When do you consider a name popular?

earlier, i was thinking about how i wish ophelia wasn’t so popular, but it’s only rank 321 in the us, which isn’t that popular. however, i honestly don’t really know what i consider too popular to use, or just popular in general.

now i’m wondering, what rank do you consider popular? the top 10 or top 50? maybe even the top 100, 200, etc?

additionally, what rank is too popular for you? it’s so different for everyone so i’m curious what rank would be too popular for you to use!

I consider a name popular if it’s in the top 100. I tend to like when names are out of the top 200 for myself

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Probably top 100, or if it reaches a point of overuse in my day-to-day life.

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I consider it popular if it’s in the Top 50, especially Top 10, but I think I care less than most in regards to popularity “ruining” a name. I think if you truly love a name, it won’t end up bothering you.

I swore I would never use a “popular” name a few years ago, but now my beloved [name_f]Violet[/name_f] has skyrocketed up the charts. I still plan to use it & love it to bits though! Same with [name_m]Theodore[/name_m].

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I don’t pay much attention to the charts. They are interesting and it is like [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] morning when they are released each year but they don’t reflect my experience. For instance, [name_m]Mateo[/name_m] came in at 15 for 2021. I know of one. They aren’t swarming around here. [name_u]Everly[/name_u] came in at 50 and I hear that name ALL the time.
I pay more attention to my local area and sometimes social media. When it seems like every few birth announcements or kid on the playground is named a certain name, I consider it popular.

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If it’s popular on name berry I consider it popular since most popular names on name berry become popular through the years from what I’ve read :thinking:

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This is a great point! I think that more and more parents, especially where I live, are inventing “unique” hyper-trendy names such as [name_f]Brylee[/name_f], [name_u]Braxton[/name_u], [name_m]Jaxton[/name_m], [name_f]Kinzlee[/name_f], etc. As much as I hate this trend, it’s making it so I hear less actually “popular” names on the playground.

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a hard question! i generally consider top 75 to be too popular. now, too popular for me depends. a lot of my favourites are very popular, but i’d still use them. i’d steer away from the top 20 regardless of my love for a name, but i’d use a top 50 name (unless i was aware that it was on the rise, and likely to become top 20 soon)

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Top 100, for me

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For me, it’s if I am repeatedly hearing a name used, either online or in real life. If it’s in the top 100 I consider it somewhat popular, but I’m influenced more by names I hear used than the charts. [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is 375, but I know multiple. [name_f]Camila[/name_f] is 12, and I don’t know any.

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For me above the top 500 is starting to be questionable, it would have to be a name I truly loved. Especially if they are on the upward trend. Though that doesn’t mean I won’t consider a name above that on the chart it just feels more risky. But if I love the name I’m not going to let is popularity so me from using it.

I also pay attention to how much the name is being mentioned here and on other social platforms. Often times you can tell which name or trends is up and coming before it officially reaches the charts.

I agree with @namergirl3! I try to pay attention as to what the people around me/social media announcements are naming their babies or have named their children recently, and compare it to the US charts, but mainly because it’s interesting to look at! I would only consider a name too popular to use if I’ve heard it one too many times, which can tend to cause names to lose a bit of sparkle. Otherwise, I try not to worry about their official rankings. If I can’t get it out of my heart & head then I take it as a strong sign it’s here to stay!

Top 50 for me when it comes to Scotland’s and Finland’s lists which are the ones I like to keep an eye on - both being smaller countries anything beyond top 50 isn’t actually all that common (and Finland actually doesn’t list names beyond the top 50). I’d say top 100 is what I’d consider popular for the [name_u]England[/name_u] and [name_m]Wales[/name_m] list, and maybe the same for the US!

I used to not mind popularity really but having picked one name that’s not currently popular where we live, I suddenly don’t want to name a hypothetical sibling anything in the top 50 either. :smile:

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Ranks aren’t, to me, the main factor in whether I consider a name popular. I’m more concerned with how often I personally encounter a name among people of all age groups.

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i consider a name popular when it’s in the top 50. that doesn’t affect my naming choices though. if i truly loved the number 1 name, i wouldn’t hesitate to use it. i would still prefer it to be less popular though.

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If I’ve known many people with that name, even if it does not rank on the charts, I consider it to be popular. I like a lot of popular names (Rose, [name_f]Isla[/name_f], Ada) and they rank very high where I live, so my notion of ‘too-popular’ is the Top 50.

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I think above 150 is popular to me, but with names like [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], I’m more wary of using them because of how fast they are rising in the charts. Same with [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], and [name_f]Luna[/name_f]. Those seems to be more popular or ‘trendy’ to me. (that could also be because of where I live!)

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i think that’s why ophelia feels so popular to me! it’s crazy how fast it’s rising

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I don’t base it on a chart, but rather my lived experience. For example, I have had not one, not two, but five Lincoln’s run through my class this year and no Liam’s. :laughing::laughing:

But for a more relatable experience, probably top 100 is a good estimate. Maybe 150. Either way I’m not super bothered by it. I prefer names that are a little less common but it’s not the end all be all.

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Top 10 is popular for me — I find that if it’s in the Top 10, or has been in the past, I generally know multiple people with the name. And, while I do consider the Top 100 popular, I do find it tends to be more regional. There are several Top 100 names that I have never encountered before. Though, I might hesitate to use them in case they continue to rise and I begin to hear them more.

For girls, I’d say Top 15 is definitely too popular for me…but as I said, I’d still hesitate on the Top 100. However, I really, really loved the name and no other name felt right, I’d use it — as long as it’s outside the Top 15.

For boys, I am honestly not bothered by popularity at all. [name_f]My[/name_f] top 2 boy names are in the Top 10 and I’d still use them in a heartbeat. I can’t explain why that doesn’t deter me; it just doesn’t. :woman_shrugging:t3:

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