Willow - Real experiences?

Girl Names
1

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] all! We are considering the name [name_f]Willow[/name_f] for our baby girl due in a few months. It’s in the high 30s/low 40s in the US and down in the high 80s in my state (Northeast). I’d love to know two things:

  1. How many Willows do you know? What approx ages, and where approx are you located?

  2. If you have a daughter named [name_f]Willow[/name_f], what kind of reception do you find the name gets? Does she have other Willows in her orbit?

Thanks!

2
  • I know three personally and know of two more. Two are under 4, one is 5/6, one is in her 70s, and the other is a man in his 20s/30s. I also know at least three couples that have the name on their “short list” who are all ttc or currently expecting so I could potentially “know” a couple more. I live in the Missouri/Arkansas/Oklahoma area for context
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3

I don’t know any Willow’s – asked my mom as well (she works at the elementary school) and there’s none there either, which shocked me! I live in the southeast U.S.

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4

We’re antisocial hermits so I don’t actually ‘know’ anyone by the name of Willow. But it’s a name I hear frequently at the park & play groups. I would say most are 10 and under

We bounce between the pnw and southwest for school and tree names like Oak, Aspen, Juniper and Ash are are super popular here

5

This is my experience too. I’m like where are they all?!?!

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6

I don’t personally know any Willows and it’s very well recieved when I have mentioned the name to family! It’s such a gorgeous name!

7

I’m in the northeast, my kids are under 6 and we haven’t encountered any.

8

I’ve encountered quite a number of little Willows while out and about, mostly under the age of 6. I’ve also known a [name_f]Willow[/name_f] who’d be in her late 20s now.
I’m in the UK where it currently ranks at #11

I don’t, but if it’s any use, the people in my life who aren’t into names all still see it as quite unusual, but like, in a good way, a pleasantly surprised way

9

Congratulations :tada:

I love Willow she’s so carefree and breezy :herb:

I have a daughter aged 3 and I encounter a lot of children as we are constantly out and about doing things. One of my lovely friends has a daughter named Willow she’s actually Will0w-R0se her name is always received really positively. She’s the same age as my daughter. Funnily enough within my sister’s friendship group her friend named her daughter Will0w-R0se and she’s now 7 years old. Moving away from our friends I know three other Willow’s one from my daughters horse riding classes she’s 5, the other one is 2 and the other Willow is at my daughter’s nursery she’s 4. I don’t know any baby Willow’s.

I don’t have a daughter named Willow but my friends daughter is Will0w-R0se. I have babysat her a few times the name is always received positively when people ask me what her name is when I take her and my daughter Lilia to soft play. Willow is very in keeping with the trends of nature names so I think your Willow would get on just fine.

10

I live in the midwest and I’ve never met a [name_f]Willow[/name_f] in real life! I have a toddler and am around a lot of kids recently and I don’t know any little girls named [name_f]Willow[/name_f]. I’ve never met any when I was in school or as an adult either. The only Willow’s I know are [name_f]Willow[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] (Will Smith’s daughter) and the big tree from the movie [name_f]Pocahontas[/name_f] which obviously I don’t know either of those in real life.

I find the ratings to be interesting because some names are very high up on the charts but if you look at the number of babies born with that name it isn’t as high as it used to be. Back in the day [name_m]David[/name_m] was a super popular name and if you looked at how many babies were named [name_m]David[/name_m] it was a huge amount. But now the top of the charts is slightly lower numbers because it’s more spread out over all the names if that makes any sense at all.

I do think [name_f]Willa[/name_f] is popular name too though. So [name_f]Willow[/name_f] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f] might sound very similar when being used in a classroom or on the playground. So I’d take into account names that would sound similar to [name_f]Willow[/name_f] as well. I think it’s a great name though and might not be as popular as the charts make it seem!

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11

This is the reception we are hoping for! [name_f]My[/name_f] son’s name is much less popular according to the charts and people are often surprised and delighted to hear it. I don’t want to give baby girl something that seems ordinary compared to her brother’s name!

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12

Midwest here, have only heard it used by 1 friend of a friend for her girl a few years ago, don’t know any others and haven’t heard it on the playground either. I would not be surprised if you went with the name and you suddenly started hearing it everywhere because of its fairly high ranking, but it’s such a lovely name I wouldn’t let that stop me.

13

I know one [name_f]Willow[/name_f]. She is a student of mine. I do not know any others or even know OF anymore!

For reference I am in Australia:)

14

I know 1 [name_f]Willow[/name_f]! I believe she’s a teenager now, probably around 14? Not comfortable sharing where I’m from on a public forum but I am from the eastern half of the US.

I don’t see her often, so I can’t really say what the reception to her name is, only that there was a lot of “oh that’s interesting” comments when she was born - over a decade ago lol. [name_f]Willow[/name_f] seems perfectly lovely and normal to me, I think it’s a nice name.

Good luck!

15

[name_f]Willow[/name_f] ranks at number 50 here in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] but I personally only know one, and I love the name! I think it hits the sweet spot of being well known without being super popular, easy to spell and easy to pronounce.

16

I know 2. I would say they’re both pre-teen age. Both in the south east US.

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17

1 [name_f]Willow[/name_f], aged 7, in Australia

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18
  1. I know two Willows, one is 3-4ish and one is in her mid to late 30s. I’m in the midwestern US, and have a lot of friends with kids on the east coast as well.
19

It’s quite popular where I am, but that’s in the UK. Popular enough to put me off. Which is a shame because it’s a lovely nature name, but it’s become a bit plasticky and nothingy now, totally at odds to its lovely imagery and meaning.
US trends / naming landscape very different to the UK. If popularity bothers you, because it doesn’t everyone, I’d look at recent trajectory to try to get an idea of how fast it’s rising where you are. If popularity doesn’t matter to you, then just go with your heart.

20

This is good advice! It’s actually been pretty stalled for the last 4-5 years at about the same place in the rankings. Not sure what that will mean for it in the future, though it doesn’t appear to be on a meteoric rise

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