[name_f]Imagine[/name_f] a situation where your kids will have an extremely common last name (in the US think [name_m]Jones[/name_m], [name_m]Smith[/name_m], [name_m]Johnson[/name_m], etc.) – does it dissuade you from choosing common first names?
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I have always gravitated toward popular baby names, especially for boys. Popularity usually doesn’t bother me, but the thought of my child being one of the thousands[name_f][/name_f] of [name_m]Peter[/name_m] Johnsons or [name_m]Timothy[/name_m] Smiths kinda makes me want to branch out and use something less commonplace.
If my surname was [name_m]Jones[/name_m], I’d be using the most outlandish names you can imagine. Not just because I’d want to avoid there being a million, other say, [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] Joneses but also because I think the [quirky first] + [‘boring’ surname] actually sounds so[name_f][/name_f] cool. A ubiquitous last name can give a first name such main character vibes!
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Eg [name_f]Solstice[/name_f] Jones…Bonaventure Jones…Cymbeline Jones…Vivendel Jones…Belphoebe Jones… I just love it!
For me, yes it does dissuade me from choosing common first names! [name_f]My[/name_f] maiden name was much less common and difficult to pronounce. [name_f]My[/name_f] parents gave me and my brother very short and simple first names because of it. I always appreciated that because I wasn’t spelling my entire name constantly. When I got married, I got a much more common and simple last name. It definitely factored in when naming our son. I didn’t want a super common first name, for multiple reasons, but having the common last name was one of them.
I have a very common first and last and my dad has a common first, last, and middle. [name_f][/name_f]For me the only actual issue I’ve had was one college class where there were two of us with the same first and last so we had to put extra identifying info on our papers so the prof could tell us apart which was annoying but not a huge deal. Its a bit of a bummer not having a cool and exciting name but its also nice not having to worry about being identifiable every time somebody hears your name. [name_f][/name_f][name_f]My[/name_f] dad on the other hand has had actual genuine problems. There is another guy of a similar age with the same exact full name in our area (the middle might be spelled different? But that doesn’t help in scenarios where its being said out loud or where just a middle initial is used). This has resulted in mixed up mail, mixed up health insurance claims, mixed up legal trouble, mixed up background checks, and so on. Its been well over a decade since this started and it still pops up every once in a while. [name_f][/name_f]So while I don’t think it has to be a dealbreaker, especially for your number one favorite, I would definitely go for a more unusual middle name. I also only think you’re likely to have issues with like top 10 names like mine and my dad’s. Maybe being a bit hesitant about like the top 25 or so if you’re set on a common middle and your last is actually statistically in the top 10ish, but mostly I wouldn’t cut a name from the list for this unless it was really really really common. [name_f][/name_f]If I end up naming kids with my maiden name and not my future partner’s name this is something I’ll need to keep in mind. [name_f]My[/name_f] boy list trends more common so this would definitely be points against the few top 10 names I like but if that’s the one I may still go for it and just make sure the middle is more unusual.
I mighty be slightly put off, but at the end of the day, I think I’ll use the names I love regardless of their popularity. (Though granted, most of the names I would consider for my children aren’t extremely popular). But no matter what, my children are still special, loved, and important, regardless of how many people share their name.
(not saying you’re implying people with common names are special, just my own thoughts on it!)
This was an interesting one to ponder, but hard to quite pinpoint how much my answer is influenced by the fact I just like more unusual names anyway?
See, when I first read the question, my immediate instinct was to say, yes, if the last name was super common, that would sway me away from the popular choices, but then I stopped to really think about it - and I don’t think it would impact my decision that much? Maybe it’s my lack of interest in last names as last names and my focus on first names?
And thinking about it, for myself - I have a fairly distinctive surname and a popular first name, and given the option, I would rather have a common surname and an unusual first name. The first name is the one I get called by, have to hear most, use most. My surname is just - there.
So I suppose it’s really that I just care more about liking the first name than worrying about the combination’s over all popularity? If that makes any sense?
Lol this is literally me. I’m not sure it influenced my taste in names as I already preferred more unique names anyway. I’ve come to appreciate my plain/common last name because it goes well with almost everything
Ooh interesting question. I agree with @persephonescrown[name_f][/name_f] if my last name were [name_m]Jones[/name_m], [name_m]Smith[/name_m], etc. I’d choose the most out-there name on my list [name_f][/name_f] [name_f]Or[/name_f] at least[name_f][/name_f] something out of the top 100… unless I really loved it?! It’s hard to say! [name_f]My[/name_f] LN isn’t very popular so I’ve only named from that perspective.
This was our situation when naming our son. [name_f][/name_f] [name_f]My[/name_f] list is generally made up of familiar names that are not particularly common or in style. But when I was pregnant, I lost interest in the names on my list and was drawn to classics like [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_m]Adam[/name_m], [name_m]Sam[/name_m] and [name_m]John[/name_m].
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I didn’t get to the point of seriously considering the surname because my husband didn’t agree on any of those classics. If he had agreed, then they would’ve been subject to elimination as with any name on a short list.
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Some names get dropped because one partner doesn’t feel it’s right, sometimes it’s a nickname issue, and sometimes it’s not enjoying the sound or vibes with the surname and any other number of reasons as you know.
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I think I would’ve ruled out [name_m]John[/name_m] for feeling too common and anonymous, but probably not [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_m]Adam[/name_m] or [name_m]Sam[/name_m]. In the end, our son has a familar but uncommon first name that sounds great with his common surname.
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I definitely wouldn’t go outside my style for something very rare or bold in nature just to off-set the surname. That’s not for me. Something a little distinctive suits me best, but ultimately I was after a name that instinctively felt right, and which my husband and I both enjoyed. A common name with a common surname may still fit what we’re after.
I’m somewhere in the middle? [name_f][/name_f] There are quite a few names I love that are classic and familiar, but I also love rare and unexpected names! [name_f][/name_f] I can honestly never thought “oh my surname is too common for [Olivia],” although it is a very common surname!
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In the end, I think I would go with what I love. [name_f][/name_f] Which is sometimes [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_m]Jack[/name_m], and [name_f]Grace[/name_f], but it’s also [name_f]Aquila[/name_f], [name_f]Maranatha[/name_f], and [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]! [name_f][/name_f] [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Johnson[/name_m] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_m]Jones[/name_m] might be very common, but if [name_m]Peter[/name_m] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is YOUR name, while the common surname is a little disappointing, I wouldn’t pick something I liked less! [name_f][/name_f] That being said, I would love to have a hyphenated surname, so I think that’ll cure any boringness from a name like [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_m]Jones[/name_m] or [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] etc!
[name_f][/name_f] [name_f]Or[/name_f] at least[name_f][/name_f] something out of the top 100… unless I really loved it?! It’s hard to say! [name_f]My[/name_f] LN isn’t very popular so I’ve only named from that perspective.