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

Ava

'Outing myself ' nobody cares

Boys - Raphael, Oscar, Arlo, Ezra, Alfie, Albie, Archie, Noah, Theo, Xander

Alex, Harry and Jack are also very popular but don't grate.

I have a 17yr old Oliver.

In 2003 it certainly seemed a bit unusual where I live and there were no others in his primary or secondary school.

My 9yr old dd is now at his old primary school and there are several Oliver’s.

I like to think I was ahead of the trend

I'm really surprised that there doesn't seem to have been much change in popular names since my DDs were born 10 and 8 years ago. All these names were coming up on the popular list then.

I think there are so many popular names now though, that they aren't really common in the way you used to have several Claires or Kates in one class. My DD names were top 20 when they were born and appear on every thread like this (they are on here several times ) but in their school of 250 pupils they are both the only one. I am a primary school teacher and can't remember the last time I had a duplicate name in my class. In fact, there are barely any duplicates in the whole school. Of 200-odd pupils I can only think of two James's and two Olivers. The only duplicate girl I can think of is Isla.

Even if you choose a popular name, I think you're unlikely to come across many others.

Names go in cycles. I went to school with an Olivia. I always thought if it as a really old fashioned name, but that may have been because she was very much a teacher’s pet. It seemed to become popular twelve years ago. The very similar sounding Amelia has now taken over.

Sophie, Ava, Katie are the names I hear the most along with the ones that are so common they sound like the same name - Tilly, Ruby, Evie, Ella, Ellie, Holly, Immy, Mia and so on.

I'd just go with the name you like - doesn't matter how popular. We purposefully chose a name for our eldest that was outside the top 100 - it was at ranking 400 and something when we chose it, a few years later it is in the top 100 🤷‍♀️

When my eldest was born every other person was calling their daughter Evie/Eve/Evelyn/Eva/Ava. I think this trend has faded away slightly now. Seems to be a lot of Freya’s about and Jayden and Jackson’s.

Theo
Max
Arlo
Noah
Oliver

Amelia
Anything-May
Anything Rose
Ava

@teapotstorm I’m an early 90s baby and half my friends have the middle name Louise too!

I'm not an early 90s baby, and my contemporaries had Ann or Jane as a middle name. Margaret was a common middle name too.

I can remember when it seemed like every baby was a Chloe or a Molly, or a Harry or a Jack.

For girls, Olivia, Isla, Amelia, Isabella, Ava... oh and the middle name Rose! 3 people at my work had baby girls around the same time, all named Olivia Rose. I also know an Isla Rose and an Amelia Rose.

For boys, Alfie, Theo, George, James, Harry, Henry, Jack, Oliver, Oscar. Again, I know a number of little boys with these names. We have a park right in front if our house and i'm sick of hearing them shouted a million times a day!

I work in a nursery so you do see a lot of trends and we have had a lot of children with the same names though it definitely varies by area
Girls: Amelia, Esme, Isabella/Isobel, Isla, Ivy
Boys: Logan, Riley, Jaxon,

Middle names Grace, May and Rose. The modern versions of Jane, Anne and Louise in the '80s. "It was my grandmother's name". Course it was, love.

For me the one that first springs to mind for girls is Isabelle in all its forms, closely followed by Isla. For boys, probably Max or Oscar. I like Isla and Oscar despite this but certainly became very ubiquitous.

Katie - I seem to know millions of them aged anywhere from mid-40s to 5 years

I know quite a few little Sophias and Matildas currently....

Katie - I seem to know millions of them aged anywhere from mid-40s to 5 years

I know quite a few little Arthur's, Albie's Sophias and Matildas currently....

Finlay, Theo, Jack
Emily, Charlotte, Grace

I'm hearing loads of the following names. (Boys)
Arthur.
Harry.
Charlie.
Alfie.
James.
Jack
. Oliver
. Max.
Theo
. Mason
. Gabriel
Leo.
Oscar.
William.

Girls
Ava.
Ella.
Evie.
Lily.
Olivia.
Freya.
Poppy.
Sophie
Sophia.
Isla.
Isabelle
Isabella
Iris
Jessica

I don't hear many Jacks though, funnily enough.

Olivia
Grace
Ivy
Amelia
Isla

Jack
Oliver
Noah
Lucas

From my experience:
Ava
Olivia
Amelia
Myah/Mia
Lilly
Isobel/ Isabella
Isla
Freya
Charlie
Freddie
Jack
Alfie
Jackson

I hate how popular Noah has become. My Noah is 15 and luckily is the only one in his year. I have a Caitlin who is 18 and it's not popular now but at the time (unbeknown to me!) every other girl child was called that! She is known as Kitty now and even that's becoming popular.
I think people should just go with names they love. However popular they might be.
I also have Esme and Lulu.

Boys
Charlie/Harry/Freddie/Archie/Alfie

Girls
Lily/Amelia/Grace/Olivia/Evie