I thought it would be fun to imagine back. Think about how old you were 10 years ago, what you were wearing, the types of music you liked. What names did you think were great/did you plan to name your future child/did you name your child? Now think about some of the currently popular baby names, especially the granny-chic type. [name]How[/name] would they have struck you back then? Could you even have imagined there would be celebrity babies named [name]Hattie[/name], [name]Agnes[/name], and [name]Maple[/name] 10 years ago?
Haha, wow… well, I was 13, so only starting to get into names a bit more seriously… I probably loved [name]Abigail[/name], [name]Micah[/name], etc., back then. I would have thought all of those names were really old-fashioned but I never really was interested in less common names when I was younger. I liked [name]Stephanie[/name] in second grade, which, now that I think of it, I can’t even believe it. [name]Stephanie[/name] is like… the opposite of the kind of names I like now, lol.
I was in high school and really liked [name]Maisie[/name], [name]Owen[/name] and [name]Paisley[/name] for girls- not really names I would consider now cause I am more into simple, classic, not so made-up feeling stuff. I also loved the names [name]Jane[/name] and [name]Annie[/name] which I still do- I always wished I was named one of those while I would have wanted the different/special names for future daughters. My one best friend wanted [name]Abbie[/name] for her future daughter- spelled [name]Abbe[/name]- and my other best friend thought up Jaysid for her future son (she now has [name]Violet[/name] and [name]Lincoln[/name])! I guess at that age and time we wanted something really unusual that would set our kid apart, but now we want… not the most popular, but not something confusing to the eye or only wearable on a toddler. I think the granny names would have been interesting to us- at least some of them. What a great topic!
10 years ago…I loved the names [name]Bianca[/name] and [name]Ella[/name], mns [name]Dorothy[/name] and [name]Marion[/name] for my grandmothers. I guess it was fairly thoughtful for 16. I liked the name [name]Avery[/name] for a boy (hmm). I think I would have LOVED knowing that I could imagine babies named [name]Mabel[/name], [name]Penelope[/name], [name]Mildred[/name], or [name]Hazel[/name] without getting laughed at by the Ashleys and Jessicas of the world.
Now go closer to 20 years back, and I was in a state names phase (god help us). My Barbies were [name]Dakota[/name], Virgina, and [name]Georgia[/name]. I remember D was my favorite and her full name was [name]Dakota[/name] [name]Suzanne[/name]. Cringe.
I was 15, going on 16. Obsessed with [name]Buffy[/name] the Vampire Slayer (so my love of [name]Cordelia[/name] had started but I wouldn’t have really used it back then) and very much a geek ha. I loved combat trousers (I don’t know what they’re called outside the UK!) sporty clothes, hoodies, although I was slowly turning in to the girly girl I am today! I spent hours listening to Eminem, [name]Tupac[/name] and other angry rap songs - these days I love chilled out soul, indie and folksy type music. Oh wow what a difference a decade makes! I was such a dork, ha. I’m so grateful I didn’t have to name children at that age!
I suggested the names [name]Olivia[/name] and [name]Caitlyn[/name] 13 years ago for my baby sister, and my mum eventually chose [name]Caitlyn[/name]. I was secretly holding back my two fave names [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Lydia[/name] though, as I thought I’d want to use them myself one day. I wouldn’t know since they’ve become too popular for my tastes, therefore I really wish I’d suggested them for my sister! She’s a [name]Caitlyn[/name] now though 
By the time we’d got to 2002, I was quite in to what I considered exotic and unusual names like [name]Maya[/name], [name]Malaya[/name], [name]Imani[/name], [name]Alani[/name], [name]Tahni[/name], [name]Savannah[/name], [name]Anya[/name], and actually thought I’d name two daughters [name]Maya[/name] and [name]Malaya[/name] when these days I agonise over repeating initials let alone choosing too such similar names! I was also obsessed with The [name]Olsen[/name] Twins, and the name [name]Ashley[/name] (its never been big on girls over here like it is in the States). But because my mum is [name]Lyn[/name], and my sister [name]Caitlyn[/name], I wanted to name a daughter [name]Ashlyn[/name]. I like [name]Aislinn[/name] (though I’d never use it now) but I find the [name]Ashlyn[/name] spelling so trendy and would never use it now!
I’m sure my tastes will change again in future, but I think I know myself better now and I don’t think they’ll change as drastically as they have the last 10 years! Very interesting thread!
Oh and to add, it was about this time that a new boy started my school called [name]Sebastian[/name], with younger siblings [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Theodore[/name] ([name]Theo[/name]) and [name]Beatrice[/name]. These days this set would seem very chic but somewhat expected. At the time we thought the names (with the exception of [name]Oliver[/name]) were really posh and out-there and definitely very old fashioned! I used to think [name]Beatrice[/name] was child cruelty - now I think its lovely!
I was 12/13 in 2002, and my favourite names for girls were [name]Thalia[/name], [name]Teagan[/name], [name]Lorelei[/name], [name]Summer[/name], and [name]Skye[/name]. For boys I liked [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Noah[/name]. I still like [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Noah[/name] today, though I dont think I would name sons those names anymore just because they are so popular and there are other names I like more. Out of the girls…I still think [name]Thalia[/name] and [name]Summer[/name] are nice, but wouldnt use any of the others. [name]Just[/name] not my style anymore.
[name]Henry[/name] was almost 2 years old then, and we liked the same names we like today… funny, considering we still can’t commit to a name for this baby! 
I was really young back then! Aged 10!
I was adament I would call a daughter [name]Chloe[/name] and a son [name]Cameron[/name]. Looking back now, I can’t believe I wanted to name my children those names. Sure, they are lovely names but they are so not my taste!
I was only six in 2002, and it was the year I started makings lists. I remember my favourite girls names were [name]Kathleen[/name], [name]Sophie[/name], [name]Emily[/name] and [name]Tegan[/name]. None of which I like now. I don’t remember any other boys names other than [name]Sam[/name].
It was also the year my half-brother was born, (to my mum), [name]Aaron[/name] [name]Matthew[/name]. And the year my half-sister was born, (to my dad), [name]Kira[/name] [name]Jordan[/name]. Although she was almost named Yarra.
10 years ago I was 13.
I remember really liking [name]James[/name] and [name]Alexander[/name] for boys, which while still great names, I’ve been put off by a personal association and would never ever use now. For girls I remember liking [name]Emily[/name] and [name]Jennifer[/name], neither of which I would use now. [name]Emily[/name] is wildly popular and I now have a couple of friends named [name]Jennifer[/name].
So if I’d had children then, namewise nothing too terrible, agewise obviously horrendous. If I had not met the person with whom I now associate [name]James[/name] and [name]Alexander[/name] (first and middle names of said person), they would still be on up for consideration.
Ten years ago, I had just met my future husband and we had that sweet conversation about how, if we were ever to have a baby girl, we’d like to name her [name]Alice[/name]. Five years later we had her! I had loved the name, [name]Alice[/name], for a very long time even though it was not popular or well-liked back then. I remember creating a message board poll to get an idea of what people thought of this name and most people disliked or even hated it.
This is making me feel a little old. Ten years ago I named my baby [name]Paul[/name] and if he had been a girl he would have been [name]Clare[/name] (which we did use 2 years after that) and I still think they are both awesome names and have never had any namer’s remorse with either of their names. I do have my girls list from that time and it isn’t to different from the names I like now.
I was 13 and had just started loving names.
I loved [name]Brenna[/name], [name]Bridget[/name], [name]Baylee[/name] (yes, spelled that way) [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Patrice[/name]
and [name]Noah[/name] and [name]Tristan[/name].
My tastes were all over the place.
I think today’s trends wouldn’t be horrible back then, but they would definitely be viewed as interesting.
I remember loving [name]Kaitlin[/name] because it was a name of a pretty girl I knew. I also liked [name]Mikayla[/name]. I don’t like these names now. Too trendy for my taste.
10 years ago I was still considered a “Newlywed”. My husband and I knew we wouldn’t have children for quite a few years, but we had decided upon the names [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Grace[/name] [name]Louise[/name] for our future daughters, and [name]Connor[/name] for a future son. When we finally started having children 7 years later, those names were far too popular for us. Friends had come along and catapulted [name]Emma[/name] to popularity. I was so disappointed. My husband would still be perfectly content using those names, but they are far too mainstream for my taste now!
Ten years ago I was nine, and believe it or not, my very favorite names then are still my very favorite names now. I’ve always loved [name]Judah[/name], [name]Graham[/name], [name]Silvia[/name], and [name]Rose[/name], though I though [name]Rose[/name] was too common, and I let my mother convince me [name]Silvia[/name] was for old ladies. I’d definitely use any of them now. However, I did also like names like [name]Saphira[/name], that are not my taste at ALL now
I was thoroughly convinced I would have a daughter named [name]Emmy[/name] and another named [name]Cali[/name]. I don’t really hate them, I just don’t think they’re interesting.
I was six years old. [name]Every[/name] time my sister and I played Barbies together, I named my boy and girl [name]Nathan[/name] and [name]Cassie[/name]. So I suppose those were my favorites?
On a somewhat related note, when I was six years old there was a big group of kids in my neighborhood that played together. Some of their names stand out to me now. There was me ([name]Emily[/name]), my sister ([name]Sarah[/name]), [name]Brittany[/name], [name]Jacob[/name], [name]Emma[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Lindsey[/name], [name]Braden[/name], [name]Monty[/name], [name]Arianna[/name], and [name]Devin[/name] (girl).
[name]Braden[/name] and [name]Monty[/name] were a few years older, so they’d both be late teens to early twenties now. [name]Arianna[/name] and [name]Devin[/name] were near my age, so would be fifteen to seventeen now.
Top 10 baby girls names in 2002 were: 1. [name]Emily[/name], 2. [name]Madison[/name], 3. [name]Hannah[/name], 4. [name]Emma[/name], 5. [name]Alexis[/name], 6. [name]Ashley[/name], 7. [name]Abigail[/name], 8. [name]Sarah[/name], 9. [name]Samantha[/name], 10. [name]Olivia[/name]
Top 10 baby girl names as of [name]May[/name] 2011 were: 1. [name]Isabella[/name], 2. [name]Sophia[/name], 3. [name]Emma[/name], 4. [name]Olivia[/name], 5. [name]Ava[/name], 6. [name]Emily[/name], 7. [name]Abigail[/name], 8. [name]Madison[/name], 9. [name]Chloe[/name], 10. [name]Mia[/name]
[name]Emily[/name], [name]Emma[/name], [name]Madison[/name], [name]Abigail[/name], & [name]Olivia[/name] are all still very popular. So not much has actually changed.
Personally? I was pregnant with my first child (a girl) in 2002. I am now pregnant with my third child (a girl.)
In 2002, I picked a girl’s name that was then ranked in the 600s for popularity, but is now up to the 200s.
My top three names this time are ranked in the 100s, 200s, and 300s. (maybe I should check out the 600s again?)