What girls names do you hear all the time?

[Bobian123]

Just that really. I have a shortlist but would rather not go for anything that's overly popular. So instead of me telling you the names, could you say what names you hear a lot?!

I'm so annoyed that my DDs name is here! It was UNHEARD of when I named her. Ten years later and everyone's on it!

Mind you I always felt the Jaggers must have thought this about Jade.

Ha both of my dds names are on here.
It may be a regional thing but names such as Lily-Mae or Ruby-Grace or chicken - tikka etc.

Yep. Those names like Jade and Amber which were seen as boho and hippy in the 60's and 70's became mainstream in the 90's.

I still like the name Amber.

I am impressed when someone picks an under used but decent name - a friend had a Zoe recently which I thought was a good choice

Popular names for the girls I know aged 5-and-under:

Eve/Evie/Ava
Elizabeth
Ruby
Isabella/Isabelle/Isobel

If you like Amelia, how about Jemima, Aurelie, Aurelia, Camilla, Rosalie, Ottilie, Ariana, Celia, Cerelia, Laurel, Julia?

YY to popularity overtaking prettiness. All of the currently trendy Ellie/Lily/Lila/Lola names are attractive in their own right, but en masse they lost their lustre because they're so interchangeable, with lots of parents unwittingly following trends and choosing names that sound similar. For example I recently taught a class that had (out of 15 girls) two Emilys, an Amelie, an Ella, an Ella-Mae, an Elsie and an Ellie. 'Twas mighty confusing at times!

I'm with Kerala in that the names I prefer are those that are uncommon without being too out there. Trouble is it's often hard to pin down those names, and to anticipate which will be the next faddy ones. I had a class with two Siennas a couple of years ago - both sets of parents were extremely put out to find that their 'unique' choice had suddenly gone from near obscurity to trendy name du jour.

Maybe I'm just being dense, but I always wonder what the catalyst is for a relatively small number of names becoming so popular at any given time? Why are there so many Emilys, Sophies, Avas etc at the moment? Apart from the fact that they are 'nice' names.

Obviously I know that people are influenced by popular culture/celebrities/whatever's on the TV at the time but surely that can only be partly responsible?

I understand that names come in and out of fashion like anything else, but why those names at this time? Why are names ending with 'ie' sounds so popular at the moment?

I can remember loving the name Ava about 20 years ago I liked it because I was a big fan of old film stars like Ava Gardner. The name Ava just wasn't used back then, so I mentally filed it away for future use. Then Reese Witherspoon had a baby and called her Ava - she must be 15 or 16 years old now. That seemed to be the catalyst for Ava to start being used again, and then Myleene Klass called her daughter Ava about 7 years ago, at which point it rocketed in this country. I still feel miffed.

So what are the underused names?

I found that however popular first names become they are still not as common as the very popular middle names. Wonder exactly how many 'blank' rose, grace, marie's there are.

I think I know about ten girls with the middle name Rose, would be nice and unusual as a first name now.

Oh, there's a little Rose two doors away from me.

I agree with the -ie and -a sounding names being v popular atm. both my dd's end in those sounds but not mentioned on here. we have never met another of dd1 and despite never hearing the name before met another dd2 at toddler group. doesn't bother me as we love the names.

dd1 middle name is rose and dd2 is a variation on mae. but I guess these are popular as the sounds go v well with most names.

actual names we know loads of Mia and isobel (and variations)

I have a theory that the rise of Emily has something to do with Bagpuss. I always loved the name as a child and think that was probably why.

Re popularity trends, I think a particular name or type of name often starts the ball rolling - either via a celebrity baby, or something in the media, or just because it somehow captures the popular imagination - then when that name starts getting popular people look for alternatives that sound similar.

For example, people who grew up with/liked the name Emma in the past might pick Emily for a DD, then other people who like Emily but want to be different might go for Amelia instead. Then when Amelia starts to become ubiquitous people start looking for more alternatives - e.g. a foreign twist like Amelie, or a tweaked spelling like Emilia. I reckon Elodie's current rise in popularity is probably down to a combination of people choosing it who would otherwise have gone for Amelie, plus the fact it contains the currently trendy 'El' sound.

Recently the fashion has been for light, informal, very feminine-sounding names and lots of e and l sounds - hence Lily, Tilly, Milly, Lola, Lila, Lyra, Isla, Ella, Ellie et al. The other fashions at the moment seems to be longer, Latinate names ending in -a, e.g. Sophia, Isabella, Francesca, Amelia, and 'granny chic'/vintage names like Ivy, Ruby, Nancy, Violet and Elsie (which also nails the El- trend).

Agree with Jenni2legs about the middle name thing - looking at recent school registers it seems to be Rose, Grace or May (plus a sprinkling of Elizabeths and Catherines) for almost every primary-aged girl. (Was Louise in my day, which probably dates me pretty effectively!)

Oh your Emma-Emily-Amelia-Amelie idea is interesting.

I think you're right, Temps. Evie and variants seems to have moved on to Ava. When my mum was young there were lots of Susans. By the time I was born, more Suzannes. Anyone else think Evie is the result of the House of Elliot?

Every little girl round our way is a Sophie or an Isabel.

Popular names here are Amelia, Esme, Isabella, Evie and Freya.

There is no doubt about it, the only way to avoid ubiquity is to choose Janet or Barbara.

I have a name which is very common in under 10s at the moment, I am forever turning round in the playground/swimming pool/supermarket when someone shouts for their child - my parents were 40 years ahead of their time. But I just wanted to be called Jackie! I don't think children will grow up being annoyed about having a common name.

The most common names I have heard are all the El and Ev names, and Olivia.

Florence, tulluluh, Isobel (variants). Ellie, ruby, all the Ava's, eves etc.
Maya's, graces, lily, pheobe,

Definitely agree that the overly used 'nice' names just end up becoming dull names. I do tend to switch off and instantly forget the babies name when I'm told it's yet another Ava etc. Dull and boring.

Overly used here for newborns are Amelia, Ava, Isabelle, Olivia, Sophia. A short while ago we were deluged with Ellie, Lily and Molly who will all probably end up marrying Jack, Oliver and Harry!

Funny that somebody said Alice and a Lucy are properly classic names that you never hear at the moment. I agree that they're classics but I know more Alices under five than any other name, and three Lucys too! Meanwhile I have a Grace and have only ever come across one other. Not pretending it's not popular (we knew that when we chose it, weighed up whether it mattered and decided we loved it too much to care) but I'm not surrounded by them at all.

Names I do know several children called include Milly, Isla, Maisie, Ottilie, Molly...and the aforementioned Alice and Lucy!

My name is cited all the time as a 5-to-a-class 80s name (though I was named after my grandmother) and I do come across a lot now, but I was somehow the only one in my school for seven years and it's never bothered me for a second being one of many as an adult.

My name is cited all the time as a 5-to-a-class 80s name (though I was named after my grandmother)

This is why names go in cycles, and why "old lady chic" little girls all seem to have Edwardian servant names.

DDs preschool has an Ellie, an Ellie-May and an Emily. Tongue twister! And three Rileys, one of which is a girl and two are boys.

Also hear a lot of Sophies.