Baby girl name - HELP!!

[Plainjane246]

Baby girl is due in 8 weeks, we settled on the name Phoebe, which I absolutely LOVE! But I’m really struggling with how common it seems to be! I don’t know any personally other than distant family that I’ve met once. But I know it’s high on the charts! Always wanted a less common name but don’t want some made up name or ridiculous spelling of a name! Please help me decide! Only other names we like are also fairly common (Hallie, Amelie, Lottie, Maia)

I know two. The grown up one is forever having her name spelt wrong.

Love Hallie, it’s not that common.

I have only known one Phoebe personally, now early 20s. I love it!

I also love Amelie.

Other ideas - Clara or Rosanna. I've never met either of these but both beautiful names (in my opinion).

Phoebe is pretty and classic, I don't know any (granted I don't know where it sits on the charts!) Your other names are pretty too, Hallie is not that common, but if you wanted some further down the charts:

Martha
Carlotta (Lotta/Lottie as a nickname)
Jemima
Miriam
Evangeline (Eva, Evie, Angie)
Phillipa (Pippa, Pip)

Phoebe is great
Hallie, Amelie, Lottie, Maia - hate all except Maia. Far too twee.

I love the name Phoebe and only know one in her 20’s. Only 0.25 % babies were called Phoebe in 2023, so you’d be unlucky to have another one in her year at school.

I'd stick with Phoebe personally.

The other names you're drawn to are either extremely popular or more than a bit wishy washy.

If you really want something different but atill recognisable, have a look at the ONS names from last year, in the 300-400 range.

Phoebe is much nicer than your other options, stick with it!

Use the name you love. And there is a much wider spread of girls names than boys. Look how many girls are named Phoebe compared to how many boys have each of the top ten names.

I refused my DH’s first choice of name for our DS1, even though I liked it, because we each worked with someone with that name at the time. We both subsequently changed jobs and I now think how stupid I was to turn down the name we wanted for that reason.

Phoebe is one of my favourite girl names ever. I've never known one! Stick with that, absolutely beautiful x

Of those you've picked, Phoebe is fine. As a PP mentions, the others are a bit wishy washy. The daughter of Phoebe was Leto, erm, colourful family tree, but that's a nice name and a bit different.

My son would have been Phoebe . A really lovely name and not common at all around here. Am not keen on the other names TBH.

What's the obsession with having an unusual name? If you like a name you like it. Just go for it

Phoebe is nice. I know 2. 1 Hallie, 0 lotties and 1 Maya. Though different in different areas/ circles. I think the others are slightly less common than Phoebe but go for the name you love!

Love it and much nicer than the other names you stated dd was nearly Phoebe.

Phoebe is really lovely and the best on your list

Really like Pheobe and the best/nicest name from your list IMO. Hallie would be next choice.

The thing with names, is that you never know how popular it may be in the coming years….you can only go on the data from the past and from the names you hear around you.
i would say Phoebe is a nice name, I know one in her 40’s, one in her 20’s and 2 who are 18.
thats a broad age range of one name.
If you like the name, go for it. If there’s others in her class at school - does that really matter? To her family - she will be the most important one.

Thank you all for your responses, this is so helpful and happier with our choice! My name was less common growing up and I was always the only one (though now it seems to have grown a lot in popularity) I love it now but hated it when I was young, even though I always had compliments on it. I have friends who hate how common their names are, but I know I hated how uncommon mine was, so just worry about giving my daughter a name she doesn’t like. Also love the suggestion of Phoebe Charlotte but middle name is decided already as it’s a family name x

Phoebe is best.
Great to team it with a family name.

Just go w what you love - kids don’t mind having a common name, makes them feel “normal” which all kids want to feel. One of my kids have a v common name and is happy the other has an extremely rare one and is happy to.