I hear so often that parents are scared to use a name that is popular, for fear of having the last initial added to their child’s name ([name_f]Lily[/name_f] S, [name_f]Lily[/name_f] W, etc.) if there are students that share the same name in the classroom. I’m a teacher and I know there are many other teachers on nameberry. I was hoping we could list the names that we have in our current classrooms where that is actually necessary. I’m just curious to see how often this ends up happening and with what names.
The only names I have had duplicates of this year are [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] ([name_u]Nick[/name_u]) and [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] ([name_u]Alex[/name_u]). I have 2 of each. Last year I had THREE of each in a single class. Other than that I have had no other duplicates this year and last year.
What duplicates have you found in your classrooms?
I think that fear is often unnecessary, it seems to be more of a coincidence when duplicates occur in the classroom.
Working in a preschool last year, these were the duplicates I heard:(Aus)
[name_f]Willow[/name_f] 2
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m] 3
[name_f]Ella[/name_f] 4
[name_f]Gracie[/name_f] 2
[name_u]Aiden[/name_u] 3
[name_u]Riley[/name_u] 2
Some of these are top ten names, but surely it’s more of a coincidence that there were 2 Willows?
I see more repeated names among girls in local birth announcements. I’m not a teacher, so that’s how I keep up on the name trends.
In the past few weeks I’ve noticed multiples of [name_f]Sara[/name_f], [name_f]Brielle[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Samantha[/name_f], and [name_m]Reegan[/name_m]. The only duplicates for boys I’ve seen are [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] and [name_m]Jack[/name_m]. Ottawa skews middle class and conservative, so it isn’t often that I hear a creative, edgy name around here.
Here are a handful of names that I’ve had multiples of frequently in the past few years as teacher. I wouldn’t be surprised if other middle and high school teacher had a few of these as well.
My [name_f]MIL[/name_f] is a highschool teacher and a about 3 years ago she has 3 girls named [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], a girl named [name_u]Jess[/name_u] and a girl plus 2 boys named [name_u]Jessie[/name_u]/[name_f]Jessi[/name_f] in the one class! (32 students in the class) That must have been confussing!
I’m not a teacher, but I do work at a childcare center, and out of the seven three year olds I work with, we have three Amelias and two Kellens, neither of which I have ever thought of as overly popular.
I teach part time at a p2-k, and I currently have multiple of the following: (out of the 45 kids in p3)
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m] (2)
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u] (2) -one is actually [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], the other is [name_m]Charles[/name_m] but always goes by [name_u]Charlie[/name_u]
[name_m]Luke[/name_m] (2)
[name_m]Phillip[/name_m]/[name_m]Philip[/name_m] (2)
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u] (2) 2 Camerons, & 1 [name_u]Camden[/name_u]
[name_u]Jaden[/name_u]/[name_u]Jayden[/name_u]/[name_u]Jaiden[/name_u] (3) - one is a girl, two are boys
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (2)
I think it really depends on where you live. Example… everytime I’m at a park I meat a girl age range from 2-5 and her name it’s always the same name… [name_f]Ella[/name_f]. I love the name its a great name no wonder so many are choosing it.
As for classroom my fifth grade child has an amazing variety hardly any duplicates since he began schoool six years ago, with the exception of 2 Jacobs and 2 [name_f]Ava[/name_f]'s. Girls vary from [name_f]Annalise[/name_f], [name_u]Delaney[/name_u], [name_f]Alexa[/name_f], [name_u]Stevie[/name_u], [name_f]Michelle[/name_f], [name_u]Josie[/name_u] and [name_f]Hailey[/name_f]. While the boys vary from [name_m]Donavan[/name_m], [name_m]Liam[/name_m], [name_u]Reese[/name_u], [name_m]Luke[/name_m], kyler, and [name_m]Gerrit[/name_m].
My third grader has a lot of duplicates in his classroom/grade at his school. Literally five [name_u]Dylan[/name_u]'s, three Connors three [name_f]Emma[/name_f]'s three [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s two [name_f]Gabriella[/name_f]'s, two [name_f]Ashlynn[/name_f]'s, only one [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] and my son is one of two [name_m]Kaiden[/name_m]'s.
It really depends on the year of the kids in the class and the location. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though there are only two [name_m]Kaiden[/name_m]'s in my sons grade I hear his name everywhere I go. He was born in 2005 before the name was so popular and now it’s very popular where I live.
When I was in 2nd grade (2002-2003), we had a [name_m]Brian[/name_m] and a [name_m]Bryan[/name_m] in our class, plus two boys named [name_m]Travis[/name_m]. [name_m]Both[/name_m] of them had the same last initial, W., as well, so we used the first two letters.
At the daycare I volunteer at, there are three boys named [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], one in the toddler room and two in the preschool room. [name_m]Both[/name_m] of the preschoolers go by [name_m]Jake[/name_m], too, so they use their last initials. There are also two girls named [name_f]Ava[/name_f], two girls named [name_u]Addison[/name_u], three boys named [name_m]Caleb[/name_m], and a boy and girl both named [name_u]Cameron[/name_u]. This is just in a daycare with about 40 kids!
Definitely not a teacher, but doing work experience in a Nursery last year (UK system, 40 children aged 3/4 doing half days each), there were -
[name_f]Amelie[/name_f] x 2, and an [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and an [name_f]Emily[/name_f]
[name_f]Freya[/name_f] x 2
[name_f]Ella[/name_f] x 2
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] x 2
More [name_f]Eva[/name_f]/[name_f]Evie[/name_f]/Eves than I can remember
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]/[name_f]Lotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]/[name_f]Bea[/name_f]
[name_f]Lola[/name_f] x 2
[name_m]Jack[/name_m] x 3, and a [name_m]Jackson[/name_m]
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m] x 2
[name_u]Alfie[/name_u] x 3
[name_m]Ben[/name_m]/[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m]
[name_m]Ruben[/name_m]/[name_m]Reuben[/name_m]
[name_u]Alex[/name_u] x 2
[name_m]William[/name_m] x 3
I think they pretty clearly represent what’s popular for middle class [name_m]Britain[/name_m], honestly. No major anomalies.
I work with children with special needs. Popular names that I have heard in the last couple of years include [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] ([name_u]Abby[/name_u]), [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] ([name_u]Danny[/name_u]), [name_u]Jordan[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]/[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f], and [name_f]Kaitlin[/name_f] (which is also my name.)
I’m not a teacher, but I know duplicates of:
[name_u]Brayden[/name_u] (and various other spellings) 3 - 2 boys and 1 girl.
[name_u]Dylan[/name_u] - 2
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u]/[name_f]Charleigh[/name_f]/[name_m]Charles[/name_m]- 3 - 2 girls and 1 boy, respectively
[name_f]Ava[/name_f] - 2
As I teach middle school you would have to look at the 2000 list of most popular names but here are my repeats from last year and this year. I am also in the [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_f]England[/name_f] region of the US.
These are duplicates I’ve had in the last 2 years as a student teacher in K, 1st, and 6th grade
[name_u]Jayden[/name_u]
[name_u]Micah[/name_u] (unbelievably popular in my area)
[name_u]Jesse[/name_u]
[name_m]Chevy[/name_m]
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]/[name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Serenity[/name_f] (I had 3 and they’re all spelled differently.)
[name_u]Jordan[/name_u]
[name_f]Kaia[/name_f]/[name_f]Kaya[/name_f]
I’m not a teacher, but I work at a family-oriented tourist attraction in the Midwest that receives both Midwestern and Southern guests.
Names I’ve Heard 3+ Times:
[name_m]Tanner[/name_m]
[name_u]Hunter[/name_u]
[name_m]Gavin[/name_m] (this one surprised me)
[name_u]Brayden[/name_u]
[name_m]Cayden[/name_m]/[name_u]Kayden[/name_u]
[name_u]Jayden[/name_u] (fewer than the Braydens and Caydens/Kaydens, though)
[name_m]Nicholas[/name_m]
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m]
I have met two Liams, but that’s one for each year I’ve worked at this place. So I’m always left wondering why posters say things like, “[name_m]Liam[/name_m] needs to go away and die.” It’s one of my favorite picks for a boy.
