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Baby names

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

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Original poster

How popular is TOO popular?

58 replies

FredFlintstonesSister · 17/12/2013 14:54

I'm 30 weeks pregnant with my first baby (a girl) and DH and I are just getting round to the name talk. We are finding it quite difficult to agree on anything, but have both liked several names that turn out to be in the top 100 (Scotland). Obviously going for number 1 means she is likely to know/ go to school with others with the same name and we would like to avoid that but what if the name was at 35? 70? At what stage does it become TOO popular?

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NeedlesCuties · 17/12/2013 15:11

Top 10 was too popular for me. Think my kids names are both in the top 60-top 70. Popular enough to not be or but not popular enough to have them turn round 10 times in the playground when other kids are called.

NomDeClavier · 17/12/2013 15:26

I think top 50 is risky as they're likely to have been or to become top 10 over a 10 year period.

The other option is to count up how many little girls you know or know of with that name. Some names can be very geographically concentrated.

Ragwort · 17/12/2013 15:29

Choose the name you like - my DS's name is apparently in the top 5 - he genuinely doesn't have any others by the same name in his (wide) circle of friends/acquaintances. We attend a large church and there is one (much older) person there with the same name.

OhCaptainDarling · 17/12/2013 15:31

Top 10 was also a no no for us, but girl wise that didn't matter as nothing grab us, for boys it's been a pain

Towards the end of my pregnancy with DC1, we argee nothing in the top 30/50.

DD's name is in the 400! DC2 yet to be decided.

But ultimately if you love the name you should pick it, if you don't i think you're massively regret it. Thomas, Oliver and Jack are all massively popular names yet I only know 1 of each under 5. You can just never tell you might pick a name that isn't popular and within five years it tops the charts.

Utter minefield and tell you this naming malarkey!

Bumpsadaisie · 17/12/2013 15:34

My DS is Thomas. Out of a vast acquaintance of children, I only know one other Thomas, and he is 13.

That said, the school abounds with Lilys and Mollys and Jacks.

MortifiedAnyFuckerAdams · 17/12/2013 15:35

See, the 'top ten' shouldnt be discounted due to how many you will.know. The number one boys name given last year went to less than 1% of ALL boys born tgat year. Therefore, you would statistically need to know 100 girls borb tge same year to stand a chance of finding another one.

Additionally, top 10 names are there for good reason.

My dds year, she was one of only 13 born with the same name. However I went to softplay and found one.of the other 13!

Go for a name you like. Better to be Grace B (or whatever) and you love the name Grace than be Jocelyn (and only be OK with the name)

elvisola · 17/12/2013 15:37

It doesn't always work out like you would think. My 2 daughters both have names sitting firmly in the Top 10, they are described on here as "too popular" but in a double intake infant school of 240 pupils they are the only ones with their names.

There are however 2 Mabel's, about 10 Sonny's and a number of other less popular name duplications, picked presumably so they weren't one of a few in class.

scaevola · 17/12/2013 15:37

It's difficult to predict.

Which would make you feel worse - choosing a name you love that is currently popular, or choising what you believe is a name unlikely to be duplicated and then finding sod's law means s/he has a identically named classmate?

Rosencrantz · 17/12/2013 15:42

I always judge around my own name. Was I happy with its popularity? Yes was the answer, so I chose a name around the same level or less popular.

My name hovers around 160 and has done for 20 years or so.

TheZeeTeam · 17/12/2013 15:45

I agree with Mortified. Ignore popularity and choose a name you like. Popularity changes rapidly anyway. You only need one or two famous people to choose it for their children, or for it be the name of a character in a popular book, and it's flying up the charts

12 years ago, when we had DD, her name was very uncommon in the UK. Now it's in the top 10. We named her after her Grandmother and still think it's a beautiful name that really suits her.

nomoreminibreaks · 17/12/2013 15:45

I wanted to avoid top 20 with DS1 and his was about no. 63 I think. Since then it's moved to 31 but I love the name so I don't mind.

For DS2 (due any day), all the names I like and agree with DH on seem to be in the top 15. If it comes down to choosing between a name we love (and goes with DS1's name and our surname etc) and one that isn't popular then the compromise we'll make is the popularity.

Original poster

FredFlintstonesSister · 17/12/2013 15:57

I think people are right; that liking a name is more important than how popular it is. It's difficult, because I don't know anyone else with young children so have no idea what's popular in my area! Just going by the Scotland-wide list.

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Theonlyoneiknow · 17/12/2013 16:26

Agree, if you love a name the popularity shouldnt put you off as it might turn out there are no other children with that name in your area. I dont know anyone called Jack for example.

Gro Scotland statistics issue the top ten names by council area which is interesting. Some names which are no.1 in one area dont make the top ten on another.

wigglesrock · 17/12/2013 17:08

My 3 daughters have very popular names. It honestly doesn't bother me. I have a 6 year old Olivia , she's the only one in her school year (intake of 63), was the only one in nursery school & is the only one in our street.

Meglet · 17/12/2013 17:12

Top 100.

I have to live with an eternally popular name and it's pretty annoying. The dc's were given names that will hopefully never be that common.

OrangeMochaFrappucino · 17/12/2013 17:15

I had an extremely high ranking name the year I was born. Never had someone with the same name in my class/social circle at school, college, uni or the workplace! I don't know where they all are! My children's name choices are top 40 I think - not unusual at all but they don't feel stale, not to me anyway. I would have loved Ruby for a girl and wouldn't have been put off by that being so popular but I have boys and am a bit less keen on the top ten boys' names!

OrangeMochaFrappucino · 17/12/2013 17:19

In fact Google says my name was #1 the year I was born but I have never felt it was especially common and it's never bothered me. Have very unusual surname though so maybe that's why I have always felt my name to be quite unique.

curiousgeorgie · 17/12/2013 17:22

My DD1's name is pretty popular... I think it's around the 30 mark and we never meet any. (Though I read it a lot on here.)

My DD2's name is pretty unique, way up there in the thousands and yet in a swimming class of 4 there's another one!!! I couldn't believe it.

WhispersOfWickedness · 17/12/2013 17:35

You have to remember as well, that they are only going to be at school for 14 years, after that they are off into the wider world where they are diluted amongst people from every other generation, so unlikely to be Grace B in the workplace

Also agree with others, you never know about regional differences in popularity until after you have named them. There are two Amelies in DS's preschool, out of 24 children, and it's not that far up the charts. I also know two girls called River, which is definitely not a common name!

HaleyDunphy · 17/12/2013 17:39

My name is always in the top 15, mostly top 10. I didn't meet any others until high school, and there were 3 or 4 of us I think. I didn't care or think twice about it. Go with what you love. I'm annoying myself atm trying to find something 'different'.

BananaHammocks · 17/12/2013 18:40

I would maybe choose something near the bottom end of the top 100 if I really loved it but I'm more conscious of looking up names on Darkgreener and seeing if they are shooting up! If it's 150 and shooting up I'd be more likely to avoid it than if it was 80 and tailing off in popularity.

The problem is names that I like that are not popular are often not popular for a reason and as my child is going to have to live with the name not me I think I do have to consider other people opinions. I'm finding it really hard to find a balance!

missmargot · 17/12/2013 18:42

For me personally there is a difference between 'classic popular' names like Sam, Tom, Emily etc and 'trendy popular' names like Archie, Alfie etc. Personally I am comfortable with using the former but with the latter nothing in the current top 50, ideally not the top 100.

Wishfulmakeupping · 17/12/2013 19:02

I avoided the top 50 altogether when I was looking for dd's name if I was ever expecting a boy I don't think I could do that only like a couple of names and they're top 20

Original poster

FredFlintstonesSister · 17/12/2013 19:03

It can be hard to decide what is "classic" though! Something like Emily is probably an obvious one but what about Molly or Grace? Do we just think they are "classic" because they are fairly popular with a particular group of people? Are they "classic" enough for it not to matter how far up the charts they are? Or are they just a fad? See, it's a minefield!

OP posts:

Lebkuchenlover · 17/12/2013 19:55

Avoid the top 100 - there are lots and lots of lovely underused classics that aren't too trendy at the moment.

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