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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

how popular is too popular?

25 replies

swottybetty · 16/01/2009 21:47

i just saw my fave girl's name was 39th most popular last year in UK and it put me right off.

dd's name wasn't top 100 and that suited me just fine.

so i guess my cutoff is out of top fifty.

but thats just for a girl. for a boy i only want matthew or tom which os firmly top five terretory and bothers me not one bit.

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DragonLowFatSpread · 16/01/2009 21:49

For me, top 10 is too popular.

sleepycat · 16/01/2009 21:50

This reply has been deleted

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Isaidno · 16/01/2009 21:51

I try and think of how many people I know who already have that name. Ruby might be number 2, but I don't know any so I would think that's ok.
My dd (7 mo) is Poppy which is number 28, but in RL I don't know any others.

jeanjeannie · 16/01/2009 21:59

I worked on how many people I know as well.

I've got an Iris (2yrs) and there were none then - but now I know 3, yet it's not in the top 100. Also have a Verity (7mths) and the only one I actually know is in her 80s!

KatB · 16/01/2009 22:00

If I loved a name it wouldn't bother me a bit! Both my dds are in the top 10 this year (although are 10 nd 5 now) and they are they only ones in their school let alone class! But then again dd2 was number 24 when she was born in 2003 and now it's 8th!

I'd rather my child had a nice popular name than a weird, unusual one picked soley because it was not popular. Not knocking unusual names, I really like a lot of them but just saying I wouldn't base my decision on whether the name was popular or not.

Same as isn, I would think how many I know as if I had friends with the name it would put me off because it may get confusing.

I don't know any Ruby's either!

mazzystartled · 16/01/2009 22:00

not bothered about popularity really
more concerned with distinctly-of-it's-time vs "classic" status
ruby, milly, lola etc- very "now"
anna, lucy, charlotte etc - timeless

mrswoolf · 16/01/2009 22:03

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noonki · 16/01/2009 22:13

jack.

nappyaddict · 17/01/2009 18:56

I go on whether I personally know anyone with the name. Some names can be more popular in certain areas and not popular in others.

nobag · 17/01/2009 19:03

I think you have to take into account area too. According to the list both my sons names are in top 20, but no other boys with thesame names are in thier primary school

catMandu · 17/01/2009 19:07

Well, I wouldn't worry about it because you have no control. When dd1 was born people used to remark on how unusual her name was - it is now in the top 10. In fact all three of my dc's names are in the top 10 although with ds we knew that. Ds's name is a strong family name on both dh and my side of the family and there was no question about it. Am a bit miffed about the girls though.

KristinaM · 17/01/2009 19:13

i agree with nobag. some of the names i see mentioned here on mn as "too popular" are not at all common where we live

we have a Thomas / Tom who is 4 and he is only one in his nursery. there are none at the school which he will attend. so unless there is another tom in reception he will be the only one is a school of 200.

there are no matthews in his nursery or school either

Ponders · 17/01/2009 19:14

If you like the name it doesn't matter.

Can sometimes be a bit tricky for the child being 1 of 6 or whatever of that name in the same class (one of mine was like that & I found I had to call him firstname surname at home or he ignored me ) but they don't mind in my experience, & actually enjoy having the same name as a friend.

FWIW

beanieb · 17/01/2009 19:16

I have loved the name Evie for so many years but am now put off by how popular it is.

nappyaddict · 17/01/2009 20:34

Kristina where do you live?

KristinaM · 17/01/2009 20:58

scotland

devientenigma · 20/01/2009 09:18

I don't think my kids names ar too popular in my area. The only problem is whae you are looking at all the kids personalise stuff, like pens, sticker books etc I can never find my kids.

glaskhamhasoneintheoven · 20/01/2009 09:28

I've been having this massive debate- while ttc DC3 (due in april) we had decided on our names for both a boy and a girl... already have one DC of each, never met anyone else with the same name even though they are nice normal names- Declan and Bethany...

For DC3 we had Oliver Andrew for a boy, again nice normal name, and we dont know anyone else with that name... and for a girl we have Ruby Marie.... Ruby is so popular, but again we've never known anyone called Ruby....

Just before the 20wk scan (when we found out we were expecting DD2) I had massive doubts as to the popularity of the name we had for a girl, but after a week of constant girls names 'brainstorming' decided it suited the middle name we were using, suited our surname (pretty different and always needs spelling) and was simple and pretty like our other DC's names.

So even thoguh it was no2 (i think) in the names chart last year... (or maybe 07 the one i saw before xmas??) becasue we dont personally 'know' anyone with that name we feel fine using it.

Bubbaluv · 20/01/2009 09:42

Did you see the article in the Times a few months ago about popular names? Bascially was pointing out that even the most popular names of today are not at all common compared to the popular names of previous decades.
It's a while since I read it, but it used David as an expample of the most popular name in the 70s and some HUGE percentage of baby boys were called David. Today Jack is the most popular name, but by number of babies per year it would hardly register amongst the most popular names in the 70s as so many more names are used these days so there isn't the same bulk at the top of the chart.
I'm not sure I explained it v well. Will try and find a link.

vesela · 20/01/2009 14:04

That's interesting, Bubbaluv.

I think there's something to be said for getting a child used to the idea that other people have the same name early on. I didn't know anyone else with the same name as me at school. Then when I went to university I found myself living on the same corridor as another X. She was wildly popular, so I became known as 'the other X.' Better to get used to it at a young age!

MrsTittleMouse · 20/01/2009 14:10

I'm with mazzy and MrsWoolf - my DDs have names that are fairly popular, but they have been fairly popular for a long time, so they're not particularly trendy. Having said that, my name was very trendy when I was born and it has never bothered me one bit.

Bubbaluv · 20/01/2009 14:10

I met my first name double in Kindergarten and apparently I was furious and accused her of lieing! Luckily I got used to it as there were 5 of us in 6th form!

twosofar · 20/01/2009 14:15

JeanJeannie are you still around... I think I know you from our former lives: you at a certain magazine and I the PR at a certain French product manufacturer in W6!!!!!
JMcC x

lunamoon2 · 20/01/2009 22:30

I think people get too hung up about it and agree with Bubbaluv. There are probably 1000s of names so the actual number of Jacks for example is quite low. There is probably very little in actual numbers between no 10 on the list and say number 60 iyswim. So if no 10 had 900 parents naming their baby that, then no 60 might have 743 people choosing that name. I hope this makes sense!

I am with Mazzy too, the criteria for me was choosing a name that I loved, ensuring I could cope with all the shortened versions, making sure it went with our surname, not being a name that immediate family members and friends had chosen and finally I really wanted a name with longevity and definately not an "on trend" name, meaning I had to ensure that no-one could ever say oh I bet you were born in such an such year as the name was only ever popular then.

KittyBigglesworth · 20/01/2009 23:32

This can be a minefield and I agree that a lot of the time it is out one's control. Take for example, the name Lexie. Ten years ago that would not have been used a name in its own right but rather as a nickname. However a character with that moniker on Monarch of the Glen and much more significantly the birth of Alex 'uber W.A.G' Gerrard's daughter Lexie sent it into the stratosphere. I can't find where I read it, but I'm sure that I read that it had increased in popularity by something ridiculous like 230%! A name can rise from being out of the top 50 to top 10 within a year if a celebrity, soap opera character or footballer gives their child that name. It's impossible to predict.

I agree with Mazzy that timelessness is more important. An unusual name made popular by one or two celebrities is more vulnerable to ubiquity than a well used name classic name.

Ten years ago the name Jade, though not a personal favourite would have been associated primilary with the Jagger connection whereas now the first connection I make it with is Goody. And what about Bianca?! Twenty or so years ago, some may have perceived it as chic, again due to the Jagger name but introduce just one character with that name on Eastenders and it appears distinctively less seductive. Fickle eh.

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