We are expecting our first child shortly and do not know the gender. We want a name outside of the top 100 ideally which [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] was until the 2013 name data got released and it sky rocketed to number 56 in the U.S. [name_f]Canada[/name_f] follows the U.S. naming trends pretty closely but [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is not in the top 100 in [name_f]Canada[/name_f]. We are concerned that it will continue to rise in the U.S. (and [name_f]Canada[/name_f]) and that it will be the next [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] (not that it is a bad name - just not unique anymore).
Where do people see this name going - i.e., straight for the top, or has it settled for now?
As long as the Kardashian clan are on TV and in the news ad nauseum, [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] will continue its rise. I don’t think it will be another [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] but I do think it will continue on its upward climb. It may hover around the twenties. I wish I had a crystal ball to know for sure but it’s just a prediction. Look what happened to the name [name_u]Mason[/name_u] and [name_f]Khloe[/name_f]. I can’t for the life of me figure out what people see in this family but there’s no denying that they seem to have an influence on the popularity of some baby names.
I agree that it will continue to be popular but won’t be a top 5 name. Although I don’t think you need to avoid things in the top 100 necessarily. I believe the provinces post their own stats? That would be a better place to go to worry about popularity I think. I live and the states and I don’t worry much about the US stats, I check my state which is different from the national. [name_u]Noah[/name_u], for instance, barely cracks the top ten at #10, while it’s #1 in the US.
The question is, what is it that you are trying to avoid by avoiding the top one hundred? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you not want your child to be [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] last initial? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you want to avoid a trendy name? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you just want your child to have a unique name that no one has heard before? [name_m]Just[/name_m] avoiding the top hundred won’t necessarily help you with any of these.
We are looking for something on the unique side - not something that has never been used before, but something that would cause her to be the only one in her class or the only one on the playground etc.
[name_f]My[/name_f] fear with [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is its meteoric rise up the charts and I feel that it is only going to increase. So while we love the name we may have to let it go.
One of our other choices is [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] - which is not a top 100 name in the US or [name_f]Canada[/name_f], but [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] is number 46 in [name_f]Canada[/name_f]. So we are also having problems with that, as although not the same name they are very very similar.
Any further thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t forget that [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_u]Cruz[/name_u] gave the name a wallop of star power, [name_f]Tina[/name_f] [name_f]Fey[/name_f] has a [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] Chlumsky, of [name_f]My[/name_f] Girl fame and currently on HBO’s Veep, just used the name, too. And of course, people hear [name_u]Penny[/name_u] on a weekly basis if they’re watching The Big Bang [name_m]Theory[/name_m]. (Which, judging from the numbers, is most of the US!) And you have the added bonus that [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] was basically non-existant when the current crop of mothers were growing up, so it sounds even more fresh and novel. I do think it’s a great name - as does everyone else! I never thought it would be mainstream enough to enter the top 100, but the celebrity usage is really pushing it to the top. So I guess you’ll just have to decide if that’s a bad thing or not, because I see no reason why it won’t continue to climb.
I worry about this too. [name_f]My[/name_f] current thread is whether I should name baby #4 [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] nn [name_u]Penny[/name_u]. [name_f]My[/name_f] other children all have beatles names, [name_u]Jude[/name_u], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_u]Skye[/name_u] so [name_u]Penny[/name_u] is perfect. But I also like ruby.
I think [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] will continue to be in the top 100, but I cannot see it rising like ava, [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], or emma. I feel like people either love the name or hate it. At lewast that’s the reaction I am getting when I tell people I am considering it. They are either, " oh I love it, or they say [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]? really? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you get this?
By the way I love [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]!
I’d guess that [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] will get very popular, but it usually doesn’t happen overnight. If it’s not in the top hundred in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] right now I imaging it will take a few years to go up. If you named her this year or next, I think it’s likely that she will not have to share the name with other girls in her class.
One thing to consider is that while your daughter may not be the only [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] on the playground - and there’s no way to avoid this really, even if the name doesn’t climb much higher - it has the benefit of many nickname options. So she may not have to be [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] last-initial. She could be [name_u]Penny[/name_u], [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Nellie[/name_f], even Elpie or Opie if you really want to find something unique. It is a gorgeous name, one I am considering for a future girl myself (sorry!) haha.
As for [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] / [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], I happen to slightly prefer [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]. They’re both lovely though, and having an X in the name is definitely cool.
[name_f]My[/name_f] fears on [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] are being confirmed by the comments - which is a good thing and I think we may have to let it go this time.
So what about the problem with [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] being popular in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] at #46 while [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] (our preferred choice) is nowhere on the list. I realize they are separate names with a distinct separate history but they are so close that I wonder if it matters in terms of popularity/uniqueness.
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] or [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] are lovely combinations! I do think these names will stay in the top 100, but don’t think they’ll ever be super-popular. Look at [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]-- despite the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] books and probably a few more people learning to like (or being exposed to) the name, it’s still not really popular. If you love the names, I’d use them. But if you want some others that seem to have a similar feel to them, here are some suggestions:
