(no subject)

[blueberrybumble.livejournal.com]

What do you do when there is a name you love, a name that feels exactly right, and you can't find any other name that seems to match up to it- but it is heinously popular? I'm not talking just top 100, I'm talking like top 10, top 25 and rising. Do you go with a name you like less because it isn't as popular, or say screw it to popularity? Has this happened to you?

Noah is #14 nationally and #9 in my state. I still can't stop loving the way it sounds, though, and there are so few boy names that I like. :(

Comments

[night-sky-dream.livejournal.com]

I'd just go with the name I liked, I'd rather give my child a name that was overly popular than choose a not so popular name that I might regret later on.

[stormqueen280.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite girl names is Sophia, has been since I was a kid. I'm not going to change it because other people happen to like it too...

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

Same.

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

Use it! Noah is a classic, anyway, and for some reason, no matter how often I see it, the name never comes across as "OMG TRENDY AND POPULAR." :)

[hoochiehoops.livejournal.com]

This.

[arbus.livejournal.com]

my thoughts exactly

[qalanjo.livejournal.com]

IAWTC. You see it on the "Top 100" or whatever lists, but I don't think I've personally ever met a Noah before.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I'd just go with the name I liked.
However, if you know in advance that you are going to be bothered by the fact that there are two other Noah's in his class, then you might want to reconsider. But in the end, I think it's more important to have a name you really love than to choose another name because it's less popular!

[kilobites.livejournal.com]

Well with some names I like that are popular, I realize that the reason they're so popular and used a lot is because they're wonderful classic names. It's not some sort of "OMG TRENDY" thing, it's just that it's a very nice solid name that a lot of people happen to like. A totally different feel for me, than, say, Jayden.

[blosmbee.livejournal.com]

If you still love it despite the popularity, and can't find anything else you love as much, I'd go ahead and use it.

Have you thought about Jonah? Sounds similar, and also has the biblical connection.

[blueberrybumble.livejournal.com]

I love Jonah! Unfortunately, it is way too similar to the last name. :/

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

Parents are, in general, aware that the popular names are popular. The reason so many people are using Noah, for example, is because — just like you — they love the name. They're not doing it "to fit in" or anything; they just like the name. Imagine for a second that you got a chance to interview 10 sets of parents who all gave their kids Top 10 names. How many do you think would answer "Yes" to the question "Do you blindly follow trends?" They would all be absolutely ADAMANT that they do not, and they're following their own heart. And they're right, in a way. They're not consciously choosing those names BECAUSE they want to be trend-followers; they just might not realize that their preferences have been shaped by roughly the same set of experiences and exposures as all the other people in their general area who are of child-bearing age.

Emily, Jacob, Madison — same story. They're all saying "But I wanted this name, and I'm not going to let its popularity stop me!"



In other words, you yourself ARE Noah's popularity. If you use it, you will be pushing it higher up the polls.



If you care, don't use it. If you don't care, use it. There's no point trying to somehow separate the name from its popularity; what matters is whether or not you are happy to be a part of the movement or whether you see yourself as more of an iconoclast. Make your decision and then be happy that you want the best for your child.


PS - Are you pregnant now or expecting to be in the next few years? The one thing that always gets me is when people here say "I'm hoping by the time I have kids, Name X won't be as popular." But it's not that simple; naming a kid something that enjoyed a huge spike in popularity but then fell out of fashion isn't the same as using the name before it went big-time.

It's the difference between a 20 year old named Pamela and a 20 year old named Sophia — or the difference between a teenaged Bob and a teenaged Aiden.

So saving up that name until it's fallen a generation out of favor might be the worst of all.

[lind-saay.livejournal.com]

i am totally with you. emily is a favorite of mine, but it's, well...it's emily. i will most likely use it anyway.

#14 and #9 isn't nearly as bad as it could be. and better one of three noahs than the only raydynn, y'know?

[tunknut.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry too much about the numerical rankings - look at the percentage of total births on the SSA site as well. Being named Noah now wouldn't be like being named the 14th most popular name of, say, 1977 (Joshua). It would be more like being named Jonathan. This is largely because parents today are more aware of what names are popular, and more concerned about making their kid's name "different", so there are more people naming their kids weird shit and consciously avoiding popular names. If you really love Noah, check out what male names in your year of birth were around .75% of total male births. For me (1988) it was names like Benjamin, Jacob, and Aaron. I definitely knew kids with these names growing up, but it wasn't like there were 2 or 3 of them in all of my classes, and I wouldn't consider them to be "heinously popular". If it bugs you that there will be a few other kids around with your kid's name, pick something else, but don't worry about it otherwise.

[blueberrybumble.livejournal.com]

I'm 1988, too! :)

[classiestkid.livejournal.com]

same for me with Ava, I love it no matter what.

[amyames.livejournal.com]

I named my daughter Abigail despite it being in the top ten the year she was born. It has been my favourite name since I was a little girl and I couldn't imagine using any other name for my daughter. I don't regret it at all.

[om-shakti.livejournal.com]

Pick the name you like! Some of my names are on the top lists and I only get yelled at by baby_namers for it, but I say to hell with that. You're the one who's going to be saying the name for the rest of your life, so make it something that YOU (and the daddy if applicable) love. :)

Especially names like Noah. That's a classic.

[azelmaroark.livejournal.com]

Popular =////= trendy, and I think the former is just fine. They're popular for a good reason and won't mark your child as being born in a particular time period. If you love a popular name, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. This from a Katie in the 1980s who was almost always one of 2-4 in her class. It really didn't bother me much, and as was mentioned above, better one of three Noahs than the only Jhay'dhuunn.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I pick the name that I like and give it to my child knowing I'll be able to say "I loved this name" and not "Well, I felt alright abotu this name, but it wasn't popular, so I went with it."

[krosp.livejournal.com]

Depends how much popularity annoys you. If you are able to get over it, then I'd just use the name.. but if it's always going to bug you that you never had an unusual name then I'd keep looking.

Personally, I'd probably use it - I'd try to find something I liked better that wasn't as popular, but if I couldn't I'd still use it... not sure about top 5 though, but top 10 I would.

[blueberrybumble.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't bother me so much if he wasn't already getting a very very very common last name.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

Hmm.. but even if both are popular, it's rare for there to be the same combination. In fact, I don't think I know any two people with the exact same name.

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

ugh, I do! My SO is Ryan Lucier, and I know at least one other in the same town as us.