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

[Mooveover]

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.

My name, if not in the actual top 20, has been close to it for the past 40 years- think Anna or Catherine.

I can genuinely say it has never bothered me.

We wouldn't consider anything in the top 100.

We avoided top 20 names. Not intentionally we just chose what we liked.

DS1’s name was way outside the top 20 and still is. He always had at least another one in his year at school and when he joined the army there was one in his intake.

DS2’s was just outside the top twenty, but has been firmly in the top 5 for years now. However he’s never had another one in his class all through primary or secondary or at uni.

DS1 had a largely American name and I've only heard of 2 others. DS2 had an u usual name in 2006 when he was born. I've since heard loads more recently.
DD1 has a popular ish name. Buy it suits her and we both loved it.
Names go in circles I find. You are getting quite a lot of old fashioned names ie Ivy etc coming back now.

Omg this bloody phone. Typos are unusual and but obvs.

We went for the number one name for that year (and apparently the previous 10 as well!) when my oldest DS was born, it was so popular that two of my immediate work colleagues had children with that name, though both in high school when my boy was born and another colleague had a grandson with the name.

We didn't pick it because it was popular, we picked it because it was the name my DH wanted for his oldest child, regardless of popularity.

While our DS is the only one in his class with his name, there is another in the other year class but it is spelt slightly different BUT at clubs, next door neighbours etc his name is everywhere but it doesn't bother him.

Our second DS has a very unusual name, again chosen because we loved it not because it was not even in the top 1000 names. And not surprisingly there is nobody else in his school of nearly 450 primary school children with his name.

My boys like the stories about why their name was chosen for them not how popular/unusual their name is!

And DS2 is always upset that he can never buy anything with his name on it - DS1 can buy everything and isn't bothered.

Just choose a name you like. Lists mean nothing. A name that's 95th most popular today could be 3rd most popular in a year's time. I certainly wouldn't be saying no to a name because it's too popular. Popularity changes all the time.