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 .

[susanmt]

My dh is from Belfast and as a child was hauled from the Lagan (canoeing) and taken to hospital to have his stomach pumped as it was so disgusting. THey have cleaned it up since and it was great last time we were there to walk along the lagan towpath. Its just thats his eternal memory of it!

[Claireandrich]

Just been looking at the American lists and was suprosed to find DD's name (Mollie) quite low down at 461. It is in the top 20 here.

I like the Date Names list too, where the child is given another name associated with their birthday.

[tomps]

Couldn't agree on names for dd until she was 3 days old and we agreed to give her the feminine form of the name of one of the anaesthetists (sp?) who assisted at my emergency c-section ! I wrote to let him know because the anaesthetists really made the difference between a potentially horribly scary medical procedure and a very pleasant and memorable (not as good as planned 'natural birth' but much less pain !) experience.

[zebra]

I hate Chloe. It sounds like cloying which is definitely a bad thing. Amazingly enough, I don't know a single Chloe in real life, either. We might have chosen Thomas for DS, but ended up with Daniel which is nearly as ridiculously common. I think it's fascinating Why does everybody decide at once that "Emily" or "Joshua" (another name I wince at) is cool? I know loads of Andrew's and Ian's, usually born 1941-1961 how many baby Ian's or Andrew's do you meet nowadays? My first name is very uncommon for babies, too, but wildly common in my age group (born 1967-1973).

[Tissy]

We gave dd an "old lady" name-Ruby, and I was pleased to see that it didn't feature at all in the Scottish top 100, and was only 66 in England. If she had been a boy, however, she would probably still be nameless! I really wanted to use Archie (after the Monarch of the Glen character but I did also have a great-uncle Archie) and dh was dead-set against it. he was convinced that the name would be pronounced "itchy" in this part of the world. he also didn't like the "bald" part of Archibald!! I threatened that if I couldn't have Archie he would be called Brian so its just as well she was a girl!

[elliott]

zebra, that must have been a very long labour for your mum...

[star]

I come from a family of unusual names.My Dad wanted to call my brother Youngblood when he was born,my mother put her foot down there thankfully for him.Dh wanted to call ds Mingus-no way was I letting him do that.He has a very common name but beautiful and old fashioned and he is named after someone famous who was clever and a bit of a cad and who I liked the sound of.Dd has an unusual French name because we adore France and things French.And because dh didn't like my suggestion of Roxanna and I didn't want his Elizabeth.We love it but we had a bit of opposition from the outlaws who called it strange when she was born.Most people say how pretty it is and if they didn't like it I suppose they wouldn't comment.Ds's middle name is after my dad.Dd has two as dh wanted it to be his granmothers name and I loved the name Laura as well.

[laganlover]

Grommit - the names go down pretty much as you'd expect over there (but live in Kent now, so OK) - either with out and out hilarity , 'sorry what did you say?', or staunch politeness - not as bad as when the midwife told me that I couldn't possible call her Darcy 'with thighs like that!"
Susanmt. Have never fallen into the Lagan hence able to call myself a lover!

[elliott]

eulalia - just found out we DO have the same real life name!! (was looking up something on an old thread and found a message where you'd signed off with your real name). But I've still never thought of it as old fashioned....

[Eulalia]

elliot - are you sure... I've not to my knowledge ever signed myself with my real name on any post?

I don't think my (our) name is old fashioned either and in fact I quite like it but it seems rare to find us these days and it is a very old name so some may think it is old fashioned.

[elliott]

I was doing a search for info on cloth nappies - can't remember which thread it was on but it was a post from at least six months ago, maybe longer. I like my name too

[Eulalia]

Elliott - call me obsessive but I really just couldn't think when I had ever used my name so I did a search on it. It came up with a heap of results till I realised that it hadn't found my/your name at all - it was looking at the word with a t in front of it which of course makes a real word...

This must be confusing for anyone else reading it Anyway I never found the post but if it had Eulalia at the top if it (there is only one of them) then it must be me

[CAM]

Eulalia and Elliott give us a clue as to your shared name!

[SoupDragon]

I found it! It's a nice name. I once had a Calligraphy teacher with that name.

[Eulalia]

SoupDragon - how did you manage to find it and I didn't???

Confused ????

[Hilary]

I confess I found it too, without too much difficulty. And yes, it is a nice name...

[Tinker]

Found it as well!

[Bobbins]

Me too. Makes me imagine you both to have long tousled/curly red hair.

[ScummyMummy]

Haven't found it but think I can guess it if putting a t in front makes it an honest word!

[Tissy]

I found it, too, and it's a lovely name. It was on the shortlist for dd, but I decided that our family already had too many Old Testament names beginning with R!

[CAM]

Thanks for that,I'm so nosy!

[SoupDragon]

here it is, Eulalia. It's the third post up from the bottom (or 3rd one down if you flop it!)

[elliott]

cheers, soupdragon - so much for anonymity.....I suppose I did start it though
Never mind, all my RL friends are completely computer illiterate so I think I'm still safe

[Eulalia]

elliot - sorry I feel responsible for pushing this sorry to 'spill the beans' even if only indirectly ...

The thing is I looked at that thread earlier and missed that post ... I think that was the only time I have ever used my real name and was probably not long after I joined mumsnet...

Bobbins - not red hair but long, blond and certainty tousled due to usually not having time to brush it! I can't speak for elliott but perhaps we'd better stop here before we start comparing vital statistics !

[elliott]

short, brown and rapidly greying !