Is the baby names thread a good reflection of real life name choices??

[januaryjam]

I always find the baby names thread really interesting. I don't know whether it's just me, but when considering the names that are regularly suggested/loved on here, I NEVER come across them in real life.

To give you some examples, here are names of babies I know of who've been born in the past few months or so...

Poppy
Grace
Amelia
Annabel
Harry
Olivia
Ava
Anna
Oscar
Joshua
Oliver
Joseph
Isla
Max
Benjamin

I can't ever imagine anybody I know announcing that they've named their baby Susannah or Juliette for example. (Before I'm flamed, I do NOT mean to cause any offence, these are perfectly nice names but not names that are considered "potential baby names" where I am).

I guess the point I'm trying to make is are the suggestions made on MN actually representative of real life? Or do I just mix with difference circles to other MNers?

I think it's very regional. People in London will know some more unusually named babies whereas people in Yorkshire (for example) might be more traditional when choosing a name.

I seem to know people who go for ultra safe names (hello tenth Sophie to be born this year) or ultra wackadoodle.

I am yet to meet a Persephone or Ptolemy.

It's difficult to judge because we only hear what people like/are considering. It's quite possible that the people who like/are considering Juliet end up going with Ava or Olivia.

It's partly that we all mix in different circles, partly that we hear the more unusual names people consider, but don't use.

Names of babies/toddlers I know;

Stanley
Maud
Cecily
Cosmo
Rex
Mateo
Coralie
Benjamin
Arthur x3
Henry

....and lots of Isobel/Amelie/Alexnader/James/Ave etc.

It's rare that I hear a name on mumsnet that I've never heard on a child.

I know a Ptolemy and a Persephone! I am in London though .

It's got to be regional, I'm afraid a Persephone or Ptolemy would get very serious eyebrow raises (and that's putting it mildly) in my northern city.

Recent babies I know include - Finley x3, James, Samuel, Freddie, Romily, Elijah, Riley x2, Joseph, Ava, Eva.

So with the exception of 1 they are all top 20 names or there abouts.

Recent names I know of

Rory
Ruraidh (sp?)
Ava
Emily,
James
Abigail
Eve
Cody
Rosa
Aine
Aoife
Effie
Max
Clark
Riley
Harris
Sebastian
Anna
Lily
Jodie
Noah
Archie
Saif

So I'd say quite a mixed bunch, some very popular, others not so but nothing 'out there' and most are very much of this generation.

This thread has made me realize that most of my friends have stopped having babies. But the toddlers that I would consider passing on clothes to are Thomas, Sebastian, Rory,Tabitha, Athena, Tanith and Siri.

The only name from your first list that I have heard here for baby recently is Anna.

Last 10 babies we know ( so last year or so):

Anna
Beau
Tomlin
Nicholas
Arthur
Arabella
Xavier
Noor
Sacha
Gretal

We are in london. I don't think I actually know of a grace/ poppy or Amelia despite them being popular names ( ie none in nursery/ school/ neighbours etc that I can think of)

What no Kurtis???????

We're in central Birmingham and don't seem to come across the popular girl's names, although the boy's (Harry, James, William) are fairly ubiquitous. Here I don't know of any Amelia, Grace, Evie, Ava, Jessica or Isla's but I do know a couple of Florence's, a Romilly (my own), and several Matilda's.

My DS is 22 months and since his birth friends/family have had babies called:

Riley
Jack
Cameron
Mitchell
Xander
Hamish

Josephine
Elise
Shylah
Sophie
Samantha
Liberty

This is in Australia. Riley, Jack and Sophie are very popular here, the others less so.

I'm in Australia, too, and recent friends' babies have been:

Jacqueline
Calypso
Kimiko
Serena

Julian
Diego
Fox

Thinking about it now, my friends are a slightly unusual bunch in that regard; the names I hear in public are more Ava, Eva, Rosie, Mia, Max, Henry, Samuel.

I don't think they are that representative, or if they are they are representative of very specific places in the UK. I've recently moved to the sort of 'naice', middle-class place where you might expect people to push the boat out a bit with name - I wouldn't be too surprised to meet an Araminta or a Xavier - but actually the town is a raft of Olivia, Amelia, Poppy, Harry, Josh, Elliot, Zachary, Florence, Charlie, George...

I tend to see three main reasons why people post names on the board, other than the 'we genuinely can't decide and have run out of ideas' question.

1 - they want to gauge if there really are 300 Amelia's in every pre-school class now

2 - they are worried about a baby name 'matching' a sibling name

3 - they're asking whether Quentin, Tristan, Maud etc are ok because they've never met one in RL and there's that tiny little voice in the back of their mind saying 'really? is it ok to chose this name? is there anyone else out there who likes it too?'

But then the majority of people I know in RL didn't have much of a debate over names at all...

It's very regional, there are names I come across on here that I would almost certainly meet at the park, (I'm in London)however, when I used to live and work in Midlands, there was lots of Sophie's, Ellie, Maisie, Luke, Joshua. Even though these names are popular, I don't actually know of any here!

There were also Rios, Armani, and Chantelle (Wolverhampton/Birmingham) If those names appeared on here, they would be SLATED!!

No I don't think so. When you're go considering names, I think people are typically looking for something more unusual but then when it comes to the reality of it, those names either don't suit the child or people realise that generally the nicest names are popular for a reason! That's certainly my experience. We had settled on a top 500 name but eventually chose a top 100 name as it just seemed perfect when we saw her. Of the 12 babies that I know who have been born this year, only one has a name which is outside the top 100 and most are in the top 50.

It is very regional im in the south east so do get a few that were popular say in london a few years ago.

babies I know

george
benjamin
amelia
lacey
tate
jacob
cohen
wyatt
primrose
evangeline
frank
clark

lots of boys, some are very popular names others you dont hear too much.

I think people want to find the most unusual and extraordinar name for their baby;-) I can understand them. Everybody wants their child to be unique. I prefer modern, unusual names.

I must move in very Mumsnetty circles. I know a little Atticus, Oberon, Luna, Dot, Ophelia, Rudy, Connie, Frances, Ottilie, Audrey, Seraphina and Sylvia. All which I think pop up regularly on these boards.

Me too Rhubarbgarden - here in rural Shropshire I know an Atticus, two Ophelias, Odette, Hester, Wilfred, Silas, Cecelia, Kester, Marvin (and about a million Harrys and Louies)

Babies/toddlers I know of -

Alfie
Joseph
Harry
Tilly-May
Roxy
Mia-May

Clearly my area isn't very mumsnetty my DD is Celyn, which is a fairly uncommon Welsh name but not an equivalent to the English Atticus, Oberon, Titania, Otterly - it's Welsh for 'holly'

I too am surprised at how many mums out there use hyphenated names (I was considering one) and I always think, but don't you read mumsnet!!!!!

I have met a baby Kitty, Alexa, Greta and Flora and Annie recently, which I think of as mn names.

I have yet to meet the longer standard traditional names like Juliet, Elizabeth or even names like Meredith or Veronica.

I'm In NZ and my daughter goes to school in a fairly wealthy area of the city we live in (we live out of zone...!), so not necessarily representative of the rest of NZ at all, but in her class she has a Juliet, Lulu (apparently not a nickname), Belle, Jasper, Fergus, Jonah, Logan, Gabriella, Fay and a Felix, so quite a few names I see on MN. At DS's preschool there is a Honey, Rosa, Fletcher, Constance, several Amelia's (it is a very popular name where I live), Isaac to name a few.

I don't hear many names that are supposed to be very popular though - my dd's name is supposedly top 20 here but I don't know any others at all.

Babies I know born in the last year:
Emilia (my dd2)
Lily
Jacob
Joseph
Millie
Lucas
Mia
Thomas
Erin

(Surrey)

I don't know that many babies but the ones I do know are

poppy x3
Harry x2
And a Scarlet and a Jonathan

surrey, Hampshire /Berkshire areas.

I have to add though all the suggestions I had on here have been great and not too out there at all most people understood my taste and didn't criticise it unlike people in rl. I was surprised as none of the names on my list were the usual mn style!

Names of babies born recently that I know (in Lancashire)

Nancy
Anna
Darcey
Rachel
Amelia

Sidney
Louie
Jamie
Stanley
Ethan