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Original poster

How about Emily? Is it too popular? Will it date?

36 replies

somethinganything · 18/01/2010 21:31

Sorry, should have done boys and girls names in same thread but anyway...

I love names that don't have any particular preconceptions attached to them. Emily is currently top of our girls list but would be interested to hear what others think.

I know lots of Emilys my age but are there lots of little girls around called Emily?

What do you think of when you hear the name?

Thanks, all

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Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 21:53

Alternative is Rebecca... or maybe Ann

Any thoughts on those appreciated too!

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caen · 18/01/2010 21:54

Loads and loads of Emilys. Can't go wrong with it though. There are loads for a reason.

caen · 18/01/2010 21:54

Loads and loads of Emilys. Can't go wrong with it though. There are loads for a reason.

Wanderingsheep · 18/01/2010 22:01

I think there are loads of Emilys, but I love it!

In fact I decided that our next (hypothetical) DD was going to be called Emily but DP has said no.

I agree that names are popular for a reason.

Sawyer64 · 18/01/2010 22:02

My DD1(5) is an Emily,it was my DH's grandmothers name,so think that shows it doesn't date.

There are alot of Emily's generally,but none in my daughters year,we know a couple of older Emily's.
I obviously love the name,think its Feminine,and classic.

moomaa · 18/01/2010 22:03

I like Emily. I have a Molly and there are tons and tons of Millys, Tillys, Mollys and Ollys around. It makes me laugh when I hear yet another one BUT I have a very common name and I don't mind that at all. Sometimes I comment on it to other mums and they are very but surely they knew that they weren't being very original? (obviously not). So if you don't mind having a 'milly then go for it!

Rebecca and Ann are good too and much less common at the mo.

Hulababy · 18/01/2010 22:03

I don't think it will ever date, as it is an old, classic name.

There is an Emily in DD's class (7yo) and I do know of other children with the name. So, still quite popular IME.

DiamondHead · 18/01/2010 22:11

I think it will date.
My Mum always says that when she was younger Emily was a proper old ladies name. Even classic names come in waves of propularity and I think a women called Emily will be assumed to be born in 90s 00s.

Similar to how you'd have an assumption of the age of a Margaret or a Susan because they had a wave of such huge popularity.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:19

All v helpful - thanks, ladies. For some reason hadn't thought of Milly as a shortening for Emily (but for Emilia, Amelia or just as a name in itself). I'd assumed Emily would get shortened to Em, Emmi, Ems. Anyway, shall have to think about whether it'll bother me that there are loads of them about, but I think probably not

DiamondHead that's interesting, was at school with quite a few Emilys (in the 80s/90s) but that's perhaps just a coincidence. Never realised it was seen as an old ladies name a generation ago.

I like Rebecca almost as much but DH has reservations. He's v keen on Ann but it feels a bit buttoned up to me.

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annasophia · 18/01/2010 22:22

Wasn't Emily the nr 1 most popular name for quite some years a few years ago?

There are certainly loads of 7-10 year old Emily's around here (Surrey).

CocoK · 18/01/2010 22:25

I (much) prefer Emilia.

DiamondHead · 18/01/2010 22:25

Here www.babyplanners.co.uk/namebrain_100.php

you can plot Emilt popularity over last 100 years.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:27

Annasophia don't know - will have to google these polls of most popular names that I keep hearing mentioned. Good place to start I suppose! I just don't know many primary school kids or indeed that many preschoolers apart from DDs v small circle of friends (she's just turned 2) so am a bit in the dark. The kids in my extended family all seem to be teenagers now

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Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:35

DiamondHead that's so clever - and v useful, thanks.

I still really do like Emily, though.

Any other thoughts on Rebecca?

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emkana · 18/01/2010 22:37

I was torn between Emily and Rebecca when I had my dd. Chose Emily in the end because I didn't like the thought of Rebecca being shortened to Becks, which is probably would - also not so keen on Becky - whereas I quite like Emmi/Ems/Em. Have never heard Emily being shortened to Milly.

emkana · 18/01/2010 22:38

If I had another daughter now I would call her Matilda/Tilly. Lovely.

mumblecrumble · 18/01/2010 22:43

Our dd is an Emily. LOVE it! Even though there were 3 EMilys at our swim calss of 10 babies today. She doesn;t need an unusaul name to be special (my name is unusual and it sucks anyway).

Emily is SUCH a great name. Its the name of the first strawberry to flower..... also I don;t know anyone called Emily who isn;t lovely...

Also you can make great nick names. Ours are:

Emble Pemble
Elpembelio
Miss Pemelicious
E meister
Little Miss Pumpy Pants.
(though that would also work with Rebecca...)

ALso. if you shout " Eeeee mi leeeeeeeey' out the back door at dinner time it still sounds pretty.

Sounds good for all ages

Looks really nice on a cross stitch

Easy to read and spell.

I love the name......

zozzle · 18/01/2010 22:44

Personally - its too girly for my tastes but fits in with the current trend for frillier, girly names.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:46

Emkana that's helpful, thanks. I think Becca is probably my favourite shortening of Rebecca, also not keen on Becky particularly. Milly as a shortening for Emily is new to me too. And Matilda is lovely too - but we know a Matilda and its sufficiently unusual still I think that it might feel a bit weird to name our DD that.

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Heated · 18/01/2010 22:47

Know it is popular but personally I don't come across that many Emilys and it has stood the test of time.

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:51

Ahhh, mumblecrumble that's lovely.

zozzle weird, I'd genuinely never thought of it as being a really girly name (like felicity or gabriella or isabel etc) always saw it as quite kind of neutral. So interested to hear everyone's views though

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OmicronPersei8 · 18/01/2010 22:52

If DS had been a girl he would have been an Emily, I think, partly because it is a pretty name, partly because I have only known lovely people called Emily. I too have a fairly common name, it never bothered me.

Plonker · 18/01/2010 22:54

Emily is a lovely name!

I have a gorgeous, bright, fiery, warm-hearted, beautiful neice called Emily. She's 11.

There are loads of Emilys around, yes, but that's because it's a fabulous name

Two4One · 18/01/2010 22:55

Beautiful name. Popular for a reason. Ignore all the threads on MN with people desperately searching for an unusual name for their baby. They usually end up with daft/ugly names that make the parents look very "try hard". It doesn't make the kid any more special or popular or bright or well-adjusted. Just means they have a name that invites constant query and

Some people love that though...

Original poster
somethinganything · 18/01/2010 22:59

two4one it's a very good point, and I'm certainly not looking for anything unusual - it can so easily backfire. I suppose the point about it dating bothers me a bit more but as Heated said, it's stood the test of time. I also only know very likeable Emilys, which is probably why it's top of our list.

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