Which is most important for you in choosing a name?

[LizzyIzzyLou]

1. How much you love it?

1. How popular it is?

Would you be put off a name you love because its popular or would you use it regardless?

And if you were put off, why does a popular name bother you?

Just curious

how much I love it, have done each time with all 3 girls

How much I love the name and how suitable I felt it was for my child!

And yes, I would be put off by a name being very popular. I have a common name and hated being one of 3 girls in my year with the same nama.

sorry, name

I'm the opposite I hate my name and nobody else had it - wasn't unique just pants

Thats intresting because my name is v. popular but it has never bothered me or been an issue

1 is more important than 2
although I prefer unusual names I got it wrong with DC1 whose name is now commonplace

EldonAve thats interesting too as when we named DD1 everyone told us afterwards that they were 10 a penny. When we choose DD2's name it was because we loved it and a bonus was that I hadn't heard of any others - I now know that there is one the name age in the next two villages so although no others in her class at primary school, there will be 3 of them at the high school in the same year!!

I'd be intrested to know why poeple are so against popular names?

I don't think its that they're against them so to speak, they're certainly popular for a reason i.e lovely names

when I was at school we had 5 Carolines and about the same amount of Grahams !!! and they all got annoyed when they got mixed up so much

DD1 is Isabella known as Ella and apparently thats very popular/common in London etc BUT up where I am she's the only one, so far and even if she wasn't I wouldn't be that bothered

one of 5 and I may have reconsidered though!!

How much we love it

The fact that it might be popular wasn't even something we considered - I just don't get this approach to a name. So WHAT if there is another person in the class with the same name?

how much I love it, definitely

also, as we are a bilingual/bicultural family I wanted something connecting to my own roots

being popular wouldn't put me off, my own name is quite common in my generation (and country, not here)

middle names were chosen to commemorate one person from each side of the family

How much I love it but I wonder if how much I love it is skewed by how popular it is anyway.

I dont understand it either palosgirl.

just if i loved the name and if it felt right for them once here....i named both of my previous babys in utero and that made me feel like they were 'real'....my daughter is Ellie and she is the only one in her year (she is 10) but i wouldn't have given her that now as it has become really common....

But why would it matter if it was popular?

i have an unusual name and have always enjoyed being the only one at school, work and socially. i am glad i wasn't called something commonly heard and would like my kids to have that same experience - but not by choosing anything that is wacky or off the wall....i don't want their name to be discussed in the staffroom ( i know teachers do this as my sis is on....ha) but equallly i wouldn't want them to sound plain or boring....MN comments don't really bother me that much tho as i believe it to be about context and the area you are in....why you curious?

Why am I curious?

Because it seems strange to look at what everyone else is doing before you name your child! Don't bother about whether there is another parent in the neighbourhood who has given their child the same name - choose the name you like. It didn't even occur to dh and I to look at a list which showed which name was 'popular' at the moment.

A boring child will be boring regardless of whether or not you've called them Rainbow or Jacquita or Phineas

I'm curious as to why you enjoyed being the only one with your name? Surely you are unique and special enough as a person?

Because it meant that i just 'was' Leanna. there was no, Leanna M or Leanna P - i didn't need to be diferentiated between, i just was....there were lots of sarahs and kates that were followed by surnames or initials...i have no idea what it would have been like to be called sarah so can't say that i 'prefer' having an unusual [but not unheard] of name.... just that i like it.

But my name has nothing to do with making me feel special or unique inside?? [your comment comes across wee bit patronising TBH...]

an example - in our close family we have four davids.....both me and my sister are married to a david, my fav uncle is david as is my grandfather....now that for me demonstrates how nice it is to have an unusual name....not much chance of that happening with four Leanna's [FYI - they are all special and unique too....]

How much I love it, first and foremost.

I would steer clear of names that were 'Top 10', to be honest, but the thing is, you don't always know what names are going to turn out to be popular. When I was pregnant with my DS 5 years ago we liked Isaac for a boy (didn't call him it in the end). People thought it was weird. Now there are three Isaacs in my social group. Ditto with Grace. I was accused of liking 'an old lady's name'. Little did we know it would become Top 5 and that proper old lady's names along the lines of Esme, Elsie, Iris and Violet would indeed become fashionable....

How much I love it, (and of course it had to be something DP and I agreed on which weren't many )

I think names that you hear all the time (because they are popular) become somehow 'boring'.

For instance I know 4 babies called Thomas, it's a lovely name but I wouldn't consider now because so many of my friends / colleagues have picked the same name, and it has lost it's specialness in my mind.

Other names are very popular (according to the lists), but I don't know of any - so that doesn't bother me.

So maybe it's something about having a 'new' name (to you anyway) for your child.

How much I love it. I don't look at the lists to see how popular names are or anything, but if I know people with a certain name I'm less likely to consider it for my child because I can't get over it 'being' that other person.

Totally agree with peppermint.