Common name for a sibling that has an uncommon name?

[Chipstickcats]

Hello, hoping for some opinions on this as I can’t decide!

my DD1 has a fairly unusual name - April, which was ranked 360 last year in the UK. We love the name and have only ever come across one other.

we are expecting a baby in May, and currently love the name Ivy, however this name was ranked fifth last year.

Is it weird to have names so different in popularity? My main worry is that Ivy would always be able to find her name on personalised things and April wouldn’t, is that silly?

We don’t actually know if we’re having a girl or a boy yet, and the 2 boys names we’re choosing between are also outside the top 100.

if you do think it’s an issue, does anyone have any other suggestions?

names we loved but can’t use:
Matilda
Florence
Poppy
Edie
Mabel
Martha

thank you!

Thanks all so much for the lovely comments, I’m feeling a lot better about it.

@Wolfpai absolutely love that!

@Hiptothisjiveas stated in my op, April was ranked 360 last year, making it very unusual. It used to be more popular but hasn’t been inside the top 200 in 30 years. Ivy in comparison is incredibly popular, hence my whole issue … but anyway, I’ve been very reassured by everyone that it’s not an issue!

As per PP April is not unusual really so you’ll be fine.
I do work with someone who has a very unusual name, their siblings have very ‘normal’ names so it is a bit incongruous (i.e Dave, Sarah and Hercules) and they find themselves explaining their name a lot!

I think April and Ivy sound lovely together.
But I also don't think it matters if names "match". The children are individuals.
DS1 has a top 100 name, but near the bottom.

When DS2 was born I gave him a name that I had previously vetoed due to it being too popular. (It was in the top 10 for 30ish years). But as soon as I saw him I that was his name.

Their names sound lovely together, but then I've been using them both for 19+ years. And they happen to both be old testament names, but I didn't know that at the time.

Honestly, pick a name you (and your DP) love.

April and Ivy go very well together.

Not only are they a quite similar style of name, they also have a common link to nature and seasons even if they are different categories.

From your list of alternatives I think Edie is the one that goes best with April. But I think you should stick with Ivy.

I think they sound great together, and I wouldn't worry at all about the numbers.

Ivy & Iris
Ivy & Esme
Ivy & Lily
Ivy & Elaine
Ivy & Mavis

I’m actually going today disagree with most of the PPs and say that I think you’re right to be concerned (sorry!). I faced a similar situation when looking for a name for the second child and felt strongly that it was important to choose a name that was roughly similar in popularity (or really, lack thereof) to my first child. On the one hand, I think there’s a risk that the child with the unique name eventually becomes sick of it and wonders why they got stuck with a “weird” name when their sibling didn’t. And on the other hand, I think there’s a risk that the child with the common name eventually doesn’t like that and wonders why they didn’t get a “special” name like their sibling. I wanted to try to avoid both situations by starting them out more equal with respect to the names.

April and Ivy are fantastic sister names.X

Wouldnt think too hard on it, my eldest's name was 500 and something when he was born, youngest is Oliver, solid top 10er since forever 😂

Also April and Ivy are a cute combination for siblings.

Have you been watching Emmerdale by any chance? Marlon and Rhona have girls calied April and Ivy.

Your ranking doesnt apply to all countries. I still know at least three Aprils. And a few Avrils too.

April and Ivy are fine together. Both lovely names. One normal and one unusual, I would have said something like Jane and Boadicea.

As someone who grew up never getting my name on things and gave all my children names they can’t find on things I wouldn’t worry about that, you can get things personalised easily these days.

Ivy and April and sweet names that go well together.

Lots of months, weekdays & seasons are used as names, January (January Jones) springs to mind, my friend has a dd called Summer (Summer Glau for all you Sarah Connor and Firefly fans), Autumn, Tuesday, Wednesday ( well maybe fictional only), Friday, Winter, Sunday (Nicole Kidmans DD). A quick google search even shows someone famous once being called Thursday October Christian..

Love April and Ivy as a sibling set.

I wouldn't worry about the personalised item issue. Lots of things can be personalised on Etsy/not on the high street with any name. You can even buy name stickers to personalise things you already have at home e.g water bottle etc .

Have you looked up other names around the 360 place in the top girls names lists? Do you like any of them?

Fern (311)
Brooke (313)
Rebecca (315)
Annabel (337)
Sydney (355)
Betty (360)
Evangeline (365)
Lois (374)
Elowyn (377)
Paige (388)
Georgina (391)
Vivien (395)
Rowan (425)

Those are just a handful i pulled out but obviously you might like some of the others.

@DeliciouslyBaked , the only one of those I don't like is Elowyn. It looks like a misspelling and an Ellie name. I know a lot of young Rebeccas so it seems a bit 1990s to me. Evangeline is a bit too frilly and likely to be Evie, and Annabelle is too popular.
The others would all go with April.

I'm not keen on Ivy.

I think April and Ivy are lovely together. Generally I do think having a similar ‘style’ is what’s important rather than popularity, and April and Ivy are.

That was my first thought. 😹😹

I love the name April. (TMNT) Another vote here for May and June! You could always go with the spelling Mei like in My Neighbour Totoro. What about keeping the general theme with Tuesday or Wednesday. Or the birth flower for April is Daisy which would be a sweet connection. I’m also a fan of keeping initials the family so having a name that starts with either yours or your husband’s first initial.

I know siblings called April and Ivy (they're 2 of 4 with brothers with what I would call similar names eg James and Oscar) and it has never occurred to me that the popularity of their names are different, they work together very well.

I thought it was going to be something like Cassiopeia and Sarah tbh.

I wouldn’t worry. They are absolutely the same vibe and while Ivy is likely to know a few others at school and April isn’t then it’s not much of an issue. How much personalised off the peg stuff are you planning on getting?

I don’t think it matters that April is 360th. It’s a month name and everyone is very familiar with it. Ivy won’t think April has a wildly unusual name as it is her own sisters name and very common in her circle.

I knew identical twins growing up where one had a very unusual name (would suit a baby now but was wild in the 1970s) and the other had a very, very common name (probably one in every 1980s class - I had six in my small secondary school year). They were completely different vibes and it was a bit odd but April and Ivy just isn’t.

I clicked on this thinking no, with two siblings in mind I know that have names like Stormy and Susan (for example). But April and Ivy are fine

Never understood the love for the name Ivy. The plant is poisonous, strangulates and sucks the life out of other plants and is incredibly invasive. The sound of the word doesn’t have a nice tone either.

There are so many other floral names out there that are pretty!

It’s definitely not an issue. DC1 has a fairly common name, very quickly went into the top 20 after they were born but they’ve never had another in their class at School. DC2 has a known but less used name, we’ve only ever met one other. If it had raised any eyebrows, nobody has ever commented on it.

Use the names you love