Names: do you choose popular or unusal?

[GillW]

Just wondered - how did you all choose your children's names? And did you take account of how popular that name was at the time when you made your choice?

I was reading yesterday that the list of popular names for 2002 has just been published, and that Jack has now been the most popular boys' name for the past eight years, and Chloe the top girls' name for the past six years.

Personally, knowing that, I'd avoid those names like the plague, because I'd hate my child to share a name with several classmates, but obviously that doesn't apply to a lot of people, hence their continuing popularity.

Now I can see some advantages in having a popular name, in that you'll always be able to buy personalised products, and most people will know how to spell it, but beyond that....?

Equally, would you choose a very unusual name?

Incidentally, if anyone's interested the lists for the last 5 years for England and Wales are here for boys , and for girls

For babies born in Scotland, they're here , and here for Northern Ireland .

[Rhiannon]

I have a Thomas, a very common name but there are only 3 in the whole school, none in his year but there are 3 James' in his year and 2 Isabella's. No 2 is Olivia and sadly v.common (3 Olivia's starting reception in Sept). I am going to ask the teachers not to use her surname all the time but her middle name instead.

[Tinker]

I'm fascinated by the names people choose, but must admit, feel a bit relieved to see my daughter's dropping down the rankings. Plus, one of the choices I had for my daughter is shooting right up so feel better about not choosing that.

More surprised that my own name is in there, never seem to her of any babies with that name, unless they are including middle names as well.

Chloe being number one for so long is weird though. Only know one Chloe yet know loads and loads of Lucys. Also, I know you should just pick the name you like but you would think, by now, most people would know the enduring popularity of Chloe and Jack and that they would start to drop down but it just doesn't seem to happen. They're both fine names, btw, for anyone who has chosen them

[allatsea]

We went for uncommon, but not 'made up'. We wanted something you could spell easily. I've never come across a Chloe although I've taught for 12 years. In Hampshire though we seem to have a high concentration of Ellie and Chelsea for girls and Ben for boys

[elliott]

Well, my own name is not in any of the top 100s. I hardly came across any when I was growing up but now know at least 3 - all of very similar vintage to myself - so I've obviously got a name that really dates me (mid 1960s if you're wondering!) Pity, because I actually rather like it.

[Tinker]

mid 60's? You must be a Julie

[Tinker]

Where have all the Julies gone?

[Lindy]

I was a bit concerned to see that my son's name (Charlie) is the top choice for dogs' names in this week's Telegraph!!

[Enid]

elliott, my (real!) name is also not in the top 100 and I am a mid sixties baby too...

[CAM]

Funny you should say that Tinker because my best friend at school who I first met in the mid-sixties was called Julie. My dd said to me the other day when I mentioned her that she had never heard the name Julie before (she is nearly 6).

[GillW]

My mid-60's name isn't there either. Apparently for 1964 the top five for girls were Susan, Julie, Karen, Jacqueline and Deborah.

[megg]

My name never makes any lists and in my whole life I've only come across 3 others with the same name and there is one famous person who shares my name. Ds' name is midway down the list but with totally the wrong spelling. Reasoning for spelling differently was to recognize my irish roots and no-one has ever spelt my name right (not even some of my family) so thought I would pass it onto ds. Unfortunately he's 3 now and I'm already sick of having to spell it out everytime lol.

[Claireandrich]

'fraid it would seem DD's name is getting more popular too! It has gradually been climing for the past 5 years it would seem and I never realised! We do spell it different though - Mollie, rather thay with a y. So, even if we wanted to get personalised stuff we still can't.

We chose the name (and it would have been Oliver if a DS) 'cos we liked them. In fact Dd's was Dh's choice.

Maybe we are somehow programmed to choose certain names - how can so many people choose the same name at the same time otherwise.

I notice it loads being a teacher. Just recently at secondary school we have started with the Kylie and Jasons!!!

[Furball]

We liked the sound of Ds's name and thought it was really different, only to be told by a friend that her daughter (aged 5) has 3 in her class!! - We still like it and named him it though.

[Chinchilla]

My ds's name is going up the charts. 50, 48, 37, 35, 33, so at least it is not too common. We chose it in the long version, because we wanted a more unusual name, without it being too weird, and one that could be shortened to something nice. As it happens, since his borth, I have heard of loads of children with his name!

I used to love India 10 years ago, and was really keen on having a girl called this, until I heard of loads of people being called it. Similarly, Lauren was a great favourite of mine 15 years ago, and then my SIL went and called her daughter Lauren when I mentioned that I liked it. When I was pregnant with ds, I mentioned that we were considering Molly for a girl, and she then went and got a dog and called it...yes, you've guessed it.

[bayleaf]

With dd - 2 years ago now - we were all set to call her Chloe, in blissful ignorance of its popularity - I knew one girl of about 20 with the name and a Pony!
I have to admit that with the knowledge of its popularity we dropped it like a stone. In the 1980's I remember that practically every girl in one of the bottom sets I taught was called either Kerry or Kelly - and I had visions of Chloe becoming the 2000 equivalent.
It's horrible to think that I'm such a 'name snob' but as a teacher I'm well aware that I do ( and so do colleagues) make superficial prejudgements based on a child's name and I didn't want dd to 'suffer' from having a Sharon/Tracey type name in the future...

[helenmc]

My mum used to breed dogs, and having so many over the years, she ended up calling them human names. So I ended up with my 3 dds named after dogs... and the girls have great pleasure and 'which doggies is still alive grandma?'

[SueW]

I was looking for some family memberson the 1901 census today and mu aunt told me my great-grandma's name was Zillah. Thought it was unusual but when I searched for all the Zillahs in Derbyshire, where I think she was born, 13 came up. I tried Notts but only one there but have since tried other areas including Surrey and London and get between 20 and 50 returns. I've never heard of anyone called it these days.

Maybe cos of Godzilla?????

It means shade or a shadow apparently.

We chose DD's names because no-one in the family had them, to our knowledge. And the first name could be shortened to one or two different variations, since neither DH nor I go by our longer names. In fact, DH changed his by deed poll when he was 18 to its shortened form.

[bossykate]

this thread has made me chuckle. my local mother and baby yoga class was like a competition for the most unusual name - except i had heard of all of them elsewhere. suew - there was a zillah!

[Claireandrich]

Bayleaf

I know where you are coming from as a teacher too! LOL! Hence the Kylie/Jason reference. This year's year 7 intake seem to have a huge amount of Kyle's in it. I wonder if this was popular 11 or 12 years ago?

[aloha]

I have a very unusual name for a mid-sixties child - all my friends were called Karen, Debbie, Susan etc etc. But which is now getting quite trendy due to rock stars calling their daughters by that name. Still, at least it doesn't date me too much! I think if you really want to give your child an usual name you have to think of one that makes people go 'urgh!' when they hear it, otherwise you are just tapping into the zeitgeist unconsciously. Madge, Una, Kay, Maureen, Daphne, Irene, Rita - that sortt of thing (no offence!!!! One of these is my mum's name and I actually like it). Or Humphrey, Godfrey, Nigel, Norman etc etc. I named my son Henry because I liked it, but he's not called Harry because there were already quite a few around. I see it's getting quite popular though. As a young child I hated having an unusual name, but I really liked it from my late teens onwards. My mum actually wanted to call me Chloe but she was completely shouted down because it was thought of as and ugly and comical name in the 60s - akin to calling a child Madge or something. Everyone told her that it would be cruel to call me Chloe! Funny how things change.

[aloha]

Claireandrich - Kyle McLachlan was the hearthrob hero of an 80s TV series. I expect that's where it's from.

[aloha]

Claireandrich - Kyle McLachlan was the hearthrob hero of an 80s TV series. I expect that's where it's from.

[GillW]

SueW - I'd not come across Zillah (unless it's a variant of Priscilla I suppose) either, but my family had a Scilla (who it seems was either named after a destructive Greek goddess, or the latin name for a Bluebell!).

We also had a lot of Kezia's and Keziah's in the 18th/19th centuries - which is another one you don't see much today (it's old testament biblical, if a little obscure - Kezia was a daughter of Job). I quite like it actually, and might consider using it if we ever have a girl.

[musica]

Kyle Machlachlan - TWIN PEAKS!!!!!! I miss that!

[Tinker]

There were 52 Chardonnays last year and 221 Shakiras apparently! God, I'd love a job like that, analysing name trends.