What’s the beef with [name_f]Emily[/name_f]? I’ve been reading up on it via other name sites/opinions and it seems [name_f]Emily[/name_f] gets a lot of flack for being too popular, overused, plain etc. Of course I know a handful of Emilys but the name is starting to grow on me. I like the fact that it’s well known, ages well, and isn’t overly frilly. I have [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] on my list and I think [name_f]Emily[/name_f] captures the spirit of both. So what’s the general [name_u]Berry[/name_u] opinion? Is [name_f]Emily[/name_f] too expected and boring? If anything, I feel like [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is becoming mega popular and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] would be refreshing to hear again. Thoughts? 
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] are way too popular/common/boring to me.
Personally, I feel like there are so many other fabulous names. I’m tired of [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s reign.
I prefer [name_f]Emilia[/name_f]. A LOT MORE.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f], along with [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] and [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], are nice enough names. Perhaps once they had character (there’s a reason they got so popular in the first place, right?). Unfortunately, especially for those who are of the generation where they became so popular, or associate with them on a regular basis, the name has become so bland and boring it loses the spark and creativity that makes names special to each of us. It’s a shame: I actually used to really like [name_f]Emma[/name_f] due to the literary cred, mostly, but it’s heard so often and I know so many, I’ve just lost my taste for it. [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s not a bad name, but it is, unfortunately, rather boring and expected, and has the possibility to become dated in a couple years (think [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] and [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f]).
I know plenty of Emilys and I still love the name. It is soft and sweet and as you said ages well. It also suits a variety of women/girls so there’s less fear of it not “fitting.” Yes, it’s very popular, but I think some of the “hate” for popular names is a little misplaced. I had a very popular name growing up and I never hated it.
I guess people think it’s boring because most of us know so many. I can’t really get excited about it but I do like it, helps that I have a very artsy and out-there friend named [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. The literary associations- Brontë and [name_m]Dickinson[/name_m] for starters- are great.
As for dated, I personally don’t think so. It’s been top 10 for more than 20 years and top 50 for nearly 40, that’s a long enough length of time that it doesn’t make an [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s age obvious. A certain time period yes- I would expect an [name_f]Emily[/name_f] to be between a newborn and in her 30s/maybe 40s- but there’s a HUGE difference between the two.
I love [name_f]Emily[/name_f], but yes, it’s expected. I know Emilys of all ages…from 90 year olds to newborns and everyone in between, so it’s a classic and timeless choice…it’ll never be dated or trendy or tied to a certain decade. BUT, I know so many that honestly, I’m a little tired of it.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] is indeed enormously popular but for good reason. It’s a lovely little dear. I do imagine that at school or work etc she would most likely go by [name_f]Emily[/name_f] S. or [name_f]Emily[/name_f] T. (depending on the surname) so that’s certainly something to consider. Personally, I would like my child to have a name that is their own, rather than sharing it with a handful of others. [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is a nice name, so I guess it all revolves around whether or not the parents have anxieties about their child’s name being one of many.
Personally, I do prefer [name_f]Emilia[/name_f]. I like the bouncier feel to it, and it is a lot less common. Also, nicknames like [name_f]Emme[/name_f], [name_f]Mila[/name_f] or [name_f]Millie[/name_f] could further set her apart from the similar-sounding [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s around her.
I agree 100%.
Honestly, I hear [name_f]Emily[/name_f] more than I do [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. It is really popular near me, especially in my grade. I know less younger Emilys than I do Emmas, but I am around more Emilys on a daily basis, so I do find [name_f]Emily[/name_f] kind of boring. I really like [name_f]Emma[/name_f], I fell in love after reading [name_f]Emma[/name_f] by [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u]. I’ve kind of given up on it since I know it is so popular. If [name_f]Emily[/name_f] isn’t too popular for you, then go for it, but it is kind of expected.
Thanks for all the input guys! Girl names are much harder for me so I think I tend to play it safe. Does anybody have any suggestions for names along the lines of [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f]? I’m not expecting any time soon, just trying to find a girls name that I absolutely love as much as my #1 boys choice
[name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Stella[/name_f], [name_f]Mamie[/name_f], [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_f]Lena[/name_f], [name_f]Cora[/name_f], [name_f]Lyra[/name_f], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], [name_f]Alice[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] (and its variants), [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f], [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_f]Chloe[/name_f], [name_f]Noelle[/name_f], [name_f]Mila[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]/[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Cecily[/name_f]/[name_f]Cicely[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f], [name_f]Niamh[/name_f]/[name_f]Neve[/name_f], [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]/[name_f]Maeva[/name_f], [name_f]Britta[/name_f], [name_f]Zinnia[/name_f], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], [name_u]Rain[/name_u], [name_u]Skye[/name_u], [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], [name_f]Arabel[/name_f], [name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
Thank you! I really like [name_f]Stella[/name_f], [name_f]Cora[/name_f], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], and [name_f]Mila[/name_f]
I love [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is a good friend, she could be girly or a jock, she could be anyone really. In a way the commonness is nice, that it doesn’t confer any specific impressions the way something much more dramatic ([name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]? [name_f]Corisande[/name_f]? [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f]?) would.
There are names that get trendy and then get old, but there are names that are timeless classics. [name_f]Emily[/name_f] goes in that category, [name_f]IMO[/name_f]. [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] and [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] get flack for suddenly being especially popular, but sometimes a name’s popularity is actually well-deserved. Pretty is pretty.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] may be popular- but it’s a great name!
I like [name_f]Emily[/name_f] a lot more than [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], it’s a lovely name and it might be because of that it is popular. I don’t think of it as an expected name, I think expected names depend on the parents more, I think the only names I expect at the moment is [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] but that’s just in my circle of friends and family.
[name_f]My[/name_f] gut reaction is yes. As a name nerd, I find [name_f]Emily[/name_f] boring and predictable. I totally understand what you’re saying about the positives (aging well and all that,) but I do find it yawn-worthy. Maybe just NMS. A pretty name though.
I love [name_f]Emily[/name_f] but I do fear it’s too popular.
Nothing wrong with the name itself, but I just don’t think your daughter would want to be one of three other girls in her class to be named [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. I have a very popular name myself ([name_f]Julia[/name_f]), and growing up I always hated having to share it with so many other girls. I remember trying all sorts of different tactics to escape my name’s megapopularity, because that’s how much I hated it. And for goodness’s sake, Julia was only at #37 the year I was born. Emily is currently at #7.
But that being said, I know plenty of girls (and guys) with very popular names who say they don’t mind it at all. So I guess it’s really up to you whether or not you decide to make popularity a factor in choosing a name for your daughter.
Exactly. I don’t love the name but I don’t hate it, either. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it’s popular, [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is much more refreshing than any trendy name. It’s a classic and for good reason.
Yes, there are people who don’t like having a popular name. However, I doubt most people care that much about whether they have a common name or not. People don’t know your future daughter and for them to say that she [name_m]WILL[/name_m] hate having to share her name is a bit… odd. [name_f]My[/name_f] name was #6 the year I was born and only rarely did I have the same first name as another girl in my class. [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], the #1 name the year I was born was more than twice as popular as my top ten name. It’s more likely that your daughter’s school will have twice as many [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]'s in her class as [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s.
Have you considered using a middle name that [name_f]Emily[/name_f] could use as a double barrel first name? Something like [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_u]June[/name_u] or [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] would help set her apart from the “just [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s”.