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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to tell friend that her baby name choice is not unusual?

284 replies

toastofthetown · 08/01/2019 11:31

My friend is expecting her first baby later this year. As I’m massively interested in baby names I asked her if she had anything in mind. She said she wanted something unique and is planning on using Aurora. I said that Aurora is a gorgeous name, but has risen hugely in popularity over the last few years and is now in the top hundred. My friend seemed annoyed with this and told me that it is a very uncommon name with only a few born each year, so I just changed the subject.

Since then I’ve been wondering if I said the wrong thing. Was I unreasonable to point out how popular the name is? I wouldn’t have said anything bad about the name itself, but l didn’t want her to regret her choice later, because she didn’t know about the sudden spike in popularity.

OP posts:
MummasTheWord · 09/01/2019 18:30

I think you were totally right, put it this way...if you did not and she named her baby that and then found out it was ‘popular’ and she regretted it...she would be more annoyed that you had not pointed it out when she first told you! Tbh though I don’t think it is popular enough to be a concern...I have two under 6 and don’t know any Auroras and never seen it mentioned on the baby boards or know any ‘real’ TV/Movie/Celebs name it. I would be wary naming any child after a Disney Princess though if you did not want a popular name...all it takes is for them redo it and re-release it for the name to end up in the Top 20 names globally lol!

idtwinplustoddlermum · 09/01/2019 18:33

It’s her choice but sounds like a cruise ship to me. Each to their own.

alistevens · 09/01/2019 18:33

I think Aurora is a lovely name and was a option when considering a name for my DD (went with a name I loved even more in the end). Also it's a very old name although the Disney Princess was named Aurora as people have said its Roman Latin and was the name of the Goddess of Dawn.

I think of your friend didn't want you opinion she shouldn't have asked really. We kept our list of names to ourselves for this very reason!

ToftyAC · 09/01/2019 18:35

No you weren’t being unreasonable. You were having a conversation. Not your fault she got all huffy.

WakeMeUpWhenGoodOmensIsOn · 09/01/2019 18:35

Names do cluster. AFAIK there were literally no Jacks or Olivers in my teenaged DCs’ primary school, and certainly none of my friends and acquaintances used either of those names for their children.

The problem is that your friend is by definition the sort of person who likes Aurora (for good or ill), and so there’s a good chance that she’ll hang out with other people of similar mindset. I think it’s pretty on the page, and I love the Disney film, but it’ll be a nightmare if her DD turns out to have rhotacism.

Four of my DC’s primary school friends did have properly unique names, at least within the UK, to the extent that when I saw one of them mentioned in a MN post about unusual names we’ve encountered I could immediately identify the poster from the school gate.

GoBigOrange · 09/01/2019 18:42

Given that she told you she deliberately picked a name which is 'unique' I don't think it was remotely unreasonable to point out that Aurora is rapidly becoming more popular - and within a few years may well be everywhere.

I had a top 50 name and was one of five in my class. I detested the arbitrary nicknames assigned to differentiate between us and vowed I would give any children of mine a much less common name because my name was a daily aggravation for years. So if I thought I'd managed to pick an unusual name I'd be grateful to anyone who pointed out that actually it wasn't that unusual! (Once I'd got over the annoyance of having to see if I could find another name I liked anyway).

Booboo66 · 09/01/2019 18:44

I know an awful lot of children as we’ve moved around. My girls current school is huge but my social butterfly eldest knows near on everyone and we don’t know an aurora. It’s unusual to come across a name that I’ve not heard of someone else called so it’s definitely not that common

MummyofTw0 · 09/01/2019 18:45

Hmmm i think you were a little rude, sorry

SarahAndQuack · 09/01/2019 18:46

People are funny about these things.

A few years ago, my cousin's wife was livid when the baby name statistics came out. Her son's name was top, and several people mentioned this to her, thinking she'd be interested. She was furious as it turned out she'd imagined 'Jack' would be an unusual name. Confused

Cockadoodledooo · 09/01/2019 18:54

She was probably just expecting a smile and nod.

Fwiw, I don't know a single Aurora.

I know several people who share a name with ds2 however, and his name has been outside the top 100 for years apparently (which was a surprise to me!).

wingsanddreams · 09/01/2019 18:56

It is not about if the baby name is popular or not. From your friend's point of view, she was telling you about her choice, not asking for your opinion/input. She set her heart on a special name for her baby and you started to challenge her choice by saying it's not as special as she thought. I think her reacting is understandable. New mums are sensitive to comments such as name choices, sex of the baby, etc.

KingBobra · 09/01/2019 18:56

It's the top girls' name grandparents hate. Apparently.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4878626/Aurora-Finn-worst-baby-names-grandparents.html

TigerTooth · 09/01/2019 18:58

YABU not to talk her out of it - its horrible!

TigerTooth · 09/01/2019 19:00

What about Pocahontas?

Putyourdamnshoeson · 09/01/2019 19:01

Ah, leave her be. When she's Aurora surname initial at school, be smug.

I work in my childrens', primary. We have 3, yes 3, very unusual (but clearly fashionable) boys, in one class. Two of the mums think it's hilarious, one is from a country where it is popular. The third mum is grumpy as hell about it and asked the others if their boys could use their middle names!!

We also have two identical Irish girls names, not unusual where I'm from, but odd here, especially as neither of them have Irish heritage.

dora38 · 09/01/2019 19:15

What is it?

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 09/01/2019 19:17

I like it. It’s not common but certainly not unheard of. I only know Italian ones.

acegod · 09/01/2019 19:18

heres a name: jerkoness

its unique. lol

EggOfScotland · 09/01/2019 19:20

I'd love to see a return of the heavy hitters. Gertrude, Agatha, Doris, etc.

ReaganSomerset · 09/01/2019 19:21

@tigertooth it would be more unusual than Aurora, true enough.

EggOfScotland · 09/01/2019 19:22

I quite like Aurora.

Pocahontas? 😆 That's like calling your son Pinnochio.

EggOfScotland · 09/01/2019 19:22

Ariel?

BrieAndOatcakes · 09/01/2019 19:23

I really want to know what the boys' name is, Putyourdamnshoeson! Give us a clue at least? Smile

celticprincess · 09/01/2019 19:25

It’s doesn’t matter to her if it’s in the top 100 or not. If she’s never met anyone with the name then it’s unique as far as she’s concerned. TBF I’ve never come across anyone with a child called Aurora. My kids are 6 and 9 but no aurora’s in their school (it’s a small school so they know everyone’s names). They go to a catholic school so there’s lots of catholic and Irish names though. Many would be considered unique elsewhere. My younger daughter has a unique name as far as I know. I’ve met no one with her name but know of people who have a friend with the name. I’m a teacher so it was a hard choice. My eldest daughter’s name was less common when we named her but then there now seems to be loads.

TigerTooth · 09/01/2019 19:26

My son IS called Pinnochio!