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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to hate popular names

149 replies

macbooksticker · 27/07/2019 19:58

Well I actually love a lot of the popular names at the moment but I wouldn’t use them as I grew up with an awfully popular name in the early 80s and DSD1 had the same issue in the 00s and 10s. We both dealt with our peers calling us ‘ourname X’, teachers not remembering us or confusing us with other pupils with similar names etc.

I just don’t want that for DD. I want my child to be able to be seen as an individual and have a memorable name. DH thinks I am overthinking it as he likes the classic popular names of the late 2010s. AIBU?

OP posts:

Bezalelle · 27/07/2019 20:09

YANBU. It's just a question of taste really.

Sexnotgender · 27/07/2019 20:12

I agree. I like some of the popular names but would steer clear generally.
I was at a baby group a few weeks ago. There were 4 of us chatting, all had baby boys. 3 were called Noah, not my favourite name but nice enough, but sooo popular.

TwistingYourLemon · 27/07/2019 20:15

When my DD was younger I had a friend who said she had picked her daughters name because she didn’t want her daughter to be one of many with that name. She implied my DD would have that problem as her name was common. However I’ve never met another one with my DD’s name and all the classes and clubs we went to had multiple children with the same name as her DD.

TabbyMumz · 27/07/2019 20:17

When kids have silly names, they just get remembered for their silly name, not for their character, determination, how nice and pleasant they were.

codenameduchess · 27/07/2019 20:18

To be honest, there are a good amount of people with your views who gave their kids yoonique names and they are more often confused with each other than the kids with more popular names.
The personality of the child makes them memorable.

Sexnotgender · 27/07/2019 20:18

When kids have silly names, they just get remembered for their silly name, not for their character, determination, how nice and pleasant they were.

You don’t need to go for a silly name, just avoid the top 20/50 or so.

Original poster

macbooksticker · 27/07/2019 20:20

I don’t mean silly names, just names that aren’t as popular as Ellie/Elly/Eva/Evie

OP posts:

IntoValhalla · 27/07/2019 20:21

YANBU.
When my DCs were born their names weren’t in the Top 100 (can’t remember what DC1’s name ranked, but DC2’s name was ranked 150-something).
Now expecting DC3, and there’s a name DH and I both liked, but after seeing it in the Top 50 for 2018 and predicted to climb higher on the popularity lists this year, I refuse to use it!
The anglicised version of my first name which I went by at school was extremely popular in the early 90’s I was one of 5 with this name in my year group!!

TabbyMumz · 27/07/2019 20:22

Did the 2010s have classic names?

Oysterbabe · 27/07/2019 20:22

I know exactly what you mean Emma.
I'd avoid the top 20 too.

BitchQueen90 · 27/07/2019 20:23

My DS's name is in the top 50 but he's the only one in his class with it so that's OK. There are 3 Olivers in his class!

JacquesHammer · 27/07/2019 20:24

My DD has a “classic” name. I picked it when I was 9 and never wavered from using it.

She was the only one throughout her prep and is the only one in her year at secondary.

However there was four kids with “unusual” names, two pairs of each

There’s simply no way of guaranteeing being the only one. Just pick a name you love and don’t over think it.

honeylulu · 27/07/2019 20:24

You can't always predict. I gave my kids names that seemed distinctive at the time but both are now common as muck. Just got caught on the curve!

Bobbiepin · 27/07/2019 20:25

I'm a teacher and having three of a name in a class is a real headache. I once had a class with an Ellie, Ella and Ellie-May, a Mya and a Maia, and a Jessica, a Jess and a Jessie.

My dd's name is in the top 100 I think but much closer to 100 than 1.

FreddiesMammy · 27/07/2019 20:28

My name is really popular and I hated it, always said I wouldn’t give my DC popular names. Then I fell in love with the name Freddie for DS, people said it was too popular and I was put off it, decided to go for it in the end and he’s the only one in nursery with that name

MauisHouseOnMaui · 27/07/2019 20:28

I'd use a name I liked and not worry about the top 10/top 20. DD has the number one most popular name for the year she was born. I'd liked the name for a long time and had no idea it was number one in the charts as I didn't bother to check them, I already had a name for her so no need to check lists. I don't know where all of the other little girls are with the same name as her but they certainly aren't local to us. She's the only one in her school with that name, the only one at her dance class, the only one at swimming club, and the only one at youth club. I've had my share of comments about it being an unusual name which always makes me but given that it doesn't seem to be very popular where we live I can understand why people would think that.

TheTrollFairy · 27/07/2019 20:29

We picked DDs name. At the time of picking it, it wasn’t even top 50 names. Within a year it became popular to the point of 2 other kids in her nursery having the same name. It makes me so sad 😞

Sexnotgender · 27/07/2019 20:32

Just checked my sons name and it’s in the 600s for popularity. Guess there won’t be too many in his school!

TheTrollFairy · 27/07/2019 20:32

I have a popular name for the time. I’m not the only one within the ‘married into’ family who have it. My second name is also really popular for the first name too which makes it worse. I always tell my mum that she is literally the least inventive when it comes to name picking 🙄

MauisHouseOnMaui · 27/07/2019 20:43

Just checked my sons name and it’s in the 600s for popularity. Guess there won’t be too many in his school!

I wouldn't count on it DS name was 600-somethingth in the year he was born (can't remember the exact number without googling) and there were two others with that name in his school, one of which was in his class, and there was one at swimming too.

MikeUniformMike · 27/07/2019 20:47

If a name is too unusual, it will make the child stand out because of the name.If it's a nice name, may be ok. Wacky or 'marmite' not ok.
If it is a classic name, one that is always popular, then popularity isn't a big issue. (Sarah, Steve etc)
If the name is one that is popular but hasn't been popular for long, it will date. (Sharon, Darren)

Noah is the sort of name that seemed unusual when their baby was born but has turned out to be popular.

BertrandRussell · 27/07/2019 20:48

Even if you pick the most popular name, that is still only 1:50 babies is the same sex. So that’s 1:100 babies. You don’t have to go very far down the popularity list before you start getting pretty unusual.

sewinginscotland · 27/07/2019 20:48

I wanted to choose a name that wasn't so popular that DS ended up being DS X, but managed to choose a name that ended up being number 1 in our area!

I'm a bit gutted, but I still like his name (the other names that were on my shortlist are still in the top 10 ).

Thehop · 27/07/2019 20:51

My older 3 have super traditional classic names. They’re unusual because they’re so normal!

My youngests name, by co incidence, appears to never have been registered in the UK in records that I can view!!

MsTSwift · 27/07/2019 20:51

There’s a middle ground between a yooounique name and popular. You don’t need to call your kid moon unit to avoid Lily.

Lots of lovely under used proper names available but so many flick to the same ones. At one point one third of the girls in dds class were named a variant of Eve

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