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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Popularity - how important is it?

48 replies

Starberries · 01/10/2010 02:26

I have loved a name since getting together with DP 3.5 yrs ago, 24 wks pregnant and now having serious doubts as it has steadily climbed through the ranks over the past 5 years and is now sitting pretty in top 20 in UK and top 10 in US (relevant as I'm American and we will be there at least a quarter of the year).

I am one of those who really doesn't like popular names, but this one is lovely and was mine - there's an alternative that we both like but it, too, is climbing up and up - albeit it has just cracked the top 50 in both countries.

How important is popularity, really? If a name is number 9, does that mean every 5th child you meet will be called it? Would love to hear from both ends of the spectrum please.

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Whelk · 01/10/2010 17:31

Sorry- added the 'get a grip' in a jokey light hearted way. I don't mean any offence by it!

Wanderingsheep · 01/10/2010 17:36

Hmm, I think you might be right re: boys names. We can't, for the life of us, decide on a boys name, which means that it's probably a boy!

flopsy1974 · 01/10/2010 17:53

The problem is Rockbird that anything in the top 100 is seen as far too popular and dismissed on here.
My ten week old daughter is called Martha Alice, but one of the options we considered was Martha Rose. When I put a post on here a while ago about name choices one of the responses I got was 'well if you don't mind her being one of three in the class'. Believe me some people are ridiculous. I just don't see the point in avoiding a name you love for your child just because a few other people give their child the same name. There is supposed to be millions of little Jacks running around. I have come across two in the last couple of years.

KERALA1 · 01/10/2010 18:33

Really flopsy? Agree holding that attitude is rather extreme and haven't come across it myself. I would consider Martha along the more unusual names I only know one. I just personally think it shows abit more imagination to have say a Hester and Rory rather than a Grace and Jack.

KERALA1 · 01/10/2010 18:34

And there are alot of Jacks here. Every other boy in the supermarket is Jack.

othersideofchannel · 01/10/2010 18:50

Not sure whether ones identity is diluted by having a common name, but it can be a real pain to always be known by ones surname initial or other differentiating factor in order distinguish yourself.

Agree that the whole point of naming someone is to identify him/her, and given how many beautiful names there are, it seems a boring/dull if we all chose the same few ones for our children.

Having lived in different countries, I find that some countries are far more open minded about name variety than others (the UK not being one of them ).

PosieParker · 01/10/2010 18:52

It was important to me, so I chose unusual names for the boys and I have a DD called Mabel which is a little bit popular...since she was born.

ValiumSingleton · 01/10/2010 20:02

It depends really. I ruled out a name that was about number 30 I think, I really loved it. So far there has not been one in my dc's class, pre-school, ballet, on our road (our old road or our new road). I think it matters less than I used to think it matters.

A name that is number 30, you honestly might not come across another, you'd know they were out there though and might hear the name called out.

There are extremes though. Such as Jack. I mean anybody who has a baby tomorrow and calls it Jack knowing it's been the most popular name for 14 years, ! well, in my opinion that's 'too popular' to choose. But it's not the end of the world either..

Original poster

Starberries · 01/10/2010 20:58

Have to just say - all the posters who say they decided to choose unusual names am itching to know what they are, particularly Posie's boys

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othersideofchannel · 01/10/2010 21:25

Starberries, my ds is Quentin.

Original poster

Starberries · 01/10/2010 21:30

Oooh that's lovely other. I really, really like it actually

OP posts:

wigglesrock · 01/10/2010 21:36

We named our girl the "most popular name in the world ever!!!" - almost 3 years ago. We have heard it a few times, but none of her friends are called it, no-one in her playgroup, none of the siblings of her big sisters friends etc are called it.

It depends on where you live in the UK, we're in NI and literally dripping over Caolans, Aoifes, Caoimhes, Ruairis, etc, Ps we don't know any Jacks

meadowlarks · 01/10/2010 21:56

I wish I could say it isn't important to me but it really, really is. I like unusual names anyway but if I hear a name is becoming popular in the stats then it's a huge turn off.

Someone made the point about this being truer for boys - I totally agree. That's why I've picked out a fairly normal name (Julia) for future DC and a far more rare one (Vere) if it's a boy.

wisteria12 · 01/10/2010 21:59

meadow - I love love love your names! Vere is so handsome.

Well, I have an Algy, and Atticus, a Celeste and a Cuthbert. No prizes for guessing whether popularity bothers me...

hulabula · 01/10/2010 22:05

Some good points made on this thread. I too have a popular name and would have preferred to have a less common name - my name is very much a 1970s name...

We've chosen names outside of the top 100 for our dd's because of my own experience and not only do we love their names, most people's comments have been really positive.

Love, love Quentin and Atticus in particular .

BikeRunSki · 01/10/2010 22:09

DS's name has been top 20 forever. I love it, i used it, and it is not at all popular round here in his age group (Samuel, West Yorkshire, 2). Never met another one in 2 years of coffee groups, playgroups, nursery etc.

I grew up with an uncommon name and hated it. Couldn't wait to give DS a more usual name, to go with our common olde-English-occupation surname.

SmacsGonePotty · 01/10/2010 23:10

I have a popular 70s name, lots of us at school, uni and now I meet lots of mums at playgroups that share my name. Do I care? No, not one bit. Does it dilute me? No don't be ridiculous.
If you like a name then use it. Regional variations are huge and just because a name is 'top 10' or 'top 30' doesn't mean that it will be in your area.

mayanna123 · 02/10/2010 14:23

Some people seem to be more bothered than others about a name's popularity.

Personally I think it's in everyone's interest to encourage more diversity in names because 1) it helps to distinguish between people and 2) it makes life much more fun and interesting imo.

yggdrasil · 02/10/2010 14:42

i think kids prefer having popular names

i think parents often like to make a statement about their child through their name

you know what? as an adult, never once have I thought before meeting someone, "wow, Electra, she must be a real individual" or "sarah. gosh, I bet she's dull". The person makes the name, not the other way round.

mayanna123 · 02/10/2010 15:10

yggdrasil, I would not judge anyone on their name, ever. But I would find it much easier to remember someone named Electra than someone called Sarah as the former is likely to be the only one with that name I know, whereas Sarah has to share her name with all the other Sarahs I know.

I know so many adult Steves for example that when I meet another one, I find it much harder to remember his name. This is because my brain already associates the name Steve with about 15 other Steves.

Thats what names are for - for naming and identifying something or someone.

As I teacher, I can tell you that children are not always happy to share a name, especially the younger ones. But in order to differentiate them, you have to either change one of their names (say to a nickname) or add an initial, which they don't always like.

MrsC2010 · 02/10/2010 18:39

We really didn't want anything top 100 odd, purely because we both have fairly standard names. BUT, we didn't want anything so unusual that she would not like it, have to spell it out, be picked on for it etc etc. In the end the name we went for is perfect (we think, obviously!), classic, pretty, suitable for a little girl and also an adult, unusual but not new if you see what I mean? We've had nothing but compliments on it.

However there were a couple of names that nearly won, a couple of which are really popular. If we'd have loved them more we'd have gone for them, popular or not.

ValiumSingleton · 02/10/2010 18:41

Same here yggdrasil. In real life I don't think like that, but on a board it seems abstract, and unconnected to a person. It's just, what do you think of this name..... and one of the things to mention is its popularity.

I've been told off by some sanctimonious posters for being judgmental when I'm not. They added two and two and got 5.

fizzpops · 02/10/2010 18:50

I deliberately printed off the top 50 as a starting point when DH and I were discussing names and we chose a name we liked from it. I like more unusual names while DH likes more classic names but I was still happy with our choice as I didn't know any other children - or indeed adults - with the same name.

Saying that though DD is 2.5 and I still have not met a single Jack so maybe I just don't get out much!

It only recently occurred to me that my DD is recognised at her nursery and at other places we go specifically because she is not one of five children with the same name so it probably matters more to me than it used to.

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