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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Did you choose a popular (top ten) name? Do you regret it?

116 replies

fluzz543 · 05/03/2015 22:49

Just that really. DC 1 due soon and our favourite name for a boy and a girl are both in the current top ten. If you chose a popular name, has this bothered you once the child gets a bit older and you meet many more at school/nursery? I know a lot of people avoid popular names so I'ld love to hear experiences from people who have gone with them. Thanks.

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funnyossity · 06/03/2015 10:20

Ninja if DH can't remember some bloke from work's name I always start the prompting with Mike and Steve!

Sgtmajormummy · 06/03/2015 10:29

I gave my daughter a female version of a much-hated politician's name (not quite Adolpha but you get the idea...) hoping he'd be gone by the time she grew up. Unfortunately, he's still around and I regret it when other prople give us a look. Still love her name, though.

HmmAnOxfordComma · 06/03/2015 11:20

Yes, actually I'm gutted that ds's name is now so popular.

He's 14 and it's a family name and was outside top 100 when he was born. I love it for both of those reasons.

Now it's top ten and I'm really surprisingly upset about that.

Obviously, in his age group it's not so popular. He's the only one in his secondary school, and there are only two in each of the large schools I've worked in, and we have none in our friends/family. Still gutted.

MerryMarigold · 06/03/2015 12:54

Sgatmajor - was it Roberta? (Mugabe), Must say I wouldn't think of him, but maybe something more obvious.

PerryPears · 06/03/2015 13:08

Depends on your surname. I have a fairly popular (i guess top 50) first name and surname and it çauses so much bother. There was another me at work so payroll and expenses muddled, always forwarding on emails - small thing but after every day for years it drives me up the wall! The NI people even thought i was signing on whilst working as there's someone with the same name and DOB out there. Another family member had their CRB check muddled. It can cause problems, and honestly, you wouldn't look at my name and think wow that's popular.

Sgtmajormummy · 06/03/2015 14:22

merry We live in Italy, so I'll give you one guess...

wigglesrock · 06/03/2015 14:29

Oh I get it now, I was wracking my brains trying to think if it.

hawkmcqueen · 06/03/2015 17:10

Two DCs are top 10 and one top30 and I really don't regret it as their names are classics. Very, very few of both DDs names where we are and my DS is the only one in his year. His name does crop up everywhere we go though which is a bit annoying but I would still choose it again for him as I love it.

MerryMarigold · 06/03/2015 17:58

Ahhhh..my dd has a Benita in her class, but I think she's Lithuanian! I always thought it was pretty and never thought of the connotation!

Aprilbaby24 · 06/03/2015 21:46

My 12 year old is George loved it when we named him it and still love it now. Although its popular, at school he is the only George in his year group. I guess its just luck of the draw.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 06/03/2015 22:03

I think there is a big difference between having a popular classic name (e.g James ) and one that dates (e.g Claire). It is adults with the latter type of names who seem to more frequently dislike them.

TheChickenSituation · 07/03/2015 01:57

For me it's less about whether there are others in the class with the same name (which may or may not happen depending on where you live/the school/class they're in), and more about the fact that a very popular names becomes associated with that era, and will inevitably date (and sometimes badly).

So you may have the only Jack/Ava in the class (great), but overall Jack and Ava will still very much be associated with a set point in time (not so great).

Karen/Joanne/Jennifer would all have sounded delightful and fresh and lovely to parents 30-odd years ago. And they are all nice names. But barely anyone's naming their daughters those names now.

And so it's hard to believe now that Ava/Evie/Isla/Milly/Tilly/Lily/Ella/Bella, et al will all go the same way as people move on to the next fashion.

MerryMarigold · 07/03/2015 21:11

Yes. I guess there are top 10 names and top 10 names. Some are fairly 'classic', always been around so won't date. Others are 'trendy' and may date, although, I think there is a LOT more variety in naming now, so I don't think we will have a Darren and Tracy situation again.

To put it in perspective, I know some lovely Karen, Joannes and Jennifers and indeed, a lovely Tracey. Who really cares?

sparkleDJC · 07/03/2015 22:54

My daughter's name was number 80 something when we named her 5 years ago!! When we rang round the family after her birth, my sister hasn't even heard of the name! Now it's top ten and makes me cross and never would have chosen it that way. You can never predict these things and I still love her name, just don't want there to be anymore :)
I know! Selfish!!!

KnittingSticks · 08/03/2015 17:52

I had a top ten name, changed it by deed poll as soon as I was old enough.

RoseberryTopping · 08/03/2015 17:55

Picked a top 5 name for both of my sons. I don't regret one of them because it just felt so right, Im still not keen on the other one though but it has nothing to do with its popularity

LynetteScavo · 08/03/2015 19:00

We gave DS1 a top ten name.....I wasn't keen, but DH insisted. I don't regret it - it's actually a great name, and suits DS1. At one point he was one of two in his class, but now he's at high school, I think there are only two in the year....but about 5 Milos, which would have been my choice of name.

We gave DS2 an unusual name, just in the top 100. It's now in the top 10, and there are is a variant spelling, which although not popular nationwide, is very popular around here....to the point where school have spelled DS2s name the other way, and a boy at school who spells his name the other way has told DS his name is spelled wrong!!!!

DD has a name which I knew was fast climbing the rankings, and it's now top ten. Honestly, if I'd known it was going to be so popular I would have called her something else. I do love her name, but there is another in her year at school, and also a girl with the shortened version. But then all the names I liked when DD was born shot up in popularity.

I seem to be such a trend setter with names, that my SIL asked if I liked the names on her baby list and avoided the ones I did so her DC didn't end up one of two in the class.

My name was very unusual when I was growing up, but it was in the top ten for quite a few years recently...not sure if it still is.

OneStepCloser · 08/03/2015 19:36

Yes both times, I didnt realise because DDs name was not as popular as it is now when she was born and I worked in a school when I was pregnant with DS but it was a very diverse school and no one had his name. I picked them as they were names I had always loved and I still do.

My name on the other hand is very unusual so is both of my middle names, I didnt even need a surname. I absolutely hated it growing up, I was bullied at school, one reason was because of my names, someone found out my middle names and I was crucified because of them

amy0787 · 09/03/2015 11:44

I must say as an Amy growing up in the 80s I avoided top 10 names for my own children as was always one of many at school, college, work, uni etc and didn't like it.
My friend has named her son the number one name and yes she does regret it a bit.

charlyn · 09/03/2015 11:56

I have a top 10 name (think it was no.2 the year I was born) and Ive always hated it as I know soooooo many especially as its been popular for so long. I was one of 4 with the same name in a college class once! I wish Id had the confidence to change it when I was younger.

Having said that I don't think the popular names these days are as popular as previous decades as there seems to be more variation these days so probably less likely to end up in a class with other children with the same name. My daughters name ranks about 300 the year she was born and yet there is another one at the crèche she goes to so sometimes you dnt know how popular names are in a certain area.

TheChickenSituation · 09/03/2015 18:02

I don't know, I hear people say that, but there was a huge variation of names when I was growing up (I'm 40).

I went to school with girls called Tarlei, Shayla, Raneah, Ingrid, Inga, Odette, Odile, Bridgette, Kerryn, Berenice, Karma ... and these are just off the top of my head. Way more varied and unusual than many of the same old names you hear these days!!

Right - totally outed myself on the back of that little list - off to name change!

deste · 09/03/2015 22:28

Dd's name was number one for years and DS was up there too. It didn't bother me in the least. Dd was only one of two in a school of over 1000 and very few with DS's name.

Theresomethingaboutdairy · 10/03/2015 09:26

My dd1 and dd2 both have top 10 names. My DS has a name that was outside of the top 50 when he was born and dd3s name was outside of the top 10 and, guess what, dd1 has never been in a class (or year group) with another child of the same name-Emily, although we do know several Emmas. Dd2 is Olivia and we know only one other, who is a year older than her. DS is Henry. This was in position 54 when he was born and we have come into contact with several Henry's, although none in his year group. Dd3 is Isabella, we know a few but this hasn't put me off at all. All of my Dc love their names and people only ever comment on how lovely they are. I firmly believe that popular names are popular for a reason-because they are lovely names :-)

Hakluyt · 10/03/2015 09:29

Even if you do choose a top ten name, you're still pretty unlikely to meet another one- there are lots of names out there!

Hakluyt · 10/03/2015 09:40

Even if you pick the top boy's name, that's only one baby boy in 50- so you'd be pretty unlucky to have another one in the same class.......

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