Regretted a popular name?

[stellarfox]

Has anyone given their child a top 10 name and regretted it as there are so many around? We’re finding it hard to agree on names but both quite like one that’s in the top 10. My worry is there will just be so many around, although I don’t personally yet know anyone of this name! I had a fairly uncommon name so I had the opposite growing up. My partner had a fairly common name but says it didn’t bother him and there weren’t that many others around

I dithered over my choices for both my twins as they are often derided on mn as ridiculously popular but we have encountered no others with their names at baby groups, nursery or school they will be attending. However there have been multiple Ysellas, Esmes, Willows, etc and other more unusual names. Just choose a name you love, you cannot predict or control how many others there will be and at the end of day I don't think it matters.

I admit this would bother me, but more so for a girls’ name than a boys’ name (people tend to be less adventurous with boys’ names, and many boys seem to call themselves by their surnames).

In my secondary school year group there were multiple Sarahs, Claires, Vickys and Lauras. There were also at least four Lisas, including two Lisa B’s, so you sometimes had to be very specific. I had a friend called Laura, who disliked sharing her name with other girls.

My personal view is that the main purpose of a name is to distinguish one person from another, so if you want to use a popular name, consider combining it with unusual (but not embarrassing), middle names. But that’s just my opinion.

I loved the name Maya, but was put off by its popularity. And also by the gruesome history of the Maya people.

You can guess my DD's name from my username, and she has so far attended 3 primary schools and there has never been another child with her name in any of them.
Granted we did move to Australia when she was a baby, but it wasn't to get away from all the kids called her name :-)

Thanks all! I think we will just go for it if we like it. It was just some comments on another post basically saying there were so many already made me think. I personally haven’t met one though!

Don’t let it put you off. My DD is Eva which I still absolutely love yet mumsnet seems to hate and it’s usually because it’s soooo popular. Never met another Eva. Have met lots of Evie’s & Ava’s.
My DC have been to 2 nurseries and a school and still yet to meet one.

Popular names are popular because they’re lovely. Use the name you like OP.

Lol mine is also Eva. Have only ever met one other, about 11 years old, friend of a friend scenario, different town, school etc. Gorgeous name imo, don't care what mn says!

My DD has a name that was about 90 on the list when she was born. There is another girl in our town with the exact same name including surname of the same age. Dd2 has a name that has never even got near the top 100. There are 3 in her school. Yet my niece has a name that is in the top 5 and has been consistently for years. She's the only one in her class and I think one of 4 in the school

There is another girl in our town with the exact same name including surname of the same age

That must be confusing if they're in the same school or clubs

Personally I wouldn't use a hyphenated name anyway as they're super naff.

Even more so if it's a popular name because they will be Molly-Mae B, Ruby-Rae T, Lily-Rose Z.

I was one of 6 girls with the same name in one of my classes at school. The teacher at one point admitted defeat and gave us numbers.

Not at all. Two out of three of my girls have top ten names (they are all now adults) and my middle daughter has one in top 50. All love their names and so do I!

I feel like too many people pick unusual or ‘out there’ names as they feel it’s a reflection on them-to make them look different and cool. Really people should care less about what others think of them and pick a name they actually like-regardless of popularity.

My friends daughter signed the Father's Day card first and last name as this is what she is known as at schoo
Same here with Mother’s Day Card!!!😀

I don't think it's as much of a problem as people make out. I have an Isabella but it's popularity started to rise after she was born. We only ever came across one other her age and I've only had two go through the fairly large nursery I work at.
It's also quite regional. For instance I'd never met a Lauren but when we moved here there were eight in the primary school! Likewise Olivia, don't know any but each of my three daughters has a friend called Daisy which is less popular according to statistics.
Choose the name you love!

@Violetlavenders

There is another girl in our town with the exact same name including surname of the same age

That must be confusing if they're in the same school or clubs

We have two students with exactly the same name in one year group of the secondary school where I work. They have to be distinguished by their date of birth. It causes some issues and it’s not the first time that this has happened.

Perhaps don’t use a top ten given name if you also have a top ten surname.

I wanted to name my child Ava. I’m so glad I didn’t. There were 11 in her year!!! 6 in one class. Her class.

My friends daughter had a name that is the only one in the whole of the uk. Born in the last 10 years. It’s a welsh name. But it’s so hard to pronounce.

I went for unusual names. But that were easily spelt. I have a unisex name. 2 boys in my year had the same name. But it’s got 4 ways of spelling it. So I was never able to get bond notebook. Or things with my name on. So made sure my kids had easy to say and spell names.

My 20something DS2 has a name that became massively popular just around the time he got it. I had been aware that it was now kind of acceptable instead of actively old-fashioned, but not that it was going to get that big. He has occasionally had a classmate with the same name but he doesn't seem to mind. I actually feel more sorry for DS1 whose name has got steadily less popular since he was named. It's one of those "timeless" names, you would think, but there aren't many of his age, and we could never get personalised things for him when he was little - though you can get adults' things like socks and shot glasses!

We have two students with exactly the same name in one year group of the secondary school where I work. They have to be distinguished by their date of birth. It causes some issues and it’s not the first time that this has happened.

Wow how confusing

@Violetlavenders

We have two students with exactly the same name in one year group of the secondary school where I work. They have to be distinguished by their date of birth. It causes some issues and it’s not the first time that this has happened.

Wow how confusing

This happened in my sisters year group at secondary school in the 1980s, to make it worse, their birthdays were the inverse of ea h other eg 10.12.72 and 12.10.72 (not the actual dates, but that type of thing).

Like PP said, the names that are popular actually vary a lot by where you are based. I know a few kids who have another child with the same name in their class and none of those names are top ten at all.

@LordFoofingtonismyMaster

Inadvertently picked a very popular name for dd2 not realising it was becoming and has been very popular since. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. There is no other name that would have suited her as much!

It's not Mabel is it?

In case anyone’s interested on ONS there’s a map search of how many boys in the top 100 were named said name in each county last year. Really puts it into perspective that even Oliver was only 1-2% of names in my area at least