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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Wishing I hadn't looked at the 2012 ONS charts

52 replies

Ruththetooth · 12/08/2013 13:27

Had finally decided on Leo for a boy (due in 8 days). It was number 27 in 2011 and I would have preferred it to be less popular but really like it and don't know any Leos (we're in Norfolk).

In the 2012 charts it's gone up to number 20. Not that much of a difference really but I feel really bothered by it. Now I wish I hadn't looked as I think it's a bit ridiculous to be ruled by popularity so much, rather than just personal taste.
Anyone else had a similar experience, and do you know many baby Leos?

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enderwoman · 12/08/2013 18:20

There used to be a search engine where you could search for popularity of name based on postcode/city.
I have 3 at school and even though their names featured high on the national list, they have never shared their name with a classmate. This includes my 12 year old Jack whose name was number one for years before and after he was born.

enderwoman · 12/08/2013 18:20

Leo is an awesome name. None of my children are in a class with a Leo.

thatsnotmypineapple · 12/08/2013 20:57

I know one, and my sister would have used it if she had had a boy. I am surprised it is as high as no. 20, as I haven't heard of that many.

I always thought that Leo Blair was named after his grandfather, also Leo Blair...

youcantplayonbrokenstrings · 12/08/2013 21:28

It's just occurred to me that the Leo I met falls under the Leo star sign. Is that a 'thing'? Like the way people get fixated about Holly's having to be born at christmas and May's needing to be born in May?

Not that it would bother me, I just wondered if it was a mentality..

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 12/08/2013 21:57

I know one Leo. I'm a TA in a primary school and this Leo was in my DS's school, so out of maybe 400 boys, only one Leo!

yourcruisedirector · 12/08/2013 22:09

The Leo I know is a Capricorn. I'm pretty sure that people don't make that sort of link these days. Maybe if you called your baby 'Aquarius'...

PeriodMath · 12/08/2013 23:43

I love Leo. Wanted it for DS1 but DH vetoed. Having a girl this time so still can't use it!

PeriodMath · 12/08/2013 23:44

Oh and I only know 1 other Leo, he's 3.

curlew · 12/08/2013 23:46

IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!!!

StetsonsAreCool · 12/08/2013 23:49

I know one 8 year old Leo and one grown up Leo (DH's cousin) who, coincidentally, is from Norfolk originally (now lives in London).

It's a fab name and was always on my list, but DH won't name any child of ours after any cousins. It rules out lots of lovely names and it's a stupid rule anyway

Nyla · 12/08/2013 23:56

I know 1 Leo in my DD's class. I would still use it however popular it is.

Breezy1985 · 13/08/2013 00:15

I know 2, they are 7 & 9 and they have November and December birthdays.

I think it's a lovely name, my DS has a top ten name and it's been in the top 10 forever yet he's the only one in his school.

Nicknamegrief · 13/08/2013 00:19

Cross your legs until September and then no 2012 babies will be in his school year ...

My oldest has a top 5 name for his year, however he's never had a class mate with that name and has now done 4 primsry schools and is onto his fifth.

Pick your favourite name. Leo is lovely.

TheMagicKeyCanFuckOff · 13/08/2013 00:24

Popularity means nothing. You like the name for the actual name, right? My eldest had a very popular name, it's fine. I chose her name because I absolutely love that name and couldn't care less if she met loads of others called her name- the reason Leo is popular is because it's a great name, and loads of other parents love it just as much as you do. Nothing bad about being popular- realistically, a name in the 20s will still only be a tiny, tiny percentage of all babies, the chances of your son meeting another called Leo in his class is minuscule really.

unlucky83 · 13/08/2013 00:56

I was going to call my DD1 Chloe and then discovered it was in the top 10 names in our area the year before ...so I changed it...
She's 12 - there was one Chloe in her Nursery and not one in the whole primary school of 170 children for the whole time she was there ...so really don't worry about it...
My name is quite long and uncommon - I use a shortened version -which is used as a name on its own, more common but still unusual - (it is a little more popular now- in the top 40)
Up to the age of 20 I hadn't met anyone with even the shortened version -

Then after I'd been working somewhere for a few weeks a girl with same name started - she had the same full name and used the same shortened version. And we had the same first two surname initials...
I became 'unlucky' 1 and other girl 'unlucky' 2 ... in the 4 or so yrs I worked there we worked with unlucky 3 and unlucky 4 - we had even had an unlucky 5 but she only did a trial ...this was in a total staff of less than 30 - even with people coming and going a total of 90 people.
We were all quite close in age. My DM chose my name randomly - not because of a well known person etc -there isn't one
(not strictly true - there is one but quite an obscure one and they weren't born when I was named - and someone in a tv program had the shortened version -but much younger than me)
I have never met another person with my long name since - and only a couple with my shortened name and they were young children...
Just bizarre.

unlucky83 · 13/08/2013 00:58

BTW my full name isn't even in the top 100!

Chottie · 13/08/2013 02:21

I know of no Leos and I live in south London.

Good luck with your little Leo :)

Chottie · 13/08/2013 02:24

Please, please could someone be kind enough to post the chart link?

FixItUpChappie · 13/08/2013 02:43

Well, this probably wont make you feel better but I was thinking the same thing today OP....as my Leo was born 6 months ago.

In my country its ranked somewhere around 90th but seems to be gaining popularity. Since joining this site however I've been educated as to its popularity in Europe (which means it will probably rise even more elsewhere) and irrationally worry about it.

We love the name - I wish it didn't matter!

5madthings · 13/08/2013 02:54

Leo is not that high up the charts really.

My daughters name was just in the top 1000 names with 36 girls given her name in 2011, my ds4 is in the top 700 with 49 of them.

My ds1, ds2 and ds3 are falling in popularity, when we use sthe names they weren't inthe top 100 but they then gained in popularity but are now going down again. But ds1 has always been the only boy with his name at school (14) in the under fives its popular, ditto ds2. And ds3 has a more common name but again has been the only one in his year. Whereas ds4 with the nsal name has a boy with the same name in his year and its only a 60 child intake!

5madthings · 13/08/2013 02:54

The unusual name..

5madthings · 13/08/2013 02:55

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/baby-names--england-and-wales/2011/sb-baby-names-2011.html

curlew · 13/08/2013 07:19

It's important to remember that, even if a name is 27 in the top hundred, you still aren't very likely to bump into many. For example, statistically you'd have to meet 270 babies before you met another Leo. Of course, you'll notice th name if you hear it at all because you're tuned in to it, but the chances are he'll still be the only one in his school. Even names seen as incredibly popular, like Grace and Ruby are only given to one in 100ish girl babies, so in a school of 200 there should only be 1.

This is all skewed by area and social class of course- if you're at Cheltenham Ladies College you are very likely to be the only Chardonnay-Midori, but unlikely to be the only Annabel. But the core principle holds good. Even Harry- number 1 on the list. Only 1 in >100 of them!

Anjou · 13/08/2013 07:33

I'm in Scotland and have a 2.4 year old DS. I don't know anyone of his age group here named Leo. I know a 14 year old Leo in London, a 12 year old Leo in Edinburgh, a 1.5 year old Leo in Manchester and a 2 week old Leo in the Scottish highlands.

It's a lovely name. We couldn't use it because of our surname unfortunately. I have 2 DC and really didn't want them to have popular names. With DC2 this meant not using my favourite name. I kind of regret this now and just wish I'd gone with my favourite.

Good luck!

Notsoyummymummy1 · 13/08/2013 22:40

I honestly don't mean to belittle your feelings but I genuinely don't understand why this list should affect anyone in a negative way.

Please don't reconsider a name you love just because it's nationally a bit popular at this moment in time. It doesn't mean your child will necessarily meet that many boys with the same name and if he does meet a couple of people in his lifetime who share his name, I doubt that it will psychologically scar him, he may even like it!!

Every other girl round here seems to be called Florence but it's not that high on the list yet Amelia is top and I don't know any! Use these lists to give you ideas for names by all means but don't be dictated to by them. I would love to meet someone with the same name as me - we could commiserate with each other!

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