With the US top 1000 published recently, I’ve been looking at lot more at the top list for [name_f]England[/name_f] and [name_m]Wales[/name_m] (where I live) and noticed with dismay that some names on my list are creeping up. I know I’m not alone in this, so I wondered, how popular is too popular in your opinion?
Is top 10 a no-no?
Would you reconsider a top 100 name?
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you add up the different spellings e.g. [name_u]Eliot[/name_u]/[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]/[name_u]Elliott[/name_u] to try and work out the total number of babies with that name?
DH and I finally gave up on long-term favourite [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] last year after it became too popular (it’s not lost for good, just relegated to MN spot), but now many of our favourite boys’ names are going the same way. I know it’s a ridiculous thing to worry about in many ways, but it does put me off when the names I love get too popular.
Any name given to more than 1000 babies in [name_f]England[/name_f]/[name_m]Wales[/name_m] (in the most recent list) is definitely too popular for me. So that’s no names above the top 70ish. All those names go onto the GP list, until they go back down, so I actually have more definitely usable, not out there at all names, like [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_m]Archie[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_u]Kai[/name_u], on my GP list than crazy, way too out there names :p. In terms of popularity I count alternative spellings as the same name, because they have the exact same sound, so I add them too. That’s put [name_m]Luka[/name_m], Freyja, and [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] on the GP list too :(.
To be honest, I’m one of those people who takes popularity super seriously, and starts to doubt names that are even in the top 1000. I’d prefer it if all my favourites were below the top 1000. It’s just that I’m so far away from having kids, absolutely anything could happen, and I always end up worrying if a name keeps rising, even only by a little bit each year, it could still be pretty high, in say 10 years time. I tend to focus on that rather than the possibility that names could go down, or my tastes could change lol. [name_m]Even[/name_m] with more unusual names, I feel like people will (like me) want to use different names, and feel more comfortable doing so if more people do the same thing, like a chain reaction. I was pretty distraught when [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] entered the top 1000 in 2013, and I’m eagerly awaiting the 2014 list in the hope that it will have dropped (although I doubt it). It’s just one of those unusual names I think a lot of people like, but think is too out there to use, until they see more Caspians cropping up, and suddenly it’s more normal and okay to use.
The entire last paragraph doesn’t really answer your question, and went off on a tangent (sorry) but I can really go for it when it comes to popularity, even though I know it’s a pretty silly thing to worry about (since it’s so unpredictable). Gives me something to do haha.
Short answer: Exactly that is why you should probably choose an already popular name, you would not have to worry about anything.
Long answer:
There is no “too popular” for me. If I love a name, I’ll use it no matter if it’s #1 or #1000.
Let’s take Emma as an example. Super popular all over Europe, it’s still a name I absolutely love and don’t get tired of.
At least I know what I’m getting into, popularity-wise, when choosing Emma. Other names might be at #876 but it only takes one celebrity baby or one tv character to make it jump up the charts 500 places, and then my oh-so-darling unusual name is popular and trendy and I’m annoyed by all the little kids I meet with the name.
With Emma, it can only go the other way, and at least I know that I’m not botherd by 20 other little Emmas, from the start.
I find the whole “no Top 100” or even “no Top 1000” name thing to be ridiculous as who knows which name will be popular in 5 -10 years?!
Just look at Isabella, in the early 90s she jumped about 200 places every year. Or Penelope, she was barely in the top 1000 in 2001, now she is at 46. I don’t think any mum of Penelope would have predicted that in 1999.
I guess there are some names where “non-popularity” is part of the appeal and then there are names which you truly love, where it’s only about the sound and look.
Also keep in mind that people who haven’t had a baby in the last five years probably haven’t paid much attention to recent popularity lists. You can call your baby [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] or [name_u]Mason[/name_u] and people [e.g. family members, neighbors, friends] will still say it’s a lovely name. They don’t know it’s super popular. If they do happen to know one or two other kid(s) with the same name, they’ll only think it’s a great coincidence.
For me popularity is a factor, I haven’t had to nix any of my top choices yet because I feel like they are too overused but I have not put names on my list that came off as too trendy. For a family name I would make an exception especially if it was further down the list in my area. My opinion is likely colored by the fact that I was almost always in class with someone who had the same name as I did, going by name + last initial took away from the pride of having my name. Popularity is not my primary concern but I wouldn’t choose something that has been in the top 10 a lot.
For me, too popular is a name that I am just sick of hearing and seeing because it’s everywhere. That being said, I don’t really have that many kids in my life at the moment. Of the few friends who have had children, their naming style varies greatly and I haven’t seen a repeat in names yet. I personally view a name as being too popular when I just find it boring, expected, and common. [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], etc. all give me that feel because I just see those names so much and have been seeing them for years. They have been in the top 10 since I first started taking note of names. They are gorgeous names, but they simply don’t do it for me. They are too popular and common. However, this is where I again say this is just my opinion, but [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], which has broken into the top 10, is one of my most favorite names. I would use it in an instant. I have yet to meet a [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], it doesn’t seem popular in my area, and it still gives me that vintage vibe I want. However to someone else, [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is plain, common, and boring.
I used the top 1000 names list as a gentle reference, not a hard guide on how to name my children. It really all depends on your social circle and what people are naming kids in your area.
My rule is to choose names that I love so much, it makes me happy when others use it. [name_f]Every[/name_f] year on Mother’s [name_u]Day[/name_u], my kids and I sit down with the new SSA list and read off the numbers, like it’s some kind of sporting event. We cheer for whoever got the biggest increase in use since last year! We have a [name_m]Caspian[/name_m], and were pretty blown away that there were 87 of them this year. (@myosotis, that’s up from 2013 and still [name_m]WAY[/name_m] outside the Top 1000. It didn’t crack the Top 1000 last year — are you talking about a different country than the U.S.? If so, I’d be fascinated to know.) At the same time though, we have a daughter nn [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], which ranks #180 and comes out to about 1700 little girls, and that doesn’t freak me out either. I always look at actual numbers instead of the number rank alone. Because I could be really upset about a “Top 200” name but seriously? 1700 girls in the entire country? We’re not going to be bumping into Daisys left and right.
I do add up alternate spellings, consider general trends and similar names, and weigh whether a name was super-popular in the past and likely to skew the total number with that name. Notwithstanding, if I feel the need to “hoard” a name, to not tell people what I’m picking, to be upset at how many other people love the name (and therefore are using it), or freak out over how many of that name there are already… then it’s not the name for me. There are literally thousands of unused names out there just waiting to be found: forgotten medieval names, vintage gems, foreign variants of common names, literary picks, the list goes on and on. If someone feels upset that so many other people like “their name” then why not go find a different one? There are [name_m]PLENTY[/name_m] of names to go around without boring everyone by using the same trend names over and over.
If I really love a name I would use it right away regardless of where it sits on the charts. However I would and do pay attention to what’s trending in my area because a name in the top 50 may still be unheard of in my particular community. For example [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is #42 right now! I seriously had no idea it had gotten so popular, I mean I’m not around small children that much anyway. Typically I don’t like anything in the top 100 but I would still use [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] right now. I’ve thankfully never met a little [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] in my area and I would be seriously surprised if I did. [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]'s and [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]'s and all the 90’s names are still uber popular here so something like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] would be “groundbreaking”.
Well, I personally wouldn’t give my child a popular name full stop! However, I know the boys’ name [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] is pretty popular, this is the only name I’d consider using. I also know [name_m]Henry[/name_m] is popular, but I do really like this name too. However, many of the names I love aren’t that popular which is good, I wouldn’t want my child going off to school and there being four or five other children with that name. But, my other names I like aren’t popular so I guess I don’t have to worry there.
If you’re worried about popularity don’t go for a really popular name! Try and choose a name that people may not have considered, so when you tell someone the name of your baby they maybe surprised, but at the same time they like the name you have chosen.
Popularity doesn’t bother me, I think the top 100/1000 or whatever are a load of bullshit (excuse my [name_m]French[/name_m]) because it depends on the area. For example, let me look at the top 10 for where I live: [name_f]England[/name_f]. The top 10 girl names for 2014 are [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], [name_f]Isla[/name_f], [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] and [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]. A lot of these names are not popular here, and by this I mean I know a few called this who were born over 18 years ago and so my daughter is likely to not share her name with someone else in her class. For under 10s, I only know 1 [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] (expected as it’s #1), 1 [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], 1 [name_f]Isla[/name_f] and 1 [name_f]Ava[/name_f]. And for the top 10 boy names from 2014, which are [name_m]Muhammad[/name_m], [name_m]Oliver[/name_m], [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_u]Noah[/name_u], [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_m]Harry[/name_m], [name_m]Joshua[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], I only personally know 1 [name_m]Jack[/name_m], 1 [name_u]Noah[/name_u] and 1 [name_m]Harry[/name_m] who are under 5 years old. [name_m]Muhammad[/name_m] is only #1 because of the booming Muslim population, where [name_m]Muhammad[/name_m] is ridiculously common. Out of all these names, I only have [name_f]Lily[/name_f] and [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] in my top 7.
I don’t know where I’m going with this, I just mean that despite these names being in the top 10, believe it or not, I only know a few called them and they’re barely overused, if at all. I also get really annoyed at people who avoid the top 10/50/100 like the plague as if it’s oh so bad to have a daughter/son sharing their name in school, will she/he care?! Most likely not! If you love it - use it!
If I really love a name I’m going to use it regardless. The names that typically show up in the top 100 aren’t usually my style anyways. And if a name I loved started to become popular to the point that it bugged me I would probably just move it to a middle name option.
I hear you. I have taught school for over 25 years and I get very sick of hearing the same names over and over. Whether a name is spelled Cailtin or [name_f]Katelyn[/name_f] or [name_f]Kaitlin[/name_f], it all feels the same: very boring.
I think a middle spot is better for [name_f]Mathilda[/name_f] too, though I love [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] as a first, far more fresh.
And another thing: My name ranks in the top 50 here and I’ve only shared my name with a classmate once (and it actually helped us build a nice friendship).
In that same class I’ve had 4 other people who shared a name that was really not that popular, especially not for girls and there were three of them (it is one of the few unisex names here but it ranks much higher for boys).
So neither an unpopular nor a popular name will guarantee you to have 5 other classmates with your name, most other names in that class were actually much more popular and we only had one child with those names.
And one more: my sister is a relatively young Matilda and the name has taken off here in the last 15 years, it was a Top 10 name in my county (Bundesland) last year and she still only knows one other Matilda (not well though). In her whole grade there is actually only one Emma, too, but 2 Evas (a name that is really not popular here).
So you can never really say if you might end up with 4 other Aurelias in your class or if you stay the only Emma.
For me, top 10 would probably be a no-no, though if my absolute favourite name hit it big, I’d still at least consider using it
I think I’d reconsider a top 25-or-so name, but if my absolute favourite name got into the top 100 I wouldn’t worry too much about it (unless maybe it had risen really, really quickly)
Yes - I definitely add up the different spellings to get a better sense of how many times the approximate name has been used. If (using your example) [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] hit #1 and [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] was #896, I have no delusions that my little (theoretical) [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] would be distinguishable to most people from all of the Elliotts his age.
Basically, I’d like for any name I chose to feel relatively fresh. That said, I think there’s a possible downside to really unique, unusual names that’s only recently occurred to me: online anonymity. Using your sig for example, there aren’t going to be many [name_f]Demelza[/name_f] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [Surname]s out there, and I tend to be a bit tinfoil hat-y about this stuff, so I don’t know that I’d want my theoretical child to be very easily searchable. This would vary depending on how common his/her surname was, of course.
Meh. I named my daughter [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. With combined spellings, [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] sits ever so lovely at #7. [name_m]Will[/name_m] she possibly be one of many Zoes? Yep. There are worse things.
I’m very un-[name_u]Berry[/name_u]-like in my opinion, but I would even use a number three name, I think! [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] is my third favorite girls’ name, and I think it currently sits at number 2. I was born with a number 2 name, and I survived just fine. I’d prefer it not be number 1, but yeah. I’d still use [name_f]Olivia[/name_f]. And if my high school frenemy hadn’t used [name_u]Noah[/name_u] for her son, I’d probably still have that on my list, too. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it is number 1. As it is, I’d still use it as a MN. I didn’t really have any negative experiences with having a number 2 name, though, so popularity really doesn’t phase me. I sort of imagine my children growing up with security issues–just because I sort of did, and I very likely will adopt, and they’ll struggle to know where they fit in, at least in part, anyway. Maybe a more popular name would help them feel like they fit in, more. I don’t know.
But yeah. I’d easily use [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Tess[/name_f] or [name_f]Eleni[/name_f]. Anywhere from top 100 to top 1000 to top 5 to outside the SSA list. I guess it’s strange that my favorites are so all-over-the-place, but meh. I love what I love, haha! I would use them, and the popularity wouldn’t really affect me.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] like [name_u]Ash[/name_u], I have “un-berry” views on popularity. I think I would stay away from the top 3, but would still use a name I previously loved if it reached the top chart.
If I started hearing the name too often in my area/social circles, it would probably bother me as well, but only if it was something very ubiquitous, like if the last 5 babies I knew of were named [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] or smth like that