Popular names

[recycledvinyl.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that people here don't like to choose names that are currently popular. Why is that? When I mentioned in my first post here that my favourite name was Emily, several people told me how popular it is, and it came across to me that I shouldn't use it because it's popular.

Personally, I don't think popularity should determine whether you chose a name or not. If you like the name, use it, if you don't find another.

(As an aside, I worked in in childcare for the past 7 years, and I only came across 1 Emily in that time.)

Comments

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

I had a popular name and hated it. It's caused me lots of problems. My child will NOT have popular names.

It's a miracle you only know one Emily. Seriously.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

we share the same name, how did it cause you a lot of problems, just wondering?

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

There were six of us with the same name at my undergrad university. The best mix up was when my work study pay check was being deposited in another girls account. Yay.

But it's little things that annoy me. I can never leave a phone message that is just Jennifer. Even for my best friends, they need to know what Jennifer. I NEVER get complimented on my name. You know, stuff like that. I just want a name that is my own. Or at least not one that everyone knows at least 30 of us.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i guess i'm lucky, out of my friends, i am usually the only jenn. in school (elementary) there were 2 of us in my grade... then in jr/sr high school there were 3, then one left. despite having a VERY common last name, it was the only one in my school, so i got called by that, too, sometimes.

[lava-cake.livejournal.com]

I think it varies by region. Emily may not be popular where you are, but here it's like the plague. But, I agree with you: if you like it, use it.

[americandiva.livejournal.com]

I love the name Emily too.

I wouldn't choose a name that was too popular (or at least would be less certain of it) just because I don't want my kid to go to school and have several other people in the class have the same name. My name is uncommon and I love how i know no other Shanna's. Yet I had 5 Christina's in my class when I was little. It made it very confusing.

i think if you love the name despite popularity...go for it. it would just maybe make my decision a little harder

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

Well, besides Emily being my least favorite name on the face of the planet (not because of how popular it is), I've been thinking about this too.

I try not to judge others' names on popularity, but to me, the name decreases in likability if it's popular. If I still like a name despite its popularity then I don't care how popular it is - I just might name my child that. But if the popularity makes the name look worse to me, well, I can't reverse that very well.

Do you know what I mean? It's like... I don't care about popularity, but sometimes I can't help it. lol

[sweatydog.livejournal.com]

lots of people including a mental pop star share versions of my name? I hate it. But if I really find at the time I like a popular name I will probably use it. Though it would be nice to avoid some of the things I went through in school with my child being "Britni 1 of 6" and so forth.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

I agree, a popular name isn't a *bad* name, but being a little kid and being called "Emily 7" is a terrible thing to have happen. When I was little I was Katie #4 and I hated it.

If you love a name it shouldn't stop you, but it is a nice thing to do to consider your name's popularity.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i have a popular name (for the 80s anyway, i really don't know about the popularity now)... it's never caused me any major, mental anguish.

i do wish i had checked the SSA site BEFORE naming my son, because in our state his name was like #2 or something the year he was born. eh. i doubt it will cause him pain or problems though, since his last name is VERY rare, so he'll probably be know by his first & last name in school.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

& i was never known by "jenn/jennifer #___"- i was "jennifer c." or "jenny c.", the other jennifers went by their last initial. in elementary school i only had one other jennifer... in high school, i had 1 other in my class, she was jenn s.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

Haha, the only time I was ever "Jessica #2" was just recently because at my job there were three of us and the other two were both Jessica H so we just BEGGED for them to number us based on what room we worked in. And people still refused! Weirdos.

[mmmrorschach.livejournal.com]

In my 3rd grade class, every single boy in there was named John. We had to settle in on the playground until only one of us was left.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Wait, so mmmrorschach is a pseudonym?

[mmmrorschach.livejournal.com]

An internet alias, yes.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

I agree with politicking. I have a name that was pretty popular in the 80's (Stephanie) and I sometimes shared it with other people in my class. It wasn't a problem. Idiots in school sometimes couldn't tell us apart. This helped me weed out the idiots.

The only time a teacher had a problem with it that I can remember is when my eight grade English teacher made a seating chart with me in the first row and another Stephanie right behind me. She'd glance in our general direction and say, "Stephanie, do this," "Stephanie, do that." If she'd taken the time to even make eye contact (or better yet, thought enough ahead not to put two people with the same name RIGHT BESIDE EACH OTHER), it wouldn't have been an issue.

Emily is one of my favorites, as well. I've had the same list of favorites for a long time, and now a lot of them (Olivia, Sophie, Isabel) are becoming popular. I figure it's a trend that will go away in a few years, and I'll be left with my nice, once-again-outdated names.

If I have a daughter, I'm still going to name her Emily Jane. She could be in a class with 50 other Emily Janes and I wouldn't care, because she'd still be my Emily Jane.

[emilyintheglass.livejournal.com]

Popularity varies. I think trends are just as popular as
specific names.

The popular trend to be creative in spelling normal names or just picking really off the wall names is bothersome to me. I would much rather have the name Emily than Betty spelled with a Q (exaggeration, I know.)

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I happen to like classic/old-fashioned/'normal' sorts of names, but if a name is too popular, I won't use it. Why? Well, I just don't want my kid to be the fifth Michael in his class all through school. Plus, to me, why use a name right at the top of the list, when there are nice names that aren't so popular?

I went through school with a name that was fairly classic but not too popular (Alison), and I always really enjoyed being the only Alison in my class.

I think, also, a lot of people show up thinking that they're going to name their kid, say, Addison and it's going to be so cool and unique, and they don't realise that everyone and their dog is naming their kids Addison now.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I had a popular name and it didn't kill me.

The people who don't want popular names are the people who THEMSELVES do not want to be "Emily H." And, you know, that's fine really, but frankly it doesn't kill people to have a popular name. Your name is not the thing that creates your personality or sets you apart.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i could not agree more.

[godmod.livejournal.com]

My name is Holli and only once did I have someone in a class with the same name. I really enjoyed having a name that wasn't very common, because all my friends ended up going by their last names or finding a unique nickname for themselves because their own name wasn't adequate. Not a single one of my "commonly-named" friends like their name.

I'm sure everyone's experiences are different, but I will never use a name that is in the Top 50. Beyond that, I think you get names that are known, but not super-trendy.

[queen-mab.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Well, when I actually do pick my kids' names, none of them will be popular. I just don't like picking something that I know tons of other kids will have. It's not really original, and it doesn't really involve a lot of research. I've been obsessing over names since I was eight. So there's no way I would just pick something everyone sees all the time.

Like, I love the names Lily, Grace, Emma, etc. But since they're so popular these days, they've become sort of boring to me. Yes, they're pretty, but they're not really all that interesting. There are other names that I really like a lot, like Rosalind, Gemma, Helena, and Arden. I used to love the name Annabelle but it's slightly slipping on my list because I know it'll be incredibly popular by the time I have kids.

But since I like sooo many names, I eliminate a lot of them by how popular they're becoming. And I still have a lot left after that. So I basically use it as a process of elimination, lol.

[makemefade.livejournal.com]

I adore a lot of names that are popular. Names like Emily, Emma, Natalie, and Noah sound beautiful in my opinion. However, I think sometimes people want their child to have a name that is all their own, to have something unique to them. While I love the names I previously mentioned, I probably won't use any of them for my own children. I don't want my kids to be one Sara in the midst of 5 other Sara's in their class. I'd prefer someone to hear their name and think "Oh I know so-and-so". I would consider taking one of the more common names and coupling it with another name though (like my name, Heather-Ashley).