Too Popular?

[NotGrownUpEnough]

I really want to call my DC Isabella if it's a girl when it's born in June. Is it just too popular? Has anyone out there had a really popular name and felt that they were worse off because if it? i love it so much and nothing else comes close for me.
All comments much appreciated :-)

Why does it matter? There are two Isabellas in ds's year but one is Isabella and the other is Bella.

I really don't understand why people care if there's another one!

SK - your secret is safe with me

The problem with a popular name I guess is being landed with a silly nickname... in my class at school for example there were 6 boys called James so they ended up being big James, little James, fat James, etc etc. That's what puts me off going for a name in the top 10.

Having said that at least there are lots of variations of Isabella - Izzy, Bella, Bel etc so it might not be too bad and I agree it's a gorgeous name.

Squeezy - do you not think that was just because one was big/little etc etc

I have a very uncommon name and I still got nicknames

as I've said before, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't - use a name you love for the right reasons and don't discount it just because there might be another one nearby

"I really don't understand why people care if there's another one!"

I don't understand why people don't care!

MamaLazarou, the other child with the same name might be in their class for a term/year or nursery etc but having a similar/same name doesn't make my child any less important or unique to me and nothing in life is static.

I would regret not using a name I loved just because someone somewhere else may have had the same though. We might move/they might move etc etc

I picked a name for DD2 because I loved it. It is not as common/popular as DD1 who is Isabella. I know 3 children with the same as DD2 who will be in the same year as her if nobody moves before they go to high school (they are only 3btw so chances are high) and no other Isabella's except one that is 3yrs younger than my DD1

"I would regret not using a name I loved just because someone somewhere else may have had the same though."

So would I. I wish I didn't care about it, but I just have an irrational aversion to popular names. It annoys me (and DH)!

My DSS is Jack and he loves it, despite its overwhelming popularity. He naturally gravitates to make friends with other boys called Jack! So even if i bugs you if there are 2 or 3 Isabella in her class, it probably won't bug her!

Plus there's never any trouble finding 'personalised' stuff in Jack's name! It suits him and no-one's ever made negative comments about its populalarity. If you love Isabella, go for it.

Isabella is a pretty name and is popular nationally. However, the popularity seems to vary a lot geographically so you could choose a fairly popular name and not come across any in your particular area.
I have a son called Lucas and we don't know any others where we live at all and we have met a lot of children!!
If you love the name and will regret using it, go for it. However, if the most important thing is for your child to have an unusual name, you may have to think again!

MamaLazarou- what are your children called? (Hope you don't mind me asking).

I'm still trying to figure out the reason why having a very popular name bothers some people. I will admit it would bother me, and I gave my kids weirdy names partly for this reason but I can't figure out why.

I suppose when you hear a name all the time it becomes like having chips every day...just a bit 'boring', not the name itself but its sheer ubiquity.

Again though, why is it boring? Why are we not all content to call our children one of say, ten standard issue names?

In Germany I believe there is a choice, a large choice albeit but nevertheless a choice. You can be taken to court if you deviate from it.

I just know that if I knew ten other people who had called their son Michael, I couldn't add mine to the list.
I'd have to change it a bit at least!

Because the whole point of 'naming' someone or something is to identify it as uniquely as possible.

If you only had 10 standard names, you'd have to add something unique to the name, such as the middle name or the surname initial.

So, not only would life be more confusing but also rather boring imo.

And no, in Germany there is no list as such, there are only guidelines to prevent people calling their children ridiculous names like poopoohead. It is simply to 'protect' the child from truly embarrassing names. I think many countries have this.

loobylu3 - no, I don't mind you asking... but I don't have any DCs yet! DC1 is due next week.

Sorry, I got that wrong then!

I think in France, you have to have the name approved by the town hall when you go to register the baby. I know this because I worked with a girl called Carroll, whose mother was told she would have to change the spelling to Carole in order to register the baby. Carroll was not allowed! Though she did just go on to use that spelling most of the time anyway.

Popularity of a name doesn't bother me. If I like a name, I'd use it.

My ds has a name not in top 10 but this still happened.
My ds attends nursery. He received a party invite. We duly accepted thinking that the invite came from a child in his nursery group. Have now discovered invite was intended for another child with the same name as son. Invite came from a child with same name as child in his group too.

Luckily ds is not too upset about missing party.

Are you sure it is very popular? I have three young children and don't know a single Isabella of any age. FWIW I think its a perfectly lovely name

MamaL- good luck with your DC1 then! Is the name top secret?
I was just interested in your comments about your aversion to popular names. Does that mean that, if you previously liked a name, you don't like it any more if it becomes popular or is it more that you just wouldn't want to use it on your own child? I can understand the latter but not the former!

Thanks! We haven't decided on a name yet... which is why I'm on here! We're having a hard time agreeing on anything.

If I like a name and it then becomes popular, I cross it off my shortlist, but it doesn't necessarily mean I dislike it. I love Thomas, Jacob, Ruby, Sophie... but will not use them on my own child.

Ironically my other childs name is on your list but there are no other children with that name in class.

Have been researching Isabella was the 80th most popular name in Scotland last year down 13 places.

Popular here is Sophie, Erin, Ava, Emily, Emma, Katie, Amy, Olivia but Sophie is WAY out in front.

Now Sophie would be too popular, a name in 80th place is not.

DD1's popular name was 41st, DD3's 76th and DD2's well there were only about 5 in total

We know, between all our friends children, about half a dozen Isabella's but I think that is because it is a beautiful name & if we had of had a girl (versus 2 boys & 1 on the way ) I would have def considered it for a DD!

ds1 has what was, 9 years ago when i was pregnant, a very unusual name. then a certain russian football team owner appeared in london and suddenly everywhere i go i hear ds1's name being yelled at 5 year olds in shops and playgrounds. so even if you go for something unusual, your child can still end up sharing a name with other kids at school. i'm currently 38 weeks pregnant with baby 3, and EVERY name i like turns out to be in last year's top 10... i might just have to call her fifi trixabelle after all.

LadySanders - we had the same problem with DD2, although popularity had nothing to do with the name we picked a couple of slebs used it within the same week and now its the fastest growing girls name

can't win

That's so weird Cloudydaze the only Isabella I know is Dizzydixie's

Maybe Scottish people do not like it the same. In DD2's nursery class there is an Eve, Eva, Ava and Evie, very confusing.