Why do people rule names out on popularity?

[19thJune2017]

I don't really get it

I find common names a bit dull, however nice they are. I'm always a little bit disappointed when someone I know chooses a top ten name for their baby, even though some of them are beautiful names (and even though it's none of my business!). I just like something a bit different I think - it's more interesting

I get it but it wouldn't bother me. When I meet a Sarah or Emma from my generation, I just think 'what a lovely name'.

My son shares his name with several friends.

It just shows a lack of imagination. And I say that as someone with a top 10 name from the late 70s! I have many peers with the same name. Wish my parents had put a bit more thought into it, bless them.

It causes pointless confusion.

I have 7 friends with the same name, which leads to a lot of "which x?" questions.

Because it was a pain being one of 4 with the same name in my class. DH was also one of 3. In fact, back then, most people were one of several with the same name.

We seem much more imaginative with names these days. There's such a huge choice, why choose one that everyone else has also chosen.

I don't hate the names, I just wonder why you'd want your child to go through life being called by their first name and surname/initial.

Because it's a PITA going through life with a common name. I'm forever known as Meglet A, never just Meglet. Teachers muddled four of us up and I'm not just my name at work either. And there's young 'meglets' still being named.

I suppose I think it's quite nice not to share your name with lots of your friends/peers, ideally. It's not the end of the world though. I didn't particularly like it when others in the class had my name at school - having my surname initial constantly said after my name was mildly annoying to me. As an adult with a common name I have been asked to 'think of a nickname for yourself, we already have a [my name] working here' when I started a new job. All minor annoyances though. If I really loved a popular name for my child, I might still consider it. For my son I went for something that wasn't top 10, but not obscure either.

I have a common name. Two of my best friends have the same name as me!

It never actually bothered me. We generally get referred to as [name] A, and [name] P, based on our surnames.

But I'd still rather my children had less common names. It's just fun to be a bit more unique, I think! There are soooo many names to choose from, why choose the same one as thousands of other parents are choosing each year? I would worry that I was being subconsciously influenced if the only name I liked out of tens of thousands of options was in the top 10 or 20 in the country!

So they don't have to go by 'Emma T' or 'Chloe B' in school.

I have a name that was in the top 10, probably even the top 5 when I was born. I do like my name. The only downside to its popularity is the fact that it is so tried a particular decade. Everyone else I know of with the same name is also roughly the same age as me. I was just telling DH last night that people will always know my age based on my name alone

Because the point of a name is to identify someone, so if there are multiples of that name in the vicinity then it's not really doing its job that well. Ava P, Ava B, Ava P-B, Ava S, etc etc etc

I chose not to use Chloe with my DDs because it has been in the top 10 for over a decade, and has been in the top 5 for the last 10 years. It's simply too common. The likelihood that she'd be one of many Chloes in her class, school, activities etc was too high and I just don't think that's fun for anyone.

For some reason, I don't care about name popularity so much for boys....

I just think it gets a bit boring after a while hearing the same names.

But mainly, it's having to refer to people by their initial of their surname. At work, we have 3 duplicate names in our small team of 12!

I wish I knew op! It's so ridiculous, but when I hear a name a lot, it automatically puts me off ever using it myself .

I think, for me, it's a bit like if you repeat a word to yourself over and over again and it suddenly loses all meaning. That said, I only feel that way about the really popular names and it isn't like it would put me off the person, so meh.

The other argument is that because names primarily exist (imo) as a way of identifying someone, then it's not great if you shout "Isabelle" across a playground and six little girls turn around.

Dull.

When I was at school a third of the girls were called Laura and another third were called Sarah. Boring!

Although now a quarter of girls are called Violet, a quarter called Ellie, another quarter called Amelia and the other quarter called Grace/Gracie.

There's a billion lovely names. You don't need to pick the same name as your neighbour.

Hmmm well DH has a really common name from our generation and is not too keen on it being so common - not helped by also having a common surname so in our town knows 2 people with same first and last name socially. My name is rare to the point of never having met another personally ever and I really like that it is mine alone for all practical purposes and that when anyone says my name at work/school/friends they mean me. Not sure why it's nice but no confusion/ambiguity and it feels part of emphasising individuality. We wanted that for the kids rather than DH's experience and they have unusual but not weird names - outside-top-200-but-known-in-this-country to avoid being asked how to spell it tedium (although I don't mind this much!) and they have been the only one with their name in primary school ( or nursery as youngest not quite at school).

Ooh Bendy you've nailed it succinctly!

Well my name was top the year I was born (as was husbands) yet we were the only ones in our respective years!

Because it badly dates their name plus it means they will know people with the same name.

My brother was one of five in his class with the same name as a child, he didn't like it so has called himself by his middle name ever since.

I'm not keen on 'of their time' popular names e.g. Laura / Sarah in the 1980s purely as I think they date. I do like a lot of classic popular names now, ones where the owner is as likely to be 5 as they are 50. DSs name is like that, though tempted to maybe go with something a bit more out there if I have another.

It's a pain especially if you also have a common surname.
I have worked with someone with the exact same first name and surname and constant muddling up even by payroll and HR. Also had issues at the Dr as there's another one with the same DOB.

As you can imagine my DCs don't have top 10 names

Yes I agree with bendy

A girl in my DD's class always calls herself Sophie J. Even writes it on family birthday cards to her mother's annoyance.

I have had no end of conversations with DD along the line of "Dylan and Sophie did x" "I thought Dylan was away on the school trip?" "No, not Dylan M, Dylan B" "Dylan B doesn't seem like her type to me" "No mum, not Dylan Brown, Dhillon Bhatta" "Why was he even there with Sophie, I thought they broke up?" "Sophie S not Sophie T" "Oh. OK. So what happened?" "Well, Dhillon, Sophie, Ollie and Amelia were all..."

Laura is dated? There were many when I was at school too.