I thought I was so original ...

[Carbohol78]

Freya, there were no Freya’s, DD10, other option was Isla, again no Isla’s, I thought I’d found a pretty, not odd, but not over-used name. Now there’s loads of both!

Anyone else think they were “oh so original” and now the classrooms are flooded?

Try moving countries .... 🙃 one of my D.C. Went from being the only kid with his name in a school of 1200 to one of four in his class in the U.K. (Plus a girl with the female version)

WhatIWant we did that. One DS went from being the only one in the school in the UK to having to use his middle name when we moved. Older DS has a name that hasn't fallen out of use in over 200 years in either country and yet in both schools he has been the only one. I have met only a handful ranging from 90 to baby.

Dd1 and 2 are the only ones in their school and only ever met 1 other dd2 but dd3 is Kitty (after my great aunt - yes it's her birth certificate name and despite the era great aunt had a government job even though mnetters would have me believe she'll not amount to anything due to her name). There are 3 in her school and I've met a fair few locally too including sitting behind us at the Panto in Bath.

m0therofdragons I've met an influx of baby Kitty's in the last few years, it's grown on me. I file it with names like 'Betty' and 'Maisie' that were popular 70 or so years ago and have come back around again.

I know a young lady called Shelby who is 21. I remember when my friend named her everyone thought it sounded like a US country and western singers name and bitched about it behind her back, at a time when 'softer' sounding names like Megan, Caitlin, Chloe were most popular. Since Peaky Blinders has become so popular everyone she meets thinks her name is ace!

DS1 is 19 and a Stuart. Last time I asked on mumsnet a few years back the next youngest Stuart was 24 so probably 28 or there abouts now. Anyone know a younger one? And what happened to Nicholas? Used to be loads of them!

Donna Air called her DD Freya in 2003. That's one of the reasons for its huge rise in popularity.

My adult cousin is a Freya, it's pronounced more like 'Frer' though.

When I was at school you couldn't move without falling over a Susan.

Nowadays they are like hens teeth.

I know quite a few Stuarts of primary age nibled - we're in Scotland though so name choices up here can be quite different to England

I know a 19 year old girl Jayden.

Never met anyone with my name (Meriel) DD1s name (Antigone) or DS2s name (not a massively unusual name-Lochlan!)

We have a 11 month old Freya and as I was opening your post I wondered if it’d be about her name because we’ve noticed the same!

Never even thought of it until my mum suggested it and suddenly it’s everywhere, it’s funny how these things happen!

@MandaraSugar dd is 6. There were none when we named her 😂

Blackdog - the statistics have it as fairly gradual, but definite year on year growth. It went from a top 90 name to a top 35 name in 6 years. Love this geekery!

1998 - 563 Freyas
1999 - 589 Freyas
2000 - 686 Freyas
2001 - 967 Freyas
2002 - 1049 Freyas
2003 - 1211 Freyas

256 baby girls called Kitty in 2011

Ironically more popular than Catherine that year (only 217)

We have only met two other girls with DD1s name. It was one until recently. DD2 - never met another one. Both DDs are in their 20s. I was fairly sure we would not meet girls with the same names but you cannot always guess trends. I think luck comes into it!

Viques- 21 Susans named in 2016!

There were 17 Melanias!

I wonder how the 2017 stat will compare on that one!!

Only 40 babies were given DD's name last year, but I reckon they'll be all over the shop in about 5 yrs time. I was the only girl in my school with my name, 25-30 yrs ago, now it's in the top 5.

Same here!!! Bloody Royal.
Charlotte was traditional and nice but not well used when we picked it.

When I was in hospital after giving birth to my daughter (1992) 7 out of 10 baby girls were named Amy. There has never been an Amy in any of my daughter's classes throughout her time in school/college/uni or at any of the Rainbows/Brownies/swimming etc classes come to think of it. My DD now shares a name with a Duchess but with a different spelling - there were at least three girls with that name in every class she has been in. Also 2 of my cousins named their daughters the same as mine, with the exact same spelling - they are the only 3 girls in the family of a similar age ffs.
In primary school she was also in a class with 4 Samantha's and 6 Thomas's, she went to an out of catchment secondary school and there wasn't a Samantha or Thomas in the entire school. This school was less than 3 miles away from the local high school where most of her year group went.

Dd1’s name is 20 something in the charts now, only ever met one other and she’s the only one in her reception year at school (no idea if there are any others in her school) and previously her nursery worker said she’d not had a child with her name in over 20 years.

Dd2’s name is 200 and something but I’ve got a feeling it will become popular (because it’s a gorgeous name of course!)

I have an Oliver. He is almost 15.
When I named him it was not a popular name, I just loved it named after my mum's friend's cat

Now it's number one and has been for a few years.
He's the only one in his large secondary school and was the only one in primary.

Now they're everywhere and all of his friends call him Ollie anyway!

My eldest sons name was not in top 100 even when I had him. Now I think it's around 40ish? I had him in 2009.

My youngest sons name is common but not the spelling.

I've never met another woman with my name!

LordSugar - Oliver was the 6th most popular name in 2003, with more than 5,000 Olivers born that year. 7th in 2004, with more than 5,500.