Does popularity affect how much you like a name?

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

For me the answer is yes and no. If its a name that I've liked for awhile then usually no. For instance, Max and Oliver are both on my short list for boys and I don't think they'll be moving anytime soon, even though they are both becoming more popular. Also, my favorite girl's name is Catherine and thats been popular for forever, pretty much. However, everytime I hear the name "Brayden" I like it even less. I never liked it to begin with, but now I LOATHE it.

Comments

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

It depends how much I like the name. I used to love the names Madison and Riley, but now I like them less because they're more popular. I've never liked the Aidan names but, like you, every time I hear them I hate them even more.

However, if one of my favorite names (Blair, Cybill, etc.) becomes super popular by the time I have kids, I don't think that'll influence my liking of the name. I've liked it for so long and it has so much special meaning to me that popularity would be a silly reason not to use it.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does. I like the name Emily, for example, but I'd like it a lot more if I didn't hear it constantly. Sometimes if you hear a name everywhere, it just becomes boring.

[amyames.livejournal.com]

not really. i named my daughter abigail despite it's rising popularity. it's always been my favourite name so i didn't care how popular it was.

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

I was an Ashley in an era of Ashleys. It's not such a big deal now - I actually don't know a single other Ashley right now, though there were five in my very small middle school (70 students total in my grade group). I would not name my child a name that was obviously very popular at the time, because it really is annoying to have to be known by "Ashley *last initial*" or, in my case, by an entirely different nickname because there were two Ashleys with my last initial.

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

How funny, I just posted my answer to this a few posts above!

Basically no - I don't dislike a name because it's popular. It just so happens that I do dislike a lot of current popular names!

Eg I love - Oliver, Michael, Cameron, Olivia, Catherine

But I hate the whole 'Jayden, Nevaeh, Madysyn, Makayla' thing.

Speaking of that - Makayla seems to be the given way to spell this name now! Does anyone spell it Michaela anymore?

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I always liked the name Braeden, until I found out how popular it got, and that just turned me off it completely. My school is just full of Sarahs, Nicoles, Ashleys, Jessicas and Danielles. I like the names that aren't that popular, I guess. They're just something a little different.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

It doesn't bother me at all. If I like a name, I like a name.

[monalyssasmile.livejournal.com]

Popularity doesn't affect how much I like a name, but it does affect whether or not I'd actually use the name. I mean, I really like the name Addison, but I would never use it because it is trendy.

[butterflyishida.livejournal.com]

I think a name like Catherine (see also: Elizabeth, Michael, Christopher, etc) are so timeless that they can't be overpopular. Well...maybe Michael. Too many Mike's in this world particularly between the ages of 20 to 50...*coughs*

but! to answer your question...popularity does affect how much I like a name. Aidan has been my fave boys name since I was probably 15 (25 now) but I would never, ever use it cuz its so popular. I dont like most popular names other than that. I want to hit my head off things when I hear about another Ava or Jack. Its just...get some uniqueness people!!!!

I love the name Oliver though....I wasnt big on it until I met a little boy on my teaching rounds by the name and he was just...so suited to it!

[dustkitty.livejournal.com]

Yes and no. Isabelle was on my short list forever, but it's moved down in priority since moving up in popularity--I don't want my child to be the next generation's Amanda or Jennifer. I still love the name, but I'm less inclined to use it. And I generally think that the people making such names popular must have pretty good taste.

I don't give much consideration to names that are very popular that I hadn't thought about before. Why fall in love with a name I know I'll be reluctant to use, right off the bat?

And names that I already disliked that are becoming popular, I dislike all the more.

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

For my favourite names, popularity has basically no effect.

If I kind of like the name, and it becomes more popular it's still not usually a big deal, unless it's popular in a trendy way. Like Elizabeth is a pretty consistently popular name in my mind - I know/know of 60 year olds and 6 year olds with the name, and everywhere in between. With names like Ava, Isabelle, Abigail, though ... they're obviously real names, and they were popular at a certain period in time, but I can't think of anyone from my generation or my parents' generation with those names, and then every other 6 year old you meet has one of these names. In that case, even if I didn't mind the name beforehand, I get really sick of it.

If I didn't like a name all that much to begin with, hearing it more and more is just going to make me dislike even further, especially if it is super trendy like Madison or Mackenzie, that don't even have any precedent.

[imyourrapunzel.livejournal.com]

Too much exposure makes a name lose its charm for me. It's not really that the name is popular and I want to be unique, I just get tired of seeing it, or start associating it with too many people.

[rockstr-luvr.livejournal.com]

Yes and no. Sophia and Maxwell are names that I have loved for a very long time, so it's frustrating that they are both becoming so popular so fast. I definitely have never wanted to name my child a popular name, but if I love the name enough than I don't know if it will ultimately stop me.

Hopefully by the time I plan on having children, the names I like won't be as popular :-)

[girlsteve.livejournal.com]

It depends on why I like a name. Lots of names that I like I first noticed because I though 'oh, that's unusual' and if it's an uncommon name I'm more likely to give it some thought. There are probably loads of names that'll never make it to my list, even if they are very pretty, just because I've never really noticed them.

I think it's just one of those things I'd consider - all the names on my list, even the one's I really love, could be effected by other stuff. Like, if for some reason I ended up taking my partners surname and it didn't sound right with it, or if a mass murderer with that name was suddenly all over the news - how popular a name was might be something I would consider, but wouldn't mean I would definately reject a name.

[sweatydog.livejournal.com]

If its a name like Alexander or Alejandra or David, no it doesn't really effect how I feel about the name because those names pretty much will always be popular.

Trendy names. I want to avoid as much as possible having gotten one myself.

[bluedano.livejournal.com]

Popularity doesn't affect how much I like a name, but it has made a difference in which names I'll actually consider using (I'm due in August), at least as a first name. I don't want to my son to have to use his last initial or a nickname to be identified in class or on a sports team. :P

[hopeless.livejournal.com]

I'll always love the name, could possibly use it as a second name like we did in my daughter's case but couldn't use it as a first name.

[ladymela99.livejournal.com]

Here is my take on name popularity. I always wanted to name my child something unusual and different but not so different that people go...what was she on when she named her son/daughter that???

When I was younger my favorite names for girls were: Emma, Juliet, Victoria (Tori), and Amica

For boys it was: Bailey, Gavin, Asher, Jonas, and Noah..

But guess what happened: Bailey became mostly a girls name. Emma is now the most popular name in the United States thanks to friends..so when it came down to it I decided to name my daughter Lily.

Lily is a popular name but I found out that in my area it's not incredibly popular at all. I looked in birth announcements, asked maternity nurses, and teachers and they were all telling me that Lily is not as popular as one would think.

So guess what? I decided to throw out the "national" popularity lists and go with my heart and I decided that Lily was her name. Popularity changes so quickly, I mean for all we know next year the most popular names could be Ceasar and Allegra.