What do you think of popular names?

I have never really cared for popular names but I still agree that names like [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], and [name_u]Liam[/name_u] are pretty overused. I remember having at least 3 [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]'s in one class and they all went by [name_f]Bella[/name_f]! However, I tend to like some popular names so I wouldn’t mind if my child had 1 or 2 [name_f]Ella[/name_f]'s in her class. So I’m asking what you think of popular/overused names?

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Same here, I’m tired of [name_u]Oliver[/name_u], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]. But I wouldn’t mind if my child has other students with their names, as long as their nn options, i.e.: [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]; [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_m]Chuckie[/name_m], [name_f]Lottie[/name_f], ect. If that makes sense.

I like names that are popular, as long as a don’t know a ton of people with that name! I don’t know a lot of Emmas, so I consider using it in the future, but I would never consider [name_f]Emily[/name_f] because I know like 8 of them!

Depends on the name. Some popular names I love, some just don’t make sense to me / I don’t like.

I think popular names are fine. They’re generally popular for a good reason - Classic, pretty/handsome.

Personally, I don’t want my kids to have names that have been heard a hundred times. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with those who do decide to give their child a popular name.

I guess it just depends on someone’s style. Popular isn’t my style :sweat_smile: For example, one of my favorite compliments that I’ve ever been given was, “[name_f]Elle[/name_f], the only ‘basic’ thing about you is that you love iced coffee.” I still get that warm and fuzzy feeling when I think of that moment :rofl: :rofl:

It depends on the name. I wouldn’t actually use a popular name myself (though you could argue that Hjörtur is reasonably popular in Iceland, but that’s a completely different matter). It’s not that I automatically dislike all popular names, I just find most of them rather boring and wouldn’t want my child to be in the same classroom with three other Olivers. For some reason I get bored with girls names sooner than with boys names. So I don’t really mind if I meet another little [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] or [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], but another baby [name_f]Emma[/name_f] might make me roll my eyes. Maybe it’s because I’m more drawn to classic boys names but I prefer more spunky girls names?

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If a name became a trend in the last 1-2 decades it bothers me. If it’s a classic that has been always around it doesn’t bother that much. I find [name_u]Logan[/name_u] or [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] more boring than [name_m]William[/name_m] or [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f].

I personally wouldn’t want to use a popular name.
[name_f]Every[/name_f] time I see an Instagram birth announcement I get this moment of excitement before I read the name and then… it’s [name_u]Harper[/name_u].
If there were a name that were popular but somehow special to me I might use it, it would really depend. But I like the idea of a little magic every time I hear the name and after hearing [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] 500 times I don’t really feel that magic.
Of course that’s just me having an individuality complex;)

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I don’t mind popular names. While I agree some are overused, I think they become unique on each child.
[name_f]Mia[/name_f], [name_f]Delilah[/name_f], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m] are some of my personal favorites.

I think they are totally fine, but probably not something I would pick for my own child. [name_f]My[/name_f] name was in the top 10 the year I was born, and I hated having such a common name, and always having to be “[name_f]Megan[/name_f] last initial” or be forced to choose a nickname to avoid confusion. For that reason, I’m hoping to use a name out of the top 100 or so.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorite names in the top 20 (in the US) are [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], and [name_f]Camila[/name_f] :slight_smile:

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I’m tired of [name_u]Oliver[/name_u] and [name_f]Olivia[/name_f]. They have dominated the naming charts for way too long. I guess some names are popular for a reason though, in the sense that generically people like all the same things about a name? On the whole it’s more refreshing to hear names which are not used/heard of very much.

I myself have two boys who have popular names but for me it’s a case of not knowing anyone else by these names, which therefore don’t seem popular to me?

If I love the name I would use it. I go by a super popular nickname, there were three of us who shared a name/nickname in my high school class with fewer than 100 people, and one of those actually had my same middle name too! It was really no big deal to go by a last initial sometimes and I’ve always liked my name. I think this might be something that Nameberry parents worry about more than kids, or parents in general.

That said, the top name in my state in 2019 had 1/3 the number of births of the top name in 1989. So really the most popular names have gotten less popular with time.

Also, choosing an unpopular name, is no guarantee that there won’t be multiples in a class.

I say if you love a name, why go for something that doesn’t make your heart sing just because it’s common? Also, sometimes parents who choose unique names find out that other parents had the same idea.

As someone with a unique name, I wish my name didn’t speak before me.

Generally, I don’t like them, but I do think [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Eva[/name_f] are pretty names.

[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] is one of my favourites. If I love a name, then the popularity ranking doesn’t really bother me.

Another factor is how many people I actually know with the name. I don’t work with kids and I’ve only met a couple of Isabellas in my life, so it doesn’t feel overused to me in the same way that many popular 1980s/1990s names do. Isabella just wasn’t a popular name when I was born. I’d think most of parents using Isabella currently are in the same boat as me and don’t know a large number of Isabellas.