Hello All-
I’ve been finding myself really loving names in the (US) top 10 lately- particularly [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Olivia[/name_f]. I like a variety of names, but these 2 names are ones I could see using on real children.
So- since we all love names here, I was wondering would you name your children something that was very popular?
I’d absolutely use something popular. I feel like when you love a name you love it regardless of it’s position on a popularity chart.
I don’t shy away from common and popular names. I actually really like some of the more popular names. Same goes for “filler” middles 
Im having this same struggle as [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] has been my favorite name since I was little. However, I thought that I would like to avoid at least the top 15. Now I am unsure.
I’m torn. I wouldn’t use a top 10 name like [name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] or [name_m]Oliver[/name_m], even though I really like all of those. But there are many, many names inside the (UK) top 100 for both sexes that I love so much that I would consider using them, providing they wouldn’t feel blatantly out-of-place alongside sister [name_f]Juno[/name_f].
Names that I think would work despite their popularity include: [name_f]Eva[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], Freyja, [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_m]Oscar[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_m]Felix[/name_m]… but I’d still prefer to find something less popular that I love just as much.
I adore [name_f]Anna[/name_f] <3
But I haven’t put her on the list yet because she’s too popular. I think if I found a husband who really loved popular names, I would be all for it. When only choosing for nerdy lists, I shy away from the most popular choices.
I’ve decided the Norwegian top 50 is off-limits, but if it weren’t I would totally use Henrik, Aksel, Isak, Johannes, Filip and Sigurd for boys, Nora, Anna, Ingrid, Alma, Mina, Sigrid and Agnes for girls.
Totally. I like looking at trends though, and if a name is catching on a lot quicker than I’d like it to, then I’ll stick it on the back burner for a little while, but [name_f]Emma[/name_f] has been a top 10 name here for quite some time, so I’d use it. I just wouldn’t be very quick to use [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] over here in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u], and in the UK, I’d probably shy away from [name_f]Florence[/name_f] and [name_u]Harper[/name_u].
I would, with a little research. In the US, you can search the SSA website by state - if you actually look at the number of births for a given name in a state, they’re not always as common as you’d think. If I love a name, I want to use it or a version of it - my only issue (and it’s personal taste) is as a former elementary teacher, I never liked using the last name initials for children. (like [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] L., [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] B., etc) I just wouldn’t want my child to be one of 3-4 in his/her class. Otherwise, it’s nice to not have people repeat your name, then respond with “oh, I’ve never heard that!” or “What an interesting name!”
Most definitely. All the names I consider usable on my list are from the top 100 (coincidence) and so, yes. People are more daring with names now that I am not at all worried about them sharing their name with a herd of people.
This is so helpful! I’m feeling more confident in my revived interest in these names. I but them On the back burner when they became popular, but now I’m back to them after a pretty long time.
Honestly, having a popular name has never hurt me. Mine was 4th the year I was born. For me popularity only concerns me if I personally know a lot of people with the name. For instance, I know several [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f]'s. It’s not even on the top 1000, but I know too many to use it personally.
Yes, if you truly love it then I say use it. 
My favorite girl’s name is [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] and I know her sister, [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] is in the Top Ten.
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is still below the Top Ten but even if it was number 1 I would still use it because it is also a family name.
I’m a bit torn on it. I think you should use whatever name you love but I personally wouldn’t use a top 10 name. I love [name_f]Aria[/name_f] for example and the more it climbs the charts the less likely I find myself potentially using it. I get strong links between a person and a name so if I met an [name_f]Aria[/name_f] who was awful it would just ruin the name for me, some people don’t have that problem. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using a popular name but they’re not for me
Edited to add I definitely agree with @squidly that how usable a name is popular wise depends on how many I know personally. If [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] for example was #1 on my list and in the top 10 but I never met anyone with the name in my area, I’d likely consider using. However if it wasn’t even top 100 but I knew 5 then I wouldn’t use it.
I don’t think I could use a top 10 name. I’m already stuggling with names in the tole 200 or even 500, for fear they’ll end up way more popular to the point of becoming boring and overused by the time I actually name any children. I personally feel names can lose some mystery and intrigue when they see a significant rise in popularity (which can indicate further increase too) and become less exciting and interesting. But that’s just how I see it and what usually happens for me, bearing in mind I have a slight obsession with being different and in an ideal world all my favourites would only be given to a few babies where I live. I definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with using popular names, after all they are popular for a reason, but it depends on how much it bothers you.
My name (the most common spelling of it) was ranked #18 the year I was born and has climbed to #8 since and I HATE it! I WISH my mom had given me a more uncommon name. It gets SO ANNOYING to hear of everyone a person knows with my name when I introduce myself. I’ve always been keen on being “unique” so being 1/3 [name_u]Abby[/name_u]'s in my 8-person tap class is annoying to say the least. I, if I’m being honest, hate meeting other girls with my name because for ONCE I’d like to be the only [name_u]Abby[/name_u] in a given room. And while I know I’m pretty much alone on this site with this feeling, but my friends with popular names have expressed similar concerns with their names. My best friend is 1/7 [name_m]Laurens[/name_m] in my grade of about 130 girls.
I used to say if I loved the name enough I would use it, but now I realize once a name gets too popular, it loses its shimmer for me. Myself, I’d avoid the top 100 like the plague. Not because I’m worried about my child sharing their name but because I don’t want my favorite names to lose their shine.
Absolutely! If you love a name you should use it! I honeslty think that when you loved a name for a lot of time, if you end up not using it, you’ll regret it. Usually, the name crushes you had for a long time, are the names you’ll never get tired of it!
Would and did And would probably do it again. Our little girl is yet to start mingling that much with others in her generation, so I suppose we’ll see how I feel when she inevitably starts meeting others with the same name. But honestly I doubt it will bother me that much. She doesn’t need a one-of-a-kind name to be special to me.
Actually ETA, I remember now that her cousin has her first name as a middle name, and it doesn’t bother me at all! They picked it first but didn’t reveal it until after we revealed ours, so really nobody has the right to be annoyed, but for what it’s worth I don’t think anybody is.
I also really like how people ask “What’s her name?”, I tell them and that’s usually the end of the conversation. Nobody asks to have to repeated, nobody makes any comments (OK a few people have said that they think it’s beautiful, which was of course nice to hear but not essential to me - I did not pick her name to win me compliments), nobody has trouble pronouncing it. Some have trouble spelling it with that pesky j but not in our home country.
I thought it was beautiful and I thought it would work perfectly for our situation. Initially I had reservations about its popularity, but at the end of the day sometimes the obvious choice is the right one. No regrets here from a parent who picked a top 10 name (admittedly I haven’t seen the stats for her birth year yet, but it has been top 10 for a while now and I expect it was then also)
I would use a popular name if I felt like it was “the” name. In fact, I have.
I would avoid a trendy name though.
Growing up a [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], in a sea of [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]'s, I tend to shy away from popular names. I do like some classic names, so it’s okay if they were popular at some point in time, just not trendy at the moment.
I would like to avoid at least the top 50 if possible yet again, none of my names are presently in the Top 200, if/when those names rank in the Top 100, 50 or 20, then let’s discuss