See the results of this poll: How did you feel about it?
Respondents: 25 (This poll is closed)
- I hated it!: 11 (44%)
- I loved it!: 1 (4%)
- It didn’t bother me at all!: 11 (44%)
- Other: 2 (8%)
Hey, [name]Jill[/name]!
I am a [name]Lauren[/name], a name that was very popular in my generation and is still in the Top 50 today. Overall, I was never bothered by my name. Most everyone knows how to spell it, and even though there are pronunciation issues ([name]Lorin[/name] vs. Lar-en), it all works out most of the time, even when there were three other [name]Laurens[/name] in my class.
However, I have two issues with my name unrelated to its popularity; (1) it isn’t the most feminine name and my twin sister, [name]Sarah[/name], has a very feminine name in my opinion, and (2) it is rather trendy and not my style - you know how I go for the classics! My siblings, [name]Sarah[/name] and [name]Benjamin[/name], both have classic (family) names, whereas mine was more of a second thought…
Best wishes!
I actually grew up as the only [name]Lucinda[/name], among tons of other Sandras, Patricias, and Deborahs. I went by [name]Cindy[/name] most of the time, because it was more popular. There were 5 other Cynthias in my middle school in 7th grade, and most of them went by [name]Cindy[/name] or [name]Cyndi[/name]. When I turned 18, I changed my name legally to [name]Tayler[/name]. In my Texan small town at the time, it was unheard of to name a child, boy or girl, [name]Taylor[/name] or any other spelling. It was like naming a girl [name]Johnson[/name], or something. But I stuck with [name]Tayler[/name] (yes, with a ER) until I became obsessed with baby names. Then, I started to hate how I’m the only 30-something woman with the name [name]Tayler[/name], etc. So, last year, I changed it back to [name]Lucinda[/name] and I now go by [name]Lucy[/name].
My name is [name]Elizabeth[/name]. I voted for “other” on your poll. There was always another [name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Liz[/name] wherever I was, and I had to go by [name]Elizabeth[/name] M, and get confused whenever someone called “[name]Elizabeth[/name]!”. But I like my name enough so that it didn’t really bother me. And it’s not like I was [name]Mary[/name] or [name]Jennifer[/name] or anything like that, so I never felt like I didn’t have my own identity, as some people with popular names might have.
I also like that my name is a classic, and not a trend that comes in big for a few years and then fades away. It’s special, and a name with big expectations to grow into.
OK, I just reread this post and I’m rambling on–I’m talking more about my name than how I feel about its popularity!
My last names then and now were and are also pretty unique, so that helped as well. 
Yes - I guess you could say my name was popular. I don’t actually remember too many other Karens in my school. There was another [name]Karen[/name] in my kindergarten and I think we crossed paths a few times. There were always so many more Jennifers, Lisas, and Christines that I didn’t feel like I had too many other Karens to be confused with or have to use my last initial all the time. The Karens were mixed well among a lot of other mostly popular names so there were only a couple each at the most.
There were times I wanted a very unique sort of name, but I think it’s because I like names - every so often, I’d meet someone at school with just a fantastic name that I wish my mom could have thought of. Not because they were unique, but I guess because, say, you tend to take some names for granted that are also good, but you already know two or five of them, most of us had really familiar names, [name]Julie[/name], [name]Beth[/name], [name]Laura[/name], [name]Linda[/name], [name]Cathy[/name], [name]Kim[/name], [name]Nancy[/name], [name]Tracy[/name], ordinary kind of names just about everyone had - even [name]Jen[/name], [name]Lisa[/name], and [name]Chris[/name]. The names I noticed really stood out because you only ever met one once in a while - [name]Adrienne[/name] in 1st grade is a good example of a name that just wowed me, and I compared it to my name, [name]Adrienne[/name] was just glamorous, you know? I think now, glamorous names like that, [name]Isabella[/name], [name]Juliana[/name], even [name]Alexandra[/name], well, you know, they are more common, so even one [name]Adrienne[/name] probably wouldn’t have been as conspicuous in the current atmosphere, but I have an idea it’s become more common since the mid 1970s.
The phenomenon repeated a couple times in high school, I just can’t remember any names - they just seemed like very cool names compared to my peers with still the same lot of names we had in 1st grade. If I had a name like that… everything would be different! High school kinds of thoughts. It had to be a particular name, not just be a unique name to the high school or very forward on naming trends, and the whole package - it helped if she was intimidatingly cool, then her name just seemed so “it” to me, and I wanted to be that “it” and not who I was.
I guess if it boiled down to what to name a child, I’m not at all worried about names being too common in their school - even in my day, there were so many common names and the class size only accommodated an average of 15 girls, 2-3 of whom were already named [name]Jennifer[/name]. That leaves about 12 slots for anyone else with a top 100 name.
Depending on your school decisions, the size of the school and average class size, if there’s another child in your grade with the same name, they might be in the same class every year - it’s not that there’s lots of other Emmas and Olivias - the same ones keep being assigned to the same classroom. If there are 150 2nd graders, about split in half, girls and boys, if you go below the top 10 and don’t have a name that’s the same but spelled differently or a very close variation of a top 10 name, your chances are excellent for being 1 of 2-3 people with the same first name - that statistic is hardly tragic! The school may have 3 per grade, for a total of 18 kids in the school with the same first name. I really don’t know how statistical choices bear out with socio-economic clusters of a lot more Sophias and Connors per area that you might get 5-8 per grade in one neighborhood school with 2 classrooms per grade and zero Katelyns and Jacobs (people purposefully avoiding them) - I am sort of making a lot of this up as I go along, but a bottom 100 name is probably safe - you just have to watch how fast it got up to that point, and whether it sounds dated (was more popular) or will become top 10 in the next 5 years, by which time, your kid will still have a rarish name in kindergarten that’s epidemic in the daycare. Be somewhat aware that the SSA tally is posted in [name]May[/name], and those ranks are probably thrown all over - a name like [name]Violet[/name] seems to have been the “it” name this year, so I think there will be a few more other Violets in your daughter’s classroom than a below top-100 name would otherwise indicate.
I voted “hated it,” although “very much disliked it” is probably more accurate. It didn’t scar me for life, but it was inconvenient, and I feel no particular attachment to my name. Anyway, I wrote a comment on the blog post that you mentioned, so here it is:
My name was not in the top 10, or even the top 20, in the years near my birth. It was, however, really close to the middle of the top 100. There were five other girls with my name in my grade in elementary school, and people were always confusing us. When I got to college, I was one of three just on the floor of my dorm, so the boys on our floor gave us helpful nicknames: Nerdy ___, Slutty ____, and ____ from [name]California[/name] (I was the nerdy one, for the record). There are also variations that sound enough like my name to create varying degrees of confusion. I know that I will not be able to eliminate the possibility of my children being one of several in their classes with that name, but I would prefer something far enough down on the popularity list and that I don”t hear frequently in my city, so that at least they have a fighting chance. Popularity certainly isn”t the only factor, but it”s a factor that I will definitely consider, particularly since there are so many wonderful names out there.
[name]Hi[/name] [name]Lemon[/name]! Thanks for commenting. I keep forgetting you’re a twin! I actually know sisters named [name]Lauren[/name] and [name]Sarah[/name] (two families), so I smiled when I read your post.
I never heard [name]Lauren[/name] in the 1980s, but when the 90s hit…BAM! [name]Lauren[/name] became popular. [name]Every[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] I know, yourself included, has been lovely, so I have good associations with the name.
Take care!
I love your name, [name]Lucinda[/name], as well as [name]Lucy[/name]! 
I know a girl who was named [name]Taylor[/name] in the early 80s (it was a family name), and I remember her mom telling me how angry she was when [name]Taylor[/name] caught on. Thank you so much for sharing!
Have a good night!
[name]Hi[/name]! I’m a huge [name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Eliza[/name] fan, and I’m glad you like your name. Would you have felt differently if you had a trendy name that was shared with your classmates? And one more question: Would you have preferred [name]Eliza[/name] to [name]Elizabeth[/name]?
Thanks so much for posting!
Take care!
[name]Hi[/name] [name]Karen[/name]! I’ve always liked your name, and I only know two other Karens. I always love reading your posts, and I’m glad you commented!
Best wishes to you!
Thanks, K! I cracked up when I read about the Nerdy K, Slutty K, and K from [name]California[/name]! Thanks for the laugh!
I loved reading about your experience, so thanks for sharing!
Take care!
Yes, hated it.
My Dutch born parents decided we should all have American names w/ Dutch middle names, blending in was important to them… so I got [name]Tiffany[/name]. Awful. I don’t know a single [name]Tiffany[/name] that likes her name. To them, it was a surname, an artist… while they did not associate it with diamond, jewelery and strippers…porn stars…everyone else most certainly did 
I still dislike my name and growing older with it is even harder. My name is the reason I urge parents against giving their daughters names like [name]Tiffany[/name]… names that are hard to take seriously…
I grew up with a semi-popular name. (At least according to the SSA list, that is. For the two years of the people closest to my age, [name]Rachel[/name] was ranked 14 and 13, meaning over 30,000 [name]Rachel[/name]'s were born those two years.)
The strange thing is, I only know one [name]Rachael[/name] my age. I think there are about 3 other [name]Rachel[/name]'s that go to my school, but I’m not positive. The only [name]Rachel[/name] I know was a little girl I used to babysit for, who was born about 8-9 years ago.
Since it isn’t really too popular were I live, it hasn’t been a problem for me. This year is the first year I’ve had another [name]Rachael[/name] in one of my classes.
Now, if you ask me about other popular names, I could go on. I know countless [name]Tyler[/name]'s, [name]Ryan[/name]'s, and [name]Katie[/name]'s/[name]Kaitlyn[/name]'s (among other variations).
I am a [name]Jennifer[/name] and I voted “it didn’t bother me”. Yes, I was surrounded by many other Jennifers in school but, I don’t know, it never bothered me. I was a nerdy little kid and I think if I had had a stand-out name that would’ve made me feel even more self-conscious- I guess I liked blending in with the others. And then in high school, when I became fairly popular, it didn’t bother me because… I’m thinking about it right now and I think it’s because I was the only popular [name]Jennifer[/name]. I never talk like this by the way- I don’t run around and tell everyone how popular I was 11 years ago, I’m just trying to thoughtfully answer the question.
I changed my name twice, too! You go, Girl. [name]Love[/name] [name]Lucinda[/name] nn [name]Lucy[/name]!
I didn’t like the name I was born with. It was [name]Deborah[/name]. [name]Deborah[/name] is beautiful, but I was called [name]Debbie[/name]. Reminds me of mounds of blubbery pudding. Also it was very popular. By the way, I do love pudding but not blubbery pudding which in my imagination is gigantic and cloying.
[name]Sue[/name] was my middle name which is how I came up with [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Susan[/name] was popular for a much longer time period than [name]Deborah[/name] was, but I love [name]Susan[/name]. I think I love it because it was [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]'s cat - [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name] was in [name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods. I also loved [name]Susan[/name] because my sister loved the name [name]Susie[/name]. She called me [name]Susie[/name] a lot.
I was born in the mid 80’s, and until I was about 15 never met another [name]Sophia[/name], so I was very surprised when it started booming in popularity! When I was little I loved my name, but hated how often it was misspelled, mispronounced, or even misunderstood (if I had a penny for the number of times I’ve been called [name]Susan[/name], let alone [name]Cecilia[/name], or [name]Cynthia[/name]…) I had a teacher when I was 6 who insisted on calling me “So-fie-ya” if those phonetics made sense. (Fie to rhyme with lie?) My parents got called into school because I refused to answer when she spoke to me, which is very brattish I know. But my mother took my side (guess where I get my name-snobbishness from?) so the teacher, who was my equal in stubborness, took to calling me “Miss H.”
The very first [name]Sophia[/name] I met was a newborn, and she was named after me. I still don’t know anyone else with my name, but I see it everywhere in birth announcements and popularity charts.
However, [name]Sophie[/name] has always been popular in my city. And I hate, hate, HATE being called [name]Sophie[/name]. I will not answer to it! I know that sounds stupid, but it’s not my name! Actually, I remember my mother used to get quite cross with people who called me [name]Sophie[/name] in preschool, so that’s probably where I get it from. My close friends and family call me Phi or Phia, and my friends call me [name]Sophie[/name] when they want to get squirted with the nearest available condiment. I think part of what I dislike about it is how popular it is, while my own name has always felt to me to be a bit more refined and special (I am aware this is rapidly becoming an illusion.) I often had [name]Sophie[/name]'s in my class, but never a [name]Sophia[/name]. I can only imagine what a horror I would have been had I been given a name that I shared with many other children! I’m fairly determined to give my own children names that are pretty but not too common.
My name is [name]Grace[/name] but since I was little I’ve been known as [name]Gracie[/name] and it sort of stuck. I only knew one other [name]Grace[/name] growing up who was a lot older than me but these days the name is EVERYWHERE! I think the popularity it has now might have bothered me when I was younger but of my generation (I’m in my 30s), I didn’t know so many so never felt it was popular.
Funnily enough, my eldest daughter [name]Madeleine[/name] (middle name [name]Kate[/name]) is known as [name]Maddie[/name] and at 5, she has complained to me before that there are “too many” Maddies and she wishes daddy and I named her [name]Buttercup[/name] (!) as she doesn’t know any Buttercups (funnily enough!).
My daughter [name]Isabella[/name] (middle name [name]Rose[/name]) is known as [name]Bella[/name] has two popular names to contend with but at her age she isn’t really aware of naming trends and seems happy enough with her name.
Again, [name]Olivia[/name] (middle name [name]Grace[/name]) will also have to contend with her name being so popular.
They are names I’ve always loved though so wouldn’t change them, despite their popularity. Their middle names are after family members so I wouldn’t change them either
My triplets have less common names which wasn’t a conscious decision, again, just names we liked. [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Jane[/name], [name]Florence[/name] [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Olive[/name].
However, despite their names my girls will all (hopefully!) grow up feeling like they’re unique and special in their own ways.
[name]Gracie[/name]
My name is [name]Sandra[/name]. The year I was born, it was #10 on the SSA name lists and over 22,000 baby girls were given that name. I always knew a few other [name]Sandra[/name]'s in school but it never really bothered me having a more popular name. I guess it was because I really like the name. My family called me [name]Sandy[/name] when I was younger but as I got older I insisted on [name]Sandra[/name] in school. I think the main thing to consider when giving your child a popular name is “is it a great name?” If so, then your child probably won’t mind too badly.
[name]Hi[/name]! I’m a huge [name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Eliza[/name] fan, and I’m glad you like your name. Would you have felt differently if you had a trendy name that was shared with your classmates? And one more question: Would you have preferred [name]Eliza[/name] to [name]Elizabeth[/name]?
Thanks so much for posting!
Take care![/quote]
[name]Hi[/name] [name]Jill[/name]! I’m sorry I’m only just getting back here now. In fact, I was just about to post again, to say that I’m sure I would have felt differently had my name been trendy. I love that [name]Elizabeth[/name] is classical, and popular for a good reason. I feel that since it’s one of those names that has stood the test of time instead of popping in and out for a few years, that I can bear its popularity. In fact, I’m proud of it!
On [name]Eliza[/name], I do like it a lot (it’s a beautiful name), and I even thought about using it for one of my kids. But as a question of which name I like better, I guess I am biased towards [name]Elizabeth[/name].
I hope this helped! (Great idea for a forum topic, by the way!)