I was talking to my mother today about names. I would throw out some and every once in a while she’d say, “I love it but its too popular.” I’m sure this has probably been asked before, but I was wondering everyone’s opinions were about popularity. Has to be outside the top ten? Top 100? Not even in the top 1000? What is too popular? Does popularity even matter to you? I would love to hear everyone’s ideas about it. Thanks!
Too popular to me means that I should know at least 3 children with the name. I know about 5 children with the name “[name]Emma[/name]” so I would consider it popular.
Like @oboeplayer1, if I know several children with the same name, then it’s much too popular (though I’m not around children that often.) Also, if a name is around the top 100, I’m more likely to pass on it, especially if I’m iffy about the name to begin with.
Its more popular then the person wants really. Like some people think top 1000 is too popular, mine is top 10 because I would hate to be one of three. But it doesn’t ruin the child so I don’t really care.
“Too popular” to me means it’s within the top 200 and/or I personally know more than two people with that name.
I think some names are immune to popularity, if they are classic enough. For example: [name]Anne[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Sarah[/name], [name]John[/name], [name]James[/name], etc. However, other than that, I would want my name to be out of the top 200 at least, preferably not even in the top 1000
To me it means in the top 50-100 and I know of kids with that name who live near me. If a name was #100 and I knew kids named that, I’d rank it more popular on my own list than a name at #50 that I hadn’t heard on kids in my location
Personally, I wouldn’t give my child a top ten name – unless I was so in love with it that I didn’t care – not because I’m worried so much about being “unique” but because I wouldn’t want them to have three or four others in their class with the same name. So, too popular, in my opinion, is when I know more than two or three people who have that name.
For me there is not a too popular cut off as such, but names within the top 50 are assessed on a case by case bais. Factors that are taken are if the popularity is steady or if it’s spiked and will therefore date, if there are over similar names that are also popular meaning that the name is more popular than the ranking suggests, how many people I know personally with that name, as well as how much I love it. However I must admit popularity doesn’t mean much considering the top name was only given to about 300 kids here in NZ, which seems like hardly anything.
‘Too popular’ to me, I base on how often I hear it. For example, [name]Jessica[/name] is #4 on the 2011 UK list but I’ve not met a single baby [name]Jessica[/name], and the ones I know are more teenager age, so I’d use it still. [name]Evie[/name] is lower down, at #11, and I hear it everywhere, so even if I liked it it’d be a no-go for me. I don’t have as many boy favourites, though, and I’d still use [name]Oliver[/name] (#2) and [name]Charlie[/name] (#4) because I love them so much. I guess my girl absolute favourites ([name]Anna[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name]) aren’t quite as popular as my boy ones.
There is no such thing as “too popular” to me. There is, however, a thing called “trendy” or “too trendy”.
I really don’t care about popularity so ‘too popular’ for me would be when all other 7 billion inhabitants of [name]Earth[/name] are called either [name]William[/name] or [name]Eliza[/name].
Anything in the top 20 is too popular for me, but if I really loved a name I think I would still use it.
I’ve loved the name [name]Malachi[/name] for many years. It is currently #168 and I’ve never met a [name]Malachi[/name]. The fact that it’s #168 really put me off and I’ll probably never use it, too popular for me. I really like that none of my top 3 for boys and girls are in the top 1000:)
Too popular for me is the Top 10. But if I really love a name I could care less.
I don’t think that popularity is a reason to not use a name. There is a reason that names like [name]Ava[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name] are so popular. They are beautiful names. If you love a name, you should use it.
I don’t really go by the rankings, but how often I hear the name. I do like looking at the more geographically specific rankings, though. I find those far more helpful. For instance, if [name]Stella[/name] is number one in Malibu, but rare where I live, then I might use [name]Stella[/name].
If I actually know a child w. the name, it would be out regardless of how unusual it is just b.c it would confusing to have kids growing up together w. the same name. If I hear a name at the park all of the time, it is also out, b.c then I think it would be too popular, as in my kid would be one of several w. the name in his age-group. However, I have spent my entire life spelling out my name to people and dealing w. mispronunciations and questions about it. Now I am doing the same for my son. I can see the appeal of giving a truly popular name- nobody is going to be confused by [name]Elizabeth[/name], for example.
I’d say in the top 100-1000, depending on if it is the Danish name chart of the British. ^^
For me it’s how many I know with a particular name or how many I’ve read in the births section of the newspaper. There was a point when almost every single girl in my Brownie Pack was called either [name]Emma[/name] or [name]Jessica[/name]. [name]Way[/name] too popular. About 8 or 9 years ago a lot of friends and acquaintances were calling their daughters [name]Ella[/name], and now there’s tons of little Rubys and Olivias showing up in the paper. [name]Niamh[/name] is also getting too popular. I think because I’ve always worked with kids and teens I’m really conscious of name popularity. Confusion ensues in conversations re things like which [name]Lily[/name] you just gave a stat dose to, or which [name]Emma[/name]'s mum is coming to visit, and no one wants to be known as [name]Lauren[/name] B their whole life (I may or may not be speaking from experience. Probably am.)
For me, “popular” names are those that consistently rank in the top 100 throughout the decades.
Well I go mostly by the Northern [name]Ireland[/name] and [name]England[/name] & [name]Wales[/name] lists (the Scottish too, a bit). As a rule I’d say top 75-100 in [name]England[/name] and [name]Wales[/name] (with an exception or two) and 200 in NI (where I’m from, though I go to uni in [name]England[/name]) with, again, a few exceptions. Though, tbh, most of my names aren’t even ranked in NI as they only rank down to names given 3 or more times. A lot of mine haven’t been given any.