 90s (and hasn’t risen in popularity since she was born) and she’s one of 3 with the same name in our small village primary - clearly it’s a local favourite!
DD3 has a Top 20 name and again she is the only one in school.

Cherrycokewinning · 07/01/2018 20:48

I find your question a bit confusing really- you’re suggesting you let the UK popularity of names dictate your child’s name? I don’t really understand why at all. A top 20 name doesn’t have any significance attached to it does it? What would be your purpose?

goose1964 · 07/01/2018 20:53

DDs name was high when we named her, pre internet so no lists and she ended up being 1 of 3 in her class at infants/ junior but none at high school. It really depends on how much you love the name. I have 4 grandsons and two of them have fairly well known names, on has a Welsh name and the fourth an old English name that is popular in the states. Incidentally the last in my list was a name that one of my in-laws friends grandson had used the same name within a month.

Rednailsandnaeknickers · 07/01/2018 21:04

I really don’t think you should be swayed by “popularity”. As a PP said, even the number 1 most popular name(s) are given to only around 1% of the new babies.

I read an interesting stat a while back that puts it in perspective, apologies if I misquote but it was something like in the 1950/60s the top ten most popular names accounted for around 60% of the total names given overall and now the top 10 accounts for less than 12% as there has been such a massive increase in the variety of names.

My Ds has a top 3 name. Quite a few people ooh’d 😲 when we announced it with comments of “aren’t you worried he’ll be one of 5 in his class?” type. Nope, not another in his Year at Primary so far and only met one other in all his clubs etc. Tho I’m in Scotland and you can’t throw a stick five feet without hitting a Callum, Lewis or Fraser so I do think geography makes a difference, there are definitely regional favourites.

Go for the name you love.

altiara · 07/01/2018 21:05

YABU! Pick something you like. You’ll be in your house everyday with your DC and they’ll be the only one with that name so you need to like it!
It also might be hard enough trying to find a name both parents agree on so don’t narrow down the options!
The only thing I did was rule out one letter of the alphabet as DH and I share the same initials so I didn’t want DC to have the same initials.
Good luck!!

HairyToity · 07/01/2018 21:11

There are two Logan's in DD class and Max's in DS class. Neither name is top 20. Yanbu but don't be put off a name you and your DP both love because it is top 20.

MrsNjie · 07/01/2018 21:12

I chose what I thought was uncommon but 'normal' at the time for my DS.... ten years later it's a top 100 name. You just can never tell. I think I'm probably doing the same thing now but who knows.... choose names you like :)

UsernameInvalid66 · 07/01/2018 21:19

Sharon is a biblical name

It's not a person's name in the Bible, though, is it? It's a place name, which was used as a first name only in the last hundred years or so, so in terms of "traditionalness" it's more equivalent to something like Bethany than Hannah or Rachel.

I accidentally gave one of my DC a top 20 name (it became wildly popular just about when I used it) but he doesn't seem to mind. He's rarely had another one in his class, as it happens, but I don't think he would have been devastated if he had. I actually feel more sorry for other DC whose very traditional name has more or less vanished in the last 20 years, and who could very rarely have anything personalised as a child.

ForalltheSaints · 07/01/2018 21:20

Nothing wrong with giving a child a name that not many others have, but a plea to give a name with its traditional spelling.

Charlottesangels · 07/01/2018 21:25

I’d go with something a bit more unusual hun. Personally I love something a bit more continental, like Geralidine but my DH isn’t having any of it, as per.

Knittedfairies · 07/01/2018 21:25

I never looked at the popularity - or otherwise - of the names we chose for our children; chosen because we liked them.

There were 7 Susans in a class of 24 when I was at school (when God was a lad)

allegretto · 07/01/2018 21:25

I only found out after naming her that we had given DD the no.1 name for that year for our county! That said, she is now 8 and is yet to be friends or classmates with someone with the same name. I would just go for a name you like and not worry too much about the popularity.

brizzledrizzle · 07/01/2018 21:28

I went for names outside the top 500, they are the only ones in their schools and they aren't made up or non-traditional names, just unusual.

TwinklyGiraffe · 07/01/2018 21:34

Just give your baby a name you like.

Honestly you won’t be one bit bothered what other kids are called after the first few months.

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