Names whose popularity mystify you

[Movablefeast]

I feel I must be showing my age because I don't understand the popularity of Fern/e. I don't hate it, I am just amazed at it's immense popularity. Why do you think it has caught the zeitgeist at the present time?

Milo, Otis and, even worse, Otto! Far too try hard wannabe middle class drab names

Oscar -shudders-

My friend is corinne and we call her reenie

Agree anything hyphenated, or any surnames as last names.
Also lots of the mn middle class names that get suggested here:
Genevieve - awful, ugly, pretentious
Wren - why???
Alfred - sounds too guttural
Albert - wet

Rupert
Jeremy
Piers
Atticus
Orlando
Archer/Tyler/Hunter etc.
Teddy
Damian
Ian
Kevin
Wayne
Nigel

Margot
Astrid
Gerda
Hilda
Bertha
Gertrude
Matilda
Tabitha
Lola
Olive
Thea
Ingrid

Intercom, none of those names are that popular

Point taken... I've met more of some of these compared to zero Fearnes though, and a number of them are suggested on here quite often. I'd put several in the "harsh" or clunky category and wonder why very similar names aren't seen that way. E.g. Hilda sounds hard to me, and so does Matilda.

Depends what you mean by popular- there were only about 100 or so Fern/es born last year. Which out of 3000000 baby girls.............

I understand what OP meant, she meant MN popular...there are names that pop up on here all the time but don’t actually know any irl. I.E Wren

@ Op - Victoreena was a Reenie i knew.

There was a J--- Wren at a school I was working in

Hugo. It's ugly-posh
Felix - again too posh for me
Dont like Noah

Matilda is awful too.

Matilda is a fabulous name and was the name of amazing women over a thousand years ago!

@bayseyan I know a Florence and a Penelope but their NN's are Flo and Nel which I think are much nicer than Florrie and Penny

Yes, Alfie is way overdone.

Olli the 100 year cycle is often mentioned - I thought "granny/ grandpa" names were meant to be grandparents of the parents, not the baby's grandparents. Effectively the names need to be pretty much out of circulation before they come back around. Hence Alfred and Ivy not Ken and Linda (at least not for another 30-40 years...)

Barbara
Etney
Nora
Ada

Margot. I don't know but it just doesn't appeal that much to me.

Beatrice - sounds ugly to me
Grace - bland
Oliver - not sure why but I just don't like it

Amelia and Oliver.

Ugh yes I don't like Oliver either. A very bland, boring name. Usually used by parents that have one boy and one girl, and the girl has an equally bland name like Emily.

OP I think you're right with what you touched on a few pages back - I think it's a generational thing regarding what feels 'fresh'. DH and I both love a few names that are not mega common at the minute but probably will be in a few years as they're definitely on the way back, his Mum nearly fell over when we mentioned them in passing! For her, their her grandparents generation of names so they sound old. It'd be like someone my age (late twenties) calling their baby Pauline, Sandra or Nigel. You wouldn't (no offence to anyone who has!) because they're classic grandparents names for people of my age. Likewise I'm sure in a couple of decades the next generation will be balking at the idea of kids called Amanda or Sarah (popular names of my parents generation!) but loving the idea of little baby Eileen/Roger/Josephine!!

Sorry @evelynismyspyname just realised I've basically repeated what you said but in a less elegant fashion

Serves me right for giving up on page 3 and not RTFT! I'll show myself out....

@AnnaAlyce your post made me laugh out loud at my desk. Nail on head.

The problem with such a super common name like Oliver is that you need a modifier like surname initials as the name itself doesn't sufficiently identify. Just like the name Steve for adults, I know SO many...