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Baby names

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

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Original poster

3 children with my DDs name!

176 replies

Peasize · 16/12/2023 12:44

My DD has what I would consider an underused name. It’s well known but not used for many children her age. I’m a bit of a name freak and checked all the stats for the years before her birth and subsequent years after and it is hardly used. Around 150-200 born a year roughly and well above top 200-300 names a year but there’s 3 with her name in a tiny rural nursery. I realise that everyone is looking for less popular/underused names now and people may say it’s obviously not as unusual as I thought but the stats do show it is quite underused so it really strikes me as being crazy that there are 3. Has anyone had similar? Seems like there’s little pockets of popular names in areas maybe.

OP posts:

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calishire · 16/12/2023 12:46

Dying to know the name now.

dreamersdown · 16/12/2023 12:46

this is how trends work, bonkers isn’t it. There’s two Theo’s, two Teddys, an Eddy and a Teo in my kid’s nursery class.

I know you mightn’t want to say it - but can you hint to the name??

MaryActsLikeSheDontCare · 16/12/2023 12:48

You HAVE TO tell us her name!

lightthetable · 16/12/2023 12:52

There were 5 Isabelle/Isobel in my friend's DD's class, her DD was one of the Isabelles as well. Some were Izzy/Issy etc but still, 5.

PuttingDownRoots · 16/12/2023 12:56

When DD was in preschool, there were 3 Theos in the Early Years section of the school (Preschhol/Reception class). There was only 14 boys in total! Also a Leo and two Thomas's.

It was just a wierd fluke.

FrangipaniBlue · 16/12/2023 12:57

When we picked DS name it had been in the top 5 boys names for around 10 years......

He's never had another boy with the same name in any of his classes and he's almost 16!

I only know 1 other and I think there is only 1 in his year group (200 kids).

There's just no logic 🤷🏻‍♀️

Chersfrozenface · 16/12/2023 12:58

When I named my daughter I had known, or known of, only four women or girls with that name my whole life - and I'd moved around a bit and met a lot of people

At nursery and primary school there were three or four girls in her class with the same name and in secondary school there were at least 15 in her year.

As a PP says, this is how trendx happen.

RedRobyn2021 · 16/12/2023 13:00

I'll be disappointed if I never find out the name

KinS24 · 16/12/2023 13:00

I had the same! Very unusual name but there was a tiny flurry of popularity in my town in the year I named DD2. One other in her class and she’s since been at parties with 4 of them with her name.
It is genuinely unusual. We have moved away now and people tell her they’ve never heard of anyone with the name.

Summerscoming23 · 16/12/2023 13:00

Really want to know the name. I think a log of people think the same way about names! I thought my sons was not really popular and now I know loads !

Original poster

Peasize · 16/12/2023 13:04

It’s a long the lines of Betty, totally not unheard of or unique by any means. It just strikes me as an odd fluke that such a high percentage of baby’s born with that name could all be in a tiny rural area. In a class of 18, 3 have the same name, which is no where even near top 100.

OP posts:

nmchg · 16/12/2023 13:05

The same thing happened when we named our second child. I chose a name I hadn't heard of in real life and picked it from a story I'd read in the 90s. It wasn't even from a popular book, just a random one I got out the library as a teenager. Since then the name has shot up in popularity and we've met loads of kids in our tiny town with the same name! It is just one of those fluke things like others have said. I suppose there's also the fact that many parents will be similar in age to you so grew up with similar influences etc and maybe picked the name up in the same way you did.

Sparehair · 16/12/2023 13:07

ds13 has a name that was around the 100 mark when he was born and still is. he went all through years R-6 as the only kid with his name in his school. We moved and he changed schools- there are only 15 boys in his year- 2 others have the same name. However there are no others in any of his sports teams etc. Sometimes it just works like that.

Original poster

Peasize · 16/12/2023 13:09

Yes I totally agree with all your posts, it seems like a little flurry around here. As the name has been steadily underused for years and has neither gained or dropped popularity, just stayed the same. It’s funny really how it happens. I suppose it’s like when you buy a new car and then start seeing it everywhere!

OP posts:

MaryActsLikeSheDontCare · 16/12/2023 13:10

I bet it’s Kitty. I know of 3 toddlers and a baby Kitty.

tealweasel · 16/12/2023 13:11

Weird clusters happen, as others have said. I know four toddlers Robertas/Bobbies in my not massive social circle, I don't think I'd met anyone named Roberta under the age of 60 before that!

talkingteapots · 16/12/2023 13:11

I named my daughter Penelope and everything raised their eyebrows.

Then a couple of months later a Kardashian did the same and it's now popular!!

I've called my daughter Penny her whole life but now she tells me not to and refers to herself as Penelope.

And, no one has ever been harmed by having the same name as another child! I think it's better... I feel sorry for the kids with random made up names....

Jellycats4life · 16/12/2023 13:11

There are no guarantees with unusual names. There were two Austins in my child’s class. Two Hazels in their very small preschool!

Bobtheamazinggingerdog · 16/12/2023 13:12

You picked it up from somewhere even if you think you didn't. Names spread organically without people even realising!

Terrrence · 16/12/2023 13:12

I think it is because everybody is the same, all trying to be unique.

Maireas · 16/12/2023 13:16

along the lines of Betty
So, not Betty. It's almost certainly not identifying as I suspect it's a reasonably popular name now.
I have three neighbours with little girls called Margot, it's a pretty name though. The most ubiquitous for boys seems to be Teddy.

Maireas · 16/12/2023 13:17

MaryActsLikeSheDontCare · 16/12/2023 13:10

I bet it’s Kitty. I know of 3 toddlers and a baby Kitty.

Or Peggy.

FestiveFrederica · 16/12/2023 13:17

How annoying if you wanted an unusual name!

We named my dd a really classic name and there is another one in her year group but not the same class. Thought we'd named ds a really unusual name (I actually was a little worried it was too "weird") and there's one in his class 😂. I also met another one in the park recently. Either we started a trend or it just isn't as unusual as I thought. It is an Irish name (I'm Irish) and dcs go to Catholic school so probably was more likely we'd find another one there. The one I met at the park was in Ireland so that makes sense too (clutching at straws 😂)

Guavafish1 · 16/12/2023 13:18

Edwina?

Ketzele · 16/12/2023 13:20

This is how name trends happen, like a mysterious virus or something in the water. I wanted dd1 to have a name that wasn't common but not unique either (my name was almost unique when I was a child, and I hated that). Number 41 in the top 100 seems good, right?

I went for it and within two years it was in the top 5 and has stayed there ever since (18 years). I used to meet other mums in playgrounds who would say, " Oh, you thought it was a nice unusual name too?!"

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