How important in popularity when choosing names?

[ReaganLockWood]

About 50% of the names I love are in the top 100, and about 50% aren’t.
How much did popularity aid you when choosing your DCs name?

For example, the three most popular girl names that I love are: Isabella (10th), Sophia (12th), and Ella (27th).
The three most ‘unique’ names that I love are Priya (921st), Cassia (1030th), and Nara (2201st).
With manyyyyy in between them.

Would you rule out names for being too popular? Or do we think in this day and age it would be unusual to come across too many children with the same name anyways because the naming pool being used is much larger?

Popular names are popular because they're nice but I did personally avoid the top 100 names.

But, like people have said, things change. My second choice name for my DD was Elodie, which was unusual at the time, now I keep hearing it everywhere. My friends named their son Louis and we very annoyed when, a year later, Prince Louis was born as they knew that would mean the name would get more popular 😂

Me too. I'm another who had multiple other girls with the same name in my class all through thirteen years of school, and never responded spontaneously to my name, because the chances were it was one of the other Xs who was being called. It was a fairly dreary experience. My parents also definitely chose the name to be generic. Their idea of a good name is one that wouldn't stand out from the crowd.

I really think it depends where you live. Where we are English names are very much in the minority in my children’s classes and so the fact that a name is popular really doesn’t register.

All you can do is pick a name you like- you can’t foresee what will be popular over the next few years, which other children will be in your child’s class or whether your child is one who will resent having a popular name or an unusual name. Deliberately setting out to have either a popular or unpopular name is just a hostage to fortune.

I don't think it matters much anymore as there is more variety. In the 90's, you'd have a class full of Jessica, Emily, Laura, Hannah, and Megan. Nowadays, even the most common names aren't likely to have more than a couple in a year group.

I personally don't like super unique names. I prefer names everyone has heard of and can spell.

My baby is called Daisy Eloise. I went with this as it's modern, but also classic and has been in and out of fashion for many years.

Ultimately though, it's just not important. Pick a name you like, and try not to choose something that will get your kid bullied.

Actually, you can reduce the probability of a name becoming very popular by avoiding the top 100 names. Yes, names can still rise in popularity from outside the top100 but at least you’re reducing the likelihood.

There are SO many beautiful and memorable names to choose from, even outside the top250. We should all be a little braver and choose more interesting names for our children imo. I certainly wish my parents had tried a little harder!

And yes, I could change my name, but tbh that would be a real hassle. The name isn’t bad, it’s just an overused boring name that was popular when I was born.

The only name I’ve ever seen bullied is William with Willy! And that’s a pretty popular name.

I didn’t think of that at all. I just chose name options I liked and then chose from them with my DH.

very important although their popularity changes.
DS1 name was 91st the year before they were born (when we chose it) and then has been as high as 19.
DS2 was 152, now up to 75!

Not everyone minds having a popular name though, I don't.

I didn't want mine to have a top 10 name but I don't mind them having a top 100 name. Especially with how more varied names are these days.

For some reason it was very important to me to avoid a popular name. I went to school with a bunch of Michelles, Melanies and Tanias so I wanted to avoid recreating that. Two names I had loved since childhood- Penelope and Hazel - I had to abandon when they were used by Hollywood celebrities because I was worried there would be a flood. I suppose it’s the same as what other posters have said in that they didn’t want a name that could be linked to a decade.

I didn't want my children to have a faddy name. I wasn't so fussed if it was popular. So I wanted a name that I knew 80 year olds, 50 year olds, 30 year olds etc with.

I didn't quite manage it with my second. His name is much more "of the moment' than I would have wanted But it wasnt just up to me.

DD was 2008, and I deliberately avoided the popular names, like Emily, Chloe, Olivia etc, and the name that I liked was 176/200. She was the only one in primary school 1/178 pupils and 1 of 2 in her secondary school of 700 pupils.

The name isn't out there, it's perfectly normal , it's just not run of the mill. She likes it. It can be shortened, I don't like it as the short version makes me think of another name not her name, but she's old enough to know what she wants to be known as.

I think it very much depends where you live. My nephew has a top 5 name and I've never encountered one other, nor has my sister or gran who takes him to various playgroups etc. On the other hand, my son has a name where about only 50 were registered in the country in the year before he was born (well outside the top 100) and I've encountered multiple of them.

Pregnant again and we've shortlisted a name that's constantly being said on here is "too popular" but in Scotland, only 60 were registered last year so statistically not many at all. It won't change our mind either way because we love it but I'm interested to see how many we encounter in the next few years.

We don't want a top name if we can avoid it but most important to us is/was finding one that we loved and will grow well with the babies as they age.

Even if a name isn’t popular in your school or around you, if it’s popular generally when they grow up they’ll be working with or have friends with loads of people with the same name.

I have a popular 80s name and I’ve worked with so many others with the same name. And my school mum friends also share my name.

I think this is a very good point - it’s not just about school - if a name has been popular for many years then there are more likely to be lots in the workplace etc when they’re older. E.g. names like Olivia and Oliver will be very common in future workplaces as they’ve been in the top 10 for over 20 years! That’s quite different to a name that is in the top 10 for just a year or two.

Exactly! There may only be one other in your class or year, but a super popular name will used by so many others of similar age. It can be a real pain to always be known as Ellie B or Harry S….

I think we sometime forget that names are actually meant to identify us!!

I have never understood the obsession with 'unique' names on the baby names topic. Why does it matter? Do people think it makes their baby less special if they have the same name as someone else?
I have a fairly common name, can't say I ever thought twice about it.

Nobody wants or is suggesting a ‘unique’ name

What many of us are saying is that having a very popular name can be a pain (always having to add surname, never sure if you’re actually meant etc) and the name can date badly.

There are so many fantastic names to choose from, names that are so much more memorable than the many overused top 10. I certainly wish my parents had tried a little harder.

It’s interesting as I have the opposite experience. I dislike being unique, everyone makes a fuss about it, no one can spell it and they often pronounce it incorrectly!

Both mine are top 100, but low down. DS’s name was 60 something and DDs was in the 80s although I suspect hers will decrease in popularity as unfortunately it’s now associated with a crime.

As someone with a very popular name it was important to me. I didn’t want unusual but not top 20

I’m Emma, as is almost everyone else. I used to work in a small office where there were 3 Emmas, and moved to a slightly bigger office where there were 4 Emmas. It doesn’t bother me at all, in fact I love being part of the Emma gang. I think it’s a great name.

My daughter’s name was outside the top 100 for decades but moved into the top 100 the year she was born and has now been in the top 10 for years. It’s still a lovely name. Just pick a name you like.

I chose a name for one DD that was about to be in the top ten (unbeknownst to me) for about the next fifteen years. My next DD got a name that was way down in the 800s, again unknown to me (in the days before Google and online searching).

They each had one other girl with their name in primary school.

I love both names and would have chosen them regardless of place on the lists.

I chose a name for one DD that was about to be in the top ten (unbeknownst to me) for about the next fifteen years. My next DD got a name that was way down in the 800s, again unknown to me (in the days before Google and online searching).

They each had one other girl with their name in primary school.

I love both names and would have chosen them regardless of place on the lists.

Those of you who don’t like ‘unique’ or ‘difficult to spell’ names seem to forget that there are loads of beautiful easy to spell names outside the top 100!!

In other words, the alternative to a popular overused name like Harry or Eva is not Moonboot or Flagulala!