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Baby names

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

Name popularity

112 replies

toastofthetown · 18/10/2021 15:23

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?

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KirstenBlest · 19/10/2021 18:08

@Stokey

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.
I'd disagree with those dates. Barbara and Linda are more 1940s & 1950s.

Catherine and Julia 1960s & 1970s but both classic so aren't dated

Classica · 19/10/2021 18:09

I do have a special place in my heart for some that are more unusual - Leta, Margarita, and Lambrini.

Until I read your post I had no idea Lambrini was a girls' name. The naff drink was my only association.

Blubells · 19/10/2021 19:30

I find this desire to be different so weird.

I think you're misunderstanding parents' wish for a less popular name. It has nothing at all to fo with wanting to BE different

Parents simply want to find names that identify their children, names that aren't already used by thousands of others.

My dc have names that were used about 30-50 times per year, so not very popular, but both names are well known, easy to say and spell. Unusual doesn't mean unknown or made up!

Blubells · 19/10/2021 19:33

I'd much rather name my child something nice than something 'different'.

Thankfully the two are not mutually exclusive Smile.

CaffiSaliMali · 19/10/2021 21:26

My DH has a very classic name that was very popular at the time of his birth and has remained popular. PIL deliberately chose names for their DC that were popular 'so they wouldn't stand out'. DH was known as 'name initial' at school as there were quite a few others with the same name. It didn't bother him. He was a very shy child and says he would have hated a name which attracted attention and comment.

I have a relatively unusual name, although it's perfectly normal in Wales and is currently in the Welsh top 100, think Eleri. I grew up in England where my name is considered much more unusual. I was in my late 20s before I met someone else with my name and have yet to meet another. I like that I've only met one other with my name. I was a very shy child, like DH, but I liked that my name prompted comment as it helps kick start conversation. I also like that my name reflects my Welsh heritage.

The vast majority of comments have been nice 'oh that's so pretty, where's it from?'. Of course I get some rude comments, some people who decide 'oh I can't learn that, I'll call you Ellie instead'.

I think DH's family (and the English side of my own family) find it strange I like my name so much as so many people pronounce it wrong and the range of misspellings I get are truly spectacular. I think they also get comments from other people about it if they mention me by name.

One relative suggested I change it to something English so people wouldn't wonder about my background!

There are lots of lovely names out there outside of the top 100/500/1000 which are from other cultures, or are names which are simply not used a lot at the moment. There's a big range between a name like Juliet (currently ranked 777) or even an old name only used a handful of times each year, like Morwenna, and something truly unique.

I would prefer a Welsh name for any DC, and most will be unusual in England to a degree. If I didn't use a Welsh name I would prefer a name that wasn't super popular. I wouldn't name a child something unusual if I didn't like the name. I can't imagine many people do that, similarly I imagine most people who give their DC a top 10 name do so because they like the name and don't pick a name they don't like just because it's popular.

Ultimately there is no way of knowing if your child will be like my DH and will like having a popular name or if they will be like me and like having something a bit more unusual. You just have to pick something you like that you think won't truly embarrass the child (e.g. Tallulah does the hula) and hope they like it too.

MimiDaisy11 · 20/10/2021 16:34

Since there’s a bigger variety of names being used I wonder if there’ll not be so many which will be dated. Also the chances of having duplicates in classes is significantly less even if you have a top 10 name so people shouldn’t be so influenced by their own experience back when they were at school. My name was ranked 5th when I was born and there were three times as many baby girls with my name than were called the number 1 girl’s name last year.

The average person also isn’t aware of what names are popular. Perhaps partly as there’s more variety. I like the name Violet and mentioned it was going to be the name we used if we had a girl. My family thought I was weird for choosing such an old fashioned name unaware it’s in the top 50.

SummaLuvin · 20/10/2021 16:47

The average person also isn’t aware of what names are popular. Perhaps partly as there’s more variety. I like the name Violet and mentioned it was going to be the name we used if we had a girl. My family thought I was weird for choosing such an old fashioned name unaware it’s in the top 50.

This is true actually. A couple of years ago at work a guy mentioned his sister had just had a baby and called it a really weird name, Willow. When I tried to say it's actually not that unusual I was shouted down by the rest of the team who agreed it was very uncommon (couldn't be bother to get stats out to prove them all wrong).

Fifthtimelucky · 20/10/2021 16:53

I didn't consciously avoid popular names, but I did deliberately choose classic names that wouldn't date.

If you heard my children's names you wouldn't know whether they were 3, 30, 60 or 90.

CaffiSaliMali · 21/10/2021 10:38

The average person also isn’t aware of what names are popular.

True, my MIL and FIL thought top 10 names were names like Sarah and Christopher, which were very popular when their children were born. They were very surprised to hear the top 10 names now include Isla, Ava, Noah and Oscar.

My Dad recently bemoaned that 'no-one's calling their kids Arthur anymore' Grin

Classica · 21/10/2021 10:44

I remember my dad telling me a couple of years ago 'would you believe i met a child called NOAH today Shock'

Angel2702 · 21/10/2021 10:59

I picked names years before we had kids. Neither were top 10 and one wasn’t even top 50. Now they are very popular.

TataMamma · 21/10/2021 12:13

I would totally avoid Sophia, Olivia and Amelia (although I'd avoid them anyway lol) because they have been top of the charts for so long. I always wanted rare - but not weird, how do you spell that - names for my kids, but then I looked up my own name and realised that it was about number 40 in the year I was born, but I have not met very many people with the same name, and it's certainly never really been an issue. Although I'd still avoid the absolute top ones, it made me rethink my opposition to those that are outside the top 20 or so, but still consistently well into the top 100.

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