So, my husband and I are probably going to start TTC at the end of this year or early 2017. I love the history of language and language in general so obviously when we made this decision I immediately became obsessed with name possibilities. After my research, (which probably bordered on unhealthy obsession, lol) I ended up pretty firmly on a name for either gender. My whole life I’ve valued uniqueness because I’m rather an oddball myself. So naturally I didn’t want anything too popular. I found THE PERFECT NAME! My choice for a little girl was [name_f]Amara[/name_f]
It is Sanskrit originally (I love ancient cultures), it flows with my chosen middle name ([name_f]Roselyn[/name_f]), i love the meaning (eternal), it still fits in with modern times, I’m obsessed with the nickname “[name_f]Mari[/name_f]”, etc… In 2014 it was rated in the 500’s, which seems like a pretty safe choice even with the current trend of vowel names for girls. Of course I knew it would become more mainstream but I never thought it would be #60! I’m devastated.
What I want to know:
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think it is/will be very popular in the U.S.? Or is the huge jump due, in large part, to interest from parents in other countries?
Thanks in advance for opinions and for enduring my incredibly long diatribe!
I really can’t imagine that [name_f]Amara[/name_f] will be a super popular choice, so much so rendering it unoriginal. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t get caught up on the numbers. Unless you actually know any Amaras, don’t be too concerned. You’re talking about a name you have thought so much about and love, vs a number on a website.
[name_f]Amara[/name_f] is very pretty, and if you love it, use it.
Definitely don’t worry about the numbers. So many people get so caught up in avoiding popularity and get rid of the best names. It’s so skewed anyway, popular names aren’t like they were a generation ago - you’re still likely to not meet someone else with the name. I agree with @flamingo - if you don’t know an [name_f]Amara[/name_f], the number is irrelevant.
I can’t see it getting overly popular. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it does names aren’t as popular as they were previously that said I have a name that was in the top 100 when I was born and I only know five other [name_f]Ebony[/name_f]'s none the same age as me (so never in the same class for two years I was the only [name_f]Ebony[/name_f] in my school of almost 2,000), my sister on the other hand has a name that at the time was rare and pretty dated, the town right near the one where I grew up had another [name_f]Adele[/name_f] in it the exact same age (meaning their netball team of 12 had two [name_f]Adele[/name_f]'s).
I am not from the US, but really, I can’t imagine [name_f]Amara[/name_f] being popular at all. It’s used, but not overly popular. I say go with [name_f]Amara[/name_f]. It is a pretty name and you obviously love it.
Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t worry about the Nameberry popularity number. It means very little. I remember one year where all these mainstream news outlets reported that [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] was the #1 name for girls and linked back to NB as a source. Like…no. The number of times people click on a thing usually has nothing to do with how many times it actually gets used in the real world. [name_m]Even[/name_m] in the cases where it does, I’d say “berry favorite” names are closer to the UK charts than the US ones.
I think you’re safe with [name_f]Amara[/name_f]. Another thing to keep in mind is that the people clicking on it aren’t necessarily parents; just name nerds! Scroll through the Nameberry popular names and you’ll see what I mean—plenty of berry favorites aren’t even in the US top 1000.
I would say [name_f]Amara[/name_f]'s popularity depended on your circle. For me most of the Amaras I’ve known or heard of were black or hispanic in urban areas. That being saod I’ve only come across about 4 in my life personally. I don’t think its too popular but I like super unique names so #60 would push me away.
Some other names like it are:
[name_u]Amari[/name_u]
[name_f]Omara[/name_f]
[name_f]Amira[/name_f] nn mira or miri
Amaura
[name_f]Amani[/name_f]
[name_f]Annora[/name_f]
My name was rated #52 the year I was born, In high school I graduated with three other girls and a boy with same name in a class of 250. Now in college, even in my small 15 people classes, there is almost always another girl with my name. I lived with 3 other girls with the same name as me last year. Her name would not be unique even if it rises. My name is supposedly 4 times more popular for boys, and I know way more girls with the name, I know unisex isn’t a problem for you, but I just want it to be clear that discounting the boys, there were still tons of girls with the same name. My parents never knew another [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] when I was born, they thought it was rare and special.
You should definitely use it since you obviously love it. It’s still only ranked 513 in real life. Having a namberry ranking of 60 really doesn’t mean much. I think it will increase in popularity some, but I doubt it will ever get super popular. It’s a beautiful name and it definitely feels special. Go for it!
I think the SSA lists are way more reliable than Nameberry rankings. For one thing, most people here will not be able to use every single name on their lists even if they [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] those names.
Plus, even beyond the regular SSA name list, it’s helpful to look at the popularity by state, and also look at the total number of births/total percentage of births. To put things into perspective for you, I’m a [name_f]Melissa[/name_f] born in 1988 when it was ranked 16th most popular. I RARELY encounter another [name_f]Melissa[/name_f] around my age. Heck, I rarely encounter another [name_f]Melissa[/name_f] at all, and it was ranked #2 from 1977-1979.
I also think if it’s a name you feel that strongly about, you should use it even if it suddenly becomes the #1 name in the US and on Nameberry (which I think is unlikely although it is a beautiful name).
