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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Is Grace too popular?

21 replies

katielou987 · 01/07/2021 23:42

I've always loved Grace but I'm worried it's quite popular. I keep hearing it a lot when I'm out and about. Other names on my list are:
Alice
Freya
Daisy
Also open to other suggestions thanks x

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diddlediddle · 02/07/2021 05:19

Grace is very popular and I am afraid I think it is also overused with hyphenated names like Gracie-May which has started to give it a downmarket vibe...

That said your other choices are equally popular. Alice is a classic so can't go wrong with that. Freya and daisy are a bit dull and common for my liking.

AnyaMoondial · 02/07/2021 06:20

Grace is popular but it’s a good name. As pp said your other choices are fairly popular too but I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with using a popular name unless it really bothers you.

I’d stick with Grace since you’ve always loved it,

Musication · 02/07/2021 06:26

I don't understand why this matters. If you like it then use it - it is a pretty name.
My DD has a popular name, I don't give a monkeys I love it and it suits her.

Violetlavenders · 02/07/2021 07:03

Yes very popular.

Do you have a common surname? In that case I might avoid Grace.

toastofthetown · 02/07/2021 09:37

Too popular is entirely subjective. There are enough parents who choose top ten names to keep them popular. Some parents will only look at names outside of the top 50, others the top 500. All the names you’ve posted are fairly popular.

It’s worth noting with name popularity that the most popular names are used less often than the most popular names used to be used. In 2019 Oliver was given to around 0.75% of babies born, around 5,000. In 1996 the most popular name that year (Jack) was given to 1.6% of babies, over 10,000. And the names that were popular when you were at school will have been given to a higher percentage of babies again. So the five Sarahs in a class effect should be less of a concern these days, as parents are picking from an increasingly wide pool of names.

The second point is that name trends are highly localised. I don’t know what area you are in, but if you are in a diverse/city area you are less likely to run into lots into lots of little Graces than if you live in a more rural area where the girls names are Alice, Olivia, Charlotte, Grace, Amelia etc. You can look up name data per region, I don’t think that’s super helpful as pockets of popularity are often more local than that. Not sure if you have any friends with babies in your area, but might be worth asking how many Graces they know.

With name popularity too, even if there are only two babies given that name in the whole country, there is no guarantee that the other child won’t be in your child’s class. At least with Grace you will expect to meet other Graces around and won’t be put out by it, unlike someone who has gone out of their way to find an unusual name!

Violetlavenders · 02/07/2021 12:16

With name popularity too, even if there are only two babies given that name in the whole country, there is no guarantee that the other child won’t be in your child’s class.

But the probability of that is minuscule compared to a popular name! Hmm

toastofthetown · 02/07/2021 12:37

@Violetlavenders

With name popularity too, even if there are only two babies given that name in the whole country, there is no guarantee that the other child won’t be in your child’s class.

But the probability of that is minuscule compared to a popular name! Hmm

Of course it is. It’s a somewhat exaggerated effect but still worth thinking about. Especially as the people your child goes to school with are more likely to be from a similar background with similar influences on name tastes. I know a woman with a young Balthazar. There were only seven Balthazars born in his year and one of them has moved to the same location so and will be at the same school. Obviously calling your child George raises the chance of sharing a name with a classmate but unusual names aren’t immune to it either.
LondonAnnie · 02/07/2021 13:06

I think it’s worse if you choose an unusual name trying to be unique and then there’s another kid in the class with the same name . I have a Lily and she was the only one at preschool with that name and the only one in her class now ,she has two girls called Tallulah in her class 😁
If you love the name use it, it’s popular for a reason . Grace is a lovely name 🥰

Smartiepants79 · 02/07/2021 13:07

Who cares?? I really don’t get the angst over this at all.
If you love it, use it. Done.

CornflakesOnTheSolesOfHerShoes · 02/07/2021 13:14

I have a nine-year-old Grace and had the same dither over it when I realised how popular it was, but it was the only name we both really loved so we went for it. So glad we did - I still love it and, as it turns out, she’s the only one in the whole school, and the only other we’ve met was in her nursery ballet class. Not that I’d mind if there were others - I have a very popular name myself and it’s never occurred to me to mind - but as it turns out it’s a non-issue.

Mummysausage36 · 02/07/2021 13:16

Grace is a lovely name my dd has it as a middle name I wish I'd have had it as her first now. Alice is also nice I think Freya and Daisy are more popular but I like Daisy myself. Go with what you like it really doesn't matter if it's popular.

beans1992 · 02/07/2021 20:40

I know Grace who is 3. It’s timeless popular like Ella/Olivia/Alice rather than trendy. So I would say if you like it just go for it.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 02/07/2021 21:28

Alice is lovely imo - so timeless. Freya is pretty, but quite "modern" (rarely used in the UK 40 years ago), and Daisy is not my taste (too cutesy for me, sorry).

Whether Grace is too popular depends on where you live - might be worth checking ONS for the numbers born last year in your area. For example more generally Grace is very popular in N Ireland, Scotland and England (and as a middle name/hyphen too) but less popular in Wales. It also depends on whether you care that she will likely not be the only Grace in her class/hobby groups or not. I think Grace is at least classic sounding enough not to date super badly though.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 02/07/2021 21:39

If you like Alice you might like similar sounding Beatrice or Iris. Or other timeless names - Elizabeth, Maria, Catherine and Sarah have only occasionally left the top 100 over the last century.

If you like Daisy, then Lily could be another popular floral choice (which feels more classic to me). Rose, May and Eve have a similar feel to Grace (but are less popular as first names).

If you like Freya - there is similar Scandi Linnea (Lih -nay -ah) retro/vintage Freda (Free- dah) or similar sounding Maya (if pronounced May-ah) and Theia (Thay-ah).

Hoppinggreen · 02/07/2021 21:44

16 year old DD is called Grace
To be honest we haven’t met many more
There was 1 other in her year at Primary but that was a big school and not one in her year at Secondary. There weren’t any in her baby classes/ Pre school from what I can remember
Maybe it’s more popular now

PattyPan · 02/07/2021 22:13

I love Grace and it’s popular but I don’t think it’s too popular. I also love Alice from your list. Don’t like Daisy and Freya.

Cbeebiesrehab · 02/07/2021 22:31

I don’t actually know a Grace and I have young children and go to lots of groups (pre Covid)
It’s also far more timeless than Freya and Daisy. Alice is nice too and again, is pretty timeless.

SoapboxFox · 03/07/2021 00:30

Grace is a lovely name. Daisy is good too.

Kanaloa · 03/07/2021 00:35

Grace is a beautiful, solid name. Where I live it’s middle of the road popular, not as popular as Amelia, Evie, Sophie, but heard of. If you’re worried about popularity though I wouldn’t go with Daisy, it’s at least as popular as Grace.

cocoloco987 · 03/07/2021 04:15

I've only ever come across one Grace and she's 10 now. I work in a school too so plenty exposure to children's names. It's a lovely name.

MouldyPotato · 03/07/2021 06:01

I'd use it if you love it. Why shouldn't your baby have the name you love just because other people do? Your other choices are pretty popular too so choosing one of them won't make a difference.

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