Unusual names or more common ones?

[PilauMice]

DH and I are looking at a very short list of names, due to trying to achieve a cultural cross over but also being really picky and having a surname which clashes with loads of names.

What do people think about names which are quite common? We are, at the moment, only agreeing on Noah for a boy. I've looked at the 2012 statistics and they said it was no.14 in London (where we live). Do you know lots of little Noahs? Is it harmful to be one of many kids in the class/people at work with the same name? Both DH and I have much more unusual names and so we don't know how this affects you.

Also, if Noah peaks in popularity from nothing to top 20 between, say 2008 and 2018, only to return to zero again, will the fact that the name dates the person have any effect on them?

I know lots of Noah 's. Not a fan of top 20 name's.

I have a James and that is always a popular name. However he's never had another in his entire first school, beavers/ cubs or family.

I really don't think you can predict it.

I really like the name Noah. I know a few between baby and 6yo, but not loads. I think outside of the top 10 you'd be unlucky to find loads of them at school.

I think it probably will date, but I don't think that's a major problem.

There are a lot of advantages to having a popular name. You can always get personalised stuff. It's unlikely that you'll be picked on/singled out because of your name. It's easier to hide online (although you need a common surname as well).

All my dses have top 50 names, only one will have a boy in the (small, village) school he's going to with the same name.

I went to a very small school in the 70's and there were 3 of us in my class of 20 with my name. I rarely meet anyone with this name now and when I do it isn't hard to date them to around the time I was born. I didn't and don't find it a problem.

I know a few Noahs.

I actually think old testament bible names are going to start to slide out of popularity fairly soon. Just my opinion. A gut feeling. You can't predict entirely.

I don't think the name's dating will be dreadful in the future. Maybe it'll be like from the mid 70s to 80s when names like Keith and Gavin were in fashion. Gavin on a baby would be a bit 'gavin??' but on a man 33-48 would you think anything at all ??

it'll just be like that.

If I say... Suddenly liked a number one name I'd question why this was.
Subliminal influence...hearing it a lot has made me favourable to the name? Am I just influenced like the hundreds of others who suddenly want to name their kid this.
If I've loved the name for ages then I'm not part of the tipping point.
I know three Noahs.

Burgatroyd- The reason Noah is on our list is because it fits the ridiculous criteria, rather than us wanting to be sheep. I think....
Criteria:

1. In Qur'an and Bible (ie OT)
2. Not clashing with surname.
3. Not already the name of someone in the family.
4. We like it and we also like the nickname (this put Jacob out of the running)

DS has a Gavin, Keith 1950s-70s but OT sort of name.

What's the nickname for Noah?

If you like it, and you've obviously thought about it, then I wouldn't worry about it being popular. Also, if we're going to get vaguely technical about it, even though Noah is number 14 on the list, as a percentage it's only 1.1% of boys born in 2012 called that (actually less as ONS doesn't publish data for babies with unique names or where there is only two with the same name). If you spread that across the country, it's unlikely that he's going to be in a class full of Noahs.

There is no nickname for Noah, it was just an example of things I consider.
However, I have realised that a possible nn for Noah could be 'No! No! Stop that, put it down.' Problem is, this is already DS1's nn.

So most people seem to think it doesn't matter that it's quite common? Good point about the personalised stuff. Especially a nice personalised ark.

I don't know any Noah's but I live in a small village full of Ruby's and Callum's.

How about...

Jonah
Joseph
Samuel
Abel
Isaac
Aaron
Adam

Or Jethro? Jet is a good nn?!

Both of my children have top 10 names. Ds has another child by the same name in his class but dd doesn't. They both seem to get very excited when they meet another child with the same name and are not upset by it at all. I chose well known names because I had to always spell my name as a child and people would constantly pronounce it incorrectly or makes comments on it, which really annoyed me.

My ds born 2013 is called Noah