I know people are put off if a name is too popular, but would you be put off if a name was too uncommon?

[CreepyFunbags]

I'm not even pregnant at the moment, but I am interested in names anyway, so I was just thinking about names I've seen on here recently that I liked, or that I had thought of after reading threads on here and I looked them up on the 2008 statistics.

They were pretty much all only used for 20 or less children in 2008. They were all about the 2700th most popular name in England and Wales. So unpopular!

I thought "Gosh I couldn't ever use a name that unusual!" Even though I think they're nice names.

Would it put you off if you thought a name was perfectly lovely but it was just very very rare?

(FWIW the names I looked up were Joan, Ailsa, Persephone, and er... Dolores. I just read a book with a Dolly in it!!)

It wouldn't put me off either but there again I have a fairly boring and very common name .

FWIW Isla is quite popular here.

wow that generator gave me "Eynaecol"

Now isn't that the worst girls name on earth!

Sound like some form of medicine!

No, it wouldn't put me off - my ds's name (Amos) is somewhere around there, and Ailsa, Joan and Persephone have all been on our list.

Bit different if the bame is something made up, or there are just 2 born because it is a mad spelling of an unusual name - but then i would not like those names anyway.

Im pregnant and have Maisie for a girl which most of my friends have laughed at due to it being "old fashioned" and I also Like Mason for little boy although several people have commented that its a protestants name? Is there such a thing as a name thats more one side of religion than the other? Or is this just narrow mindedness?

What I want from a name is that it's familiar - like earlier poster's point about Cuthbert - but not in the top 100. So, no, it wouldn't put me off those names. Although I actually only like Joan from your list.

No, it wouldn't put me off. Just checked the 2008 statistics and ds's name was only given 13 times. It is still easy to pronounce/spell and well known.

I would only be put off if a name was made up and/or very difficult to spell and pronounce.

xstaceyxcatx how rude of your friends! We never told people our name choices until after the baby had been born so that we wouldn't have to put up with people trying to influence us.

As for the religion thing though, have not idea. We have lots of friends from different religions and apart from the Muslims and Sikhs, all the names seem pretty interchangeable.

ineedsomesleep I told them that they were very rude as at the end of the day its a very personal thing to choose etc, and some of them have such a cheek as they have picked very "common chavvy" names in my opinion.

The religion thing puzzled me also. Iv decided its y baby so what everyone else decides doesnt really matter. Several ppl slag me that ds's name is a dog names. All in good jest though.

I think that naming trends are more useful to look at than individual years. Many names that were very popular when I was born in the 70's are now very uncommon, and vice versa. If you used one of those names no one would think they were outlandish, just not of their time perhaps. So they would be unusual in their baby years, and then fairly normal as a grown up when you don't tend to only spend time with people the same age as you. So a name like Mark, or Richard or Peter probably wouldn't hit the top 100 but certainly wouldn't be unusual. I think that Joan is very much in that category, whilst Persephone and Dolores have probably always been unusual. Ailsa might be more of a regional thing (ie could be popular in Scotland, but unusual elsewhere).

Personally I think unusual = good, but outlandish = bad (I have a very unusual name).

(Xstaceyxcatx -- maybe they were talking about the Masons (Freemasons)? Catholics are forbidden to join the Masons, whereas membership has been popular among protestants and members of other denominations.)

In NI and parts of Scotland there are some very definite 'Catholic' and 'protestant' names. So it would be very unusual to find a protestant Patrick, or any Irish name (Cian, Padraig, Ronan, etc). Catholics generally pick from a broader selection.

Where are the 2008 statistics? Could someone link to them please?

That name generator gave me: 'Wnngryn' for a girl... not sure I'll be trying that one!

rarity of a name wouldn't bother me if I personally liked it

Galena you should be able to find them here

Thanks

Galena forgot to say, most of the names on the list will be lovely names and on the list just for that reason. If however you want an more unusal name try to avoid at least the top 15.

The national statistics can be deceptive too. Evie seems to be a compulsory name for little girls in my town, and boys seem to be called either William, Alfie or Archie. Yet in other areas these names can be more rare.

We gave DS a name that was in the top 20 at the time is there is only one other in his whole school.

If you are pregnant, it may be worth asking the other parents at your Antenatal classes what names they are thinking of. Its also a good idea to go to your local Baby Cafe or NCT group whilst you are still pregnant. That way you will have a ready made support network once the baby arrives with the added benefit that you can see what all the babies are named!