I just had a conversation with
a close friend a few hours ago
and we were discussing common
names from our childhood. As it
turned out. She knew a lot of girls
that went by [name_f]Emily[/name_f], which funnily
enough is my name!
Well anyway, in today’s world and
from any personal experience
you may have, how common
are the so called top ten popular
names of today? Specifically in the
USA. Are popular names as common
as they were thirty, forty or fifty
years ago? I would like to see
what you think. Thank you very
much and enjoy!
Names definitely aren’t as popular as they used to be. People are more adventurous with names and while it’s likely there will be someone with the number one name in a class, in recent years I’ve noticed I haven’t had as many repeats. [name_m]Even[/name_m] back when I was at school, i had four Jacks in my class, whereas when I worked with young kids (up until two years ago), there might have been one [name_u]Oliver[/name_u] or one [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], but not usually multiple in the same class.
Statistically that matches up too -the top name of 2020, [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], was used on 1% of all babies born, whereas in 1970, [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] was used on 2.52% of babies. Going back further, [name_f]Mary[/name_f] was used on 5.5% of babies in the 30s - pretty interesting
I feel like certain names become popular in specific areas. [name_f]My[/name_f] school in Australia foreign g up had four Harriet’s and two Phoenix’s!!
I work with children and have yet to meet a plethora of children with any top ten names tbh - only a handful of children I’ve worked with have had a top ten name to begin with! I think it’s becoming more and more common to choose something different, below the top 10 or even 100, and there’s a lot more diversity in names right now with so many new names and pop culture references coming about.
I don’t live in the US but I know that statistically fewer parents are choosing popular names now compared with thirty or forty years ago. I think there is a lot more value placed on having a “unique” name nowadays, plus greater cultural diversity in society (and more acceptance of non-English names). The internet has also made it easier for parents to both discover new names and to find out which names are popular so they can avoid choosing them.
I’ve only met a handful of kids with top 10 names. Both of my kids have top 20ish names (my daughter only if you add in spelling variations) and we’ve only met a couple other kids with their names — none their age though. Parents have definitely gotten more adventurous with naming and I think there’s less push for kids (especially boys) to be given traditional or family names. I think as time goes on we’ll see even less kids being given top 10 names and more parents will be looking for uncommon and unique names.
I teach middle school. This year, I have one class that has two kids with the same name that was top 10 the year they were born (and, confusingly, the girls have not only the same last initial but the same common surname. Teacher nightmare!). I have 3 other kids with top ten names (two of whom go by unrelated nicknames), but no repeats, either within the class or in general. Then I have 4 other students with names that were top 20, but also no repeats there. 80-something students total and most have much less common names. Last year I had three Jaydens who all spelled it differently, though thankfully none in the same class. In general, I would say that there are a handful of top ten names each year and having repeats in a class is rare.
Thank you very much for offering an insightful commentary on the use of popular first names now vs popular names then. I take it that the word “overused” need not be applied with today’s naming culture as opposed to what it used to be in the past. Which is really a big sigh of relief for me as I do like some of the top ten baby names of the present.
By the way do you have any names that are currently from the top baby girl names that you like? I am just wondering since you are a very intelligent person who seems to be quite knowledgeable on the subject and your opinions are eloquently concise in its presentation.
I am glad to hear of it! I need to tell my big sister, who is currently in her twentieth week of pregnancy, to not worry so much about choosing a name for her (yet to be born) daughter. She likes Sophia a lot and so does my BIL. I keep telling her, “go for it!”.
PS- She has spent too much time on a website called Behind thename.com and the comments there are quite negative with comments that are downright unpleasant and exaggerated when she clicks on her favorite name.
I read an article last year on some news website where they discussed the dominant trend of individualism that has made so-called “popular” names not as common as they might have been in our parents or grandparents generation. I am actually happy about that and feel it is a step the right direction.
Which is a good thing in my opinion. There are hundreds if not thousands of great names out there for many families of different backgrounds and origins to choose from! A wonderful kaleidoscope of diverse monikers just waiting to be discovered at our fingertips is just a click away!
Oh wow! Thank you for sharing your experiences with everyone posting their thoughts on Nameberry. From what I have gathered, the naming conventions and preferences might entirely be dependent upon factors such as location, cultural influences, familial backgrounds and personal tastes.
P.S-Very interesting comment you have posted and I would like to share my gratitude on your profession as a teacher.
@AquaM I think if you like a name in the top ten, you should still consider it! They’re in the top ten for a reason, and, as the stats show, they’re not as popular as they used to be -plus it really varies place to place! [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is very popular in the UK but I’ve never met one - whereas at work recently, i had three K@iyas in the same year group
Yes, from the UK top 20 name, I really like [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], [name_u]Willow[/name_u] [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_u]Florence[/name_u] along with [name_u]Henry[/name_u] and [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] for boys!
For the US top 20, I like [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_f]Luna[/name_f] and Mila!!
I need to tell my big sister, who is currently in her twentieth week of pregnancy, to not worry so much about choosing a name for her (yet to be born) daughter. She likes Sophia a lot and so does my BIL. I keep telling her, “go for it!”. 
