Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Baby names

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

Flip

Original poster

N London Mumsnetters - how popular is Phoebe?

25 replies

MrsHappy · 06/09/2009 19:11

My DH and I really like the name Phoebe but I seem to be constantly hearing it being yelled down the street when I go to the shops.
I am getting the impression that some parts of London are awash with Phoebes, even though it is not top 10 (or anything close) in the lists that I have seen.

How popular is it really?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Tambajam · 06/09/2009 19:14

I don't know any in my stretch of North London.

Minicooper · 06/09/2009 19:32

I taught in a very nice North London girls school and taught only one! And she was a sixth former - with a famous father!!!

BerylCole · 06/09/2009 20:07

I only know one - she's about 5 yrs old I think, and her family have just moved to Herts . I think it's a very pretty name.

Mammina · 06/09/2009 20:15

I know one in south london who's about 4. haven't really heard it much in north london. I think maybe most phoebes are older than the children I hang around with (so to speak), bec of friends

Umlellala · 06/09/2009 20:19

Nope, not round here. Lovely, lovely name.

And anyway, my daughter is called Aphra (not v popular at all) but met another one same age as her yesterday in our local park

Umlellala · 06/09/2009 20:20

Actually, hang on. I think someone I used to work with may have called their baby Phoebe...

but mostly Edie/Evie/Ella/Ruby here

Original poster

MrsHappy · 06/09/2009 20:38

Hm, so it sounds like it's not that common then.
Not that I particularly care if the baby has a popular name (as long as the name is nice and sounds good with our surname) but I went to a baby group a couple of months ago where literally every other little girl was called Isabel or Olivia and it just seemed a bit much.

I like Aphra, umlellala. Where does it come from?

OP posts:

Katz · 06/09/2009 20:45

Our dd1 is Phoebe and we hadn't met another until she started school and there's one in her class and we know of another but thats it. Don't think its becoming a popular name, and my rather biased view is that is beautiful!

Original poster

MrsHappy · 06/09/2009 20:48

I think it's rather lovely too Katz

OP posts:

Umlellala · 06/09/2009 20:49

Aphra Behn

If ds was a girl we were going for Ariadne or Capella (knew a girl at school called this, and loved it).

Original poster

MrsHappy · 06/09/2009 21:04

Very unusual. You learn something new every day!

OP posts:

Umlellala · 06/09/2009 21:15

(well, clearly not so unusual )

I think Phoebe is a fantastic name and think you are only hearing it because you are tuned to it iykwim. You could spell it FeeBee to make it stand out...

Original poster

MrsHappy · 06/09/2009 21:20

God, no. I come from a family of pedants and would take a lot of flack for Feebee!

OP posts:

Umlellala · 06/09/2009 21:29

It made me shudder typing it out!

wobbegong · 06/09/2009 22:10

I live in North London and haven't met any yet.

macherie · 06/09/2009 22:10

I have a Phoebe too, it is such a pretty name

We have only met one other Phoebe in 5 years!

Fluffypoms · 06/09/2009 22:23

My sil is phoebe
and have a 4yo cousin called phoebe.
we are in n/w london

mrswoolf · 07/09/2009 03:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

MrsHappy · 07/09/2009 20:21

Thanks MrsW. It looks fairly popular from that, but it is still pretty (and is cool with our last name ), so I don't think that will put me off!

OP posts:

CantThinkofFunnyName · 07/09/2009 20:26

I'm N London and don't know any. Would have LOVED to use the name for my DC3 though (22 weeks) - trouble is, my DC2 is called Rhiannon and for a nickname, my DH started calling her Reeby from birth - we figured Phoebe was too close to Reeby! Bit miffed as one of my old work colleagues was called Phoebe and she was/is just beautiful, well spoken, highly educated - all the things you would love your own daughter to be LOL !

KAEKAE · 09/09/2009 14:24

I have never known one, and I never hear the name where I am...in Ewell.

Stokey · 09/09/2009 15:03

Think Phoebe was more popular in the 90s around "Friends" time

At the moment, as someone said before Ella, Edie, Eva and Mia, Freya, Dasiy, Lily, Amelia, Emily all seem popular

more out there am hearing little Scarlets and Isadoras

mostlymay · 09/09/2009 19:30

I have a Phoebe who's 20 months and I've come across 2 others who are roughly the same age but I'm South London.

MaggieVirgo · 09/09/2009 19:55

I love this name. LOVE it. I knew of a couple, not well, but there are a couple out there. It's a bit like Lydia. There ARE others, but I think you would be unlucky if there were two in her class.

Original poster

MrsHappy · 11/09/2009 07:15

Hmm, I like Lydia too!

No, I think Phoebe is the winner. I've told DH it is a done deal and although he keeps lobbying for Nina I have been calling her Phoebe in my head for the last few months anyway! She'll probably turn out to be a boy after all this...

Thanks for all your comments. It's nice to have such a positive name thread!

OP posts:

Flip