Mainstream

[reclaimeddreams.livejournal.com]

Ok. So.

How come when names become popular and 'mainstream' such as Aiden and Elijah, everyone who previously liked them suddenly goes 'Eww. They're so mainstream.'? I mean, seriously? I've liked the name Aidan since I was a little girl. And I almost named my eldest son Elijah before it became a fad, becuase I loved it so much.

I don't think that I should have to compromise the tastes that I have in the names that I choose for my children simply because everyone thinks I'm only choosing it becase it's mainstream. Which wouldn't be the case at all.

I've seen people who LOVE the name Aidan. And then, they find out that everyone's naming their son or daughter a variant spelling on the name - and suddenly the name's not so appealing. What the heck? I mean, if you liked the name before - why don't you like it now? Can somebody please explain that to me?

Comments

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

If a name that I like suddenly becomes extremely popular, it's not that I stop liking it, it's that I personally don't want to use it anymore.

I like a lot of really popular names: Michael, Matthew, Andrew, William, Joseph, Emily, Emma, Ava, Elizabeth, Natalie, etc. I even like Aidan. But especially when you've got names like Aidan or Ava, that suddenly spike in popularity, it makes some people think twice, because a) now there's a really good chance that Aidan will constantly have other Aidans in his class/sports team/workplace and a lot of people don't want that, and b) if a name suddenly shoots up in popularity, there's a good chance that it will fall again, and the kid will be stuck with the 2000s equivalent of what Jennifer and Stacey were to the 80s.

So I don't think it's an issue of not liking the names anymore, just an issue of not wanting to use them. Of course, some people get sick of names that they once liked, if they hear them over and over again.