Is Willow already dated?

[LittleLottle]

Just that really, I've loved the name Willow for about 15 years (big Buffy fan!) But I know so many aged around 4 I'm not sure if I should use it. My baby is due in 3 months.

Possibly.

it's gone from being an obscure-ish name until relatively recently to being uber-popular. 10th most popular girls' name apparently. Didn't realise it was quite that common. Hard to say if it's dated already but my hunch is that it will be in 10 years time. Loads of girls were called Dawn (similarish nature name) in the 70s and I'd be v surprised to meet a baby Dawn in 2022, so it might follow that kind of trajectory.

names.darkgreener.com/#willow

I don't know many Willows at all. It's a lovely name.

If you love it please use it. Your child deserves to have a name you love.

I agree, it's not edgy or out there. It's popular and there are likely to be many others at Nursery/School/College/Work.

It's a lovely name. If you love it, go for it.

You should use it if you love it.

Will probably be dated as it isn't a classic, rose quickly and will likely fall quickly. I think Dawn is a good comparison or maybe Brooke.

But it doesn't matter.

I guess in the sense it’s got popular v quickly.

use it if you like it (as long as you think she will be fairly willowy!)

The name is fine in itself but it suggests a willowy frame, which might be a problem in later life if the person turns out to be obese.

I love the name and don't find it dated
in fact a good time to pick it now numbers are falling a bit. Great choice

Its not dated in the same way 'Margaret' is but in terms of it came up quickly and faded out of fashion, it is imo x

Not dated but over done

Do you love the name?
Does it work with the family name?
So what if it was popular 15 years ago or 15 mins.
If it's a nane you like, why not?

I do think it will date your child very clearly, but then if you like it, so what? Studies show that kids like to have popular known names in their generation, so it’s not a big deal. It can’t be as bad as when my daughter went to school and there were so less than SIX Olivias in her class (she isn’t called Olivia). I still love the name Olivia though! I wanted to use it but then started to get the impression it was getting very popular, and I wasn’t wrong!

I think Willow is lovely but I doubt it will get up into the top five.

Really don’t like the name Willow .

I love the name, but it is very popular. I wouldn't let that put you off though if you have your heart set on it!
I'm also a massive Buffy fan, my dogs are called Buffy and Darla

It's been a popular name for a while so you'd be getting in at the end of the trend, but that not necessarily bad. I think it's a really nice name. Who cares if a name is dated anyway. My name was very popular in the 80s, not so much now, so you could say it's dated. I don't mind though, so what if people think I was born in the 80s, I was.

Yes I think it is dated and also over used. I’ve never liked it though.

Definitely, Willow is as popular as Arlo around here

If you are in England and Wales then I wouldn’t say it’s dated. Looking at the DarKgreener website it’s either peaking around now or is yet to peak. You’re nowhere near ahead of the trend of course, but Willow is more popular for babies than any other age group. It might feel dated in some areas which are a bit ahead of the trend. Willow will almost certainly date in future, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. People will assume your child was born in the 2010/2020s which she was. I think most names date to a greater or lesser extent.

It doesn’t matter, I have an Olivia. I know one other Olivia, I still love the name.
Names become popular because they are beautiful. In real life you may come across a couple of other Willows, but she will be your Willow and you won’t care.

There's always one isn't there. She didn't ask if you like it, she asked if it was dated. You are allowed to simply scroll by you know.

I know quite a few school age Willows but I don't think it's particularly dated. I don't think you should let things like popularity affect your choice if you really like it either. One of my dc has a quite obscure name, the other has been in the top 10 for years. Neither is better.

It’s nice but like Grace think it can be a risk if the child is likely to be of a larger build.

Lovely name and not many round here.

If you are concerned about a name dating then go for a classic name that is consistently in the top 100, but not too popular. Bible names and variants are a good option generally.

Names that are in fashion tend to date more basically

Thanks all, echoing my thoughts really! I think over used might have been the better way to put it, and that it will date her. However I have a popular 80s/90s name and it doesn't really bother me so maybe it won't be a huge deal. With regards to willowy frame, it's likely she won't be super tall (I'm average height) but looking at mine/my husbands/our first child's frame then she probably will be slim.

I'm currently between Willow and 1 other name but it's unusual and I suspect might be more divisive!