I thought I would never be posting this but...

[ApertureScience]

I think I want to change my baby's name! I spent a lot of time of this board when pregnant and put a lot of thought into my baby's name and whenever I came across the 'help I don't like my baby's name' threads I just thought how could that happen? You have enough time to think about it and why would you go for a name you don't like? Well, I apologise!
I had two final name choices and let my DH choose between the two. He chose the name which has actually been proabably my favourite girls name since I was about 14. Two months down the line we just don't feel like it suits her. It doesn't help that it is VERY popular. We did actually consider the fact that it is popular and we both have common names for our time and didn't think it was so bad, but this seems far more common than we anticipated. We cannot go to any play area without hearing the name. We took DD1 to soft play last week, there were less than 10 toddlers there and 3 had variations of our DD2's name!
So what do people think on this issue, are we over reacting on the popularity front? Does it matter if a 2 month old suits her name as surely she will grow in to it? And I'm interested to know if people will guess the name (which is why I haven't mentioned it) I think you will (but don't worry I will be back to disclose it!)
Sorry about the long post! Never thought I'd be in this situation!

I think Eve is a nice name and personally, I would keep it. Alexandra is also a nice name but I had a friend who was called by her middle name and she found it embarrassing to keep explaining.

In the entire reception year at my DS's school, there are no girls called Eve, but one called Evie. I don't much like Evie (babyish), but Eve is a good name and I'd keep it. There are loads of people in the world and you have just mixed with people recently called variations of Eve. It just seems more common than it is - I think even the no. 1 name - something like 1 in 50 or 1 in 100 (can't remember) children will have it. Not 3 in 10 - that's just an anomaly from the softplay.

Having read your original post I would change it. I too have a very popular name from the time and I know that everyone with popular names doesn't feel like this, but I've always hated it. There were 5 in my class, yes 5 and there are 5 of us at work out of about 40 staff.

Evie/Eve/Eva/Ava/Aoife are very, very popular where I live. Although like other posters have said, if you really loved the name the popularity issue wouldn't matter to you.

Its a shame that your DH won't go for Alexandra Eve as that is lovely.

You say you let him choose from 2 names, what was the other one?

My sister had a different name for ten weeks! On the eve of her Christening my parents changed it. She's now in her late twenties and loves the story of her two names!! She's been Annabelle for 28 years and it's a lovely name.

If you're not happy- go for the change!!

Lady how do you see how many times a name was used, I've tried finding that site but come up empty.

Eve Alexandra is a LOVELY name. Why don't you just call her Alexandra instead.

Annabel is also popular. You'll end up with the same issue, I reckon.

I like Eve actually - easy to spell and pronounce, and IME not that common; I know two or three at most and I know a lot of children.

Emily and Amelia and Grace and Maddie and Mia all far more popular in my DCs' schools.

But if you feel unhappy with it then you should change it. Now would be the time.

I think you are probably over-reacting on the popularity thing (in a nice way).

Two of my kids have very popular names, both times because we were slightly ahead of the curve (everyone copied us ;-) No seriously.).

It DOES bother me, if I am honest.

However, I grew up with an unusual name-oddly enough, now a very fashionable name-and I didn't love it. I have a much more common alternative name (long story) which I used more as a teenager because I was so fed up of being the only _ under 120 in the country.

I think, honestly, kids don't normally want to be different. Honestly. They want to be as like their peers as possible and they do not revel in having a slightly different name. As an adult, I don't MIND having an unusual name but it doesn't add anything. It says more about my parents than me.

I think Eve is a beautiful name and if you love it, please stick with it.

All that said, we've changed both my girls' names middle names slightly over the years (we wanted to honour relatives, long story) and it is straightforward to do it before 12 months, and only slightly less straightforward after 12 months. TBH with forenames, no one cares that much, they are pretty easy to change.

Call her Evita as a nickname,
and keep Eve Alexandra (it is a good name)
Or if your DH doesn't like Alexandra what about Sasha as a nickname?

I hear your pain - I have a 4 year old Eve and I hate hearing every other child in the playground called the same. I don't know how I didn't realise how popular it was - probably because I didn't hang out in kids playgrounds pre kids . It's kind of spoilt the name for me, although it's her name so wouldn't change it. Maybe if she was 2 months old I would... but only if I felt I had a better alternative

Eve is lovely and I think you should look at the stats again and see what percentage of children are actually called Eva/Evie. It might be .4%

A lot of names fall into that category of being are similar to other names which also popular. Mia/Maya/Maia/Amaya Emilia/Amelia/Amelie, Sophie/Sophia. I think Annabel is just outside the top 100 but Anna is in the top 50 I think and there is Isobel and Isabel, so if you're going to go unusual I'd go MORE unusual than annabel. Although I only know one.

I know what your other dd's name is because you mentioned it on antoher thread. Eve goes well with that name imo.

I love Sasha as a short form of Alexandra, but maybe because Barack Obama's daughter is Sasha, that will rise in the popularity charts as well. So hard to predict.

Eve has a different sound from Evie too. The little Eve I know (and I know only one) goes by EEvie, which is sweet and more like Edie really.

I would see Eve as a classic name that will suit a girl throughout her whole life, whereas Evie is more of a fad.

Thanks for all the reponses, I am feeling a bit more balanced about it today I think! I think the majority here are 'keep it if you love it', which I do, I'm just not 100% sure that it is her name iygwim! I think if I was sure I wouldn't be bothered by how popular it is as well.
I asked an adult Eve if she liked her name, which she did, except obviously when she was growing up she was the only one she knew and she didn't like having an unusual name! Funny that my Eve will have the opposite problem!
Thanks to everyone who has said it is a nice name!! Think I'm gonna stick it out with this name...although I predict another wobble at 3 months. I think each new month feels a bit more urgent, obviously the older she is the harder it would be for everyone to adjust to a new name!
Maybe just avoid soft play until I'm sure

Eve is beautiful. It is popular for a reason. But do you love it?

Eve Alexandra is a wonderful name, imo.

Oh yes, avoid snot germ central soft play as much as possible.

I prefer Eve to all its variations. Beautiful.

Eve is an absolutely beautiful name but if you feel that you need to change it, I would do so now rather than further along down the line. Don't worry about what family and friends think. You have got to do what feels right for both you, your DP and your DC

By the way, I was going to guess Isabelle.

i haven't come across any other eves, but a few evies though.
and it's a lovely name
i don't think annabel will be much less popular.
i just wanted to say, that i changed my DDs name. she was 3 months when we changed it but i started to want to around 3 weeks
it was awkward at the time, but thinking about telling people was worse than actually telling them as but most people were very understanding, i only had a couple of looks and a few people told me they wished they had changed their child's name!!
it is unusual but not unheard of. i'd do it before she learns her name, if you know what i mean. yes the baby cards are a problem but they're in a box at the moment and tbh, they're for me not her (i'm only marginally interested in the baby cards my mum was sent for me, for example)
incidentally my only disappointment is that DS who was 2.6 when it was changed still remembers that she was called the other name. occasionally he asks to change it again!!

I dont know any Eve's and I have a son of 20 and a son of 7 -not once have i come across this name!!! I think it is a lovely name ...and yes they do 'grow' into their names !

btw my DS has a very popular name, and it grates on me a bit. but i would never change it and am pleased i called him it because i love the name so much.
but if you don't love it, then change it, but only to a name you like/ love more. otherwise you risk the same problem occuring.

aperture, I just changed my baby's name at 3 months!

If it's bothering you I think it will always bother you. It sounds like there's a bit more to it than the popularity angle.

I too was horrified at the prospect of telling people, but felt a real sense of 'rightness' when we'd made the change, as I'd worried about it most days since DD was born. I felt like you, I loved the name we'd chosen, but not for her. The other name was shouting at me loud and clear.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

My DD is called Evangeline and I do wish that I hadn't ever abreviated it to Evie, as I love her proper name. I keep reading on MN how popular the names Eve/Evie/Ava are but I don't know any, so it could be less popular than people think.

Wrt changing, my friens changed her first name when she was 17. Everyone soon got used to it and don't think of her as anything other than the name she chose.

Also, my mum changed mine when I was a baby (was Victoria and my mum was pissed off with people calling me Vicky). My GPs had had the christening presents engraved and everything, but they soon got used to the change, so don't worry too much about that aspect of it.

I think your DDs names are lovely, but if you are not happy and have a name that you love more, then now is a good time to change, before your baby learns her name.

Please let us know the outcome.

Another name changer here! Like you, I couldn't believe I could end up not liking my DS's name after having 9 months to pick one. DH and I couldn't agree on a boy's name throughout my pregnancy and DH only appeared to like one name, which I wasn't at all keen on. DS was slightly early and in my tired hormonal state, I agreed to DH's name choice, partly because I felt like we just had to decide on something asap and was tired to push for my name choice or to continue looking for a compromise.

Anyway, I was never happy with it, and just wished we had called him something else. We ended up changing it when DS was about 5 months - I tried to get used to the original name but just couldn't and it became clear to me that I would always regret the name choice unless we did change it. I was really worried about telling people, but needn't have been as no one seemed that bothered by it really, and everyone seemed to get used to the new name pretty quickly. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my mind as soon as we made the decision. We kept DS's original name as a middle name (so he has 2 middle names now).

If you think you will always regret your DD's name (which I really like fwiw), then just change it. It is really easy to do, and no one else will care as much as you think they will. Perhaps you could keep Eve as a middle name.

Let us know what you decide :)

Starberies - the top 100 boys / girls names for the previous year are released by the ONS (Office of National Statistics) every autumn.

The last ones available are 2008, released in Sept 2009 - the best link I found on google was a Guardian article reporting this - it lists top 100, whether it's moving up / down the charts, and how many times each name was registered that year. Very useful if you're trying to avoid your kid being in a class with a 5 others. (I was one of 5 in some classes!)

2009 list due out end of October - I checked. I still have time to consult it before DD arrives December!

Re the OP - I'd leave it. Eve Alexandra is very pretty.