Calling all ladies with popular names!

I have a very common name. Although I can’t find the ranking for [name_m]New[/name_m] Zealand in the 80s to see exactly how popular it was.
Honestly, it didn’t bother me at all. There was always at least one other person with the same name in my class, but if anything it was funny. [name_m]Just[/name_m] like being part of a club! We invited 100 people to our wedding, four of whom had this name.

I think a name is what you make it.

I’m [name_f]Victoria[/name_f]…

In primary school I was the only [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] and I have to say I liked being the only [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] it made me feel unusual this is similar to college where again I was the only [name_f]Victoria[/name_f]. It’s nice to not be [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] R or [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] K but at the same time in secondary school there was around 10 [name_f]Victoria[/name_f]'s in one year and even though this was the case it never bothered me, yes I was [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] R and some teachers did solely call me by my surname (mainly when I was being shouted at ‘R(surname) get to class’ etc) it never bothered I didn’t hate it. Its just a fact of life. Sometimes its nice to not be the only one because its something that unites you with other people.

By the way [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is lovely.

: )

I think the difference for me is popularity vs. trendiness. The year I was born [name_f]Michelle[/name_f] was ranked #10 after firmly being a top ten name for a decade. After the year I was born, the name fell steadily and is now ranked #168. I didn’t mind the popularity of my name growing up but I do mind now that it is a ‘mom-name’. Meeting a [name_f]Michelle[/name_f], you expect a woman in her 30s or 40s.
Other popular names that remain popular over time–[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], for example, is much more timeless. That’s my biggest concern in naming my children. I don’t necessarily care about popularity but I don’t want to pick the [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]/[name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]/[name_m]Jason[/name_m] name that may experience a brief peak and then fade, forever time-stamping them.

My name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and I didn’t have one class without another [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] in it until college. Sometimes more than two [name_m]Laurens[/name_m], or a [name_f]Laura[/name_f] as well. My best friend’s name was [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] too which confused people. It’s annoying. I was always called by my last initial, or they would call us Tall [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] since we were opposite and extremes in height differences.

If you use a popular name I suggest choosing one that can have a logical nickname, so they can use that if they want. I always hated that [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] had no nicknames…

My name is [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]! It was #1 in the UK (Where I was born) in 1998-2002 I was born in 1999 though. So I always had the problem of my name being popular! As a little kid I loved that my name was popular and I always said to my parents if we went into a shop and met another person called [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] or I couldn’t find another item with my name on it and I remember always saying to my parents “[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]'s a popular name!” as I got into Senior School I noticed more and more people were called [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]. At the moment there’s only me and other [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] in the class though. I will admit it does get a bit annoying when you don’t know who the teacher is talking to you or the other [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]. But I love my name and wouldn’t change it for the world!

I am a [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] born in the late 80s in a year when it was the number one name. I honestly loved being named [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]. As a little girl, when I met another [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], we had something in common and to bond over (heaven knows little kids don’t need much). As a teen, no one could make fun of my name because it was just too everyday to do so. I liked that no one ever had to ask me to spell it or question its pronunciation. I know that I present well on a resume, as well, because of my name. It has made going through life very easy.

I think [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a lovely name. Honestly, she may hate that her name is so popular. But anyone naming their child something “unique” runs the great risk that their child will hate that their name is so strange and causes them so much trouble. There’s no way to know in advance which camp, if either, your child might fall into. [name_m]Just[/name_m] name her what feels right to you.

I agree that there is a huge difference between trendy and popular. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a classic. Chances are, 25 years from now, people may be able to guess when your daughter was born within a 5 year span, but it won’t scream 2015. I think the trouble with trying to avoid the big names is it’s so dependent on area and even neighborhood. My DD has a top 100 name (around #60 when she was born in 2013) but I have since met four others within our larger neighborhood. Whereas I have not met an [name_f]Emma[/name_f] nor [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] nor [name_f]Mia[/name_f]. I know four Rileys (2 girls, 2 boys), two Islas, two Violets, two Sawyers (one girl, one boy) in my neighborhood alone. So you really won’t know until you name your child and start interacting in baby and children activity circles.

My name wasn’t in the Top 100 but it does scream 1970s. And I had two boys by the name in my grade one class. And now almost everyone I know knows at least one other of my name.

My name is [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. It’s never bothered me to have another [name_f]Emily[/name_f] in my class. My name suits me perfectly, so yeah, I’ve never cared. It all depends on your daughter’s personality, I think. It’s also important to keep in mind that the top 10 names of today are not as popular as the top 10 names of 1990.

I can tell a story from two sides of the baby name debate. I have a misspelled popular name. My full name is [name_f]Abigael[/name_f] but I have always gone by [name_u]Abby[/name_u]. At dance, there are at least 5 other Abbys, not including me, and its always very confusing. I hate sharing my name with so many girls. I hate that whenever I introduce myself, I get a chorus of “Oh, I have a (insert female relative here) named [name_u]Abby[/name_u]!” I wish that for once I could be the only [name_u]Abby[/name_u].

Another reason I hate sharing a name is because I’m very competitive so whenever I meet another [name_u]Abby[/name_u] it becomes my life goal to be the top-[name_u]Abby[/name_u]. Like in my tap class last year, 1/3 of the girls were named [name_u]Abby[/name_u]. 3 out of the 9 girls in the class shared my name. Oh my God it sucked. I HAD to be the best [name_u]Abby[/name_u] in that tap class.

I honestly can’t answer your question. I can’t stand [name_f]Emma[/name_f] because of its popularity but that’s not what I’m supposed to say. I’m supposed to say “OMG I don’t mind having a popular name at all! Use what you love!” when what I’m really thinking is “Please don’t give your daughter such a popular, overused name! It really sucks to have to answer to your last initial your whole freaking life!!” Sorry. If people want me to sugarcoat my answer, don’t ask me, lol.

I agree with this completely! I was an [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] born in the late 80s–I was a really shy kid, but went to a small private school, so I didn’t go to school with any other Ashleys until I reached 11th grade, but I still knew it was popular, so I felt like I fit in. :slight_smile: I had one course in college where there were three Ashleys–ironically, all of us sat next to each other, and at least two of us had the same last initial!–but other than that, I didn’t have very many problems at all, and often I didn’t have more than one other [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] in a class, if that, even. Many times I was still the only [name_u]Ashley[/name_u]. I don’t know, I can sort of see my kids being quiet/reserved/shy (especially since a good percentage of them will likely be adopted, and might struggle to feel like they fit in, anyway), so I don’t have a problem with the fact that I seem drawn toward what’s popular (or fairly popular) right now (it’s also why I hesitate with more out-there names, like [name_u]Bailey[/name_u] or [name_m]Linus[/name_m] for boys, or [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] or [name_f]Maddalena[/name_f] for a girl). In general, I like my name quite a lot (I only really have three complaints: that it’s unisex (I share a name with my uncle, for crying out loud! I suppose if I was a tomboy, I wouldn’t mind, but I lean toward the feminine side, and it bothers me.), that it’s not so exciting (I don’t remember whether I minded this too much when I was younger–I like [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], I don’t mind that it’s popular, but I would have liked something either more feminine or more exciting than [name_u]Ashley[/name_u]…), and the last point I’ll get to in a second), but I would have liked to have a name that doesn’t come with a stereotype already attached. I think [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] really suits me. I like its natural feel and the meaning and some of its ties, but everyone seems to expect an [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] to either be a mean girl, or a ditzy, dumb-as-a-doornail cheerleader type, and I’m nowhere near either. It would have been nice to have a name with no strings attached! Which is why sometimes I long after [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] or [name_f]Grace[/name_f] or something timeless. I guess all names have some stereotype attached, but I’m not a huge fan of the ones attached to my name at all. :confused:

I think that the percentage of children receiving popular names is a really good point to bring up, too. I’ve done the math several times, and the average is that there’ll be one kid with a number one name–[name_f]Sophia[/name_f] or [name_u]Noah[/name_u]–in each public school grade, per school district. [name_f]Emma[/name_f]'s shot could be even less than that, since she ranks lower than [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] does (although not by much. My guess would be that it’d be pretty similar.). I think [name_f]Emma[/name_f]'s pretty fantastic, and I would love to meet a little girl with the name! It’s beautiful.

My name is [name_f]Danielle[/name_f] and when I think about being in school I was usually one of the 3 danielles in my class. Very annoying. Generally people like my name though and since I’ve been out of school I haven’t noticed it being so popular anymore.

I would avoid top 10-20 names and that is my plan. If you really love the name and that’s out of the question, then go for it. Usually names only trend high for a few years and then fall back a bit. I think well known familiar names are ok but top 10 trends can be too much. I know quite a few [name_f]Emma[/name_f]'s that are in their 20’s and find it to be quite common in little ones so I wouldn’t say its a short trend more just a popular name.

In middle school and high school there was one other [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] in my class. It never caused too much issue until one year when we ended up in the same English class, and I started going by my last name to clarify who was who. But as someone else has mentioned, with names getting more diverse, even a number 1 name will be used less now than a number 1 name would have been in say the 80’s.

I’m an [name_f]Amy[/name_f], born in the late 80s when the name wasn’t trending but considering its naming popularity and just the amount of Amys that have posted on this thread! I rarely ever meet any other Amys of any age, which is interesting because I feel like I should…

My older sister is a [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]. I have gotten into all kinds of situations just based on the “hey, aren’t you [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]'s sister” only to realize much later that I am not that particular [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]'s sister. My [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] refused to be [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] Last Initial, but otherwise enjoyed meeting other Sarahs everywhere and I think still does. It’s like being apart of a weird club no matter where you go.

My little sister was almost a [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]. Thank goodness she was not.

I love [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. It is a bit more like [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], in which the name has been incredibly top popular for generations, meaning she’ll meet Emmas of all ages, but it’s because it’s a beautiful, classic name. I think she’ll actually have less issues with it amongst kids her own age as people seek out the fringes of the popular naming spectrum or opt for the current trends.

I’m [name_f]Megan[/name_f] born in 1990. I didn’t have another [name_f]Megan[/name_f] in my class until highschool. My highschool graduating class was around 350 and there were 2 other [name_f]Megan[/name_f]'s and 2 [name_f]Meghan[/name_f]'s.
It never bothered me. My best friend had the same first and middle name and we thought that was great.
Sometimes I wished that I had a more unique name but then I realize that it’s awesome finding your name on stuff :slight_smile: and I very rarely get it mispronounced

We named our daughter [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] which is #2 behind [name_f]Emma[/name_f] which is #1 here in [name_f]Canada[/name_f]. I hated that her name is so popular but honestly if you love the name then it shouldn’t matter. She’ll be your only [name_f]Emma[/name_f] :slight_smile:

Also, I work in a daycare and I find it really rare to have multiples of any name. A lot of parents are looking for different/less popular options so the common ones really aren’t used as often as we think !

[name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a lovely name but as a [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f] that was born right in the middle of the [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f]/[name_f]Katlynn[/name_f]/[name_f]Katie[/name_f] craze I would advise you to not to do it. As others have pointed out- when your a kid it is difficult to be one of many in a school and to not be thought of as an individual. But worst is having a name that is so dated. I even once had a guy I worked with say ‘Your so mature and reliable but then I remember that you’re a [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f] and you’re probably still in your early twenties and I can’t take that seriously’ It is beyond frustrating to be judged based on the cultural model of your name and not your abilities.

What [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f] said. If anyone with a “basic” name wants to have a bit of a laugh: Total Sorority Move | The 20 Most Basic Names (And What They Say About You) I’m an [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], and I do love PSLs… (pumpkin spice lattes). Haha. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t use snapchat though.

In 20 years, the list will be [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Ava[/name_f], etc.

Growing up with a popular “basic” name, I wouldn’t give one to my kids. But that’s me. You should name your baby whatever you want. But then… why are you asking? If you want to name her [name_f]Emma[/name_f], name her [name_f]Emma[/name_f].

Thanks for all the helpful input! It seems like everyone is pretty divided on this issue, haha. It’s interesting that some of you absolutely hate sharing a name with so many others and some of you like it because you feel like part of a “club”. I do see what some people are saying about names not being as popular as they used to be. In my state in 1988, the #1 name was [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and 1,000 [name_u]Ashley[/name_u]'s were born that year. In 2013, the top name was [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] and only 299 were born. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is actually #4 where I live. I suppose if we do end up going with [name_f]Emma[/name_f] fn and [name_f]Carolina[/name_f] mn she could always choose to go by [name_f]Carolina[/name_f], [name_f]Carol[/name_f], [name_f]Lina[/name_f], [name_u]Caro[/name_u], etc. if she wants a more unique name. Besides, I think she will also appreciate that we didn’t choose her name just because it sounded pretty but because it has personal significance - she will be named after her great-grandmothers. :slight_smile:

I had the name [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] growing up in the 90’s and absolutely hated it. There was always at least one other [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] in my classes, though it wasn’t unusual for there to be two or three. I was once on a soccer team where I was one out of four [name_f]Brittany[/name_f]'s. It was honestly the worst. My parents loved the name when the chose it, but ended up somewhat regretting it given how overdone it got to be. I really grew up hating my name (to the point where I’m now in my 20’s and officially starting the process to legally have my name changed). Given my experience, I would never given my future children an overly popular name.

I’ve been reading this thread very closely as I’ve been really crushing on [name_f]Emily[/name_f] lately but feel strangely guilty because it’s so popular. I’m a 1970s [name_f]Laura[/name_f] and the popularity of my name never bothered me. I will say I probably know more Lauras as an adult than I did when I was in school.

I think [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is beautiful and I’ve loved it since I was a little girl in the 1980s, long before Friends catapulted it to the top. Back then, I also loved [name_f]Elena[/name_f], [name_f]Paige[/name_f], and [name_f]Abigail[/name_f], three unpopular names for that decade. It’s nice that everyone else has caught on to these three gorgeous names lol.

Anyway, I grew up with a very, very unpopular name. Almost unheard of. No one could pronounce it, no one could spell it. It was a pain. I hated my name and longed to be called [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] or [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f] or [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] (this was in the 80s). I can appreciate how some of you with popular names felt, but some of us with unpopular names would have traded places with you.

If you want to name your daughter [name_f]Emma[/name_f], but you’re concerned about popularity, you could consider a double-barrel name. Maybe [name_f]Emma[/name_f]-[name_f]Kate[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Emma[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f]? That way she won’t have to go by her last initial if there’s more than one. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] really is a classic name though, much like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], and I think that while it’ll always be around, a little girl named [name_f]Emma[/name_f] will appreciate her name throughout her life.

[name_m]Just[/name_m] in response to what someone above said about names being time-stamped. This is true. Sometimes it’s not all bad though. I know a [name_f]Kayla[/name_f] who was born in the mid-70s, a good 10-15 years before the name became popular and trendy. She is now almost 40 and people think she’s much younger because of her name.