I have a very popular name, it has never been an issue.

[ToTiredToBeWitty]

Why do some believe popularity is a bad thing in a name choice? My name clearly ties me to the late 70's/early 80's.

I have always shared my name with other people in my class/activity and it has never once bothered me. People know how to spell my name when I say it.

My surname, on the other hand, is an 11 letter bugger which no one knows how to spell and I have to say every single letter every single time. Drives me crazy.

My conclusion is that its easier to live with a popular name that everyone knows how to pronounce and spell than an unique name that everyone goes 'huh?'when you say it.

What do you think?

I am quite happy with it .

Me too. VERY popular first name but a complicated surname that I get very bored spelling for people. I've never had any problem with having a popular name.

I totally agree my first name is very common and very easy.

My maiden name is very unusual, but only one letter different from one everyone knows. Even after I'd spelt it out, I got the common one, drove me mad.

The other thing in this Internet age is that unusual names give you no place to hide.

DSIS has never married and has a slightly unusual first name, not very rare, but enough to be unique with our odd surname.

DSIL has a rare married name and a quirkily spelt first name, again she comes up instantly.

My married name is very common, as is my first name, I think I like disappearing amongst a 1000 me's.

I would hate a name that I had to spell or keep explaining my parents

Me too. I've never had a problem with it. I really don't get this obsession with giving a child a ridiculous made up name or strange spelling of a name so that it won't be common.

My name is easy to spell (once you've explained it once) and rarely mispronounced more than once. It's getting more popular, but still rare enough that I get all if I hear it in public/on tv. I like that.

I've got a popular name along the lines of Sarah or Claire. I would much rather have been named Vampira or Sesame or something off the wall. Even Moon Unit would've been good. And as extremely common as my name is I still have to spell it every time as it has a few different spellings.

I wouldn't use a 'creative' spelling or a name that was unheard of.

I have a very common first name and an unusual surname that I always have to spell and people always mispronounce, it drives me mad.

DD has what is currently a very popular name but I never minded it and she'll be fine. I often feel an automatic affinity with those with the same first name as me.

I do think sometimes folk over think it. If you are so desperate to have an unusual name your child is likely to be stuck spelling out their name forever more or you'll be highly pissed off when it becomes the most popular name in 5 years.

I have a reasonably popular first name, but spelled 'the other way'. I don't like mega popular names for that reason. I was always one of half a dozen people with my name. Even as a grown up, 4 out of 6 of my maternity leave friends have variations of the name. Gah!

However. My married surname is very unusual. There are only 5 people in our county with this surname: me, Dh, Dd, MIL, FIL.

I'm the only person on Facebook with my name. And I get annoyed with having to spell both names every time, although that's partly my fault for choosing to marry dh!

I had an unusual maiden name and also an unusual married name. I would love to have been Miss Smith and Mrs Jones.

Although I can't say I'm particularly fond of my name, it is the ideal combination of being short and easy to spell, but also relatively uncommon yet not unconventional.

I have a made up name (two "normal" names added together and hyphenated) with an unusual spelling of my surname, and DH has a non-English name, but grew up in London.

We are both fed up of constantly having to spell our names and this has definitely affected our choice of DC's names (not super popular but top 100).

I often feel an automatic affinity with those with the same first name as me

Yes! I get this as well. My bf at school had the same name as me. We were known as the two X's and we loved it!

My maiden name was way more annoying. It was always being misheard - think Berry heard as Perry.

I have an unusual name but was named after a relative.. it is not 'out there' though and never bothered me. We are giving our baby a very plain traditional name - not fashionable but nice. Neither of us want an outlandish name for the baby. I don't like names that are pronounced and spelt wrong and the parents have to correct.

I have a very unusual name (never met another, and only come across it once in a blue moon in the public sphere). dh has a name that was very very popular the year he was born.

We also have a very unusual surname, although it's also very short. My old surname was pretty common but I still had to spell it.

I think that both have their pluses and minuses, but I know dh didn't much enjoy being forced to take up a nick name at university where there were so many guys with his name that most of the usual additions were used up (Big x, Little x, London X, Welsh x etc etc). it's not been an issue before or since though.

We went for moderately common names for our children. ds's name exploded in popularity a couple of years after he was born, but is very unusual where we live now. dd's name is perennially popular and so she is firstname initial of surname at school, which is a bit sad for me, but she isn't too bothered (pus she could use her full name which is more usual if she wanted to). Ironically they both have to spell their names all the time.

My first name is a shortened name of a proper name and now that I'm in my 30s I'd much prefer the more sophisticated, formal version. My maiden surname is fairly unusual but I rather like it and sometimes use it as a middle name. I've always had to spell it for others though.

I have a common name, not particularly common for my generation, but the generation before me was riddled with them. Even still, people misspell my name. Some people are just stupid. That's the way of the world and will happen with a common or uncommon name.

I'm a teacher and don't want a name that is overly popular for my DC. Reason being, I know from experience, that him/her will never be known just as 'Harry' (not one of our choices!), but as 'Harry Smith' and I want him to be distinguishable purely by his first name. Now, I'm not talking anything off the wall, but something normal that isn't 10 a penny either.

And it'd be a terribly boring world if all the children today were called Sophie, Emily, Harry and Jacob. Variety is good.

he/she, not him/her!...

I have an awful name. Its not common at all (with good reason!) practically unheard of round my way, though I've seen it mentioned on here a few times.

Have to spell it every single time to the point when asked my name I don't even say it, just spell it. I get the 'oh thats unusual' , the polite way of saying thats ugly! and they are so right

As a child I always wanted a common, normal name. Nothings changed, I actually hate my name more as time goes on. I totally agree with you.

anything off the wall, but something normal that isn't 10 a penny either

I think I achieved this with dd2.

I think its pretty impossible with boys names though. It either seems to be over used or wacky. Is there a medium ground?

Oh strawberry, I'm sure its not ugly

For me it is a teaching thing. I don't like totally off the wall names but nor do I want to choose something obviously in the top 50, because chances are in 12 years I will be teaching large numbers of them and there are bound to be several I don't really get on with, and I would rather lessen the chances they had the same name as my own child. Plus the names currently popular are no nicer or otherwise than names further down the list, they are just currently in vogue, so it is a shame to write off other names just because they are not popular, by the same argument.