to hate popular names

[macbooksticker]

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?

I don’t think today’s top 10 names are as popular as the top 10 names from the 1980s or 1990s. Back then people chose from a much smaller pool of names so in a class there would be multiple Sarahs, Alisons and Kates/Katies. Olivia and Isla are supposed to be top ten names at the moment but there are none in my children’s year group of 45 (they are in Y3). There are no Jacks or Williams either. In fact none of the girls share the same name but there are two Isaacs and two Arthurs. I wouldn’t get hung up on the popularity of a name - if you like it, go for it.

‘‘Twas ever thus
I was at school with numerous Lisa’.s. Mandy’s and Joanne’s

My child has a classical name easily confused with a far more popular shortened version of it
And every one assumes that the short version is correct - She now refuses to answer unless the longer version is used

I feel the same. Hard to summon up the requisite enthusiasm for another Olivia lily or Amelia l. I always think poor kid surely parents could have done better than that vanilla name

I know what you mean but it’s very hard to predict what’s going to be popular, especially with everyone trying to avoid it!

Friends of mine called their DS Arthur and then panicked literally weeks later when it was rumoured that Kate and William were going to use it for Prince Louis. Because they wanted him to be the only Arthur around. But now I know quite a few little Arthur’s and it seems to be exploding a bit.

Whereas I only know one Oliver and that’s meant to be the most popular name.

Yes I wouldn’t use regular top 20 names either

YANBU. I love classic names, but can’t stand the waves of samey names in each year group and/or generation. My children seem to go to school with an endless stream of Max’s, Avas, Olivers, Olivias, Alfies, and the variants of Evie/Eva/ types. I can’t help but think the parents are a bit unimaginative. That’s me being a judgemental dick, though. I’m sure their reasons were something like not wanting their child to have ‘wierd’ names.

The trouble is when you are naming your child you dont really know what other people are doing. Even baby naming books are at least 12 months behind
So you pick what you think is an.original name,.only to find half their class has gone for variations of the same
We arent always aware of the inspiration for names either. My son is in a group of 6 close friends, there is him, 3Tom's and 2 Jack's.
They all call each other fred
Just pick something you like

Yep, my friend's just had an Oliver Jack and her daughter is Amelia Rose. Their surname is very common too, think Jones or Smith. There were two other Amelias at her playschool; one was Amelia-Rose (double-barrelled) and the other Amelia had the same surname! It seems she didn't mind the ball ache that caused as I wouldn't be at all surprised if a very similar thing happened with her son when he starts!

When my ds was born in 2003 I named him after my mum's best friend's cat. I just happened to love the name. It was considered "posh" where we live and raised a few eyebrows.

His name is Oliver!

Now at 16 when I tell him how popular his name is he doesn't believe me as was the only one in both his primary and secondary schools but obviously the Oliver's born that made it so popular are much younger.

He prefers Ollie anyway and refuses to use Oliver and hates it. I still love his name and just think I was a little bit ahead of the times ( in Liverpool anyway! )

My DS is probably going to be one of about 4 in his class, it's an incredibly common name, probably top 15 or even less. But he's named after my late father and so I'm not bothered if there are a million of them with the same name.

It really really doesn’t matter if your child has the same name as another child. It’s not their names that mane them individual, it’s their personality.

The trouble is when you are naming your child you dont really know what other people are doing

Yes exactly. I had no idea what names would be popular 18 years in the future, I just fell in love with a name as a small girl. It means the world to me.

How I knew someone a few years ago who was astonished that her Ava had many other Avas in her new reception year group. I was a bit confused as had assumed she realised she had chosen the most popular name going around 2008/2009. She must have lived under a rock until the first day of school!

I guess but I grew up with a popular name and didn’t want my kids to have them

“My DS is probably going to be one of about 4 in his class, it's an incredibly common name, probably top 15 or even less.”
Even if it’s the top 1,he’ll be unlucky to have another one in his class. Top 15? Very unlikely.

There were seven Sarahs in one class at my secondary school in the 90s - a quarter of the class. Whoever allocated kids between classes ballsed that one up, although all other classes also had a minimum of one Sarah in them.

My name was popular and at one point there were three of us in my class. I rarely meet others now I'm an adult, though, because not everyone I work with is the same age.

I was reluctant to choose something too popular for my DD because I didn't like being one of many when I was at school. But, in the end we agreed on something which is classic, elegant and hopefully won't date. I haven't yet met any others her age but I'm sure I will. School is a tiny snapshot and we wanted a name which we hope will be considered beautiful and timeless for all of her life.

We had discussed names before we married and picked quite unusual names..... However about a year before DD was born, one of our close friends had a daughter with the unusual name we both liked.

The only name DH and I could then agree on was a popular one. Top 10.

Our unusual boys name was used by a close friend about 6 months after DD born.

For our son the only name we both agreed on was another popular one. Top 30.

I tried to find a less popular name, that I liked, that DH also liked, but never achieved this.

I do like both their names, and think they are popular for a reason.

My name hasn't been popular for years. It wasn't remotely popular the year I was born either.

I think there’s a middle way- my sister has a very unusual name while me and DB have classic 1970s names. DS hated being different and already insisted she would give her DC ‘normal’ names, which she has!

However I’m a teacher and last year my class had no Jacks but 3 boys called Phoenix! You can’t guarantee they’ll be the only one with that name, so best to just pick something you like.

There's a lot of snobbery around names. My children are adopted and one of them has a name I wouldn't have chosen but we've rarely met another child with the same name and now the name makes me think of them and I love it.

My daughters name is in the top 5 for 2018 but she’s the only one in her school with it!

When we chose my son's name at no point did we think about whether it was popular or not, we chose it because we both love it.

I've just had a look at the top names since he was born and his name has been in the top 20 every year.

He's at a secondary school with approximately 800 pupils. There is one other boy with the same name as him in the school.

Personally I don't understand why people spend so much time agonising over it.

My DDs name has been top 15 for about the last 15-20 years, didn't realise when we named her but didn't care. I've only met a few people with the same name (2 IRL and a couple more famous or pop culture characters) and no other little girls her age.

My name has never been popular but I've met a lot of people with the same and everyone uses the same shortened version. DHs parents chose an 'out there' name 35 years ago, now every other little boy from the last 15 years has the same name.

Ranking doesn't mean much.

IWe 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*

Same thing happened to us! I ‘borrowed’ DD’s name from the sister of a Dutch friend of mine. Didn’t think anyone else would have the same name. DD is five and I know of three other girls with her name.