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Baby names

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

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Original poster

love the name harry but seems very popular,so many about.three in my childs class.would you call your child an over used name if you liked it?

29 replies

racheael76 · 05/04/2013 19:08

what do you think to the boys name harry.do you like it even though its extremely popular (its like the new john).i love the name harry but unsure now it is so popular.lots of people must like it thats why its so popular.

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Sirzy · 05/04/2013 19:11

If you like the name use it.

My DS is called Harry he is the only one in his 50 place nursery and I know of only one other Harry a similar age.

I don't think the name 'charts' are necessarily an accurate indicator as things vary so much from location to location. Here you are much more likely to meet a Kyle than a Harry

Zamboni · 05/04/2013 19:12

Yes. I called DD Evie even though there are about a million of them in her nursery alone. I dont care. It's a lovely name, I still love it, it suits her, there are worse things than other people having the same name.

LittleFeileFooFoo · 05/04/2013 19:13

Yes, I love the name William, even though its always popular we named our son William.

cece · 05/04/2013 19:17

Go for a name you like. Popularity charts may bear little resemblance to what is happening in your area...

For instance, my DS2 is Tom, there are 3 Toms at his cm of 6 children but at his Nursery he is the only Tom in a class of 28.

wigglesrock · 05/04/2013 19:38

I have an Olivia I've never regretted her name at all. She's 5 and fwiw she's the only Olivia in her school year

bigbluebump · 05/04/2013 21:54

Sometimes we forget why we name a person - to identify him/her. In our Cub Scouts group we have 4 Harrys two of which share the same surname! Can be a little confusing at times....

itsnothingoriginal · 05/04/2013 22:15

I guess names are popular for a reason - because a lot of people have the same taste so that shouldn't be an issue if you love a particular name.

For me, I wanted something more unusual for my kids names but I'm sure they don't float everyone's boat otherwise they would be popular wouldn't they!!

itsnothingoriginal · 05/04/2013 22:18

There isn't a 'Harry' at my kids school fwiw! I think it's a nice name

Southeastdweller · 05/04/2013 22:25

No, because I think there's alot to be said for having a slightly unusual name (like mine ).

I used to like Harry but there's so many of them about, same with Jude and Jacob.

IJustWoreMyTrenchcoat · 06/04/2013 10:37

It would put me off to be honest. There are so many other names out there that are underused but not too 'out there'. I know it's a bit pathetic, but I dread the names I've chosen getting too popular, and guard them like, the holy grail!

I do think it's worse with names that spring out of nowhere overnight though. In my area for example there are loads of little Lexi's, there will be a massive concentration of them, then no one will use it and it will seem really dated. At least with Harry it's maintained popularity so won't date as much.

BedHog · 06/04/2013 10:44

I wouldn't. I'd prefer my child to be called by just their name and not Harry F, Harry S, Small Harry, Fat Harry, Wierd Harry, Smelly Harry etc., which inevitably happens when you have a lot of people with the same name.

It would also feel a bit like painting a room magnolia and wearing a fleece and bootleg jeans. And driving around in a Ford Focus. Just a bit dull. There is so much mystery and excitement in life, go find a name that is really special to you!

HDEE · 06/04/2013 10:49

I tend to choose popular names. I have a Harry, a Jack and an Amelia.

I don't care if they are popular. My children have a daft surname that is forever going to be commented on, so they deserve a normal first name.

ByTheSea · 06/04/2013 10:55

It is very popular. Seven of the sixty children (more than 10%) in DD2-10's Year Six class are named Harry.

Longdistance · 06/04/2013 10:55

What about Harris?

forgetmenots · 06/04/2013 10:55

I have a very common name. I don't dislike it but I did when I was younger. I didn't even get any of the perks of a common name as there's more than one way to spell it.

I'm going for relatively common (top 100 in Scotland) names but wouldn't go top 10, if I'm honest that would be off putting for me. I do think though that there is more variation in names now, so there will never be any names that are quite 'the new john'!

ByTheSea · 06/04/2013 11:02

It is very popular. Seven of the sixty children (more than 10%) in DD2-10's Year Six class are named Harry.

KindleMum · 06/04/2013 11:03

Personally I wouldn't pick a top 10 name for the same reasons as bedhog. There were 9 Sarahs in my year of 100 at school and it did mean they were referred to as tall Sarah, Welsh Sarah, Fat Sarah etc, even though most of them had unusual surnames. Here in the under-5s Euan seems to be the "new John".

doyouwantfrieswiththat · 06/04/2013 11:09

I have a stand out name & hated it, constantly having to repeat myself & know people wondered what my parents were thinking. Everyone now seems so hung up on making their kids stand out when that's the last thing most of them want.

I chose 'ordinary' names for my dc that have variations they can use when they decide which they like, in the same way that someone called Susan projects themselves to the world by being known as Susie or Sue.

NumberOneNumpty · 06/04/2013 12:06

I would give my child a popular name if I liked it but only up to a point. Top 10 names are definitely out and Harry is number one! If you like it why not call your DS Henry (which is about no. 50) and use Harry as a nickname?

Pancakeflipper · 06/04/2013 12:13

If I really loved it and it had a sentimental/family meaning then I would use it.

Trills · 06/04/2013 12:15

If you are worried about your child being one of many in his class then you don't need to worry what current 5-year-olds are called, you need to worry about what the currently-pregnant people are calling their babies.

And if there are lots of 5 year old Harrys then maybe they will choose not to call their babies Harry.

50shadesofvomit · 06/04/2013 12:21

My 12 year old Jack has never been in the same class as another Jack. My 6 year old Harry has never been in a class with another Harry.

There is a search engine where you can search the most popular name In your postcode last year.

Trills · 06/04/2013 12:25

I was in a History class in secondary school with 6 boys called Chris. Two of them were Chris P.

I've just looked and Christopher was the #1 boys name in England and Wales for the year I was born.

I never knew any of them to have a problem with there being other people called Chris in the world.

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 06/04/2013 13:00

I had a very common name and hated it, especially at secondary when there were two of us with the same first and surname and we had to use our middle initials to differentiate. So when DD was born we scoured the name charts and deliberately avoided anything in the top ten. Fast forward a couple of years and DD's name shot into the top five. So even if you pick something you think is unusual, it might get more popular, these trends are hard to predict, and as long as you love the name I don't think you'll regret using it.

StellaNova · 06/04/2013 13:47

I think that generally you can't tell what name is going to be popular - all the mums of Isabels and Isabellas I know thought they were being incredibly original and they were not to know everyone had that idea at the same time! Lots of names I have liked, have suddenly become really popular, like Grace and Rose.

Having said that however I personally would not call my child a name that was already really, really popular. I love the name Jack but wouldn't use it for that reason. There were about 9 Sarahs in my year at school, I think it takes away from the loveliness of the name when it is so much in use.

Especially if you have a relatively common surname. There were two Paul Smiths in my year at college and I know two Sarah Edwards.

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