I’ve gotten into this weird thing of scratching off names that I know people have used. Eg. an ex-teacher of mine from high school named her daughter Anastasia. I have never met the little girl, well I did but she was a baby at the time. I reacted the same way when a friend of mine mentioned she knew named Tabitha. Its not that these little girls wouldn’t be lovely, but eventually my irrational fear will mean I can’t use any pretty names. Am I the only one? Does it ever seem that the names popularity overrides everything?
I most definitely do not do that! Which you can see given that [name]Olivia[/name]'s my 4th top name in my signature, and I currently work with two Olivias, and know of at least one other.
I don’t understand crossing off names once it’s been used once or twice. If it’s everywhere you turn, then I can understand. It get over-saturated, but a handful of times? Definitely not my practice, but I know a fair number of people do it.
I would only do this for people in my close friends or family. Unless your list is almost infinitely long, eventually you’ll meet enough people that you’ve ruled out everything you like, or are left with only names that are extremely rare. (some names just happen to be rare, but others are that way for good reason)
Oh yea, and if you’ve met half a dozen people with the name, it might be different, but one person who happened to like the same name as you isn’t the same as true popularity.
I don’t actually cross them off. Instead I have a column in my excel spread sheet for “other notable things”. Where I list the names connection to TV shows, people, ect. Sometimes if the mood strikes me I will turn it gray for a while. But I tend to find after a few months that some of the concerns I was thinking about while crossing something off aren’t as important anymore. (Yes my list is long cause nothing ever seems to go, but this way I don’t ‘forget’ about a name I might love.)
Why should you not use a name you love just because a friend of a friend of a friend that you’ll never meet happens to share your taste in names? I can understand avoiding names of friends and family, but make that rule too far reaching and you’ll end up using a name you don’t totally love and regretting it.
Yeah I’m the same as you if I know of a person who has used the name then that’s it for me! Obviously these people that I know of are connected through wider social circles and hear about them and their business on facebook so I’d be hearing a lot about their child. Popularity is a big thing for me and unless I truly love the name I try to stay out of the top 50 definitely, and 100 preferably.
[name]Isaac[/name] is well within the top 50 boy’s names but I’ve only ever met an 11 year old and a 6 year old with the name and I’m dreading the day someone I know names their son [name]Isaac[/name] because I’m not sure what I’d do. I also have a distant relation that has a son named [name]Jude[/name] and that has really put me off but I still love the name.
I loved the name [name]Scarlett[/name] but a girl I know of named her daughter that name so immediately off my list.