So, I was wondering if anyone else gets turned off by names becoming ‘too popular’? My boyfriend and I pretty much agree on two names at all: [name_f]Ava[/name_f] and [name_f]Clara[/name_f], but they’re so popular - especially [name_f]Ava[/name_f]. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t get me wrong, I love the names but if I had my own way I’d go with [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f], or [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_f]Ava[/name_f] etc.
A lot of people on NB do. I wouldn’t want my kid to be in a classroom full of [name_f]Ava[/name_f]'s, but as a middle is totally adorable. [name_f]Clara[/name_f] seems fine to me, but if it’s too popular to you, consider variations such as [name_f]Clarissa[/name_f], [name_f]Clarice[/name_f], [name_u]Clare[/name_u]/[name_f]Claire[/name_f], (this is a bit far-fetched) [name_f]Clarabelle[/name_f].
Popularity puts me off and stresses me out a lot, and it’s probably what I worry about most. I love having an unusual name, and even though I can’t predict how they’ll feel, I want my kids to have the same. It’s not the worse thing in the world of course, but I’m quite extreme about it at this point.
I struggle with this, too. My DH and I really love the name [name_f]Ava[/name_f], but I keep hesitating about it since it’s so popular. Realistically, I know that if the worst thing my child has to put up with is going by first name and last initial in school, she’ll be pretty blessed, but I still hate the thought of her feeling like one in a sea of Avas. As other posters have mentioned, if you love [name_f]Ava[/name_f] or [name_f]Clara[/name_f] but hate the popularity, you could change it a bit. I see you’ve gotten some good alternatives for [name_f]Clara[/name_f]… Variations for [name_f]Ava[/name_f] might be [name_f]Eva[/name_f] or [name_f]Ada[/name_f]?
If you’re set on a name that’s popular, here’s something that may make you feel better: I read this weekend that a long time ago, the top 10 list of baby names made up about half of the population because there just weren’t as many names to choose from. These days, the top 10 names only make up somewhere between 2-4% of the population (I can’t remember the exact number), so even though [name_f]Ava[/name_f] may be deemed “one of the most popular,” it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a ton of them at your kid’s schools. Also – for what it’s worth: I’m an elementary school teacher, and I haven’t met a kid named [name_f]Ava[/name_f] in 4 years!
Popularity is a massive turn off for me. But I understand the battle - we have [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] on our list, and we both love it, but I always cringe a little at how popular it is.
I guess it really comes down to how much you love the name. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it is popular, if you really love it, maybe it is with using it. Better than regrets later.
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I will use the names I love regardless of popularity. But I do tend to love the idea of giving my children names that will make them the one and only. Still…most of my favorites are, if not fairly popular, at least familiar. [name_f]Edith[/name_f] is probably one of the more rare names, but with Despicable Me and Downton [name_u]Abbey[/name_u], it seems fairly common. So, no, popularity is not an issue for me. Maybe my opinion will change when the time comes for me to actually have children and name them, but if I had a baby tomorrow, he or she would be one of my top five names which are all common enough. Though it also depends on how many I know personally. I have met plenty of little Lilys and little Henrys, but I don’t know any that I interact with regularly, so that’s also something I would consider. I know an [name_u]Everett[/name_u] now that I see quite often, which makes me hesitate to use it even though I adore the name. Perhaps, in 4-5 years or so, when I’m ready to have kids, my regular associations will not be the same and it won’t matter anymore how many Ellas and Everetts I know:)
This definitely a personal thing. Popularity only really bothers me if I know a lot of people with the name. There was a minute a fell in with [name_f]Ella[/name_f] (never met one) but now enjoy longer names with the nickname [name_f]Ella[/name_f]. If I was absolutely head-over-heals with the name still then I would consider it despite it’s popularity. On the other hand, I guess a lot of the top names have lost their appeal to me because I hear them so much. Sometimes that even happens with not so popular Nameberry favorites. There was a time where I didn’t even think about the most popular names in the US, yes I knew what they were but I didn’t really pay attention to them. [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] is one I have ignored for years because it was “too popular” but now I like it a lot and think it’s super pretty. It’s not a top favorite but if my SO loved it then I’d consider it.
I think most people have some sort of threshold for what they consider ‘too popular’. It’s just that this threshold is at different places for different people - someone may balk at the top 10 while another person won’t use anything from the top 1000. Also people use different methodology in determining what is ‘too popular’ - some look at stats, some only take into account the people or young children they know personally. Some people apparently get around their discomfort over popular names by simply changing the spelling, which I find very silly myself.
Personally my threshold is pretty high. I think a name would have to be top 5 or so for me to maybe consider it ‘too popular’, but that changes if I feel like I am meeting a lot of little children named X.
Popularity is relative. Take [name_f]Emma[/name_f] (my name), it is the #1 name on the list — 20,000 babies were born with the name [name_f]Emma[/name_f] — but it’s not that popular. It is 1% of births, in our grandparent’s day over 5% of births had the #1 name. People get very hung up on the list and it irks me a fair bit, especially because the list doesn’t take into consideration spellings and pronunciations, so it’s inaccurate. There were 4,467 babies named [name_f]Madelyn[/name_f], 3,305 named [name_f]Madeline[/name_f], 1,062 named [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f], 537 named [name_f]Madalyn[/name_f], 412 named [name_f]Madalynn[/name_f], 763 named [name_f]Madelynn[/name_f], 1,021 named [name_f]Madilyn[/name_f], and 638 named [name_f]Madilynn[/name_f], and probably hundreds of others with various spellings (Maddalyn, Madalin, Madelinne, etc.) — 12,205 from the list — but if you looked to check popularity, you’d see [name_f]Madelyn[/name_f] way down at #59. “Oh good, it’s not too popular!” When really, there are many more [name_f]Madelyn[/name_f]'s than [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], and 30+ other names that do not have alternate spellings. My daughter’s name is #89, but it is probably much lower due to this issue. However, many wouldn’t choose it because it’s in the top 100.
If you love [name_f]Ava[/name_f], then use it. She’ll likely meet others, but it’s more likely she will meet [name_f]Maddie[/name_f] and [name_f]Bella[/name_f].
I’m not personally completely opposed to popular names. I believe that you should only go with a name for your kid if you absolutely love it. If the name happens to be popular, so be it! Go for the name you both love! I think that the dilemma here for you and your boyfriend is that {I could be wrong, and don’t take this in the wrong way} one of you hasn’t really dug deep into the endless pit of good names. I think one of the reasons so many people choose popular names for their kids is that they are a little afraid of stepping over the line, or maybe they have ideals set in their head of having a cute little normal baby. There’s nothing wrong with having a bit of healthy fear, or having ideals set, but I believe that if you explore even deeper into names with your boyfriend, then eventually you’ll find one that you really both like :D. Nameberry is obviously a fabulous place to start, as are tons of other sites such as:
https://www.babble.com/baby-names/ {Babble}
and
http://www.behindthename.com/ {Behind the Name}
Good luck on your search!!!
- [name_f]Marie[/name_f]
If it really bothers you, then you could look into having a more formal name with [name_f]Ava[/name_f] as the nn. Here are some ideas:
[name_f]Avalon[/name_f]
Avelina
[name_f]Aveline[/name_f]
[name_f]Avis[/name_f]
[name_f]Aviva[/name_f]
I dont think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is too popular to use, but I still dont like how popular it is and I wouldnt use it
I also definitely wouldnt use [name_f]Ava[/name_f], its way too popular
Are you sure there are no other names that you both like?
Popularity is the only thing that doesn’t matter for me. If I had to characterise it as positive or negative, I would say it’s positive for me. It’s an indication that the name is loved and well-recognised.
I have said a lot of times that my daughter’s name is [name_f]Maria[/name_f] honouring her father who was killed during my pregnancy. [name_f]Maria[/name_f] was N1 in Germany in 1998 and some years earlier/later {Most Popular Female Names Germany 1998 - BabyNames.ch} . We have lived in many countries including Greece(about 10y) and Spain(14m) where [name_f]Maria[/name_f] is on the top of the populatiry charts. We have met Marias of all ages. In Greece she was in the same class with 3 Marias and other 2 were in her friends cycle. And, believe it or not, she NEVER got called by her last name/initial or by a nickname.
Having a popular name is not as “tragic” as many people think it is. I’m sick and tired of hearing [name_f]Emma[/name_f], because I don’t like [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. It seems too incomplete (plus it reminds me of the Greek word for blood). [name_u]Noah[/name_u] is N7 for us but I like it very much.
If I love a name I use it regardless of popularity. If it means something to me, I don’t mind if other people think it is uninspired, overused or boring. I have never been interested in being congratulated by the name I used. If [name_f]Maria[/name_f] wants something more unique, she is more than free to change it.
Hear hear! I think sometimes (not always of course) at least some of the concern you see over popularity is an ego thing for the parents, wanting to be seen as creative or imaginative or whatever. Naming shouldn’t be about trying to impress other people.
If part of the reason I loved them in the first place is because they were uncommon, then yes.
However, then I also notice I loved the name for the wrong reasons, it was more of a superficial love.
I usually take them of my list then because I don’t want to become the name lover equivalent of a person commenting on a song on youtube “I was a fan of the band before they were popular” - as if that makes them better or more special in any way.
The definition of “too popular” is way too hard to pinpoint for me, so I never really take statistically popularity into account.
Popularity stats are rarely relevant to smaller areas; the national top 100 US standings don’t generally reflect the top 100 statewide rankings.
Of the Arkansas top 100 for girls; [name_f]Willow[/name_f], [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_f]Kinsley[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_u]Emery[/name_u], [name_f]Adalynn[/name_f], [name_u]Rylee[/name_u], McKenzie, [name_u]Bailey[/name_u], [name_f]Adalyn[/name_f], [name_u]Eden[/name_u], [name_f]Raelynn[/name_f], [name_f]Gracie[/name_f], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_f]Lilly[/name_f], [name_u]Allie[/name_u], [name_f]Brooklynn[/name_f] and [name_f]Callie[/name_f] do not rank in the top 100 nationally - and names that do rank both in the state and nationally sit at sometimes drastically different ends of the spectrum. [name_u]Paisley[/name_u] is #9 in Arkansas but nationally sits at #45; [name_f]Aubree[/name_f] is #78 in the US listing but #42 in Arkansas, etc.
So generally popularity charts aren’t even overly accurate indicators how commonly used a name is to begin with.
If you do consider state/regional popularity instead - it’s still likely to vary between cities, so it’s nearly impossible to gauge popularity statistically in your own community this way.
The only way I class something as “too popular” is if I hear it repeatedly in my area on small children for an extended period of time, or if I continuously see it crop up in local birth announcements. The name [name_f]Isla[/name_f] is a great example - of my parents’ friends who are grandparents, four have young granddaughters named [name_f]Isla[/name_f] (under age 5). That puts me off of the name a little, because it’s become a bit boring since it’s being used often.
I don’t take into account national statistics, but if I know 4 little girl named [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], I probably wouldn’t name my daughter [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], regardless of how much I liked it. It depends on my area, really.
I dislike “creative” spellings or uncommon spellings for names, though. For example, my name is [name_f]Emilie[/name_f], which was super popular the year I was born, so I grew up with at least 3 other [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s in my grade every year. I hated it, because none of my teachers ever spelled my name right, and I even had a few mispronounce it (which was weird, but I heard [name_m]Emil[/name_m], [name_m]Emil[/name_m]-eye, and several others that were just too complicated to be plausible?). So, if I wanted to name my daughter [name_f]Emma[/name_f], I would name her [name_f]Emma[/name_f], not [name_f]Emmah[/name_f]. Like, some names sound the same but are spelled differently that are fine, like [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], or [name_f]Isla[/name_f] and [name_f]Eila[/name_f]. But parents that purposefully change the name or go with a spelling that isn’t known or is little known in their country kind of bother me, because I grew up hating my name for that reason. But, it is a personal preference.
It wasn’t as much about having a popular name, but if there are 3 [name_f]Emma[/name_f]'s in a class and one [name_f]Emmah[/name_f], poor [name_f]Emmah[/name_f] probably won’t like her name being spelling wrong 100% of the time. But if there is an [name_f]Isla[/name_f] and an [name_f]Eila[/name_f], there won’t be as much confusion. It’s the same with [name_f]Hanna[/name_f] and [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], there is always going to be confusion if there is one of each in a class. It gets bothersome having to say your name is “[name_f]Emilie[/name_f] with an I E instead of a Y,” every time someone is trying to write it (I tried just saying with an I E once, and someone spelt it Eimily -_-). Or “[name_f]Hannah[/name_f] with an H,”. Or “[name_m]Stephen[/name_m] with a P H,”
But in my area rn, the boys name [name_m]Jacob[/name_m] and the girls name [name_u]Madison[/name_u] are super popular, so I wouldn’t name my child one of those names even if I liked it (unless I really loved it and it had really important meaning to me). However, [name_u]Addison[/name_u] and [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] are also in the top 100 (girls) for my state, but I haven’t met a single [name_u]Addison[/name_u] or [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] here regardless of age.
I don’t mind popularity a bit 
My name is [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] and growing up I had a lot of girls with my name at school. We were always called “the Brittanys” and it was always something fun! I was [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] C. and my best friend was [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] L. It felt kind of like a cute little club! My girls have pretty popular names and it again doesn’t bother me a bit. They don’t have any friends with their names but we do hear them out and about sometimes.