Our baby boy is due in 8 weeks and I’m having trouble finding a name that I love, and that my husband will agree to. My current pick is [name_m]Leo[/name_m], however apparently this is the 4th most popular name where we live, which definitely gives me pause… I can’t decide if this is a deal breaker or not.
Other names we are currently considering are [name_m]Lewis[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Angus[/name_m] and [name_m]Miles[/name_m] and [name_u]Max[/name_u].
Middle name will be [name_m]Peter[/name_m], non negotiable.
Names I love that my husband has vetoed are [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] and [name_m]Henry[/name_m].
Our daughter is [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and our surname sounds like cuff.
Any thoughts, feedback or inspiration would be much appreciated ”
In a nutshell, no I wouldn’t put off by the popularity, the bigger question is how many [name_m]Leo[/name_m]'s do you know personally, especially of that age. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because a name is in the top 4 now doesn’t actually mean every 4th boy is named [name_m]Leo[/name_m], people use a much larger variety of names than in years past and hence even the top name might only be 2 in a year level (or otherwise similar, a much lower concentration than the name lists depict): and then does that level annoy you that much.
In my opinion, if you love [name_m]Leo[/name_m], you can always go for a longer name:
[name_m]Leon[/name_m]
[name_m]Leopold[/name_m] ([name_m]Leopold[/name_m] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is gorgeous, very regal)
[name_m]Leonidas[/name_m]
[name_m]Leonard[/name_m]
[name_m]Emilio[/name_m]
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]
[name_u]Lionel[/name_u]
Maximilio ([name_u]Max[/name_u] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m] in one!)
From your list with [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]Lewis[/name_m] would make beautiful sibsets.
I did allow popularity to affect my name choice for my daughter (interestingly enough the option was [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], which I absolutely love but is very popular where I live) so it’s hard for me to preach otherwise but I guess I’d reiterate what the previous poster said: how many do you actually know? Is it statistically popular in your area but you know none? If so I’d still consider using it. I didn’t go with [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] because it was high on the charts AND because I came across lots of little Matildas when I was pregnant. [name_m]Leo[/name_m] is a really nice name so I think you should go for it. In saying that, I love love [name_u]Max[/name_u] and really like [name_m]Angus[/name_m] and [name_m]Miles[/name_m]. Any of those would be lovely with [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. Good luck!
I actually only know one little [name_m]Leo[/name_m], I was surprised to learn it was #4.
In saying that [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is now ranked #30 here, I hadn’t met a single child called [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] before we named her, although now know several and she is one of two Matildas in her (small) preschool class.
The other consideration is that a few of my other favourite names end in “s” (eg. [name_m]Miles[/name_m], [name_m]Angus[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u]) which makes them kind of run into our surname if you’re saying it fast, whereas the “o” ending names sound better with our surname but obviously they are having a bit of a moment in popularity.
I don’t think it’s a big deal personally. I agree with a previous poster that nowadays parents have a greater variety of names to choose from, and as a result, less children are receiving popular names than in the past. So the #4 name for last year wasn’t given to nearly as many babies as the #4 name in 1988 or 1998. I think Leo is a handsome name with a lot of history and if you like it you should go for it.
Popularity would put me off unless it was the only name my partner and I loved and could agree on. That being said, the #4 name isn’t as popular as you might think so I’d say go for it. [name_m]Leo[/name_m] [name_m]Peter[/name_m] is very handsome.
If you love it, use it. You never know what the kids in future classes will be named. My favorite boys name is ranked #7 in our state and I would use it in a heartbeat. Something that has “bonus points” for [name_m]Leo[/name_m], in my opinion, is that it’s timeless, not trendy. It won’t stick out and be dated in the future.
Does it bother you that your [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] has other Matildas in her class, and that she’ll grow up knowing many other Matildas? If yes, don’t use [name_m]Leo[/name_m]. Or use it as a nickname, to set him apart from the other [name_m]Leos[/name_m]. If not, then use it.
It doesn’t bother me that much, personally. A lot of the names I really like are popular and have been for generations–I feel like many popular names are that way for a reason, and have solid appeal and often a long history. Not to mention what other posters have said about even the most popular names being less commonly given than in past eras: I don’t think your [name_m]Leo[/name_m] would have the same experience as a [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] born in the 1980s in middle [name_u]America[/name_u], for instance. For my own part, I want to a small high school and there were two other [name_m]Julias[/name_m] among about 80 girls in my grade, plus a couple others in other grades. It irritated me a little bit, mostly because I hadn’t had to share my name in elementary school, but I certainly wasn’t scarred for life and mostly it wasn’t a big deal.
Popularity is a big deal for me, so I’d totally be looking for other options if this was me. However, your daughter’s name is quite common, so using another common name wouldn’t seem out of place in your sibset.
I really like [name_m]Miles[/name_m] from your list of alternatives. [name_m]Miles[/name_m] [name_m]Peter[/name_m] sounds lovely with [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f].
I have a very popular name for my generation and because of that, I’ve never taken a liking to it - in fact, for a good portion of my life, I resented it. I’ve never felt it was mine, if that makes sense. I always had kids in my class/grade with the same name so I was NEVER referred to just by my first name. Instead, it was by my first and last or first and last initial. [name_m]Even[/name_m] today, I get work emails sometimes that were for another person with my name or vice versa - people will say they sent me an email but it actually went to someone else. It’s frustrating. Now being an adult in my 30’s, I’ve gotten used to it of course so now I don’t actively loathe my name, but just possess an indifference to it. Because of this, popularity was extremely important to me when naming my girls. I didn’t want something “out there,” but I didn’t want really popular names. While my girls’ names have gained SOME popularity, it’s not enough for me or them to be running into a bunch of girls with their names.
That being said, my husband also has a very popular name. He runs into guys with his name all the time and it doesn’t bother him in the least. He still likes his name. He didn’t understand why popularity was so important to me when we were talking through names when we were pregnant with both our girls. He just figured we’d just pick a name we both liked and that was it.
But that IS just it. I’m picking a name for someone else; not me. My daughters are the ones that actually have to LIVE with the name. And that’s ultimately why I felt popularity was so important to me. I may like a name, but my kid would have to be the one share it with others if I just worried about picking a name I liked, regardless of popularity. Always be referred to by their first and last name. Experiencing it as more of a headache of confusion and clarification - did the teacher call for me or the other kid?
So, bottom line, I’m sorry because I’m sure my rant didn’t help. I just wanted to be honest. While having a popular name was horrible for me, my husband wasn’t bothered by it. However, in not knowing the future personalities of my girls, I ultimately decided to go with not-so-popular names to play it safe.
Most of the time, yes. I wouldn’t give my child a name as popular as [name_f]Emma[/name_f] or [name_m]Liam[/name_m], for instance.
Out of the current top 20 US names, I like [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], and [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] for boys; for girls, I like [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]. While those names are a bit too common, I’d much rather see them than yet another [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] or [name_u]Madison[/name_u]—or, even worse, some “name” like Emersynn or Abcde that is uncommon because the parent made it up.
I think the popularity of a name only matters when it is trendy, as in all the girls named [name_u]Madison[/name_u], McKenzie and [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] in the 1990’s. And all the girls named [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_f]Willow[/name_f], [name_u]Paisley[/name_u] and [name_u]Harper[/name_u] since 2000. Popular boys names tend to be classic, although the trendy [name_m]Maverick[/name_m], [name_m]Fox[/name_m], [name_u]Beau[/name_u] and [name_m]Axel[/name_m] are squarely very 2000’s.
[name_m]Leo[/name_m] is a classic, timeless, awesome name and I would use it. [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m] sound so sweet together.
