Too popular?

[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! So I keep reading that the name [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is hugely popular and in the Top 10 in several countries; however I don’t know anyone named [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] or know of anyone who is thinking of naming their baby [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. Maybe it’s just not popular where I love? Anyway I am considering it for my next baby but if it’s really overused, I probably won’t use it. Where I live, there are tons of girls named [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Abigail[/name_f]…anyone have any insight into the actual popularity of this name? Thanks!

Popularity where you actually live is definitely very variable, and might not reflect national rankings. It’s worth checking out state rankings if you’re in the US, or local birth announcements to see which names crop up most often.

I live in a rural area in central [name_f]England[/name_f], and I have to say that [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is one of the most popular names here. [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] I’d say are the top 3 girls’ names I hear most often right now, and [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_u]Noah[/name_u] and [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] for boys. That’s close, but not identical, to the national rankings.

I second the suggestion of checking how [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] rates in your state. [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] hasn’t quite caught on in my area either.

[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is #1 in the UK and was #15 in the US in 2014. It has only been in the top 100 in the US for 10 years, so unless you know lots of kids under the age of 10, you probably won’t have heard it that much. However, [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is likely going to continue to rise, so unless you want your child to have a super popular name, I’d choose an alternative. You could go for [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f], which sounds similar but is much less popular, sitting at #832 in 2014. [name_f]Amelie[/name_f] is another less popular but similar sounding alternative (#677 in 2014). [name_f]Delia[/name_f] is another really pretty name with a similar sound. Good luck!

I love [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]! I have only ever heard of 3.

I agree with @[name_f]Katinka[/name_f] that popularity is all relative to exactly where you are located. I only know one [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] who is school aged. If you love the name and dislike the popularity, what about [name_f]Emilia[/name_f]? It has a different beginning sound. If that’s still too similar I feel like [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] is close in sound and is considerably less popular as is [name_f]Amelie[/name_f], another beautiful yet underused name.