Would you not name your child a particular name just because it's become really popular?

[laweaselmys]

DP and I have been picking out baby names for out 12 wk old bump somewhat ahead of ourselves, and the boys name we have chosen is almost definitely the one as we've liked it for years. But it's also not that popular it's in the top 50 boys names, fairly near the bottom! I like that about it. That it's not going to stand out that much but that their almost certainly won't be another boy he knows with the same name.

The girl's name we really like for family reasons, but is now no. 7 in the UK girls names list, and I hate the fact that there would probably be so many other little girls called it and it will somehow seem less 'special' but I can't work out if this is enough to stop me wanting to use the name.

The names are Leo and Lily by the way. (So you can judge, huzzah!)

Just discovered a disadvantage to NOT calling your child by a popular name - if it's a name that could as easily belong to someone of your generation as to your child's, you risk being called by it. Not that I actually mind being called by DD's name on my first day at the school gate, but it was a bit weird! I don't think it would happen the other way round, while mine is a classic name it's also a bit 'of its time'.

We like 'traditional' names so our dc's were never going to have unique names. Call out either name in the playground and half a dozen heads turn round ... but popularity of name or otherwise never an issue. We chose the names because we LIKED them.

Don'tcallmebaby - that happens to me quite often. Both my daughter and I have long and 'girly' names and, particularly at playgroups, I often blanked people because they were calling me by her name and I hadn't twigged. I thought there must be another mum nearby with my daughter's name.