Ava or Millie?

[newmummy4]

Count down on to the last few weeks before our baby girl is due, we still can't decide on name. So todays favourites are Ava or Millie.

Love some input or suggestions welcome, thanks very much xx

But what are these disadvantages?

Are people who have popular names less successful/less happy/less fulfilled?

Specifically what are the disadvantages?

I think people are just suggesting that it might be tiresome to be known as Millie X. or Ava Y. at school. A name is meant to identify an individual and if you're Ava Smith and there's an Ava Sims in your class, it'd get frustrating having to be called by your full appellation every time someone wanted to get your attention. I perceive this to be the only real disadvantage. My name is very popular and has been for the last 25 or so years; I like my name and wouldn't change it for the world but being called Stellan X. can get on your nerves.

my name was popular when I was born, so always had other people with my name at school or uni

you usually end up with nicknames not related to your name to tell you apart, you aren't known by that name (which is the point of a name right?)

The WORST thing is when you are known as "the other Ava/Millie" (as in not the main/most important/most popular one!), being called the "other X" means you are always compaired unfavourably to the other person in your group with the same name. I didn't mind the nicknames if we all had one (did if the "main" one got to use their name and us inferiour name sakes had to make do with NNs), but did mind the times when I was the "other one" - which always happens if you are not the first one of your name to join the friendship group or the class etc

I've always been Little Stellan, which means there's someone who has to have the unfortunate moniker of Big Stellan... This didn't just happen at school but in my early 20s too.

I think if you choose a name like Millie or Ava, both of which are quite appealing, it is best if your surname isn't particularly commonplace and that you choose a more unusual middle name.

For what it's worth, I'd pick Camilla nn Millie or Ava. I don't like Millie as a given name, only as a nickname for something more grown-up sounding like Camilla or Amelia.

luckily I'm Irish but lived in England so was often known as IrishCherie, so I never had to be BigCherie but you rarely get to be just your name if there's a bunch of you!

And I agree you have to have a nice surname, I didn't much like my maiden name, probably because instead of being Cherie, I was so often called Cherie-Surname in informal settings when everyone else just had their first name used

Hmmm I'm still not convinced this is a real disadvantage.

Could be that I just love nicknames though. So much more fun!

(and no, I don't mean nicknames instead of real names on the birth certificate... That defeats the point).

I have a classic (but never hugely popular name) and have rarely been in the same class/group/workplace as another 'one' ( have taught several though), I'm still known by a variety of nicknames depending on where people met me. It's affectionate I like it.

I have a Millie (Amelia) so I'm biased but I like Ava too :)

Ruby

The disadvantages of having a popular name are overstated. It's not that big a deal. But I was one of four lurks everywhere and thus, like stellan, I became small lurk, little lurk, big nose lurk. Your physical attributes (or not) tend to be used to identify you.

Ava is a lovely name but here in Essex it's being mutilated. "eeehhhhvvvvvvaaa"

I love both but agree that Ava is a better name for an adult. Fwiw I don't know any Avas.

I have a very popular name. I have met several other people with my FirstName MaidenName combo. I worked with someone with the same combo minus one letter different and got each others email/mail all the time (organisation of about 300 staff so not the biggest in the world but you can't guarantee DC will work in a corner shop either). Changed surname when married in part because it was rarer. I still occasionally get messages or mail meant for other Birds though, even without the surname confusion.

Plus, my name is so popular it's now dull and like a non-name in my mind, and easily dates me to the decade of my birth (could affect people reading cvs etc).

My mum still loves it though but Ava's of the future might feel similarly to me.

I prefer Millie, but would use it as a nn for Camilla or Emily.

Millie is cute for a baby/child but not as an adult. If you use as a nn for Amelia or Camilla, then I prefer that.
Otherwise Ava would be my choice as it will sound better as an adult.

I vote for Ava- don't know anyone with this name or anyone's baby with this name. I think its a nice name that would never get too "common"/overused

There are SO many little Avas/Evas and Milly/Tilly/Ellies around already.... more than enough imo. There are so many lovely names to choose from, is there no other name you love?

According to the ONS there were:

334622 girls born in England in 2010 (most recent figures available)

Having a go at this (could be wrong!):

3227 given the name Ava, so that would be (3227/334622)*100 = ~0.96% = 1 in ~104

3994 given the name Amelia, (3994/334622)*100 = ~1.2% = 1 in ~84

4123 given the name Emily, (4123/334622)*100 = ~1.23% = 1 in ~81

Source:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/baby-names--england-and-wales/2010/2010-girls-names.xls