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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 Grace as a first name?

37 replies

samstown · 03/06/2010 17:09

Sorry for shamelessly stealing the thread title from the lady who wanted to know the same thing about the name Matilda!

I am not pregnant at the moment but have always loved the name Grace. It was also the name of DPs grandmother and it is one of the few names that we both love! I was wondering how many of you know lots of girls with a first name of Grace? I know it is hugely popular as a middle name (along with Rose!) but I work in a school and as far as I know there is one Grace in the whole school who is in year 6. I also know of one girl who recently called her little one this.

Is it really, really popular as a first name? Im not overly bothered about having a really unique name for my child or anything but on the other hand when I look at my facebook friend list and see 9 lauras and 7 emilys on my list it makes me think I dont want something too common!

By the way, I am not some madly broody woman who spends every waking moment of the day contemplating the names of my as yet non-existent children - (I started another baby name thread yesterday!) I just have a lot of school reports to write and this is a good way of procrastinating!

OP posts:

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RatherBeOnThePiste · 03/06/2010 17:13

I know one aged 4 and one aged 3. It was on our list for DD now aged 13 but we wanted something slightly more obscure. But it is a strong and gorgeous name - I don't believe you can go wrong with it.

Now get back to report writing on this lovely sunny day!!!!

rosieposey · 03/06/2010 17:15

I have a 13 year old Grace, its populer but not too popular i think, have met a few in throughout her school career but not too many. Its a lovely name

clare8888 · 03/06/2010 17:21

Hi, Grace was one of the few names for girls that me and my other half both liked but I was put off by how popular it had been over the last few years. However I read on one of these threads a comment that 'if no one close (friends or family) already has the name you can get in first' so we decided to go for it, and now nearly 4 weeks later can't imagine her called anything else! Also loads of people remark 'what a lovely name' when they ask what she's called.

nickelbabe · 03/06/2010 17:22

i have noticed this year that there are loads in ks2.
whenever i have classes at the shop there's a grace in every class.

it's still a gorgeous name though.

Bucharest · 03/06/2010 17:25

It's slightly less popular as a first name (still top 10 I think though) than as a middle name where it is the default option if you've rejected May and Rose.

I think the peak was about 5-6 years ago.

ArseHolio · 03/06/2010 17:26

I've got a 5yo grace and when ever we go anywhere if I call her about 7 little faces turn to me. It is very popular.

I still love it but tbh sometime now I wish we'd called her somthing else.

pointydog · 03/06/2010 17:27

I don't know a single young Grace in my town and it's a beautiful name so why not use it

rachxx · 03/06/2010 17:29

when I was a child there were hardly any, but now there are loads of them- it was one of the more popular names in 2009.

Still, its not as common as Ellie's/Charlottes/Amelia's at the momement

monkeyfacegrace · 03/06/2010 17:45

Yey, no negative comments! Good, as I have a 3yr old one

Needaname · 03/06/2010 17:47

I work in KS2 and there are loads.

legallyblond · 03/06/2010 17:48

(I started the Matilda thread!)... and as I said there, if you love it, then always use it. Even the most popular names are only used by 3 or 4 in every hundred!

Original poster

samstown · 03/06/2010 17:49

Hmmmm, maybe it is just my area then that it is not very popular!

OP posts:

5DollarShake · 03/06/2010 18:02

It's a lovely name.

I vaguely know of two - but none in my closer circle or family.

If you really love it, go for it.

MadamDeathstare · 03/06/2010 18:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IPredictADiet · 03/06/2010 18:05

Everyone talks about it being popular, but I have never met one.
I know of one little girl who has Grace as a middle name.
It's a lovely name - would be on my shortlist for this pg but we are rather blundering Amazonian in our family, so not a good fit.

Runoutofideas · 03/06/2010 18:12

There are 2 Grace's in dd1's reception class, one in dd2's pre-school and we have one aged 5 in our extended family. I think it is pretty common, but a lovely name nonetheless.

bigbluebump · 03/06/2010 20:15

Wasn't it THE most popular girls name a few years ago? You should be able to see the rank as well as the number of girls named this on the ONS website.

Personally, I know loads of 4-6 year old Graces.

bibbitybobbityhat · 03/06/2010 20:16

It is the most popular name among girls under 10 that I know, along with Ellie/Ella and Eve/Ava. And Matilda.

scottishmummy · 03/06/2010 20:18

grace is v popular.i know a few

lovechoc · 03/06/2010 20:21

I know quite a few aswell - lovely name all the same.

TheNextMrsDepp · 03/06/2010 20:23

Grace is a lovely name, don't encounter many. There was one in ds's class however, who didn't quite fit the name; a bit of a heifer tbh and it attracted a few unkind comments (from parents, mostly ). Worth bearing in mind.....

SweetBeadieRussell · 03/06/2010 21:03

its ubiquitous.

feedthegoat · 03/06/2010 21:20

It is a name I love and was one of the names we had in mind for ds who is now 4 and I didn't know any others. However when we went to baby group, every other little girl seemed to be called grace.

There were lots at playgroups and I have more than half a dozen friends (well some of them are friends of friends) with under fives called Grace or Gracie. It is definately popular round here.

Original poster

samstown · 03/06/2010 22:59

Thank you everyone - one of the reasons I was asking was because I know it has been in the top 10 for ages and was the most popular name a couple of years ago - and yet I dont know of that many very young ones!

Oh well, maybe its because I know relatively few small children and if I was to go to a local pre-school there would be tons!

OP posts:

mumoverseas · 04/06/2010 04:13

I think it is a beautiful name but then I'm a little biased. My Grace is 3 1/2 and where we live there is one other Grace who is 5 or 6 so we have 'big Grace and little Grace' and I know of at least 2 girls that have Grace as their middle name.

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