I betcha you never thought of using [name]Beatrix[/name] before you joined Nameberry. Or [name]Imogen[/name], [name]Miles[/name], etc. [name]Do[/name] Nameberry and other sites influence naming trends? Of course! If [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] say it’s cool, it’s cool. But why do base your naming decisions on two so called “experts”. I don’t think [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] are bad, and they definitely are experts, but why do let them tell you [name]Beatrix[/name] is cool? Why are their opinions any better than your great-aunt’s opinions? I could just as easily say [name]Priscilla[/name] is too “prissy” as I could say [name]Beatrix[/name] sounds like a “trickster”. [name]Don[/name]'t get me wrong, [name]Beatrix[/name] is a great name, but would you choose it over a favorite because of one opinion?
Nameberry is a website that encourages parents to be more daring and adventurous in their name choices, to explore other names and styles outside “the most popular list” , to help you to broaden your horizons and maybe even leave your “comfort zone”. I’ve been a name nerd since I was a child and Nameberry allows me to indulge in my love of names. Since joining this site, I’ve grown to love many names that I wouldn’t have considered in the past. The importance of someone’s opinion (experts or otherwise) is completely up to you. You should always choose a name you love - whether anyone else likes it and whether their view influences your choice is very subjective. The final decision rests with you.
[name]Do[/name] they influence trends, for some people maybe. Not for me really. I like the name [name]Kensington[/name], for a girl (the first time I heard of the name it was for a little girl, nn [name]Kenzie[/name]). [name]Do[/name] I still like the name despite the fact that [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] don’t seem to like it, yep. [name]Will[/name] I ever use it, no. Not because of how it’s seen on here, but because I have other names that I like more.
All of that said, name sites do an awesome job of introducing people to names that they may not of heard or thought of using before. I have learned so many more names on here that have been added onto my list that I hadn’t even thought of before! Some have positive reviews on here and some have negative reviews. I still like them all regardless.
I like to think that Nameberry is a secret society of name hipsters, if there can be such a thing. We like names before they’re considered cool by the general public. Once said names become too mainstream/popular, we generally don’t like them anymore. 
Most of the regulars on this site know a lot about names and name trends. We’re just ahead of the curve.
I’d also say that for some people, we’re on Nameberry for a reason. So, for example, I found NB after becoming interested in names and by googling my first name crushes. And on NB I found a lot of the names I’d found on my own were considered stylish and ‘rising quickly’.
I come to nameberry loving [name]Beatrix[/name]/[name]Beatrice[/name]. Now I hate it due to the constant attention it gets on here (just thought I’d address the specific example).
However, I don’t let people influence my naming style in the slightest. I am definitely more interested in the opinions of the general public and the people who will actually interact with my future children than a handful of people online who will never meet the child.
No, I liked the names I like before I ever heard of Nameberry. I found an old list I wrote in elementary school (early 90s) and it was full of uncommon names that still aren’t popular/trendy today. I often disagree with [name]Pam[/name] & [name]Linda[/name], so their opinions don’t carry any more weight than any other poster here.
My mom has great taste in names. Mom still get compliments on the uncommon names she chose for my brother and I, and a few of my cousins- like [name]Priscilla[/name]. Her opinion is far more important because she gets my taste in unique names
Nameberry definitely influenced me. Before I found it , I basically only knew the names that were popular in my area. It really opened up a whole world of names for me. I found out what I like is very different from what seems to be popular with friends and people I live near. And I am glad about that. I think my children will be very well named because of it.
Does it influence trends? I am not so sure. It would be fun to look at the top names in the next five years, and see if they were some of the names that are popular among name berry users right now. Hmmm, sounds like a future project.
[name]Beatrix[/name] is awesome! And it’s been on my list for ages (way before I discovered nameberry)! Personally, I don’t think I’m terribly influenced by nameberry. There are names on my list that weren’t there before I started using this site, but I never thought, for example,“I don’t like [name]Imogen[/name], but everybody on nameberry loves [name]Imogen[/name], so now I do, too.” Also, I don’t think naming sites have a great influence on naming trends. They’re not as “out there” in popular culture as celebrities or celebrity babies, which I think are much more likely to influence naming trends (I’m looking at [name]Penelope[/name] Kardashian). Having said all that, I think people on nameberry have much more sophisticated taste in names than the general public. I know if I posted a thread asking for opinions on an unusual name, I’d probably get a lot of positive responses, but, in real life, most people would baulk. I guess most people don’t think about names very much, so their response to [name]Beatrix[/name], for example, might be raised eyebrows because whenever they hear baby names, it’s usually [name]Aidan[/name] or [name]Emily[/name], so they think [name]Beatrix[/name] is weird. However, on nameberry, we hear more “unusual” names a lot and are more likely to think they’re awesome.
I feel like most berries are on this site precisely because they did think of using [name]Beatrix[/name]/[name]Imogen[/name]/[name]Miles[/name]/etc and stumbled across the site while researching names like those. I know that’s how I got here. The popularity of a certain name on NB will certainly influence how often I hear it, but no matter how much other berries (or [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name], for that matter) may gush about [name]Ruby[/name] or [name]Florence[/name] or [name]Iris[/name], I will never like those names. Like previous posters said, very few people are actually doormat-ish enough to just accept every opinion on NB as law.
I’ve been a namenerd since I was a pre-teen and I had superb taste by the time I was in my mid teens- including things like [name]Beatrix[/name], but even more obscure and odd things than that- I often completely disagree with [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] and have been called out as being “rude” towards them for questioning their position as “name experts” (because I do not qualify them as such, personally), so they do not influence me in the slightest.
That being said, I think that the internet has provided easier access and free exchange of information. Nameberry happens to be one of the most active message boards dedicated purely to names, so yes - we may have a [name]TINY[/name] bit of influence, but likely not as much as you would think. Names come around every 100 years or so, so it’s only natural that certain names and styles are making a comeback.
I have mixed emotions about sites like Nameberry and Babynames.com
Nameberry encourages people to think outside of [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Kate[/name] and look into the [name]Imogen[/name]‘s and the [name]Beatrix[/name]’.
The forums are also very helpful, because a lot of people gush about middle names other than [name]Kate[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name], which i have been stuck on for years.
But then you have the names like [name]Imogen[/name] and [name]Beatrix[/name]. Here’s my opinion on those:
NO.
think about when your daughter is in high school. [name]Imogen[/name] sounds like a pimply-know-it-all, and [name]Beatrix[/name] sounds like a drug-addict. C’mon people. [name]Marjorie[/name] [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Sloan[/name] [name]Dior[/name] is going to sound very fluffy and disgusting when your daughter has a job.
I’m not discouraging the use of unusual names at all, because, believe me, I’m all for it. But names like Talulah and [name]Willow[/name] are a reason there are boundaries.
Interesting discussion. I think it’s definitely a chicken-and-egg thing – Nameberry absolutely influences trends by spotlighting individual names and types of names that are beginning to rise…and then more people use them. But we also reflect trends that are already happening. It’s like any kind of style or fashion. We’re picking up on trends that are already in the air, whether they’re influenced by celebrities, pop culture, social trends such as feminism or conservatism, linguistic trends, street style. And yes, Nameberry also hosts a great community of experienced name nerds who track and sometimes set such trends too!
I think the OP is asking several questions:
[name]Do[/name] you think Nameberry and other sites influence trends? Only marginally. I think Nameberry reflects trends and potential trends, as [name]Pam[/name] said. On the other hand, people are influenced by so many factors in naming their kids: Their taste, their partners’ taste, honouring family members, past associations, characters in the media, celebrities, their friends’ kids, etc.
Would you rely heavily on one person’s taste to name your child, even if that person is an expert? Of course not, and I don’t think many people would. I still don’t like [name]Imogen[/name] or [name]Clementine[/name], whatever [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] think.
Does Nameberry influence peoples’ personal tastes? Yes, but not in the meaning of, “The Nameberry forum says this name is cool, therefore I like it.” Personally, I’d say Nameberry influences me most by exposing me to names I hadn’t heard before or heard in a long time. Secondly, Nameberry re-contextualizes some names for me. A lot of names get “filed away” into a certain category of my head, like “old lady names”. When a few posters say, “I’m thinking of naming my daughter [name]Beryl[/name]”, I may end up picturing a child named [name]Beryl[/name], rather than the old lady that previously dominated my image of that name. So it’s less the case of Nameberry itself influencing me, than it is that exposure to others’ opinion and tastes causes me to rethink my own tastes. Because there are so many knowledgeable people with varying tastes on here, I’m exposed to lots of opinions and that may ultimately influence my own opinion.
You honestly think a name like [name]Beatrix[/name] or [name]Imogen[/name] would effect a girl in high school and would be “fluffy and disgusting” when she get’s a job? LOL, wow, you are very confused.
I thought this too! [name]How[/name] does [name]Beatrix[/name] sound like a drug addict? Lol.
I couldn’t tell you, but this person also applauded “Graceyn”, so…yeah, I’m not putting a lot of stock in this. [name]Marjorie[/name], [name]Beatrix[/name], [name]Imogen[/name] - all names that have a long,established history, meaning and substance.Your personal taste has nothing to do with whether a name will do well in high school or a career. I HATE the name [name]Charlotte[/name], I think it’s really ugly, but I’m not going to delude myself into thinking that just because I have an irrational hatred for it that it is something that will hold a child back or stop someones career. Also, middle names basically do not matter. Who goes around and repeats their middle name all the time? I bet NO [name]ONE[/name] I have ever worked with aside from my fiance even knows my middle name, it’s not like you put it on a resume or job application, so putting a whimsical or unusual name in the middle is not going to hurt anyone.
Chuckling over the “[name]Beatrix[/name] sounds like a drug addict” comment. Somewhat agreed about middle names not meaning much-- the only time I ever hear them is when they’re read out at graduation or when people get into a middle name discussion, and then it’s kind of a mildly interesting surprise. Which isn’t to say they can’t be meaningful, just that they get very little use.
This is a very interesting discussion, but I think you’re being a bit hostile when saying “I bet you didn’t like…”. As with many other berries, I’ve owned name books and kept lists since elementary and have loved the names you mentioned far before coming to nameberry. It’s true that I have learned new names and gained new loves, but I think that’s a byproduct of having many people with similar tastes and different backgrounds come together. Certainly, nameberry may give a parent more confidence to actually use more obscure long time name loves by offering a alternate opinion to disapproving non-namenerd friends and family.
I’m sorry if I offended anyone. I was mostly just trying to figure what you guys thought, spark an interesting conversation. I enjoyed hearing your opinions. They definitely gave a lot insight. I’m not against any of the names I listed, I just thought they where good examples of popular names on Nameberry. It’s interesting that you guys liked all these names before you joined Nameberry. It was a totally different story for me!