To think that some people are more bothered about a baby name being unusual rather than nice/they actually like it?

[Ikeameatballs]

I often see baby name threads that start with “nothing in top 100” or some similar stipulation. I can’t help but think that some people are more concerned with having an unusual name than they are having one that they actually like! AIBU?

Oh I wanted an unusual name but I also had to like it as there's some awful ones around. Most people are complimentary about the name we did choose (Although quite a few misremember it admittedly)

I was thinking exactly this earlier today. Why is it so very important to some people to give their child a‘unique’ name? I suppose they believe it will lend themselves a uniqueness or a sense of being ahead of the curve. It feels narcissistic.

The names I chose were unusual but I loved them. Dd is 17 and little dd is 11 and both names have grown massively in popularity. Them being unusual was important to me, but I chose names I love that are both. I don’t like well used names on the whole- just get sick of hearing them and I was one if three with my name in primary which was massively annoying so wouldn’t want to do that.
Ds name is unusual still and I love that.

I want to like it but also would rather not have 3 others with same name in class at school (as with my own name!)

I have an unusual name, was when I was a child and still is at 41! But when I chose names for my own dc my primary consideration was if I liked the name. Dd’s name was near the bottom of the top 100 and ds’s was in the top 20 although both have fallen since then.

YANBU.

There is a whole spectrum of names between Oliver and Amelia at one end and Grizabella-Starshine or Mygoodnessitsrainingagain at the other.

Perfectly possible to strike the balance by choosing a name which isn't commonplace but is a normal, reasonable, nice name.

I'm the opposite. Quite often I've denied myself the name I truly love because I love really out there names. Or more like because the children's dad hated it haha!

I wanted a normal name but I am tried to avoid the current top 50-100. I have a really bog standard name that was not popular when I was born. There weren't loads of children with my name at school unlike the 3 Vickys we had in out class alone!
However, that being said, the name we both love is in the top 20 and will still be going with it.

What gets me is that it's only a 'baby name' for 18 months. It eventually becomes a school pupil's name (and we all know that the playground can be hell) and then an 'adult name' for the rest of their life.

I grew up with a Welsh name in England. I was in my late 20s before I met another person with my name and have yet to meet a 3rd. I like it that way and wouldn't want my child to have a very popular name.

I wouldn't name my child a name I didn't like, but I have a few naming criteria such as not too popular, not starting with the letters C, G or H, bonus points if starting with E as it's my favourite letter and preferably Welsh! I like the letters A, E, L, M, T and S.

There are a few top 100 names I've always liked, such as Isabel, Isabella and Lucy, but I wouldn't use them as I want something more unusual, ideally Welsh like Eira, Eleri, Tesni or Morwenna. I wouldn't rule out popular Welsh names in Wales such as Osian and Seren. I would also consider the Welsh versions of top 100 names like Tomos, Alys and Nansi. I'd also consider non Welsh names like Lyra (albeit relatively popular), Juliette and Iseult.

Fortunately there are a huge range of name options between Sophie and Tinkerbell and lots of lovely but not so commonly used names. There's a difference between unusual and 'youneeq'.

Haha you’re right!

My parents were teachers so “not a name of a horrible child they’d taught” was definitely a criteria which ruled out lots of popular names when they named me.

Also they wanted something difficult to shorten.

But I’m pretty sure that they wanted a name they loved as well!

Also definitely avoid the names of school bullies!

The ones I chose were in the top 100 (I think, they're not that uncommon!) but I deliberately avoided anything top 20 or so. My sister's name was top girls name around the year she was born, and she's always hated that she's one of several in her class at school, uni and every workplace - our surname is fairly common too so sometimes it was identical first names and surnames. She has always hated it, so I wanted to try to make sure it wouldn't happen to my own children.
So maybe it's not so much wanting their child to be unique as wanting them not to be one of many.

Can't both be important to them?

I wanted an unusual name for my daughter, as I always liked having one. They aren't weird made up names; just not British ones. So they are more common in another country.

But I still wanted it to be something I liked. Which I found.