Article by nameberry about popular names

[sunflowerfunflower]

An article popped up on my Facebook so sorry can't link, but it said my DS' name is one of the most popular boys names for 2021. When they say this is it people liking that name on their site? I've not heard of them before. I'm assuming they don't know what people actually use? His name is Hugo and I suppose I liked the name was a real name, not a shortening, but not too popular, The office of national stats UK goes have Hugo in the top 100 for 2019.

I'm feeling a bit protective of my DS's name, I'm glad others like it but I don't want everyone to use it 😂

I've come across them a few times over the years, not really sure hope they work tbh.

Hugo is a pretty popular name in some areas and seems to have been on the rise for a few years but tbh I don't think it makes a difference so I wouldn't give it another thought.

Hugo is one of the fastest rising names in popularity on the website nameberry but #48 for boys born in England.

Lovely name, I don’t expect it to rise much further in the U.K. though as many think of it as ‘too posh’.

I don't understand the angst over not having a popular name, they're popular because people like them so that's a positive. I understand you don't want them to be Hugo 4 in the same class but one of 4 in the school is ok. It really is ok to have a popular name, it's not the only thing which will define your child.

@unruly336 can how many Hugo's were named in a year?

@MajorNeville I have a very very popular name for the 80's .. if it wasn't your name it certainly is your middle name if you were born then. I don't mind my name, but it's very annoying being tall sunflower, sunflower B, sunflower 2, Ginger sunflower, sunflower ginge. I there were 4 of us with the same name in my class at primary school.

I know a new baby called Hugo. Maybe it means fastest chart climbing names?

If it’s a nameberry article it will just mean people clicking on it on their site.

Top 100 names + how many had them is available here from the ONS - there Hugo were c1300 Hugo’s born in 2019 in England and Wales: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/babynamesenglandandwales/2019/relateddata

@sunflowerfunflower

I think I have read now that even foe the most popular names the column of them is nothing like popular names from years ago. My dd had a top 2/3 name her year no others in her class in primary. None in secondary. Second dd I'm sure was top 10 and don't personally know any others.

*for
*volume

I assume your DS is already here and registered so there's not really much you can do about it now and you can't control what others call their child.

Names go in and out of fashion all the time so it's a very odd thing to be concerned about now

There were 1329 Hugos born last year and it it still rising, though not as sharply as it was. I can see it growing more in popularity, but maybe not quite reaching the top 25, and not the next Oliver either. Side note, I've noticed that name trends move much more quickly these days than they used to. Perhaps due to more information available to parents, but names which have grown rapidly in popularity, have stopped quite quickly (names like Arlo, Hunter), when I feel ten years ago they would have kept growing. Harder to predict, but may mean that names outside of the very established top 25, might not because as popular now. The Darkgreener website is great for visualising the popularity of names over the years.

Names outside of the top 10 will show up higher on Nameberry and similar lists, as they show how often the name is searched and people probably won't be looking up names like Oliver, Jack or Harry because they've been so popular for so long, that there's not really any need to. Whereas parents choosing Atticus, are more likely to look up the name.

Namberry charts are not based on official statistics, just on clicks on their website (as you already guessed @sunflowerfunflower )
It's also an American site so probably says more about the names Americans like

You were aware you'd picked a name in the top 100 so I assume you already knew it's not particularly unusual and you must have anticipated it would be a name where you'd run into others. Anyone who wants an unusual name, I would suggest avoiding the top 200 names

Still I only know 1 Hugo

The chance of there being 3 Hugo's in a class is practically zero

This site below shows the official UK statistics
Hugo's numbers have slowed. I can't see it entering the top 30

names.darkgreener.com/#hugo

Ha sorry @toastofthetown I've basically repeated you! You've said much of what I wanted to say already

I also cannot see Hugo entering the top 30/25 names.

@Newnormal99 is totally right that the most popular names are given to a lower percentage of babies. Oliver was the most popular boys name in 2019, given to 4932 boys, and 0.69% of babies born. In 1998 Jack was the most popular name, given to 9845 boys, and 1.55% of babies born. We are picking from a much bigger pool of names these days. so the most popular names aren't as popular as they were 20 years ago.

@Flymetothestars I would of said the same about Oliver years back. My second cousin is called Oliver and it always seemed very posh and in the 80's when he was born it was very unusual. I think Hugo seems posh in the same way, so I'm surprised it has gained popularity. I didn't realise it was popular or in the top 100, as only looked at the top 10 names.

My Hugo is 6 hope this isn't too outing so actually gaining in popularity wouldn't affect his class per say, I'm just surprised, I've only met one so far who was a couple of years younger. The trend around here is very much the nickname boys names Freddie, Bertie, Albie, Frankie over the past few year's, but I know areas follow their own geographical trends.

Having a popular name doesn’t mean there will be loads in their school. My DD’s name was something like 3rd on the list in the year she was born, and there’s only been one other of the same name in her primary school the whole time she’s been there.

For me, I am put off choosing a popular name as I don't want my child to have lots of peers with the same name as I did, but it doesn't matter to me if it rises in popularity in the years or decades after they're born. In fact, that can sometimes be a good thing, as you're ahead of the curve.

Nameberry is likely a US site? At least going from their top 100 names. It's not really representative of anything other than the people using it from around the world and the names they like. People who are into names are more likely to go on it. So if you're interested in name popularity I'd stick to the national stat office information.

Interesting that you mention Oliver in the 80s. There isn't year on year data before 1996 (or if there is, I'd love to know where) but they did release the top hundred names in ten year intervals. In 1984 Oliver was 48th, roughly where Hugo is today. I think the main difference back then was that people didn't have many ways to know which names were popular, so you only really know the babies that you know. But I've seen many people saying that they named their babies Oliver in the 80s saying it was unpopular then, when actually it was a well used name at the time. Oliver has been in the top 100 from 1974 after falling out in 1904.

I think Hugo is getting quite popular - check on darkgreener. I’d guess nameberry use the office of stats lists - they come out once a year for the Uk