Do you consider popularity of a name?

[CharlOctober]

We've got a shortlist and at the moment one of our favourites is Theodore - Theo/Teddy for short. I'm aware of how popular it is looking at the top 100 names.. wondering if you would let that put you off or just go with it?

I don’t mind popular names at all, both my children have names that are/were in the top 10, but Theo is so popular where we live that it would put me off. DS has four friends called Theo, all the same age and all live within a mile radius. I think it’s quite a regional thing though, as where we lived before we didn’t know any Theos.

Agree, and I wouldn't go for a popular name myself, but at the same time I don't know how we could all name our kids unique names 🤷🏻‍♀️. So for me, it's top 10 popular that's too much and Theo is definitely that.

I wanted straightforward names that had no alternative spellings and because my first hame is very uncommon and I hated it as a child. Paradoxically, my middle name, given 65.5 years ago is May. Very old fashioned and unusual then.

Our top names when dd was born (27.5 years ago) were Isabel, Alice and Imogen, none of which were particularly well used at that time.

When she started primary, out of 12 girls in the class, there were three Imogens, three Alices and two Isabels.

I did, and it was actually Theo! It’s a gorgeous name but I know so many little Theo’s in our friendship circles. They are all 3+ now the ones though so may be more inclined if I was having DS now, and it wouldn’t bother me as much if it was popular but didn’t have multiple friends use it already

I have a really common first name and until my current job have always worked somewhere with at least one other person with the same name, even when there were only six of us! Historically it was a popular name and is traditional in my family. Pro - everyone can spell it!

When I chose a name for my daughter I didn't name her for my grandmother as I considered because I knew of lots of babies being given the same name - in the NCT group of six, three had it as a middle name! I named her for another close relation instead and it suits her perfectly.

My name is very popular for my age range.

It is, and always has been a pain when people either always call you 'First name Surname' or declare 'you'll have to be known as {insert their choice of shortening} as we've already got a {insert your preferred shortening}".

When choosing my dcs' names we went for names that weren't popular at the time (although well known and recognised by people, and not particularly dated).

I had my DDs name picked since I was a kid, always loved it. It's been top 10 in my country for years yet she's never had a child with the same name in any of her classes or activities, she's 10. We know one other girl with the name but she's mid 20s.
Two DSs. One has a name that's around no. 25 and we know of a few and he has one boy in his class this year with same name
Other DS, way more obscure, not even top 100. Small country school with 6 boys in his class and the one of the boys shares his name 🤷
Pick the name you like and don't worry about popularity.

DS has a rare name
DD has a top name

i didnt care either way.

I always disliked having a popular name and having to share my name with classmates at school. When my parents chose my name, they thought it was unusual - it wasn't common in their generation. But this was before the internet was widely available, so there was no way of checking name popularity, other than counting how many people you knew with a particular name.

That said, if it was my very favourite name and I couldn't find another name I liked equally, then I would probably still use it. On balance, I think it's better to have a popular name than an obscure name that people struggle to spell/pronounce correctly.

Yes. I have one of the most common names of the 80s and there were always about 4 of us in my class at school. And I went to 4 different schools. It was shit. At work, i eventually got called by my surname.

I have 2 DC and automatically excluded the top 30 most popular names. So far it has worked. DC1 is the only one with his name in a school year of 90.

My parents did well with mine. 41 and I have only met 3 other people with my name.

Thanks everyone, it's really helpful to read through different opinions! It's probably something I'm over thinking because when you're pregnant there's not much you can control. I was really surprised how popular it is, although I do love the name more than any others on our shortlist I will need to think it through a bit more. At first I was very much of the opinion that popularity shouldn't matter but your points about always being known as first name surname being annoying is so valid.. I didn't think picking the name would be this difficult!!

I've only ever met 4 people with the same name as me. 3 went by an obvious diminutive, the other by the traditional diminutive. I'm the full name. None of these people were the same age as me.

@CharlOctober , what sort of names do you like other than the ones you mentioned?

Some of the pp mentioned being one of several at school and in workplaces.
If your surname is common, go for an unusual middle name, ideally a surname so that he's not one of 12 Theo James Smiths.

Fine to pick a popular name (obviously many many people do!) but better to be informed and know it’s popular, in case that matters.

My friend was the first in any of her friendship groups to have a baby. Picked what she thought was an unusual baby name, went for her first walk to the park with her newborn and heard 3 other little girls being called by the same name, plus a dog. It was a top 3 name.

As to why it matters to some, I have a name that dates me. As well as 3 in my year at school.

@CharlOctober , if you go to Baby name explorer it will show the popularity of a name since 1996. Baby names in England and Wales: 2024 - Office for National Statistics gives data on things like how popular the name has been over the decades (historical popularity). The popularity by area is there too.

Other names on the list are Curtis, Otis, Dylan, Seth, and Oscar. I hadn't previously been bothered about popularity but seeing that Theodore, Theo and Teddy are all separately pretty high on the list made me have a re think! Thanks for the info on ONS stats though, super helpful!

I love Otis!!! I regret not calling DS Otis so much

I chose less common names deliberately because I didn’t want my child to be ‘Ellie B’ all through school. Just used Ellie as a random example there. It did help on narrowing names down. However I now feel that I needn’t have worried. There seems to be a huge variety of names - not like when I was at school. In my DD’s class, there are no two children with the same name. And of course, choosing an unusual name doesn’t guarantee there won’t be others with that name at school. So I’d go with what you like. I think your chosen name is absolutely lovely.

I don't love any of those, but I like Curtis.

Otis - lifts
Dylan - overpopular in Wales in the 1960s and 70s
Seth - hissy, Sef.
Oscar - ok but popular

I was thinking that popular names aren't as popular as names years ago, when everyone seemed to have the same few names (most of my friends my age are Claire, Emma, Sarah, Vicki) but I do know loads of Theodores, usually Theo, but some Teddys. It's a lovely name, but it is very very popular now.

Curtis and Seth are lovely names.
I've always liked Dylan for a girl. I know a few Oscar's and when their name is shouted across the playground it makes me dislike it. Try calling out the names!

I was thinking that popular names aren't as popular as names years ago If you add Theo+Theodore+Teddy(+Edward), then it's right up there.

National popularity doesn't bother me in the slightest as local trends vary so much. I'd only potentially be put off if I knew of loads locally, but even then if I'd loved a name for years and it had special meaning to me it wouldn't stop me.

I work in a very diverse area and most of the top names nationally aren't that popular at my school. We hardly have any duplicates, and those that are can be pretty random.

I have a popular name. It's classic, rather than dated to the decade I was born, so maybe that makes a difference but it has honestly never bothered me having a popular name, nor has it ever been a problem.

I had no idea my DD’s name would be popular, wasn’t in top 10 year before and before internet was like today, so the fact it was the second most common name that year is a coincidence