Lately, I’ve been feeling like all of my favourite names are becoming more and more popular.
Now, I understand that in a way that’s really nice, because that means a lot of people like the name just as much as you do. I also wouldn’t absolutely take a name off the table because of popularity if I really absolutely thought it was perfect.
Am I the only one that cares a little bit about popularity though? I don’t go for crazy out-there names just for the sake of being original, but I don’t want my child to be the next [name]Jessica[/name], and to be known only by first and last name all through school, you know what I mean?
I keep looking for new names, and when I decide I really like one, I look it up here. Almost every time I decide on a name, it starts popping up all over the place, and it’s sort of frustrating.
Anyway, sorry, my questions:
Does anyone else feel the same way about popularity? It doesn’t dictate all of your decisions, but you want to avoid ‘the next [name]Emma[/name]’?
[name]Do[/name] you feel like the same things happen to you? (about choosing a name and it appearing all the time soon after)
If yes, do you think it’s just a weird coincidence, maybe you just like the in-style type of names, or maybe you just notice how popular it is now that you are actually paying attention to that name?
I understand the frustration. I love unique names and feel sad when it ends up popping up big in the name cloud, even though I don’t own the name at all and should feel happy that another child may receive the lovely name that I love so much.
I do think that once we fall in love with a name, we notice it more because we are looking out for it. I noticed that when I had a name crush on [name]Margot[/name]. It seemed to pop up everywhere. I also noticed that when my family got a new car. Suddenly I noticed the same car everywhere else, but never noticed it before.
I don’t think children now will have as much of a problem as all the [name]Jessica[/name]'s and the [name]Ashley[/name]'s did, because more and more people are picking different names and being more unique with baby names compared to the past generations. Of course, a little [name]Sophia[/name] will most likely meet another with her name, but that isn’t always likely to happen. I have never met another [name]Sophia[/name], and I know that there are a ton of [name]Sophia[/name]'s being born in my state. None of my son’s friends have that name.
I know what you mean, popularity isn’t that big a deal to me and I’ve accepted that [name]Josephine[/name] will probably climb the SSI list here but when I saw that Athénaïs was gaining popularity (in [name]France[/name] not US) I was a little disappointed. I still say if you love a name then you should use it.
Ohh I feel you.
That’s how I feel about [name]Aria[/name] somewhat. I don’t nix names based on popularity, but if I hear a name too much too soon, it loses it’s appeal, and I get sick of it, and that ruins my love for the name, and I feel robbed. pouts
In all seriousness, it can get aggravating for me because I know how I operate, and that I’ll end up disliking a name I was head over heels for if I get over-exposed to it.
Example: I love [name]Olivia[/name], and I only know two [name]IRL[/name] and I hardly see it on here. So I’m not over-exposed at all, even though it’s the top name in my country, and in the top 5 in the USA.
However, [name]Aria[/name], which is a name not even in the top 100 in the USA, and a name I’ve never seen in my country. I’m over exposed to because I see it on here, almost all the time. Everyday almost I see a new thread on how much someone loves [name]Aria[/name], and wants to use it etc.
So that’s how it works for me. I need a balance, I like to hear about it sometimes, but not too often because it kills the name for me.
And yes, I usually like a name and then it spikes. It’s like I have some psychic feeling to like the name and them boom! The spike occurs! There are opposite occurrences though, [name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name] are both names I started liking after everyone else did. (Although [name]Charlotte[/name] I didn’t realise was popular at the time)
