Name Popularity

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that many people in this community are very anti-popular names, and I was wondering how true that is to the community as a whole.

I personally, have no problem with popular names. I grew up with a slightly unusual name (I've only known one other person to have it), and I always found myself wishing that my name were something more mainstream, like Jennifer or Lindsay or Meghan (though now I think I'd prefer a more timeless name like Elizabeth or Anna). Anyway, I was just wondering.

[Poll #754846]

Comments

[so-there.livejournal.com]

I take it a step further than that. I won't use a name that's been in the top 500 as of late. my two kids have names that haven't been in the top 1000 for the last 15 years. maybe more, but I think the site I saw only went back 15 years, or I got bored after looking back 15 years or something.

[hygher.livejournal.com]

What are your kids names?

[so-there.livejournal.com]

my daughter is Germaine, my son is Linus. another thing I'm particular on is that it has to be a real name with a deep history. both are catholic saint names, so I figure they've been around a while and aren't made up names that haven't existed for even a century, let alone a decade.

[hygher.livejournal.com]

aww Linus is really cute.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

yeah, most people think so :) makes me wonder why it hasn't been popular at all in the past or recent.

Germaine doesn't get as good a reaction from people, though. but the few who do like it tend to think it's really pretty. I guess it's a love-it-or-hate-it type of name.

[dancing-crazy.livejournal.com]

I want to use Linus when I grow up. I think it's a stunning name.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

so stunning, in fact, that I can not think of any boys names equal to this one in my mind. if I ever do have another boy someday, he will either not have a name or will have one I think is inferior to his eldest brother's.

[pregosaurus.livejournal.com]

I'm not against popular names... My favorite name is Elizabeth, and it will be my baby's middle name if she is a girl.

I just don't like trendy names. Like Kylie, Jaden, Keaton, Bailey, Hailey, Ava...

Like you, I prefer timeless classics like Anna, Katherine, James and Henry.

[cathkitten.livejournal.com]

I have no problem with "popular" names -- just trendy ones. Madison, Caden, McKenzie and Neveah are going to sound as dated in five or ten years as Jennifer and Tiffany do to us now.

I also think its odd to give your child a name that is insubstantial, meaning, a name that has no particular significance except that its trendy.

[muliebrity.livejournal.com]

IAWTC

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Totally agree :)

Have noticed people take the whole 'baby naming' thing so literally, and loose sight of how these people will have to carry their names through life. I mean Nevaeh is hard enough for literate adults to spell, so how are first graders going to manage?
And can you really picture 'Nevaeh Smith, president of microsoft'?

Can you tell I don't like that name? :)

[lavandersparkle.livejournal.com]

I'm not against popular names, infact some of my favourite names are popular they are Caden, and Aiden (I like 'den' names). Just some really bug me like Emily, Emma, and Madison.

[cathkitten.livejournal.com]

Even if I liked the -den names I still wouldn't use them because they are so tryndee!

[p-inkjeans.livejournal.com]

I like names because I like them and try not to pay too much attention to the popularity of it. When I have kids, I won't name them something really trendy or popular because I was one of six Lindsays in my graduating class (which only had 120 kids to begin with) and I know how annoying that is. Plus I hate trendy names that have no meaning except that some actor or actress named their kid that. I like older names like Luke and Charlie, names from certain religious or countries - especially Hebrew boys' names...OMGLOVE, like Noah, Jonah, Elijah, Caleb, Jacob, etc. They're just such beautiful names. And I like girls' names that are common enough that my kid won't get picked on like Tom Cruise's daughter will but unique enough that she won't be wondering which Tiffany people are talking to (My two favorites are Olivia and Julianna).

[secret-x-stars.livejournal.com]

iconlove! :O

my name is Jessica, and I was born in 1989. so i *totally* relate to being te 1000th person with your name.

[p-inkjeans.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, thanks! I made it myself :).

Oh, yeah...there were like four Jessicas in my class. The big ones were Lindsey, Jessica, Jennifer, and Ashley for girls and Matt, Jason, John, and Kyle for boys. The thing is, I'm from probably the only school where there weren't any really weird names. There was a girl named Pepper and one named Scarlett and then there were girls who spelled their names Stefanie and Rebekkah, but other than that everyone was very common names.

[hygher.livejournal.com]

If I really like a name I don't care if it's popular. I've loved the name Ava since I was little and if I have a daughter I'll probably name her Ava Elizabeth (family names).

[chippyjem.livejournal.com]

popular/trendy names really bug me.
where i live, it seems all of the new baby girls are called peyton and all of the new baby boys are called ashton.

i wouldnt name my kid anything in the top 100.

also tho, my name is krystal, and in school i was never the only krystal in my class and it bugged me, so i would never want to do that to my kid.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

I grew up with the name Jennifer and know too well the problems that can come with a common name. Little things like the fact that I have to leave my first AND last name on phone messages for even my best friends. Because everyone my age knows several Jens. That really bugs me. I'm never just Jen.

When I was in college there were eight women with the same first name/last name combo as me. (My last name isn't rare, but not particularly common either. The university population was about 20,000 students.) One time my registration got all screwed up. One time I showed up at the university health clinic and the nurse had the wrong chart.

The best time was when my pay checks got deposited in a different bank account than mine, because we had the same name. Ugh. That was a huge pain to straighten out.

I don't want my kid to have these problems. I'm not strict about a name having to be lower than 500 or 1000 or something, but I definitely wouldn't use a top 25 girl name, or a top 10 boy name. Fortunately I tend to prefer less popular names anyway as my taste is a bit more unusual. Emma, Julia, and Chloe are the only names I like that I feel are off limits. But that's fine. I have many others I like too.

[turabiannights.livejournal.com]

To me, it doesn't matter whether the name is popular as long as it's a fairly timeless name. For instance, I love the name Eleanor, which is steadily gaining popularity, but as there were only 1,213 Eleanors born last year, I might consider using it. It would, however, affect my using it if it were extremely popular - top ten, maybe, depending on distribution. For instance, I love Emily, but would never use it, because 23.5K Emilys were born last year.

What I don't like are names that will be dated in a decade. All the Kaidens and Nevaehs and Kaleighs and McWhatevers are going to be to the 2000s what Crystal was to the 80s, or Fanny was to the turn of the century, and I feel it's important to give a kid a name that will last them a long time - long after they are "cute." Names like Eleanor and Emily will last beyond the 2000s, just like Sarah, Elizabeth, Natalie (and Emily!) lived past the 80s.

[ewaeva.livejournal.com]

What she said :)

There's a difference between names that are popular in one generation, and names that have always been well loved.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Eleanor too, but am scared it's growing in popularity a little too fast... like my dd (Amelia). I posted back to the OP about it already so Ima not repeat myself. ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_x_blackroses_x/]

It's not so much that I'm "anti-popular names." It's just that I don't happen to like any names that are really popular! ;)

[amyames.livejournal.com]

i always said i'd name my daughter abigail...like since i was about 12 years old. it has always been my favourite name. of course, i grew up, got pregnant and all of a sudden my favourite name is like #6 on the popularity lists. i didn't care though, i still named my daughter abigail cause i knew i'd regret it if i didn't.

[maude.livejournal.com]

It won't stop me from liking a name if it's popular (I love Emma!), but if it's way popular then it will definitely stop me from using it for a child. I am and always have been Erin K. everywhere I go. I'd love to be just a first name, no initial!

I confess...

[invisiblepet.livejournal.com]

I noticed with myself, I like the "trendy" names for boys but like more classic, feminine names for girls.

I like Jayden, even though I know it's trendy and there are others and even girls with that name. I try to tell myself to NOT like that name...but I do. At least I admit it. I like Colten. And Pace. And Parker. Dax.

I like names for boys that are trendy. There I said it.

But for girls, I cannot stand trendy names. Names like Makayla and Madison and Emma and Caitlyn make me shudder. I prefer Rachel or Elizabeth or Hannah or Evelyn or even Mary.

Weird.

I grew up with an uncommon name (Annika) and I didn't hate it. It wasn't easy, but at least I never shared my name.

Re: I confess...

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I know several Annika's... i like the name it's very pretty.

Re: I confess...

[so-there.livejournal.com]

Evelyn is my daughter's middle name. it's may grama's name. it's getting more popular now, though! when I decided I wuld use it (well before having my daughter) I didn't even like it and thought of it as an old lady name. now I'm thinking she'll probably run into a few Evelyns her own age in life, and not think of her middle name as completely great grama-y.

Re: I confess...

[invisiblepet.livejournal.com]

I LOVE old lady names on little girls. I think Evelyn is gorgeous, but I've never met any little Evelyns.

Re: I confess...

[so-there.livejournal.com]

oh, I like old lady names on little girls now, but back when I decided to use my grama's name I didn't like it and figured it would be a middle name anyway so who cares. now I actually like it as a first name but I wouldn't use it as one because I want my kids to have their own names and not feel like little junior versions of other family members.

I haven't met any little Evelyns in person yet, but I've seen a few online so I'm guessing it's gaining in popularity. only a matter of time until they start popping up in my neighborhood.

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

For me, if I like a name, I like it. I could care less who has it and who doesn't. It's fun to see the trends - I love looking at the charts, etc. But when it comes to what I personally like, it doesn't matter, it's not a factor.

[bellisima87.livejournal.com]

I've grown up with a pretty unpopular name. And always wanted to have one of those popular names. During the last 5 years probably, my name has become pretty popular and there are many little girls with my name.

When I am pregnant and looking for a nice name for my kid I think that popularity is pretty much unimportant. But still, I don't want too popular names because it sucks when there are 5 other people in your year with the same name.
But if I really like that name, then I wouldn't care about popularity.

[puzleves.livejournal.com]

Hmm.. Think I pressed the wrong alternative :P

But, for me, if I really liked the name and my hubby liked it too, it wouldn't matter much if the name was very popular or not.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

My ideal name would be one that everybody has heard of before, but there aren't very many of them around.

However, the names that I like tend to be the classic ones that have been popular forever (Anna, Natalie, Joseph, Benjamin, etc). I think that popularity would not be my first criteria to meet, but when I'm trying to decide between the final few shortlisted names, I would look at the number of births in my state last year, and if my names were really popular, I would use the popularity to make my choice. I think if it was the absolute most popular, or in the top 5 or 10, I would try not to use it, unless I was desperately in love with it.

Haha... Nevaeh still makes me laugh, I really can't take it seriously. Thankfully I have not heard of anyone in Australia with that name yet, and I hope I never do.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

It didn't kill me to be a Jessica born in the 80s, and it won't kill any future spawn of mine either. I'm not going to stop liking a name just because it got popular (Olivia, for example).

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I like classic trendy names- Olivia, Ava, Amelia etc.. names that wont sound dated as the kid grows up but unfortunatly popular enough that she'll probably know a few. Id prefer my kids to have unpopular names so i'd go with well known but not often used like Felicity & Anabelle, with the exception of Amelia hence why i voted" Somewhat. I try to avoid popular names, but if I really fall in love with a popular name it's not a big deal."
I wish i'd been given a really girly name...

With boys names I don't like borrrrrring names like Richard, Peter, Michael.. i don't like crazy out there names though.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

p.s. I myself have a slightly less popular name (I think I've met 2 people who have it in my entire life) an I only hated it as a kid not because it wasn't very popular but becasue I had difficulty pronouncing the R in the middle of it (Adrienne). but really, I have never dreamed for a more popular name. I liked being the one people think of when they hear my name, not having aninitial after my name in school, etc. I think that's why I like uncommon names for my kids. my husband's name is chris. he didn't so much like haveing a common name. especially when he married into a faimly that already had 4 Chrises!

[dancing-crazy.livejournal.com]

I think there's definitely a difference between names that are popular and names that are trendy, but it's still annoying to be one of 6 girls named Elizabeth in your class, for example. I think it depends; if I absolutely love a name, like Anna that's one of my absolute favourites, I might use it with a more unusual middle name. But if I can find a name I love that's not as popular, it'd be better.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

I definitely am one who will not use a name that is popular or trendy, as in, it has to be at least below the top 50 (unless it's in the 40's maybe & I LOVE LOVE LOVE it)... as a matter of fact, when I picked my dd's name, (it is the name of my great aunt, my grandmother's sister - Amelia it was not even on the radar. now, suddenly there are all these Amelia's popping up and it's climbing the list (and this actually makes me quite irked...) however, I'm not sure if I would have changed wanting to name her that had I known that it would become popular, you know?

actually, I think I might have, seeing as how the name we would have given her if she was a boy has become increasingly popular recently & if we have another kid & he's a boy, I won't let him be called that now.

but either way, oh well, I like my daughter's name so...

and it's weird, bc growing up, my name (Brianne, prn. Bree-in) was not popular at all (trust me, I was the only one in school & it was grossly mispronounced alllll the time). now all of a sudden there are a thousand Breannes & Briannas.

[sherball.livejournal.com]

Most trendy names don't bother me. I don't like totally made up names and really weird spelled names. I love the names, Olivia, Ava, Emma, and Madison. I don't like most of the trendy boys names tho. I think most of them just sound made up. Caiden, Jayden, Aiden.. ugh.. they just annoy me. Shrug.

I named my child Rebecca Madison. Tho we call her Madison. We were going for a theme with her hame.. Her daddy's name has the initials RMM so we were trying to get her name to be RMM. I fell in love with Madison, and THEN found out that it was in the top 10, I almost changed my mind on the name because it was sooooo freaking popular. But I figured, so what it's trendy, at least she's got a beautiful and timeless first name, if she gets so sick of being the 1000th Madison in her class! :)

[cassandrakfreaq.livejournal.com]

I hate trends....but I am in favor of "classics"

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

It is a pretty big deal to me. I love the name Isabel, but I don't know if I'd ever actually use it because it is SO POPULAR. Well, Isabella is the most popular, but it's basically the same. I don't think I'd use a top 25 name.