For several years now, I’ve loved the name [name_m]Declan[/name_m]. It was before the whole [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]/[name_m]Braden[/name_m]/[name_m]Cayden[/name_m]/[name_u]Jayden[/name_u] craze. I don’t remember where or how I discovered it, but I immediately fell in love with it. I told my husband (then boyfriend) the name and he loved it, too. Several years later when I was pregnant, it was our top pick for a boy… we ended up with our daughter, [name_f]Nora[/name_f] (another name I had loved for years).
Boy names are harder for me in general. I don’t have the same passion for them as I do for girl names. [name_m]Declan[/name_m] started losing its appeal to me - partly because I saw people commenting on it saying it was “trendy” or “just another Irish boy name ending in n.” Another reason is I think I’ve loved it for so long and it was my top, go-to name that it started feeling stale to me.
I have other boy names I like, but my husband doesn’t really like any of them all that much. I do, but nothing seems to have the staying power for me except [name_m]Declan[/name_m]. But again, it’s getting stale. For a while, I was leaning more towards [name_m]Miles[/name_m], but I’m realizing it’s really popular where I live. One of my daughter’s best friends was named [name_m]Miles[/name_m]… but then another one enrolled in her school. And then there’s a [name_m]Miles[/name_m] in her gymnastics class. Popularity is a big deal to me so it turned me off. So I’m back on [name_m]Declan[/name_m].
[name_f]My[/name_f] concern for [name_m]Declan[/name_m] is popularity and trendiness. I see it popping up more and more on naming sites, but is it really being used? I know it’s crawling up the SSA charts, but so is [name_f]Nora[/name_f]. I have yet to meet another little [name_f]Nora[/name_f] and when people learn her name, they all say, “Oh how pretty and old-fashioned! You never hear that name anymore!” I know some people must be using it somewhere, but I have yet to see if firsthand. I’m wondering if that’s the same for [name_m]Declan[/name_m].
[name_f]My[/name_f] final concern is… [name_f]Nora[/name_f] is still a pretty straightforward, familiar name. [name_m]Declan[/name_m] is not. I mean, I know they both have Irish origins but many “normal” people may not know that. So they may seem weird together…and [name_m]Declan[/name_m] may be seen as trying too hard or something.
Sorry this is long. I know I’m rambling about just one little name, but we are going to be TTC soon and if I decide ultimately that [name_m]Declan[/name_m] is off the table and we have a boy… well, it’s going to be interesting.
So, what are your thoughts on [name_m]Declan[/name_m]? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you personally know anyone named [name_m]Declan[/name_m]? If so, what age and where?