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Baby names

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

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Original poster

popualrity vs attraction?

45 replies

theGrapeGatsby · 27/04/2012 21:48

after viewing the new baby names app which shows popularity trends . i've been wondering at what level of popularity people would ditch a name they loved in order to find a less popular name even if it meant choosing an alternative name which they liked/loved less .

so if you loved a name would you use it regardless of popularity or if not what level of popularity would be a deal breaker ?

for me no matter how much i loved a name in the top 100 .i really would avoid it now no matter how much i adored it ? personally i'd rather be in the bottom reaches of the tables but dh is much more boring conservative , so the dc's names are around the 200 to 300 mark.
having said that if a name though rare or very rare now had been wildly popular at any time in the past 50 years i'd ptobably avoid it ,for example john and susan are now unusual they have been so popular in the past they still feel well used , no matter how attractive they are as names in their own right .

if you have older dcs has the way you feel about name popularity ,do you worry altered now that baby name statistics are more accessible? .do you worry more now about names perceived rarity .

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rachel234 · 27/04/2012 22:11

To me, the point of naming someone/something is to identify them. So a name that is already used by thousands others doesn't really fulfill its purpose of identifying a person, especially not if the surname is popular.

My kids both have names outside of the top 100 and ds's name was only used 13 times last year. They may not be to everyone's taste but we love them!

rachel234 · 27/04/2012 22:12

And the baby name statistics have been available for years, haven't they?

cece · 27/04/2012 22:15

I think popular names are popular for a reason - because people like them and they work well in real life.

The child I have with the more 'unusual' name (at the time of her birth), I now know several girls with that name. With my subsequent children I just went for names I like and didn't worry about popularity too much. Funnily enough we don't know that many children with those names! LOL

rachel234 · 27/04/2012 22:20

"I think popular names are popular for a reason - because people like them and they work well in real life."

Yes, they are popular because lots of people like them at the same time. However, sharing a popular name with lots of others doesn't always work that well in real life (can get confusing/annoying) especially if the surname is quite popular too.

Also, names, like fashion, that become very popular quickly will start to become unfashionable and sound dated at some point. That is another reason I prefer timeless, less popular names.

cece · 27/04/2012 22:27

I don't get confused or annoyed when I meet someone with the same name as me! My DD likes to meet other girls with her name. She hated that her name was unusual and is pleased now that she knows others (even though most are a lot younger than her )

But hey we are all different. I don't mind what others call their DC. Although it is nice when others have the same good taste as yourself

Sirzy · 27/04/2012 22:31

I didn't look at any lists before naming Ds. I picked the name because I liked it cant see the point in picking a name for any other reason.

I have a name that was very popular, never caused any issues though and i do think some people over think things when looking at popularity. Some of the most common names locally don't even feature in top 20 nationally!

tammytoby · 27/04/2012 22:54

The question is not Popularity vs Attraction. Attractiviness is somewhat dependant on popularity imo. How attractive a name is is partly dependant on its popularity because, as rachel says, a name identifies someone and if that name is already very popular, it loses some of its attractiveness as a name.

Depending on which field you work in, it can be helpful to be easily identifiable by your name (first and surname), but this may matter less in other areas.

tammytoby · 27/04/2012 22:56

"I don't get confused or annoyed when I meet someone with the same name as me!"

Well, the three Harrys in our beavers group do find it a little annoying to have to write their full names on every sheet and be known as Harry A, Harry S and Harry D. As a leader I'd find it easier if they had different names.

cece · 27/04/2012 23:05

I am a teacher and don't have a problem with names at work. I once had a class with;

2 Rebeccas
2 Bens
3 Davids
3 Pauls

It was fine! Although I did wonder who had put them all in the same class - especially as there were 3 classes in total!

HolyCameraConfusionBatman · 27/04/2012 23:14

A name being really popular would put me off. I've loved the name Finn/Flynn for ages, but wouldn't use it now because there are just soooo many. I wouldn't want a name that was faddy/top 10, but also wouldn't choose a name that no-one had ever heard of/can't spell/can't pronounce/asks about.

Susan is an example of a name I would choose because it's been used so much in the past everyone is familiar with it/can say it/spell it, but she'd probably be the only Susan in school.

BBQJuly · 27/04/2012 23:26

If a name is in the top 10 it sounds more popular than it is, IYKWIM. Even the most popular names are only given to about 1 per cent of children, I seem to remember (maybe someone has the stats?)

manicinsomniac · 27/04/2012 23:27

I wouldn't think twice about it. I just picked names I like.

I'm a Rebecca which was top 5 when I was born but I never met so many that I felt like I didn't have an identity or anything. I remember going on a youth camp where there were so many Rebeccas that we had to be Rebecca, Becca, Becky, Bex and Rebecky(!) for the week but it was just funny, none of us cared.

HolyCameraConfusionBatman · 27/04/2012 23:31

I had a science teacher at school who, to save time learning names, called all girls Rebecca and all boys David . There were 3 of each in the class so I guess those names gave him the highest chance of being right.

workshy · 27/04/2012 23:33

I don't think names date once they have been given to a person as the name ages with a person

my mum is patricia (trish) and is late 50s (sorry mum) I wouldn't dream of calling a baby patricia but it suits my mum

I picked names that I liked -the one that I thought would be really popular, we don't know any others, the one that we thought we had made up as an amallgamation of 2 names, then when we went to register her were told how poplular that name is now -we only know 2 and none in her year at school! confused yet

baby name trends are not necessarily 'country wide' trends due to the spread of the population -call them a name you like

MayaAngelCool · 27/04/2012 23:34

It didn't even occur to me to worry about the popularity issue when naming my kids. Why should I care about that? Some people get hung up on wanting to be 'original', which is utter nonsense unless you invent the name yourself. We just chose names that we loved and that had a special meaning to us.

Maryz · 27/04/2012 23:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ZenNudist · 27/04/2012 23:50

I know what OP means about being picky not to use a common name, but just say you pick something that becomes popular in the future, you can't control that. You just have to choose a name you like, works well with your surname & your culture. My personal taste is for names that have some flexibility, e.g. Having a name that has a strong nickname and a second name that is bit different.

Plus long term it doesn't matter if your dc share a class with 5 kids with same name.

lockets · 27/04/2012 23:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lunamoon · 28/04/2012 00:47

I would just choose a name that I liked.
I don't think people are that individual, just look around at all the sheep following fashion whether it suits them or not. They might think they are different for choosing a unique name but quite often unique names sound quite naff/common when you come across several of them. As opposed to classic names that have been used for centuries.

kerala · 28/04/2012 07:27

I find it fascinating and would love to know why it is that so many people in a particular generation are drawn to the same names. When I was pregnant my first instinct was for Emily or Olivia - and so it seemed was everyone else's as they were the top names that year (didn't pick them in the end but they were what I instinctively thought of). Outside top 100 names don't have to be "unique" or bonkers there are lots of perfectly sensible names but in the main people don't pick them. Am particularly loving Peter and Mary atm would make a nice change from all the Olivers and Sophies.

exoticfruits · 28/04/2012 07:40

I just choose ones I like. They have never been in the top 10, but it wouldn't bother me. What I find really funny is the parent who has set out to be really original and then gets 2 in a class!

HandMadeTail · 28/04/2012 07:47

I had a popular name. There were six of us in my class one year. Someone I know was married to someone with my name, and left her for another woman with the same name. Possibly saved some embarrassing moments for him.

Original poster

theGrapeGatsby · 28/04/2012 09:50

originality (without being made up ) as opposed to uniqueness is really the key for me . also not knowing another in our living family or friendship circle is also important . susan or john for example would not feel very original although unusual now ,as we know many , all be it older.similarly a name in the top 50 would be out simply because we would probably know another. where as something like mirabel or annabe lor genevieve or abraham or jeremiah would feel more original if not unusual.

my dcs are aged between 20 and 2 and the way i appraoached naming has altered over the years .

dd1 was named 20 years ago a biblical name we loved we had never met another , but didn't even consider it's popularity over the entire population . it became more popular when used in a tv series when she was 6 or 7 but in her age range she is the only one i know but there are now alot more . i still love the name but would i use it now probably not .dd5 in contrast even though i love her name i worried and still worry much more about it's popularity in ranking terms

OP posts:

StrawberrytallCAKE · 28/04/2012 09:56

My dd's name wasn't hugely popular when we picked it but is now thanks twilight i still love it. She has also picked her best friend at pre-school because they have the same name so I think she's happy too. I don't think the popularity of the name matters so much as the children themselves will all be unique and make it their own.

Original poster

theGrapeGatsby · 28/04/2012 10:02

strawberry the most common nn of dd5's name has also become more popular thanks to twilight but i still love her name .

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