Name popularity

[toastofthetown]

Inspired by the 2020 ONS release. Oliver and Olivia were the most popular names for the fifth consecutive year, but that doesn’t tell the whole story at the top of the charts. Increasingly parents are moving away from the most popular names. The number of babies called the Top 100 names has dropped 7% for each sex since 2019. Since 1996 it's a 39% drop in babies given names in the Top 100.

Looking at the Top 10 there was a decrease in 8.5% for boys given these names compared with 2019 and almost a 10% drop for girls in the same time. Rosie entered the top ten, but there was actually one fewer Rosie born in 2020 than 2019.

Would you avoid a name just because it’s popular? What would you consider too popular to use, or does name popularity not affect you at all?

I would rather not choose an uber-popular name but I do think some people can get overly fixated on rankings and whether the fact it's at 150 in the table means it's too mainstream. God help their nerves if the (obscure) name they choose for their child has a sudden surge in popularity a decade later.

Yes, I have actively avoided popular names. My DD2 name is now between 120-130, it was over 1000 the year we had her and will only gain more popularity as the years go on. My DD1 is 1240ish on the list and will unlikely ever be in the top 100.

The idea that people are choosing names they aren't fond just because they are unusual/uncommon is daft, that isn't happening. The vast majority of couples will love multiple names and discuss countless - popularity can help select between names, but this is amongst other factors such as ease of spelling, pronunciation issues, pop culture associations, family links... I have 17 names on my boys list and I love them all, but when including the factor of popularity I would favour Amos (rank 544), Lucien (rank 1051), and Wilbur (rank 473) above Gabriel (rank 65), Isaac (rank 21), Jasper (rank 78).

@Nellle if it’s Jack, then I love it. Sadly DH won’t let me use it, but I’ve only ever known fun loving Jacks!

I'm due my 1st at the end of November and I've just looked at my name choices.

Girl: 2nd most popular
Boy: 70-something

I'm not changing my girl mind as I have my heart set on it. Would be nicer if it was less popular but I've got my mind set on it now (if it's a girl of course)

Yes I would 100% avoid a name because it is popular.

I also don't think anyone is rejecting names they like in favour of names they don't due to popularity. People reject names all the time for all sorts of reasons: a Kardashian used the name; your husband says it make him think of a cow; you think Jean-Baptiste is lovely but you don't speak French. Name meanings are immaterial to me, but some people find a good meaning important. I do consider popularity, but others are unconcerned. Different people value different things and they aren't daft because it.

It is fascinating though to see such different perspectives on what an unusual name means. For me an unusual name is outside the top 300, and for rare names around less than 50 babies per year with the name. I'm always surprised to hear people call names in the top 100 unusual, but some wouldn't consider any name in the top 1000.

And apologies if I sounded snippy about unusual choices (and for accidentally posting 3 times!)

I should have said perhaps I now realise I was picking names I liked less in a bid to be more unusual. I recognise this is certainly not the case for everyone, but I do know a couple of women who have dismissed Oliver and James even though they openly say they are their favourite boys' names.

@bloominglovelyorange

Do you think being bothered about name popularity is more of a female thing? I know there will be exceptions. I do know 2 men who wanted unusual names for their kids but the vast majority wanted a normal popular name. I mean 99% of the posters on this forum will be women (and yes I know that this forum is "mumsnet" so probably not the best example to use). The huge majority of youtube viewers for baby name videos are women.

There are far more Olivers than Olivia's (though each are the number 1 name). Boys are much more likely than girls to be given a top 100 name if you look at the official figures.

My partner says he's never bothered to think if he likes his name or not (it's a top 5 name from the 1980s when he was born). He is glad it was nothing outside the top 50 as he'd have found that embarrassing as he just wants to fit in. He said he is just happy to have a normal name and I'm imagining he's not alone given the total lack of interest most (not all) men have about names.

While this is obviously a generalisation - I think it might be very true in a lot of cases! People do often seem less risky/willing to be less unusual with boys names and I wonder if it's because many men seem to prefer more commonplace names.

When thinking about it, nearly all of the boys/men I've met in RL have a classic and fairly popular name for the decade they were born (even if the Simon's, Paul's etc happen to be out of fashion now). I've met more women with names that have never been in the top 100 (thinking of Isolde, Serena etc type names).

Even in my immediate family - I have a classic/well known name but which wasn't even in the top 100 the year I was born (I was the only one in school), where as my brothers name was equally classic/well known but top 15 and he seems perfectly happy with it.

I think many kids love being able to easily get plastic tat with their name on it when little, and seem happy enough to meet another with the same name/"fit in" - the trouble is you don't know if your own child will be one of them or annoyed at "sharing" their name when older. I wish they could tell us!

I have a fairly unusual name and when I was a child it wasn't the sort of name that was on any pencil case or similar. It didn't bother me.
If my name was on something, someone would get it for me and i got duplicates. The name is more popular now.

I prefer my name to the names that were on the 'tat'

@IamnotwhouthinkIam

"I think many kids seem happy enough to meet another with the same name/"fit in" - the trouble is you don't know if your own child will be one of them or annoyed at "sharing" their name when older. I wish they could tell us!"

I feel exactly the same!! I wish you could ask them as babies what they'd like.

For my partner, he wasn't bothered about having a name on tat in shops, he just wanted a name that would not garner any interest. He'd say his name and no comment would be made as it's a classic top 5 name for an 80s baby. He wouldn't want a comment about "oh that's unusual" or "that's a nice name, where did it come from" or even "you don't hear that much these days". He just wants to fit in.

It seems like more men than women share that viewpoint given that far more boys than girls are given a top 100 name. And it's women that are commenting on baby name videos. Men (on the whole) seem totally uninterested (and yes I know there are exemptions - I know some of the exceptions - the statistics do tell a story though!)

I find this desire to be different so weird. I mean yeah if you like an unusual name then go for it. But if you genuinely like a popular name and decide not to use it purely because it's too popular then that's just odd and a bit attention-seeky surely.

Some kids won't want an unusual name. They might resent having to constantly spell it out or have comments made about it.

There's a reason some of the more popular names stay in the top 20 lists...it's because they are nice names. I'd much rather name my child something nice than something 'different'.

Reminds me of those cool alternative kids at school with the piercings and coloured hair....all desperate not to be mainstream yet all individually the same 🤣

We chose a name that fit our criteria of travels well, easy to spell, no negative connotations (there were lots of names I liked but when I looked into the origin it was pretty unpleasant) and outside the top 100.

Didn't realise till we told a midwife her name it was a character in a tv show we didn't watch. Its now shot up, and will probably be the name we don't want - as in, flash in the pan associated with a particular era. But, there are worse things.

Currently trying to name no 2 and failing to come up with anything at all.

Something I think people miss: my daughter's nursery class have so many names that are basically the same sound. So think: Ella, Anna, Ava, Aria, Isla, Nova, Cora. Genuinely, there are about two girls whose names don't fit that format, and actually I'm more upset by how 'generic' her name sounds against that than the fact there might be two of them.

I actually think the 1980s where yes, there was more than one in each class, but Sarah / Helen/ Kate/ Claire/ Rebecca / Jessica all at least sounded different, even if they had an initial tagged on to the end.

Also agree about the workplace and the cumulative popularity over time: I once worked with 5 Katherines, born across about 30 years, all with different spellings.

@Crumpetsandjam33

I find this desire to be different so weird. I mean yeah if you like an unusual name then go for it. But if you genuinely like a popular name and decide not to use it purely because it's too popular then that's just odd and a bit attention-seeky surely.

Some kids won't want an unusual name. They might resent having to constantly spell it out or have comments made about it.

There's a reason some of the more popular names stay in the top 20 lists...it's because they are nice names. I'd much rather name my child something nice than something 'different'.

Reminds me of those cool alternative kids at school with the piercings and coloured hair....all desperate not to be mainstream yet all individually the same 🤣

Some kids don't want an unusual name and some kids don't want a common name. I had to be differentiated by my surname until I was in my twenties and that did bother me. You can't predict what your child will prefer so you just make a decision based on your values, as with every other aspect of parenting. I don't know why you think there is choice for names between nice and different. There are plenty of nice, unusual names and some popular names I think are awful.

I don't know why it's attention seeking to choose a less popular name over a popular name. Choosing Lysander over Odysseus isn't attention seeking, but choosing Lysander over Oliver (because all else being equal you'd rather a less common name) is? How would you even know that? Unless they introduce their child every time with "here is my child, isn't his name special and different".

We chose an unusual name for DD2 20 years ago. I think there were two of the name the year she was born. The name’s now just outside the top 100. These things happen.

@Crumpetsandjam33

I find this desire to be different so weird. I mean yeah if you like an unusual name then go for it. But if you genuinely like a popular name and decide not to use it purely because it's too popular then that's just odd and a bit attention-seeky surely.

Some kids won't want an unusual name. They might resent having to constantly spell it out or have comments made about it.

There's a reason some of the more popular names stay in the top 20 lists...it's because they are nice names. I'd much rather name my child something nice than something 'different'.

Reminds me of those cool alternative kids at school with the piercings and coloured hair....all desperate not to be mainstream yet all individually the same 🤣

I make a distinction between uncommon and unusual.

Some of my favourites Bridget (rank 992), Claudia (rank 609), and Marina (720) are all 'normal' names that people are familiar with and know how to spell and pronounce, but have not been intensely popular (at least as far back as 1996 which darkergreen shows me!) so aren't saturated. This is the sort of thing I like and mean when I refer to uncommon or not popular - though I appreciate that to some people they genuinely mean off the wall names. That being said I do have a special place in my heart for some that are more unusual - Leta, Margarita, and Lambrini.

I don't think anyone here is suggesting that George and Olivia are not nice names, they are, but some people want something more unique, a name is an identifier ultimately and when there are 4 in a class it doesn't serve its purpose quite so well. As someone who was once one of 5 Summas (not real name) in work it was a PITA and would want to avoid that for my child.

Also, just to add that children may resent having to spell their name - true - but this isn't a problem reserved for unusual names Amelia, Lily, and Isabella are all in top 10 and have multiple accepted spellings.

@Crumpetsandjam33

I find this desire to be different so weird. I mean yeah if you like an unusual name then go for it. But if you genuinely like a popular name and decide not to use it purely because it's too popular then that's just odd and a bit attention-seeky surely.

Some kids won't want an unusual name. They might resent having to constantly spell it out or have comments made about it.

There's a reason some of the more popular names stay in the top 20 lists...it's because they are nice names. I'd much rather name my child something nice than something 'different'.

Reminds me of those cool alternative kids at school with the piercings and coloured hair....all desperate not to be mainstream yet all individually the same 🤣

I’ve been teaching for nearly twenty years and therefore met multiple children with the same name. At a conservative estimate I’ve taught at least fifty Jacks and therefore didn’t choose it for my own son, despite thinking it a lovely name. I don’t see what’s weird about that.

Also the more popular names are some of the ones that will sound the most dated in a generation or so. So Meghan and Lauren are very 90s, Catherine and Julia are 70s, and Linda and Barbara are 60s. A friend who is a GP tells me she knows if she is going to see an Elsie, she'll either be over 80 or under 8.

Our children have very unusual names but not made-up crazy ones.

Both names are well out of the top 500.

I have no problem with popular, class names. You would never know how old a George or Oliver or Thomas is by their name. I know more 30 and 40 something Olivers than I do young ones.
What I do not want, and have tried pretty hard to avoid, are faddy names that will age a child.
If you meet a Gary you know he’s pushing 60. Angela and Nigel are probably 65. Sharon is 55.

The same will be true in future years when you see an email pop up from Alfie or Teddy.

Went for an unusual and unpopular name which I love for DS and I love that he is the only one.
Unfortunately no one can pronounce it and act like it’s made up. He may decide to shorten or use his very regular middle name when he is older…