What are the most overused baby names you know at the moment?

[caffeinejunkie24]

Trying to decide on a name for DC2 at the moment and would like something that won't seem "dated" in so many years to come.

There's a few names I keep hearing pop up at baby groups etc that feel a bit "faddy" and "of the moment" and would like to avoid that if possible. Hoping to avoid a name that becomes the Tracey, Sharon, David or Gary etc of this generation.

I've noticed a lot of names hyphenated with Rose, (which is an absolutely beautiful name) but kind of has the shine taken off it when its so overused in various combinations.

What names make you think "oh, not another one!?"

Freya seems to be the girl name of the moment round here. Lots of Charlottes, Olivias and Mias. It’s hard to keep them straight.

Not met an Isla yet. I might burst into a chorus of La Isla Bonita!

Disappointed that Elsie is on the list. It was our name of choice for years. But I guess any E name risks becoming really popular.

Elsie
Isla
Ava
Alice
Lydia

Henry
Ezra
Oliver

I started my baby name Search with one rule... That it could not be a top 50 name. As i have a top 3 name for the year I was born and didn't want DD to be "one of many".

I feel like i am fairly free thinking, but it is amazing how much we are influenced without even noticing, I kept coming up with what I thought was an unusual and finding it right up in the top of the tables.

In the end the short list came down to 3 Rowan, Aria, and our final choice. The midwife at the assessment unit said "oh we've had lots of Aria's recently" so that got knocked off the list, and so we were down to two!!!

So, I'd say for where I live, current popular names...Aria (according to the midwife), Ellie, Eva/Ava/Evie, Mia.

In our baby groups (roughly 6-18 months old) there are multiples of Arthur, Theo, Thomas, Josh and William. There are a lot less girls in the classes/groups, probably why there are none with the same name, but they all have names that have been mentioned already.

My friends with slightly older children (primary age) all seem to be called Charlie and Sophie.

Found this on a website:

So what are the classic names that have appeared in the top 100 in every decade since 1904? Interestingly there are more of these for boys than for girls. For boys there are 12 names that have appeared in the top 100 in every decade since 1904:
1 WILLIAM
2 GEORGE
3 THOMAS
4 JAMES
5 CHARLES
6 EDWARD
7 JOSEPH
8 ROBERT
9 DAVID
10 ALEXANDER
11 MICHAEL
12 DANIEL
And for girls there are only two names:
1 ELIZABETH
2 SARAH

You are never going to be able to pick a completely unique name that’s not awful so just pick a name you love. Nothing worse than bypassing Ella even though you love it for Alia, which you are luke warm about only to find there are 3 in her class.

When I named dd in 1997 I only considered names not in the top 100. It's in the top 20 now.

Eve/ Evie/ Eva/ Ava
Jack

So what are the classic names that have appeared in the top 100 in every decade since 1904? Interestingly there are more of these for boys than for girls. For boys there are 12 names that have appeared in the top 100 in every decade since 1904:
1 WILLIAM
2 GEORGE
3 THOMAS
4 JAMES
5 CHARLES
6 EDWARD
7 JOSEPH
8 ROBERT
9 DAVID
10 ALEXANDER
11 MICHAEL
12 DANIEL
And for girls there are only two names:
1 ELIZABETH
2 SARAH

That's interesting, I wonder if it's to do with generations of families naming sons after fathers. Also possibly the belief that boys need a strong name whereas people might be happier to use more fashionable names for girls.

Loads!

Elliot (literally every other boy!)
Oliver
Sophia
Izzy
Dillon
George
Ruben

I have an Oliver (in his twenties) and an Evie, named after her great grandma. Both were named long before they became popular. You can't know what will happen in the future and although we knew the names weren't incredibly rare, we still don't know anyone else their age groups with the same name.

Oliver and Mia

Cyw me too. My first choice on getting pregnant 12 years ago was Emily. Then I fixed on Olivia before realising that every other woman my age also chose that name. My first baby group there were 4. I realised in the nick of time and swerved it. Phew.

I have a dull everyone else has it name and didn't want that for my kids.

In dds class at one stage one third of the girls were named a variant of Eve. Mental!

I gave my eldest a classic biblical name that I have loved since I was a child. When DC2 was born I wanted to use a less popular name as I was worried that DC1 would spend his life having people call him by his family name or a nickname.

Of course, it is DC2's name that has appeared multiple times on this thread.

I’m really glad we are over the kayden Jayden Hayden era

Lilly
Molly
Millie
Mia
Sophia
Ruby
Ella
Amelia
Isabelle

Alfie
Noah
Jack
Harry
Reuben

There’s a great website called Darkgreener which shows you names over time. So you can see for example that Ava came out of nowhere and is now massively popular (so it will date) whereas Harriet has been in the top 100 for ages but never right at the top (so it would be much harder to guess the age of a Harriet)

Ella
Lottie

Theo
Oliver

The little ones I know:
Ella
Olivia
Isabel
Freya
Jack
Harry
Noah
Thomas

Lots of slightly older kids called Jack, Harry, Oliver, Chloe, Molly ...

On here; Ezra, Ava, Darcy, Dylan,Theodore etc, and Mae, Rose or Grace as middle names. Usually quite ugly names that are likely to be Darrens and Traceys of the future.

right now

Ava
Amelia
Reuben

DD is 16. At one point on her hockey team there were 6 girls called variations of Alex/Alexandra/Alexia etc. Was quite confusing.

I forgot the Emilia, Amelia, Amelies and the Tilly/Matildas.
Know several of those.
And quite a few Joshuas, Ryans and Conors aged about 20.

I’ve got a really common-to-my-generation name (3 of us in my secondary school form!) but I really like my name. It’s quite classic, and has a lovely meaning. So choose something you love and don’t worry.

I do have my mum’s first name as my middle name and I LOVE that (it pleases me having something matrilineal in my name, and it’s a lovely name, and I adore my mum and like feeling connected to her. If I have a girl she’ll have the same middle name too.)

I know about 3 Caitlins but 2 are spelt with a K.

Grace
Aimee/Amy
Isla
Mabel
Daisy
Holly
Evie
Eva
Lily
Molly
Millie

Harry
Archie
Noah
Jasper
Oscar
Charlie
Thomas
Max
Jackson
Harrison

Those are the names in my area where there tends to be more than one per class.

Isla!!