We have narrowed to 2. Popular vs. unpopular?

[EllyGoLately]

We have narrowed our baby boy's potential name down to 2 choices.

1 is popular, think Top 20 if not Top 10 (not quite sure of latest figure but hear it quite often around here and know of 3 newborns with this name!)

The other is hovering around the 250 mark but it jumped 45 places last year in popularity!

I always said I would not have a DC with a popular name, it just is something I feel strongly about and I understand not all people do. I'm worried now that if we choose the unpopular name partially on the basis that not everyone has it, that the trend will continue and his name will be super popular in 2013 or whatever.

For those of you who didn't want a child with a popular name, would this bother you? How far 'down the list' did you choose?

Those of you who didn't give a toss about naming your child something popular - does it bother you that lots of other children have it? DH says he wouldn't care because it wouldn't just be 'X', it would be 'OUR X' so would make it special. Can you tell I'm a dithering pregnant hormonal mess?

Mmm, it would be easier if you gave the names.

I think there is no telling, and sod's law says that the less popular one will be no 1 in a couple of years, then your DS will be dated and everyone will assume you chose it because so and so on Eastenders called their baby that (10 years down the line no one will realise the years don't tally).

I have the annoying situation of naming DS a perfectly normal name, well known but not very popular, but it turns out that a different (incorrect) spelling is apparently more popular. So it gets spelled wrongly ALL THE TIME.

You cannot win basically. Choose something you like.

I have a very unusual name (which I love) and dh had the No1 name for boys in the year he was born. We decided on names that fell between those extremes.I think with just two names I'd wait for the baby to be born and see which one suits. If you've got a while to go yet you might also find that over time one of them feels more right to you.

The short form of my dd's name is perennially popular, and we've met a few, but she's never had another in her class. The short form of ds's name shot up in popularity the year after he was born (damn you EastEnders) and has stayed popular ever since, but apart from one younger boy at his old school the only person we've met with his name was an old barber.

If you have a look at the name stats even the most popular names aren't used by that many families as names are so much more diverse now. I'd look at what seems popular in your local area rather than the national stats if you are really concerned.

I would go with your heart really, and choose your favourite!

There was a name we considered, it was on our shortlist for DD, very traditional but it seemed so popular at the time we veered away from it. Funnily enough although it was popular, she has never had one in her class ( she is 13) and never had one as a friend!

I love my DC names, it would be awful if you didn't, so don't try to be practical! Go with your heart.

What are the names?
I don't think you need to pay too much attention to the stats, but maybe what is popular in your area. For example, I know 3 Hebe's under 10, but no Olivia's at all, so for me the number 1 name in the country would be more unusual.
All of my dc have quite unusual names, but I still like SAmuel and Lydia for a dc5 even though they are in the top 100 because I like the names.
Which would you prefer if you had no idea of popularity.

Well I picked uncommon names for mine, but they have increased in popularity over the years.

Is there one that you really love & just feels right?

Or wait until baby is born & see if one name seems to suit better?

TBH, the name I had always wanted for a son was James.

Didn´t have it as husband wasn´t keen.

Still love it though, even if it is very popular.

As your husband says, it will be your XXX

go with what you like best. we picked one that was well known but not popular and the godparents picked it as well.

sorry meant to say they chose it for their child - so rather defeated the point of choosing something different

Pick your favourite and the ones that goes best with your surname.