Chloe has always been my favourite name for a girl, but my SO thinks it’s too popular to name our future child. The popularity never really bothered me, but I don’t want my daughter to be in a class with two other Chloe’s and have to put the initial of her surname after. What do you think? Do you think I’ll regret using it, even though it’s been my favourite name since age 7?
Depends where you live, but in the UK [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] is going down in popularity each year. I work in a primary school and I’ve never actually had a [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] if that helps! I also love the name!
As far as popularity is concerned, you might like to look at how many girls were named Chloe in your particular state:
Use the top option:
So 75 girls were named Chloe in Alabama last year, 448 in New York, 86 in Colorado (I’m fascinated)! If you compare this to the number of births per year in your state, it may give you some idea of the likelihood of her being part of a double or triple Chloe situation in her class.
@katinka did you write a blog post about this? I definitely learned about this from NB, anyway!
I have a niece called Chloe, she is a funny, kind and athletic little treasure. She is the main reason I adore the name, but I also really like its meaning.
Also, apologies if you are not in the US! I have made an assumption here!
I think you’ll regret not using it! [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] has dropped in popularity here in the UK at least (though it’s still at #36) but I haven’t met a little [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] in a long time! [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] is a lovely name
I have 7 Chloe’s in my grade, so yes, it is too popular, please don’t use it
Possibly? @clareb also wrote an article about great name resources that not everyone knows about a little while back. The local stats are indeed fascinating!
@wintergarden I would certainly still consider using Chloe! In my experience, it’s rare nowadays to have multiples of any name in a given class or club, and if it does happen, it’s generally by chance and not the names you’d expect. I know a couple of small Chloes (in England) but many more Lilys, Islas, Olivias, Amelias and Isabelles. Unlike those names, Chloe has the advantage of only having one widespread spelling, so its official ranking is comparatively a little higher than it might otherwise be if, for example, we combined all the various spellings of Lily or Isla or Isabelle into a single name for data collection purposes.
That said, does your SO actually like the name and would they be keen to use it if only it were less popular? Because I do think it’s important that both parents like their child’s name and feel like they have had a say in choosing it.
I only know one [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] and she is in the third grade . I don’t think it’s too popular here in [name_f]Canada[/name_f]!
That being said some names with repeats will suprise you. I live in a small town and know 2 Alan’s under 1 and we had 3 Freya’s in our play group. These are names I would have assumed weren’t very popular especially in small town middle of no where
I think if you love a name you need to use it !
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f] isn’t a very popular name where I live actually. I know a few Chloe’s but they’re all different ages. I think the youngest [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] I know is about 10 years old. So no baby Chloe’s. If it’s a name you love and popularity doesn’t bother you then you should stick with it!
I don’t think it’s as popular now as it used to be and honestly I don’t know very many Chloes so I think you’re safe!
I live in the Midwest in the United States, and I’ve only ever met one and she’s in her twenties.
The little Chloes I know are more like ages 4-6 now. I think you’re good! Great name
I think if your SO doesn’t want it then you can’t do it, but I think that it is not too popular.
If it doesn’t bother you maybe keep considering it but keep in mind other things that come with it. I will say concerning the 2 other Chloe’s in each class, that was literally the exact situation with me when I was in school, it was extremely popular and I had at least one every year in public school I was in, and I know multiple little kids named it too. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t use it only because of that but if you don’t want a ton of other kids with her name I’d think a bit harder about it. If anything you could always put it in the middle!
(I’m in the [name_u]Southern[/name_u] US and I’m going based off my experience of where I live)
I’m a teacher and I currently have two Chloes in my class, so I think she might have others in her class, but if you love it you shouldn’t let it stop you!
It’s definitely popular enough that there’s a decent chance your child will encounter other Chloes, but like others have said, you should check your state specifically. I would ask yourself which matters more to you: using your favorite name, or you daughter having a name that is fairly unique. Different people will come down on different sides of that question due to personal preference, so I think ultimately only you can answer it for yourself.
Some things to think about:
- If you don’t use the name, will you seriously regret it, or will you be a bit sad but move on from it?
- Would having a unique nickname for your daughter help?
- Would pairing it with a more unique middle name help?
- Could you use it as a middle, or are you set on it as a first name?
Thank you! I talked to my SO about it and he said he’d prefer using it as a middle name. I’m still set on it being a first name! I think we’ll keep an eye on the popularity and see if it goes down. Where I live, it’s at number 9. Another name we are considering is Genevieve, which is less common, so we might go with that if we ever choose to use Chloe as a middle.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] …
I’ve seen it on characters in shows and movies but haven’t come across it in real life…
It’s definitely a name that feels known but isn’t really everywhere all the time as far as I can tell. And then if you choose a name for its rarity … Others may as well and she could still be one of two. You can’t really know what will happen with that. It probably is clustered in some areas as most names tend to do but you could luck out and be the only one. I wouldn’t not use your favourite name based on others liking it too. And do keep in mind that if it’s school you’re worried about and people her age… It’s only kids born within certain years… Not adults and teenagers now… That will be in those classes so you really don’t know until those years are here. I would go ahead and use it and maybe a short middle she could use to distinguish herself in a case where this was an issue. [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] [name_f]Belle[/name_f] or
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] Would be darling.
I think you have to weigh the importance of the classroom idea. If you really love [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] and it’s the one, you don’t want to regret choosing your favorite name because it’s too popular. If uniqueness is more important, pick another one!
It’s outside of the top 20, so while definitely popular and familiar, it’s probably not going to be an overly saturated name. At least not compared to a decade ago when it was in the top 10. Amd heck even top 10 names aren’t as saturated as they used to be.
While I tend to prefer less common names, part of that is because I worked in childcare forever so some names I’ve just heard way too many times to spark joy anymore or I associate with specific kids I’ve worked with. I think for most parents and most kids, unless a name is especially popular in your area, this won’t be a hangup for you in the same way.
You can always check the popularity by state (if you’re in the US) to get a better feel for how much the name is being used in your area. You can usually look up the exact number of births for each name in a state top 100. [name_u]Or[/name_u] do the old playground test lol (as in going and hanging out at the park and just seeing which names you hear said the most )
If it’s been your favorite name since age 7, I say go for it! Popular names nowadays are nowhere as ubiquitous as they used to be. Today, more parents treasure nonconformity than they used to, so while a name may be popular, it won’t be as wildly common as it would’ve been just a decade ago. If you named your daughter Mary in the 1950s, there’d be lots of Marys in your class, but today, if you had a similarly popular name like Olivia, there’d be less proportionately since there’s greater diversity in names being chosen currently.