1970s versus 2010s

[candykane25]

My daughter is 3 and starts school nursery next week. I've got the class list and something has struck me.
In her class of 30 there are many repetition of names. There are:

2 Amelia's
2 Isla's
2 Harriet's
2 Lucy's
2 Poppy's

2 Harry's
2 Jacks
3 James/Jamie's
2 Zac's

The other names there are only one of but some are variations of the above (Emily/Lucas etc)

They are all lovely names, and I like them all.

It made me think of my own primary school. We were a large class too, 32 I think.

There were two Paul's and a Claire and Clare. But no other duplications. None of the names in my class were particularly exotic or unusual but there was lots at different names.

I wonder why that is?

Coincidence. I'm not sure that your personal experience is indicative of any trend I'm afraid.

I don't know but there were 3 Fionas in my primary school class, Nichola, Joanne, Ciara, Sinead were all duplicated.
Stephen, Peter, Ciaran, John Paul were all multiples too. I started primary school in the late 70s.

I have a 5 year old - there are 2 James in her class, no other multiples. She's in a class of 26.

Interesting. Maybe it is coincidence.
There's going to be a lot of kids known by their surname :)

I think, if anything, that the statistics about names (ONS etc) show there is more diversity now than there was in the past. For example, fewer children have the #1 name now than they did twenty years ago.

I think you might get geographical pockets where some names are really popular (perhaps explaining the names in your child's class maybe) but overall this isn't replicated nationally....

Anecdotally, I went to school with what felt like a hundred girls called Gemma, Claire or Hayley!

I'm in the north west in a medium size town.
At high school yes definitely there were a million Joanne's, Catherine's, claires, Sarah's etc!
It did surprise me to see so many duplications in one class. All the names are top ten names I suppose so it's very representative.

I went to school in the 90s and there were LOTS of Toms, Nicks, Michaels, Christophers and Emilys, Charlottes, Elizabeths.

Other way round in my experience.

Last year DS1 was in a class of about 30 children. The only "duplicated" name was a boy and a girl with the boy / girl versions of the name (e.g. Steven and Stephanie, both known as Stevie).

Whereas when I was in primary school, there were loads of duplicated names in my class and the wider school.

Jennifer was the most popular name in my year group, closely followed by Eleanor and Rebecca.

I think there were 6/7 of each in my year group mid to late 90s

Early 90's I was at secondary school with quite a few Vickys (all spelling it differently), Lyndsey/Lyndsey and a couple of Claire/Clares.
Popularity of names can definitely be regional my DD name wasn't even in the top 50 when she was born, but there are 2 others in her year group.

My guess would be that it's just coincidence. In my primary class there were two Rebeccas and two Carolines (though it was a private school with v small class sizes - 12 in mine, so actually there being two of two names was quite a lot). In secondary we had five Lauras (out of 30 or so pupils) and then some other duplicates. I was at school in the 90s and early noughties.

I think a lot of thes posts are about high school though? Where's there's many more pupils? I was dupe used about the solicitor in one year at a primary school.

In my class in the late 90s there were 5 Emmas and 3 Lisas. Some of them ended up being known by their surnames. I think that was only coincidence too, though!

ellen was that in th UK ?
I didn't think Jennifer was that popular here
I'm a 1960s baby , Sally , Susan and Alison were the duplicates that I remember
It's Seren , Zak and Ella here ( the ones I know , not school register )

Yes in North West England.
There's lots of Jennifer's aged 25-35 around here, so perhaps it's regional?

Yes a few Jennifers. Mollie duplicates.

It was Marie, Maria when I was at school.

When I was at primary school in the late 70s, there were 2 Pauls and 3 Sarahs in my class of 30 - I don't recall any other repeats

In my DD's primary class there were 2 Matthews and 2 Camerons

In my DS's primary class there were 4 Millies and 2 Elliots

As ppl have said above, I've definitely found it to be the other way round. I don't remember primary so much but at secondary school out of 80-90 girls there were memorably 11 Kathryn/Cathrines(etc), 8 Rebeccas (all called Becky) and 7 Claire/Clares. Also what felt like thousands of Lauras in my era. (Late 30s now!)
Even with the over-production of Evas, Evies, Amelies and Isabelles, my childrens' friends have far more varied names today, thank goodness.

Madeleine was the most popular girls name when I was in primary and high school, followed by Georgia. Edward was the most popular boys name, followed by Matthew In my graduating class of less than 80 people, we had three Madeleines and one Madison, two Georgias, three Edwards and two Matthews.

Babies I know born recently include: three Arias, two Laylas, one Evie, one Audrey, one Ava, one Vivienne, one Matilda, two Jacks, one River, one Ash, two Hunters, two Isaacs.

I think my DDs class is extremely representative of the top 10 names then!

school in the 80's, there were countless Pauls, Darrens and Marks. For girls lots of Joanne's, Claires and Helens

Until I went to secondary school I never knew that many duplicates. Then there were always lots of Davids, Johns, Nicholas, Victorias, Marks, Emmas etc.

I think back then people only chose names from a much smaller bank of names. There's much more variety of names now and people are influenced by other cultures and countries.
There is a lot of emphasis now on trying to have names that other people won't have or that are a bit different. Sometimes this works other times you find there are lots of the name people thought was unusual!

We had 4 Al(l)ans in my primary school class (of 25).

And 2 Alistairs.

2 Gillians.
2 Lisas.