Does popularity matter to you?

[starfire88]

So, my partner and I are discussing girls names we like. I suggested a name that I have loved since I was a teenager, and he likes it too (huzzah!) I told a friend this name, who pulled a face and told me that it's really popular at the moment and said I should avoid it.

I look online to see how popular it is and it was just outside the top ten in 2019.

I've never really been to fussed about popularity to be honest. If you like a name, I say go for it. But after my friends reaction, I have conflicting feelings now towards whether to use the name now.

What are your thoughts?

I think it depends a lot if it’s a classic like Grace or George, or a super trendy name like Lyra or Arlo, which will date badly and be associated always with that decade. I would be completely fine with the former but not the latter.

Also there are loads of examples where people picked a really unusual name but were part of a trend that meant it was actually about to be super popular and they just didn’t realise everyone else was having the same idea...

If you love it, use it.

Popularity matters to me as I have a Welsh name in England and like that my name is relatively unusual. I've only ever met one other person with my name and that was in my late 20s (it's currently outside the top 900). For that reason I would personally avoid very popular names.

However, lots of people like popular names and deliberately choose them - my inlaws chose very popular classic names for their children and have advised me to do likewise.

Everyone sees this differently so just go with a name you like and think will work well for your child.

I have a 7 year old Wilfred.

It didn’t occur to me that this might be/become a popular name as I hadn’t met any little Wilfreds. Now there’s about half a dozen Wilf’s in every playground and the bloody prime minister has one too.

I was more careful second time round and checked the data before naming dd.

Same as notalwaysalondoner.
Some people I know deliberately tried to find names that were a bit different, but found that Noah/Ezra/Orla/Thea were one of several at reception.

I’ll echo what’s previously been said, that top ten names now are a significantly lower proportion of the names used than twenty years ago, so your less likely to run across others of the same name. I’d caution with that though, that names aren’t evenly distributed across the country, and if your friend has pointed out it’s a popular name, then you might be living in an area where that name is very highly used.

I’m guessing that the name is Ivy. If it is then I would be much more hesitant to use it than some other top 20 names because it shot up so quickly, so is more likely to date. It also sounds like a lot of other very popular names, and even if your Ivy is the only one in her class, it won’t sound that different to all of the Islas and Evies and other similar sounding names which are all very popular at the moment. That might not bother you, but just might be something to think about.

In the year I was born my name was ranked the 5th most popular girl's name (in Scotland). There were around 670 girls born with that name. Contrast that to the top-ranking name of 2019 (Olivia) there were only 394 girls called that. So popularity is less important as there is more variety in names.

That said it does matter to me somewhat. I'm not one of the people who wouldn't consider anything in the top 100. I do try to avoid the top 10 and ideally the top 20-30, but if there was a name I truly loved I might go for it.

It doesn't bother me at all. My name was one of the top popular names in the year I was born, there were a couple of others in my school year, it gave us a bit of connection but I've never experienced anything negative as a result. I am unique as a person, I don't need a name to make me unique. Other people having your child's name will have no impact on your child's life, so if you love a name then use it and enjoy it.
I also lol a bit at the idea of names dating, which seems to be a popular comment on this forum. E.g. Ivy has been a name for centuries, it's not going to "date" in the next few years. Likewise e.g. Sienna and Claire. Names don't date, they are just used more or less at different times. It shouldn't put you off choosing them if you love them.

We chose a very popular boys name because it was the only one we both loved.
I would have hated to 'settle' for another name because it was less popular.
You could choose an unusual name only for a child of the same name to be in the same year anyway.
Go with what you love!

@Nordman, names do date.

If you heard someone talk about Darren or Ian, or Michelle or Lynsey, you will probably know what sort of age the person they are talking about is.

A bit. I wouldn't use a name I loved if I learnt it was in the top 10, say (though DH both have different tastes and cultural requirements, so we couldn't have ended up with a George or Freddie anyway).

Having said that, as PP mentioned these things are not evenly distributed. I know two under-5 Zephyrs living within a few blocks of each other, and three Miles-es. So you can plan and plan and still be Zephyr A and Zephyr B or whatever.

@KirstenBlest You might guess the age of people with those names but you wouldn't know. I know an Ian in his early 90s and a Lindsey under 3. My point is if you love a name you shouldn't not use it just because a lot of people used it in a different year and not this one, the name stays the same.

Not really, we used names for our DC which were top 50 at the time but bumped up to top 10 over the next couple of years.

DS is 7 and the only one of his name in class/ there are 2 in the school. There’s only one name in his class of 24 7/8/9 year olds which two children share.

It mattered to me. All 4 of our children have unusual (but not made up!) names. Our only girl is named after my favourite character in my favourite play, and my boys names all have special meanings. But it would be very boring if we all thought the same (and, indeed, all liked the same names!)

Whatever, Nordman. You probably know an 80 yr old Lyra and a 65-yr old Rio too.

@Baileysoncereal basically everything you said! Yes!

[quote Nordman]@KirstenBlest You might guess the age of people with those names but you wouldn't know. I know an Ian in his early 90s and a Lindsey under 3. My point is if you love a name you shouldn't not use it just because a lot of people used it in a different year and not this one, the name stays the same.[/quote]
Having been in a similar position to your young friend Lindsey my whole life I have to disagree. It is annoying to have a name that is dated but not old enough to be newly rediscovered.

@nowimyourdaisy

I’ll echo what’s previously been said, that top ten names now are a significantly lower proportion of the names used than twenty years ago, so your less likely to run across others of the same name. I’d caution with that though, that names aren’t evenly distributed across the country, and if your friend has pointed out it’s a popular name, then you might be living in an area where that name is very highly used.

I’m guessing that the name is Ivy. If it is then I would be much more hesitant to use it than some other top 20 names because it shot up so quickly, so is more likely to date. It also sounds like a lot of other very popular names, and even if your Ivy is the only one in her class, it won’t sound that different to all of the Islas and Evies and other similar sounding names which are all very popular at the moment. That might not bother you, but just might be something to think about.

You're correct, the name is Ivy. I didn't realise how popular it had become over the last few years. To me though it sounds quite classic still, at least compared to names such as Isla and Evie that are popular right now.

Thanks everyone for their opinions on the matter. After thinking about some more, I think more inclined to think that the popularity of the name isn't so important. For instance, thinking about it I believe my name was in the top 5 the year I was born. I do remember other girls in my class with the same name, but I remember thinking it was cool. Like we were all in a club together! And still, each one of those girls were different from each other and from me.

It,s not so great if your in the class with someone with the same first and last name, so haing to use a middle name to identify you. (2 boys I went to school with.)

I think it is too similar to the Evie, Isla type names. Eve's a very old name and a classic. Isla is a modern name.

Ivy is a weed and the name makes me think of Ivy Tilsley and Poison Ivy, so not good associations, but it's not my baby, and you probably would need to google Ivy Tilsley.

OP hasn't asked for opinions on the name, just for thoughts on popularity as a criterion.

If that was directed at me, Zoya, I'd say that the combined names Evie, Eve, Eva, Ava and Ivy would put me off, as it's a trend that will end. (cf. Darren, Aaron, Karen, Sharon, or Joanne, Suzanne, Leanne etc)

If I loved the name, I would use it anyway.

As well as being Noah or Ava Surname in their class/hobby/sport group, the main problem with very popular names (say top 10 or so) is that they usually date (meaning you can guess how old someone with that name is). Is really depends on whether that would bother you or not OP?

All names "date" to some extent, but it's more difficult to guess someones age just from their name if it is either perennially popular (like James, Thomas, William etc for boys and Elizabeth, Alice etc for girls) or has never/rarely been in the top 100.

Some names were very popular and dropped out of use fairly quickly, so date someone to having been being born in a certain decade. Not much of a problem when you are young, other than always being Noah Surname or Ava Surname but will be when you are older.

Friend's DD has a name that says '20-30 age group'. It's a nice enough name but it's like a timestamp.

I agree with other posters. I'd rather have a classic timeless name than a trendy name. For example Jane rather than Aurora. Some things don't date well. Choose a name you like not just one you think nobody else will be called. You have to literally make up a name to ensure that nobody else will be called it.