Accidentally chose a popular name...should I change it?

[Nameregretsagain]

I named my baby after my godmother who is also my aunt. I really struggled to choose a name I liked and in the end decided to honour her. I do like the name but it was a compromise choice really as I couldn’t use my favourite name for other reasons and DH and I couldn’t agree. I’m not from the U.K. and it’s a name from my country. I’ve since discovered it’s having a total moment here and know of lots of other babies called this, apparently because of a tv series where one of the characters has this name. I’m gutted because people keep asking me if I’ve named her after this character and/or telling me how popular it is. I really don’t want these associations for my baby. She is 7 months old. Should I change it?

Aisling
Caoimhe
Saoirse

All gorgeous but of course I know the pronunciation issues can be a problem for some people who may not have come across them before.

Maeve is absolutely gorgeous and I don't know any despite knowing loads of under threes!

I’d keep it! But I’m biased as I love the name and also have a Maeve born last year. I think how popular it is depends on where you live, no one near me (Midlands) seems to have even heard of the name (despite the TV show) and I keep getting asked to repeat it.

It’s not too popular yet, I think possibly next year it’ll be higher and then drop off again.

MIL also said she had never heard of it, despite being from Ireland

It's likely those remarks will die down.

I had similar - though with a popular at the time footballer rather than a TV show character - people making comments and asking if that why we'd picked it. After he was a year or so old, those types of remarks stopped, it seems to just be one of those small talk things that people do with tiny ones unless it's something that really sticks in the cultural consciousness (like someone I know with a little Ginny who gets HP comments, or someone I know named Diana who even near 40 still gets comments about who she might be named after...). I don't think Sex Education is going to be one of those things though.

Maeve is a lovely name. I had heard it before the show Sex Education came out. I wouldn't worry too much about it as TV show popularity comes and goes. If people ask, just kindly correct them.

Also, don't worry about name popularity. Take it from someone who had 3 or 4 girls in her class with the same name growing up. It's not as bad as people make it out to be.

It is having a moment, but it’s a classic name, I think most people do realise it’s Irish, so I wouldn’t bother unless it’s really driving you nuts - if it really is then try calling her your replacement name for a week, and if it feels right do it.

My name was chosen (long before i was born)as my mother had read a classic book where a character had my name and loved it. It was a really unusual name. Several months after i was born a major tv series came out, the main character had my name. There are dozens of people my age with the same name. Intially while the show was fresh in people's minds my parents were constantly asked about the tv show but that quickly stopped (probably as soon as there was a new big hit). Having lived in london all my life ive actually only encountered one other person with the same name as me that i can actually remember. I think its one thing a name being relatively popular, but meeting people everyday with the name in a big city is really quite unusual. Conversely my DH has a really really standard classic name, hes ended up with 2 cousins by marriage, a nephew and a business partner all with the same name as well as my uncle, we meet people with the same name as him constantly, it wasnt even ever a 'trendy' name. Its never been a problem to him, if we are discussing family we do have to refer to them all by firstname surname though as its highly confusing otherwise!
Your daughter is her own person. I really wouldnt worry.

Maeve is a lovely name! And I don’t think it’s really popular, I’m not sure Sex Education is the kind of show loads of people name their children from! It’s popular but not as huge a phenomenon as say Game of Thrones or Harry Potter.

Don’t change a name you otherwise love just because it’s popular. For a start, you never know what might suddenly become popular in a few years time.

I don’t think it’s faddy at all, perhaps someone would think that way if they didn’t know the history of the name and only know it from a current tv show so does such a person’s opinion hold any water? It’s a classic Irish name, yes it may be having a bit more popularity at the moment but it’s too classic to date. It’s not like it’s a more modern pet form / version of an established name such as Evie (which I like, btw) - that I could understand being described as faddy.

If I had another kid, Maeve is top of my list. It’s a beautiful name, I love it!

I really don’t see the issue with popular names 🤷🏼‍♀️ So long as you like the name! I always smile when I bump into another kid with my girls names!

@Nameregretsagain

There are 2 other threads on here with lists of girls’ names asking people to vote for them, both include Maeve and on both loads of people have said it’s everywhere and “faddy”, and on both the other names on the list are really far from the kind of name I’d have chosen for her. I wanted to go with a classic Irish name that wouldn’t date but would strongly identify her as Irish and I feel like instead I’ve given her a “trendy” name that will date really badly 😭

For goodness' sake! That series and the character will be totally forgotten in five years time! Maybe won't date remotely. Arya might because it wasn't a name that people had heard of before GoT, but Maeve is a real name, and all that people will connect it with is Ireland.

I think you need to ask yourself why you're dwelling on this. It's not logical at all. You've picked a name with history, that is wildly popular in Ireland, but panicking about it becoming popular here (which it really isn't) because of a series that isn't that popular anyway. I've certainly never seen it.

I can't help thinking there's more to this, because as you tell it, it doesn't make sense.

Would you not feel totally weird calling your baby by a different name now?

The tv reference is not one I’ve heard of. There’s a big Irish population where I live and I know a couple of adults called Maeve... no children at all. It’s not one of those fad names at all.

@saraclara as I’ve said, it’s really popular in my area. Obviously we’ve all been locked down so it was only when I started going to baby groups and had every person I met tell me it’s really popular that I realised. A number of them also asked me if I’d named her after the character.

Yes in Ireland it’s a classic name with history but amongst my peers in London it’s apparently a faddy name that will date. And that’s what I’m upset about. I had no idea of this when I named her.

[quote Nameregretsagain]@saraclara as I’ve said, it’s really popular in my area. Obviously we’ve all been locked down so it was only when I started going to baby groups and had every person I met tell me it’s really popular that I realised. A number of them also asked me if I’d named her after the character.

Yes in Ireland it’s a classic name with history but amongst my peers in London it’s apparently a faddy name that will date. And that’s what I’m upset about. I had no idea of this when I named her.[/quote]
I still don't understand why you think it will date.

After seven months, my daughters 'were' their name. I simply can't imagine changing names when babies' characters are forming and friends and family know them as their name. Your baby will already be absorbing that Maeve is attached to her as a person.

If you like it and it suits her then no, keep it.
We named our second daughter to honour an aunt and because we liked it.
It was only after several months that it came to my attention that it was a top 10 name.
She’s still the only one in her whole school.

My family are all in Ireland and no one has even met her yet.

I didn’t think it would date until I read threads on mumsnet (including 2 current ones) where numerous posters said it would date and was a faddy name. I don’t want my baby to have a name equivalent to Tracy or Sharon (no offence obviously to anyone with those names) - when I named her I was going for the Irish equivalent of Charlotte or Alice.

I’ve never even heard of that tv show. Chances are it’ll be forgotten by next year and no one will ask if your daughter is named after the character.

There were 225 babies called Maeve in 2019. I really don’t think it’s going to shoot up the charts in any dramatic fashion. I enjoyed Sex Education very much but I don’t associate the name Maeve with it - I think of it as a classic Irish name tbh. I don’t think you should be so worried about it.

It's clear that you want to change it. Virtually everyone here has told you that it's not over-popular, and the series and character aren't embedded in the country's psyche so she won't be connected to it in future years. But you're not taking that in at all, based on a tiny circle of mum friends somewhere in London, where there seems to be a disproportionate number of Maeves.

I could understand name regret if there was another name you loved. But I can see you regretting the new name in six months if you change it.

What does her dad think?

Maeve is beautiful. I often think that names are popular for a reason (because people like them), however, fwiw I've never known/don't know any Maeves.

I don't think you should change it. I really don't see it dating as it's not that popular. It's not even in the top 100 for England & Wales. I haven't seen Sex Education but I really don't see people associating a name like Maeve with that show which will disappear in a few years. It's not equivalent to Game of Thrones names at all.

From what you are saying, after many many posts saying what a beautiful name it is, in the kindest way, is everything else alright?

I am not saying that this is definitely happening here but I think it can happen that issues with the name of a new baby becomes a focus when other things are perhaps not okay?

How are things generally?

It's a lovely name and it's not that common. Keep it

It's a beautiful name op, there's a reason they're popular!

DD1s name isn't even in the top 100 wheras DD2s is top ten. One's described as '80s' the other 'boring', I couldn't care less, i love both.

For what it's worth I've never heard of any little ones called Maeve.

I'm far too invested in this. Maeve is a beautiful name, please don't change it. I personally love the name.

@Nameregretsagain

My family are all in Ireland and no one has even met her yet.

I didn’t think it would date until I read threads on mumsnet (including 2 current ones) where numerous posters said it would date and was a faddy name. I don’t want my baby to have a name equivalent to Tracy or Sharon (no offence obviously to anyone with those names) - when I named her I was going for the Irish equivalent of Charlotte or Alice.

Maeve is a very classic name in Ireland with a very strong history. You need to take opinions on mn about names with a grain of salt. Maeve isn't even that common in Ireland these days. If you love the name then that's all that matters