Would you avoid the most popular baby names?

[BJSG]

I’m pregnant with our first child, and we don’t know the gender yet. I’ve realised that I tend to like names that are quite popular currently (Noah, Charlotte, Matilda, Jack, Lucy). Unfortunately, I’m having some doubts about the names that I like. I’ve seen that many adults (mostly women) complain about having a ‘basic’ name (of their generation) and noticed that common names of older generations tend to be sarcastically mocked online. I know that unusual names are typically disliked on MN, but it feels as though no one truly likes having a name that is heard so often. I do wonder if this is a sign that we should choose something less common. Thoughts?

Most of ds2 (born 1997) friends have the same name as him! I love it and I love that the other families loved it too

Jack seems to be very popular - we know four of those under 6. Fits in with the George/Harry/Arthur vibe.

I think there's fine balance between calling your child something like Evie (which every other middle aged woman will be called in 30 years time) or Moon Unit. In my peer group there were thousands upon thousands of Sandras, Deborahs and Karens for example, so picking a particularly trendy name is going date and be much more common. I think it's much nicer to have a more individual name (without getting daft about it) or alternatively a classic name. I have a reasonably unusual but classic name and I'm so heartily glad that I wasn't yet another Sandra or Karen!

I was given a very old fashioned name that was from about forty years before I was born.
I hated it and I have never met one from my generation.
I desperately wanted one of the popular and more common names.

I tend to prefer names that are out of the top 100 but if I really love a name it doesn’t usually put me off if it’s a bit more popular. We loved a name for our second child that’s in the top 50 and we would have used it even though it’s a lot more popular than our other child’s name. We didn’t end up using it because we had a girl and her name is out of the top 100 as well. I think it would put me off if the name was extremely popular though. For example I think Noah is a lovely name but it being the second most popular name for boys does put me off using it myself.

I hate having a common name.
Pick something further down the list, but not wacky.

Whatever you do don't call a girl Olivia, don't get me wrong it's a pretty name but it has been number one for that last 5 years. I have lost count of the young Olivia's I have met and even have a baby cousin called Olivia. I never heard the name when I was young.

Yes, I would avoid. Even though we know the proportion of children carrying the most popular names of the year is smaller than it has been in previous generations, I would still want something a bit more rare.

I have a well-known, biblical name and know loads of people around my age with it. I have never particularly liked it as a name so maybe that clouds my judgement too, but I've never enjoyed being Firstname Lastname because I'm one of a few at school or work or wherever.

! have 2 kids, one has a name that was ranked mid-200s when he was born and is not unheard of but we have never met another one. We have seen the name on telly or in the media.

My second has a much more popular name, in the 70s the year he was born, and is one of two in his room at nursery. I love the name so much I don't regret it, but its popularity does annoy me. If we have another kid I don't think I'd go for anything lower than top 150.

@Thistimearound , It's a 2010s/2020s name.
@LittleRobins , There’s a reason why certain names are popular and that’s because they’re beautiful. They're popular because they are fashionable. Doris and Ronald were hugely popular once. When new parents name their baby they tend to look at names they already link with children.
@ToadRage , I like the name Olivia but in my age group it was a 'posh' name.
Now it's like being a Sarah in my age group.

Definitely avoid. Lots of perfectly good underused names around. Miranda / Susannah / Honor etc.

I was at a place last week where four women me included had the same name and middle name 🙈. Ridiculous

My son has a popular name (not one of the classic ones but one that has become popular in recent years). We actually didn’t realise how popular it was when we named him. But it’s actually not been a problem. He’s has to have first name and surname initial on his peg at nursery as there is another of the same name but that’s about it. My
eldest son has a uncommon name which is rarely heard (but not a weird names) and he gets really frustrated that he can never find any personalised tat with his name on when we go in shops at the seaside whereas his brother can 🙈😂😂😂😂

he gets really frustrated that he can never find any personalised tat with his name on when we go in shops at the seaside I don't see why this is a problem. Stop going into shops selling tat. Write his name on something or buy something personalised that's not tat.

Both my children have names that they are very unlikely to meet someone called the same thing. My son was the only one named his name the year he was born! Daughter was one of 2 named the same year. They aren’t stupid made up names either.

I liked a name that I’d always loved that wasn’t popular when I was growing up then when I get a girl it was all over the place (granted I wanted a different spelling) but I couldn’t use it as I hated the thought of my daughter sharing a name with someone in her class. You know how kids are it isn’t always name surname/last name letter it gets personal ‘fat name’, ‘ginger name’, ‘ugly name’.

I do think it really depends on the circles you move in as to what’s popular in in a school and have seen those names you like lots of times but the name I liked for my daughter there is only one in the whole (over 600 kids) school. But in the previous school where my son went she would have been one of 3 in her year! Totally different circles tho!

My name was the number 1 name for girls the year I was born, I didn’t grow up feeling like it was super common. I told my mum recently and she was surprised that it was number 1. I think if you like a name, use it regardless of its popularity. I love my name and prefer it to my sisters very uncommon name.

Because of the diversity in naming these days, even the most popular names don't have the same percentages they would have had years ago. I think I read something like 25% of women in 1850s Ireland were called Mary. The top name nowadays only captures a few percent.

When I was at secondary school in the 00s, we had 4 Chris, 4 James, 3 Tom 2 Emily, 2 Lauren, 2 Laura. It wasn't a problem.

I kind of did and didn't avoid them. I would have considered Jack but it was number one for so many years that I didn't - and guess what my kids don't know a single Jack, there has never been a Jack in any of their classes or clubs. I would not have used Isabel/Isabella/Isabelle or Eve/Eva/Evie because so many friends and acquaintances were using them, every other baby seemed to be Isabella at one point.

However, I did go for very classic names that are rarely out of the top 20, my son was actually in the same class as someone with the same first name and middle name, I don't regret it though, they are great names and it was never the case that there were six people with the same name in their school year (as was the case with Sarahs when I was at school).

Also you never know what's going to be popular, there were two Hamishs in our baby group (nowhere near Scotland).

TokyoTantrum, Because of the diversity in naming these days, even the most popular names don't have the same percentages they would have had years ago.
Popularity seems to be regional, so you might find it wildly popular where you are.

I'm in a town where Oliver and Amelia are probably not popular but they would be in the nearest town.
The top name for girls where I am isn't in the top 100. The top boy's name is the top 1 nationally.
Names like Noah and Sophia/Sofia will be popular in both.

As someone who works in a school.... I say please don't pick popular names!!! I work across 3 different classes and we have 3 Henry's in one, 3 Isla's in another... In year 2 with have double lots of lots of names.

I noticed that one of my little ones now automatically puts the first letter of his surname whenever he writes his name.... Even in his mother's day card, lol.

@LyssaMoon , you don't know how popular a name is going to be until they're at the school. If you love the name Oliver but don't use it, you might find that there aren't any in his year or the two years above but there may be 3 Ezras in his class.

It depends a lot on where you are. If you are in Wales because the most popular name in your area might be the 280th most popular name in England & Wales combined.

(Scotland and Northern Ireland baby names have their own data)

My DD has a name well outside the top 100 but there’s still another girl with the same name in her class of 18. Meanwhile DS’s name is apparently very popular especially when you count variant spellings and there isn’t another either in his year or the years above and below. Personally I think your best bet is to choose a name you love and not get hung up on popular vs. unique as you set yourself up for disappointment!

Part of me wants to say, as many have here, go with a name you like and don't give a thought to popularity. However, that's what my mum did and, to this day, I wish her and my dad had gone for something less common. It was the most popular girls name when I was at secondary school and I hated having to be referred by first name and surname initial. I've got away with it fairly lightly in the workplace, but of course I had to marry a man whose sister has the same name as me.

I can't deny that it's had an influence on my name preferences for my child (and any future ones). I love checking the ONS data. It is slightly frustrating with boys names as there's not a lot I like, but I am fond of some of the most popular ones - still couldn't bring myself to use them though based on my own experience.

The pool of popular names is much wider now than it was 30 years ago. I'd probably try to avoid a top 10 name but ultimately I'd be led by what name I could see myself saying 21 times a day for the next 21 years. Whether that's a Boudicca or Beth is up to you.