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Baby names

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

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Original poster

If you called your child a very popular name...

80 replies

ShushBaby · 25/05/2012 14:44

... did you realise it was popular when you chose it? If so, did you care? And does it now bother you that it's popular?

Playgroups in our (middle class) area are filled with kids with the same or very similar names. I've even come across more than one set of siblings with the same combo of names. One mum introduced her child to me (Eva) and then said quickly 'but I didn't realise it was so popular when I chose it', so its popularity obviously plays on her mind.

We are trying to think of names for dc2 (currently gestating) and my instinct is to avoid very popular names. I almost want to ditch a name if someone else has mentioned it on here, for example. But then, is that just silly? After all, everyone is subject to the zeitgeist- a name that seems unique could turn out to be very popular. And if your child has a name, does it become uniquely 'theirs' to you, even if there are five others in the class?

FWIW my name was the most popular in the year I was born and I can't imagine my parents gave it a second thought- and it certainly didn't bother me. But then, thirty years ago I reckon most babies were named from a stock of about ten names! (Rebecca, Sarah, Elizabeth, Charlotte etc).

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dreamingofsun · 26/05/2012 14:46

however non-popular you go though, there's never any guarantee that one of your friends won't also use the name for their children. so i'd just go for a name you really like - as it might end up common but just in your circle

threeleftfeet · 26/05/2012 14:57

It would annoy me if I tried to call my DS something more unusual (as we did) and without realising it chose an "on-trend" name.

I don't like feeling like a sheep!

threeleftfeet · 26/05/2012 14:59

i don't mean to say everyone who chooses a popular name is a sheep!

But it would irk me if I'd chosen what I thought was pretty unusual only to learn some kind of invisible zeitgeist force has made me choose the same as everyone else! That would unnerve me!

threeleftfeet · 26/05/2012 15:01

DP wanted Freya for a girl, and I was up for it until I realised it was becoming popular,then I went off it completely. We had a DS so never had to find a conclusion to that one (maybe next time?!)

MaeMobley · 26/05/2012 15:08

DD (aged 6) has a popular name. Yes, it does bother me a bit. In her class there are a Maya A, Maya B and Maya C. The other year 1 has a Maya R. So four girls named Maya out of an intake of roughly 60.

I didn't realise it would be that common.

EggWhiteOmelette · 26/05/2012 15:13

My DD has a popular name. I knew it wasn't exactly unusual, but had no idea how 'zeitgeisty' it would prove to be. You can't always tell. I think my DDs name is fairly classic though, so I don't have a problem with it being popular.

A friend called her DDs Isabella, Ruby & Eva (they are now aged between 13-8). I thought they were all very under-used names at the time. Ha.

I have a friend who has a 7 yr old Iris. I had never met another baby Iris then and thought it was most unusual. Not so much now...

kickingKcurlyC · 26/05/2012 15:22

I honestly don't think Ida will get big. Where is it now?

I think reading here can give you a false idea of what's on the up in the general population to be honest.

AlfalfaMum · 26/05/2012 16:06

My DD3 has a very popular name; I don't think I realised quite how popular it was when we named her.. we suddenly kept meeting lots of other kids with the same/similar name after.
I don't mind in the least, and neither does she. Finding a name DH and I could agree on was hard enough, without worrying about whether or not it was popular too..

I myself have a really popular name, one of my closest friends shares it, but we know it's only popular because it's such a nice name

shoobidoo · 26/05/2012 20:19

My dd's name has become quite popular and yes, it does bother her a little as she always has to add her surname initial to any work, papers or items she takes to school. The other kids often call her little X as she's smaller than the other X in her class.

In an ideal world, we'd all have different names - would be much easier and everyone would be idenfiable by their name .

Ammz · 26/05/2012 20:32

We spent months agonising over babys names.. Girls were easy but boys names put up a brick wall! (we didnt know what we were having) We half decided on Harlan for a boy but after 20 hours induced labour and an emergency c cection, through all of the tears we looked at each other and both said.. ALFIE!! We had never even discussed this name before and i think the only time i had ever heard it was on Eastenders!!
Sure enough when i started going to the local childrens centre our Alfie is only one of a lot of Alfies in the area! I have since looked it up and the list i saw actually had it as no 1 most popular name!! Gutted!
BUT.. what do you do? Change it by deed poll?!! haha!! Bit extreme i think and TBH it really really suits him and i am so glad we didnt call him Harlan!!!

3duracellbunnies · 26/05/2012 20:36

Ds's name is a traditional boy's name, already aware of 2 others who will be in his class of 30. His middle name is also trad but less common (in boys of his age), and the initials go well together, so trying to get him used to being called by initials as sounds cooler than x surname initials. He is currently resistant to anything other than full name, but he is only 2!

wigglesrock · 26/05/2012 20:39

I have 3 dds with popular names, dd2 has a vvvv popular name, tbh it doesn't bother me in the slightest. When I was pregnant I picked my favourite girls name at the time and that was it. I didn't even check to make sure their initials didn't spell out anything strange

When I hear one of the dds name, I don't think "Oh feck, yet another one", I think of my daughter and how much I love her and all her irritating funny little habits.

CherryCheesecake · 26/05/2012 20:52

I don't think my dd's name is very popular (aurora) but that's not why we picked it. We picked it because of northern lights, sleeping beauty and Wayne's world :) and because it's beautiful.

3duracellbunnies · 26/05/2012 20:56

Fwiw I think it bothers girls more than boys, our girls have less popular, but not wierd names, there are 3 with same name as dd1 in her school, but not her class. Never met another dd2! I would rather ds was known by his name initials rather than first name and surname initials, cos it sounds cooler and more unique. Do still love his first name and is very him.

quickhide · 27/05/2012 07:33

Popularity did affect my choices- I just didn't want them to be one of 5 in the class if I could help it! But I didn't want names that were too out there/weird just for the sake of it. Both DDs' names are something like 500th and 800th in the popularity charts for their year yet they are lovely names that most people will have heard of.

I do love the name Isabel though- maybe if we ever have a DD3 I will just use it and forget my 'rules'!

boyfallingoutofthesky · 27/05/2012 20:05

Ida is the number 1 name for girls in Denmark - not sure if this is relevant!

dlady · 27/05/2012 20:17

My dd1's name is quite a popular one. I didn't look up name trend charts when we were considering it so didn't know how popular it was/is, we waited to see what name suited her when she was born and luckily it did. My hubby chose it, I chose a boys name and we both liked each others names. Dd2 (poor thing didn't have a name for 2 days) hasn't got such a popular name for her generation, but it was quite popular 10-20 years before she was born.

I do not regret either names, they were the right names for my girls.

CharlieBoo · 28/05/2012 13:59

When we had ds, we picked a name we loved and me innparticular have always loved (Charlie). Being our first baby and being the first of all our friends to have a baby popularity didn't even enter my head.. However, it is popular but in his age group (7) he's the only one we know and the only one in his class. We also like Noah which was really unusual 8 years ago but had we gone with that there would have been 2 in his class... You can never tell.

Dd has a top 20 name that we love.

evamummy · 28/05/2012 14:03

Our dd's name has become very popular and I do wish it hadn't... I still love her name but there are 3 of them in her year and it is a little annoying/confusing sometimes. I think she wishes she didn't have to 'share' her name.

Harecare · 28/05/2012 14:08

I have 3 DDs with known, regular names that are very pretty, but not at all popular (yet!). I couldn't choose a name if I knew another child who had that name. I'm very pleased with my choices!

Lannie33 · 31/05/2012 14:54

Popularity definately affected my choices. Me and all my siblings all had v. unusual names (ethnic) that people have never heard of. Most are easy 2 pronounce so really I dídn't feel it was an issue at all growing up. I liked it! And it's a bit of a conversation starter which is nice.

There were 3 Sarahs and 4 Roberts and 2 Amandas in some of my classes in school, and later lots of Michelles. I always thought how annoying it would be to not know if someone was calling your name, or having to say/write your surname all the time.

To be honest, still haven't decided whether to call my 1y-old DD by her first or middle name. First name is spelled the ethnic way, but sounds like a name you've heard before and will be mispronounced because the way it's spelled looks like a different somewhat common name. Her middle name is #17 where we are and I really don't know if I'm OK with her having same name as others in her class/group of friends....

The other thing is some common, very trendy/popular names are just boring/not creative IMO and can make someone feel dated when they're older. But it's true what lots of people are saying, that you never know if there'll be others in their class, even if they have a v. unusual name. The very most important i guess is that you love the name.

LingDiLong · 31/05/2012 15:10

My eldest has a popular welsh name. We chose it when we were living in England with no plans to move to Wales - we thought it was a good compromise of a Welsh name but one that quite a few english people would have heard of. 18 months later we moved back and it's strange going from no-one else having her name to around 4 others in the school. Doesn't bother me though. It doesn't detract from the prettiness of the name!

I have a very unusual name myself and find it a double edged sword, it is a conversation starter and it's nice to be unique in some way but after 36 years I'm sick to the back teeth of spelling it and having to say it over and over before people can pronounce it properly.

Hulababy · 31/05/2012 15:24

According to the stat lists 10y DD has a fairly popular name, although a less popular spelling (Mollie.)

I didn't even thing about popularity when we chose it, DH and I just chose the name we liked.

Although it is supposed to be popular we don't really know any others. Until last year DD was the only child with the name in her school. There is now a Molly in her school though. I have never yet had a Molly/Mollie in my classes at school. And none of our friends/family have a Molly either. There is an older woman with DD's name we know of too.

It just doesn't bother me tbh. If we do come across anyone else with the name DD likes the idea.

But then my own name was VERY popular in it's time and I was often one of two or three in the year - never bothered me in the slightest.

lovechoc · 31/05/2012 15:33

One of my two has a very popular name but it wasn't popular at the time - we had never even heard of another baby with DS1's name! Since then, it's as common as muck. I don't have any regrets though, as I couldn't imagine him being anything else now!

thatgirlsevil · 12/06/2012 12:23

According to some of the threads I've read on here my DS has a rather popular name (Noah)...but I've only met 1 other little Noah in over 4 years.

We didn't actually consider the popularity of the name...we're just fans of the director Noah Baumbach and The Animal Collective and we liked the soft but strong sound of it. It also meant he would end up with the initials NWA which was a bobby bonus.

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