Names touted as "very popular" on here

[SomeSunnySunday]

I have noticed the name which we have chosen for our baby girl, due in 4 months, mentioned as being "very popular" and a "one of 3 in a class" name on here quite a few times recently.

I want to avoid a very, very popular name (probably top 20). However we don't know, or even know of, a single other baby, child or adult with this name (and as a mother of 2 young children, I go to a lot of activity groups etc so come across a lot of children). There are no children with this name in DC1's primary school, and when I checked the name stats for Scotland (where we live) for last year, it is listed at 155 (which I am fine with!).

Does the mumsnet demographic skew people's opinions? Are lots of posters London based? Do mumsnetters know something I don't - have hundreds of babies been given this name in the last year, and is it about to explode with popularity?

I'm just curious really, as I thought it was a less-used name than many.

Lovely name. None at all in any of my 2 DCs nurserys playgroupss or classes at all.

Know one friend of friend!

I think it's fine.

My DS has one of the most popular names, it's always high on the list. But I don't care because I really love it and it's totally him.

Clara is beautiful and I've not met any (and I work with kids)

When I gave my dd her name it was remarkably unusual. People used to say, oh what a lovely name, you never hear it these days.

Within 10 years it was number 2. There's nothing you can do to avoid this, except choose a horrible name!

There is a 2 year old Clara who lives along my road but that's all I know. I love the name but it is too close to my name to use.

Clara is a beautiful name and I've never met one nor does DS have any in his year of 100 kids at school.

We are in essex.

No Clara's where I stay either. My name is Clare and I get called Clara as nickname by some friends and I far prefer it to Clare. Clare seems so 80's.

My son is one of the most popular names and when I picked it there were NONE at all. bah!

It seems to be popular on mumsnet but I only know one in real life, but I'm not in the uk (I know lots of kids in the uk though).

I've been a paediatrician for 10 yrs, in south and north Wales, various parts of the midlands and Yorkshire. I've never met a baby Clara. Lovely name.

I know one little Clara and it was on our name list but dp didn't like it.

I think you can look at patterns etc us naming but it doesn't matter really, ds3 has a popular name and is the only one in his class. Yet ds4 has an unusual name and when he started at school there was another boy with the same name. And bizarrely the boys brother had the same name as our ds2! The boys themselves think this is fantastic.

The names we chose for ds1 and ds2 were not popular when we chose them, they are now. I like to think we are trendsetters!

My Dd's name is unusual, less than 30 babies each year given her name and it's been the same numbers consistently for a few years but I keep seeing it mentioned on the baby names threads on mnet which would suggest it is becoming more popular but that ons statistics done bare this out. The New ones are released soon and I am interested so see if it is becoming more popular.
Ing

I live in North London and know three little girls called Clara and one adult.

I don't know of any Claras, SE London here.

DD has a name which is regularly derided on MN as too popular but we love it.

I know 3 Clara's (Glasgow suburbs). It's a compliment really, it just shows that other people think it's beautiful too.

I on,y know one child with that name.

Clara is lovely. I know one only ( and I meet lots of babies at work) and she's mid 20s!

DD1 has a name that was really rare when she was born, but is no a ten a penny MN name for little people ( you can guess it from my username) but I haven't met any yet.

( disclaimer work in a very " non mumsnetty" area of the midlands)

I teach little ones and have never had a Clara. Lovely name, congratulations.

Never even met one. I have met 100-150 under 1s in the last year (London).

I love it, and know of probably 10-15 under 5s at the minute and don't know one Clara (so definitely not 1 in 3!)

It's on my list as an unusual name. Only 284 were born in 2012 per baby names.co.uk!

I know two little Claras but am in London. It is a lovely name and nowhere near the popularity of the vowel names or old lady names.

I know two little Claras in Glasgow. It's a nice name.

I think on Mumsnet people tell you names are popular simply because they've heard them discussed a lot on Mumsnet...not because they actually know a single child by that name.

I've never met a Clara, I think you're on to a winner there! Enjoy

Thanks to all who have commented, I am suitably reassured (we don't need a unique name, so I don't mind that some of you know 2 or 3 Claras). I think of her as 'Clara' now, so am very glad not to have to go back to the drawing board.

Follow the national ranking.

I doubt a MNer has done a comparable amount of research.

Glad you have stayed with Clara, its beautiful. Only know one and she's a baby.