What do you consider popular/overused names?

[mamablondie2]

Just out of interest... I know there are official stats etc. but I find there’s a difference between something being popular and sounding overused. Currently weighing up options, it doesn’t bother me as much as DH but he keeps coming out with “Oh that’s too popular” to quite a lot of my ideas. TIA x

Every other boy seems to be named either Jacob, Charlie, Alfie or Harry. I remember reading that in the 18th century, the vast majority of men had one of only four names. But I do prefer a bit of variety. People on MN are so snotty about unusual names, but in reality, aren’t we all delighted when we meet someone with a kid who’s got a totally bonkers name? In my area, there are a fair few boys called Ronnie and Reggie, and I always think they’re overused - not necessarily because of the high numbers, but because I get the impression the parents thought they would be the only ones, and now they’re not uncommon.

Girls names - Amelia, Evie, Emily (they’re everywhere), Ava, Isla, Olivia.

Theo, Charlotte and Isabel are the ones I hear most in my area and now feel a bit fatigued by, although there's nothing wrong with them.

And yes, agree with PPs that the -May, -Rose etc is so prevalent. I’m in a local Facebook group, and often people ask for suggestions of unusual names. About 50% of the responses with be “Evie-Mae!”

Ava, Isla, Isabella, Amelia.

Even though Olivia has been number 1 for years, I don't seem to hear it as much as any of the above. Sienna also feels overused to me for babies, but by some fluke in my specific circle, most of the baby girls born in the last 18 months have been named Sienna (with Rose as the middle name). I imagine it still seems fresh to others!

The young boys I know seem to have a much wider variety of names than the girls, so there isn't one name I feel is massively overused. I do hear a lot of Georges being shouted at, out and about, though! There's a fair number of young Theos, too.

Noah, Reggie, Alfie, Evie, Isla, Sofia, Elsie, Milo, Harry, Oliver, Olivia, Amelia, Grace, Gracie, -May, -Rose, Arthur, Muhammed, Mia, Mila, Ivy, Isabelle, George, Charlie, Charlotte, Archie.

And Isla.

Oh I said that.

Isobel, Isabell, Isabella, Izzy several in every year at DCs primary school and secondary.
Also Ellie, hundreds of them.

Re middle names- does every generation have a bit of a trend for one or two particular middle names? I’m a 90s baby and it seemed that literally every other girl I met shared my middle name (Louise) and I’ve never really understood why Louise??

Nowadays ‘May’ and ‘Rose’ seem like the modern day equivalents.

@mamablondie2 Noah is SUCH a gorgeous name. Congratulations on your little girl. I think maybe when your husband sees how relatively rare top 10 names like Noah are (when he starts meeting your daughters little friends and things) he might change his mind on the name. Maybe you could give ‘Noah’ a really unusual middle name as a compromise. That way your son would have the option to use it as his first name when he’s older if he wanted to

I was in a playground with my DD a couple of years ago, there were about 10 children there altogether and 3 of them were boys called Arlo. I wish this was an exaggeration but it's true (North London) ...

Amelia is becoming really common now

It’s not becoming common, it is common. It’s a lovely name though

Arlo Essex?

Just searched
popularity of some of the names mentioned above on by searching them on names.darkergreen.com :

Archie - Up from 192nd to 16th
Amelia - Up from 63rd to 2nd
Alfie - Up from 119th to 15th
Arlo - Up from 0 to 36th
Arthur - Up from 234th to 7th
Ava - Up from 753rd to 3rd
Evie - Up from 237th to 16th
Elsie - Up from 823rd to 22nd
Ellie - Down from 30th to 60th
Freya - Up from 118th to 18th
Felix - Up from 210th to 93rd
Grace - Up from 41st to 10th
Harry - Up from 17th to 3rd
Isabelle - Up from 102nd to 30th
Isla - Up from 382nd to 4th
Jack - Down from 1st to 5th
Lily - Up from 85th to 13th
Noah - Up from 225th to 4th
Oliver - Up from 23rd to 1st
Olivia - Up from 24th to 1st

Stats are from 2018 so a little dated mind.

@teapotstorm I am a child of the eighties and most of my class had middle names Jane or Elizabeth

I think responses are going to vary by age group here, my DC are both preschool age and the names I hear a lot are Jacob, Theo, Millie, Chloe, Lily. Strangely I don't know any Olivias, Amelias or Islas. I do know 3 Ezras though! The babies I know seem to all have quite vintage names. For older children Oscar and Isabelle seem to be popular in the park - although we generally try to escape before all the school kids arrive

@teapotstorm Yes! When I started to read your comment I knew you'd bring up Louise. I can think of 3 girls off the top of my head that I went to school with with Louise as a middle name. I wonder what brings these trends about.

Girls: Ava, Ada, Lillie, Leila, Grace
Boys: Max, Theo, Noah, Sebastian, Oliver

Love a lot of those names but sooo popular

I'm an eighties child and my middle name is Elizabeth.

I've never heard of the name Arlo. Like the milk?

Doubt there are any Arlos round here in Central Scotland! Not really up to speed with wee ones as mine are older but seem to hear Mia and Sophie a lot for girls, and Archie is popular for boys

There are hundreds of Rileys and Masons here - or maybe those are the names you hear screeched most often.

Anything surnamey for both boys and girls - very popular here. Hunter, Parker, Sterling, Landon, Waylon, Presley, Riley, Carter. ...

Evie! I always wanted to call my daughter Evie after watching the mummy when I was young. It wasn't popular until I was pregnant and it was all over the pregnancy magazines.

We stuck with Evie and I don't regret it. Sometimes she likes Eve.

I will say though I was one of 5 girls with my name at school and never bothered me

@thatmustbenigelwiththebrie that’s Arla!

I like Arlo, although I associate it with The Good Dinosaur (who is a bit wimpy)

I’m an 80s child and all my friends’ middle names were Louise or Marie

For girls, Evie, Ava
Boys, Arthur