Anyone picked a really “original” name...

[Canone]

... only to discover it isn’t at all?

I have a Kit. Thought it was a bit quirky and “different” at the time. Even the stats seemed to suggest so.

He’s 2 and I’m hearing it EVERYWHERE. Yet another celebrity has just had one. I still love it of course but isn’t funny how we think we’re being really cool and “original” and actually we’re anything but!

Anyone else have any tales of baby naming woe?

My elder DDs name is used about 10 times a year in England and Wales. The only other one we know of is my Mother's primary school teachers Granddaughter... Who would be in her 50s now.

Younger DDs name... Only met one other in UK (child, lots of adults with it). That was while camping and her sister had a very similar name to DD1. The name though is more popular in our current country... Another in her Ski class for example.

It’s hard to imagine now that in another decade or so there will be four Barbaras or Veras in one class, but I guess it’ll happen.

I have a mid thirties Daisy

I know a Dorothy nn Dotty aged 6.

I didn't pick an "original" name for ds1. But I still didn't expect there to be 3 of them in his class and for ds2 to be really close friends with 2 others with his brother's name. That's what I get for giving the popularity of the name no thought whatsoever.

I did better with dd and know of only one other.

The 100 year rule is interesting. Lots of names I associate with my grandparents have been making a comeback or appear on that graph .... Harry, George, Arthur, Henry, Albert. Though others not so much ... Agnes, Gladys, Florence for example. Maybe my ancestors just choose cooler boy names than girl names

We picked an unusual name, no appearance of a resurgence. Tbh I’m relieved whenever I hear of someone else called it, it’s proof I didn’t make it up :D

I have never met someone called my name. It’s not uncommon, just in my age and demographic it is!

Thinking about it, my school must have been ahead of the trend. I’m 30 and had the following in my class:

2x Amelia
Iris
Esme
Dorothy
Florence
Jackson (went by Jack)
Joshua
Noah
Archie

Amongst all the Sarah’s, Jennifer’s, Daniels and Toms.

Most of the names I like for my kids are popular Irish (Caoimhe, Cillian), fairly classic (Alexandra) or upcoming & will have more than one in the class (Caleb, Adelaide).

My ds name was used 13 times in his birth year and about 30 times last year. So still not really popular!

It’s always the way, my son has a nice, uncommon at the time name with an unusual middle name. Been hearing both names a lot recently. And even another with both.
I won’t say what it is because unbeknown to me at the time the nn for his first name with his middle name is bloody ridiculous

I have a three year old Thea. I had never met, or heard of, another one when we named her (we got the name off a TV show). Now they're bloody everywhere and she's known as 'Thea Lastinitial' at nursery. Gutted.

Frankly I think that choosing a name based on popularity is a bad idea. That comes and goes real fast. Better choose a name you like, whether common or uncommon.

Though I'll admit the most common names (John, Mary, or even worse Jack) always put me off. Those are so omnipresent that to me they lack any real personnality or character (apologies to anyone called that, don't mean to offend !)

Daughter has 2 clementines and 3 Savannahs in her class. She has a common ish name yet is only one 🤣

Never heard of or met another 'real life' person with my Daughter's name or #2 Son's name. Way more Ruperts around than I thought. Boy #3 has a Mumsnet favourite name but goes by a nickname I've not heard anyone else under 50 being called

@Ravingstarfish but I have to know!

OhhMyLittleGirls When pregnant with ds1 decided on Isabella. Then a family member had an Isabella. As it was we had a boy! Pregnant with ds2 before we knew he was a boy he was going to be Esme if he was a girl. Then we found out he was a boy and couldn’t decide between Emmette and Riley. We went from Riley. All four names in the books, before the books came out!

Agree that Aubrey seemingly not that popular however every other baby I meet has this name! I have also come across many Lara's, Nell/Nellie, Willows, Lyras... goes to show you can't base name choice on popularity (unless name is in top 10 in which always seems to be loads)

Oh and then Riley went from not knowing one, to we are overrun with them. It’s actually put me right off the name, but a bit to late to change! Should have gone with Emmette, Seth, River, Micah, or Greyson, our other choices.

I liked Willow (16 years ago now) but DH vetoed it. When she was a toddler we met another Willow who lived in our town and had the same surname as us!! Possibly a Buffy thing... I also like Hepzibar (from Wuthering Heights) and Byzantine (goodness knows where from) - but DH was having none of that! Teen thanks him often for that!!

I know a 4 year old Dorothy, a couple of Betty's and a baby Joyce.

Common names here are for:-

girls:- Matilda, Ivy, Nora, Florence, Evie, Ella, Grace, Daisy, Scarlett, Hazel, Lana, Layla, Sophia, Olivia, Aurora, Esme, Iris, Pheobe, Darcy, Ava, Hallie, Evelyn, Martha, Margot

Boys:- Harry, George, Kit, Dexter, Fletcher, Finley, Axel, Noah, Ethan, Ezra, Archie, Alfie, Jayden, Jaxon,

One of my ds has a name that is 10 times more popular than the other. I have only encountered 1 of the more common name since he was born and multiple of the unusual one. Chose names we liked.

I love Dorothy and Ivy. They were both at the top of the girl names list, but we had boys instead.

My ds now aged 23 was very nearly Kit. His best friend until he was 9 was Kit. Kit is short for Christopher, which has been around forever. Rareness wasn’t necessarily a given.

Most "original" names are only used because people hear them because someone else has used them, and they used them because someone else used them.

'Twas ever thus.

@SherlockSays @Ca55andraMortmain

My sister is a Thea and she's 30 now! Never met anyone with her name until recently!

My friend wanted to call her son Oliver but she thought it was too popular. She chose something more “unusual” instead. He’s nearly 3 now and I’ve not encountered a single Oliver in that time, but I’ve met about five boys with his name.

They’re all about the same age- I think every parent had the same unusual idea at the same time.