babynames | Popularity and likes

Popularity and likes

I've noticed it seems to be a trend here to really dislike popular names and it's not the typical 'well, I like it but since it's so popular I would avoid using it at this time' but, with the exception of made up/misspelled names I just don't get it when people go 'Madison/Sarah/Emma sucks! It's in the top 10 HELLO! I'd pick any name but that' or something along those lines but more sugar coated or something. So what say you, do you honestly rule out a name on the hate list because it's popular or simply sigh and hope by the time you have a child the trend dies down?

I for example will admit I love Aidan as a name, the meaning is really sweet and I just like it. Not to mention that spelling it Aidán it is perfectly easy for my hispanic family to pronounce. And whenever I mention my like of the name it's like OMG EW -AYDEN TREND FOLLOWER!! When really... it's a name that's been around for centuries!

Another name I really like is Madison... this one I wouldn't use so much and it's not as high up as Aidan but it's nice enough but OMG EW MAD- TREND FOLLOWER gets so tiring to hear...

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Too many people named that name makes it completely unappealing to me. Even if I waited a few years that is still a butt load of people in the same generation with that name. No thanks.

This. I'm specifically avoiding names that are too popular. That doesn't mean I dislike them, but that I won't use them. But, yes, if I hear a name too many times, it can wear out its welcome for me.

I love a lot of popular names, but I won't use them if they are super popular. I really wanted to name a baby Madeleine, but I won't because I grew up one of 1232342342 Amandas and always hated it.

I realize everyone gets all down on the "Maddy's" of the world, but it's my daughter's name, so I must defend it, LOL.

In 2008, the name didn't clear the top 50 in ANY form, and that particular spelling (which to me is the "correct" way to spekk it) is something like 270th for 2008. True, the name may rise in popularity as time goes on (though apparently it's just as popular now as it was in 2000...but again, not in the top 50 for the past 9 years), and your region may have more of them than mine does. I haven't met another one yet!

There are names that I like a lot and are very popular, and I would still use them. According to the SSA website, the names Michael, Daniel, Anthony and Christopher are among the top 10, and I'd use them in a heartbeat. Sophia is among my top 5, and I've always loved Chloe.

For me, it's more a matter of how much I like the name. All those names are overused, but if I like them enough, I won't give much importance to popularity.

My mom has an unusual name, and I have an unusual name, so I've always wanted to carry on the trend with my children. Not SUPER weird names, but unique enough that I rarely meet others with my name. If I like a name and find out it's in the top 10 or so that would be enough to seriously reconsider it.

I like some of the names in the top 10. I'm kind of a hypocrite about it. I would never use the names Emma or Ava 00 even though they are nice enough names and I don't dislike them -- simply because they are in the top 10. Emily, on the other hand, I would absolutely use.

I guess I look at it like this: if I can picture the name on someone over the age of 12 without it sounding weird, and if it's a name that has a REASON for being so popular, I'm okay with it. Emily, for example, is a really classic name that has been popular FOREVER, whereas a name like Nevaeh is horrendous and simply popular because people think it makes their kid unique. Plus, if it's a name I love, I'd use it no matter how popular it is. My name is Lindsay and I was one of 7 in my high school graduating class of 100 and I have had no lasting emotional damages, so I don't think it'll kill my kids, either.

Some names I would use regardless of their popularity: Eliza, Jude, Harriet, Louisa, Norah, Lily, Anne, Samuel, Michael, Paul, Jasper, Thatcher, Asher, Silas, Elijah, Elias.

This. There are popular names and popular names. I'd never ever EVER use Nevaeh because I think it's tacky, but I wouldn't have any problems with Sophia.

However, sometimes I grow tired of a name. Sophia is a good example - it has been my number one for a long time, but now it has been replaced. It's still one of my favorites, but not the absolute favorite. Maybe it's because I've heard it a lot, maybe there's another reason, I don't know. In a year, my number one may be a completely different name.

Popularity means close to nothing to me. I might consider it if I'm between two names anyway, and one of them keeps popping up on birth announcements while I'm pregnant/those kids will be in the same grade as future child.

I love Aidan, but am dating a Dan... and see, the pun is right there. Dating "a Dan" .. "Aidan" ... close enough. Looking at the top 50 for 2008, I like..
Jacob*, Ethan, Alexander*, Aidan, Elijah, Dylan, Evan, Jack, Aaron
Madison, Ava, Natalie, Alyssa, Riley, Sydney

* = though, I'd only use those as middle names

As for Riley.. I actually probably wouldn't use that, due to popularity in people I'm close with. The most meaningful one being Dan's nephew. But I know three other little girl Rileys. I also wouldn't use Austin because two of my friends have Austins. I'm pretty sure every name on my list is rising in popularity, which I'm okay with. If anything, it just shows my boyfriend that they're "real" usable names!

I don't care about popularity. My favorite name for girls is Emily! Actually, I like every name in the SSA's top ten right now, except Chloe, Christopher, and Matthew.

I like a lot of names in the top 100, especially Michael, Benjamin, Dominic, Charlotte, Abigail, and Alexandra. While it does make me think harder about if I like every aspect of the name (spelling, pronunciation, and meaning), it will not deter me from using that as my child's name.

Honestly, I don't get the big deal about being one of several people with the same name in your class. Chances are, bar some crazy unique spelling, several other people in the world share your name. Get over it, we're not as unique as we're led to believe. My name (Hunter) is very uncommon for a girl, but I am by no means the only female Hunter on this earth and I am happy with that.

There's a difference between knowing you aren't the only one and having the same name as 12 other people in your class.

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let-letitbe.livejournal.com - 2009-12-28 03:29 (UTC) - Expand

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a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com - 2009-12-28 03:29 (UTC) - Expand

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let-letitbe.livejournal.com - 2009-12-28 03:32 (UTC) - Expand

I rule the name out for my child if it's really popular, but that doesn't mean I dislike the name. I just don't want my child to share his/her name with four/five other kids in their class. As a kid, I always felt sorry for for classmates that needed to have their surname's first initial tacked on, just so people could identify them. :(

-Mildly- popular I might be able to deal with, since most of my top boy's names are in the top sixty (right now, the name I want is Sebastian)...

Disclaimer: In this comment I define popularity as generational trends, not classics that have been around forever.

I have an issue with popularity, I have no shame in admitting, at least when it comes to girls. I have an unusual name and I love the fact that I can go around on a first name basis. I've never been "Samaria H." or "Samaria M." or "Samaria with the black hair" and I thank my parents profusely for that bit. There's something to be said for being The Only One; even if it's only on a roster, I always stand out. It certainly isn't for everyone, but I for one appreciate the fact that I'm one of a kind (without my name being Unique) without even trying, and I'll pass that on to my kids. Being one of the gray masses has never appealed to me.

That said, I like my unusual names within reason. The names I like have to have a solid history behind them, sound appropriate in a professional context, and be spelled correctly. I will always prefer Madison over Alyzabeth any day of the week, even though verbally the latter definitely trumps the former. (Though in a contest between Nevaeh and Alyzabeth, I just won't have any kids.)

If the names Ariadne, Persephone, and Andromeda become popular in ten years, I will be upset. However, I will also still use the name. I've loved them forever, so why not? There are names I will like regardless of popularity and will seriously consider using, names like Helena, Athena, and Camilla.

I don't care about popularity for boys, actually. Jude, Henry, Gabriel, Simon, George, John, and Arthur will always be on my list regardless of where they stand on the charts.

Your last comment is sort of interesting to me, because I've noticed that many people seem to favor more unusual girl's names, and more classic boy's names. Out of curiosity, do you know why that's true for you?

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daydream11.livejournal.com - 2009-12-28 05:09 (UTC) - Expand

I honestly doesn't bother me a bit, and I say this as a Jessica of the 80s.

For boys I really like Alexander and Christopher, both top 10. I won't end up using either though, because we have family members with those names already.

For girls, I like Emma and Olivia in the top 10, but won't end up using either again. My husband hates both of them. :( Olivia is a really,really pretty name though. I'm glad it's popular.

To me, there's a big difference between trendy and popular. I don't mind popular names, the ones that have been high-ranking forever, but I don't like the trendy names.

In middle school, I loved the name Aidan, which was ranked about 100 when I first came across it. Now it is so over-used and bastardized that it has completely lost its appeal.

However, names like Michael (top 10 since 1943 and always in the top 100 since 1880), James, and William, I like them because they have tradition, important men throughout time have carried these names, including many of my family members. I'm not saying I'm right, but that's my take.

I'd rather my kid not be one of 10 in her graduating class with the same name, is all.

Except I didn't realize how quickly Amelia was rising in popularity when I named her, so I might have that problem anyway. :(

But no, I don't automatically hate a name just because it is popular. Elizabeth was my #2 name, and it's ranked at #10 on the SSA list.

Three of four of my friends' children have rather unusual names...

Annik (g)
Miquel (b)
Ella (g)
Quynn (g)

Those are more unusual spellings than unusual names. And Ella was number 19 last year.

it doesn't bug me, really. I have a few names that I like that are relatively popular -- Elizabeth, Alison, Daniel, and Ethan jump to mind -- and my absolute favorite name, Scarlett, is rising quickly. I mean, I'm a Samantha who was born in 1990 and it never bugged me that I was "Samantha M." in elementary school and "Sam" in HS (the other Samantha went by Sammi).

also, to the OP: I agree with you about Aidan. I think it's an awesome name with a cool meaning and I've liked it ever since I met an Aidan when I was nine.

I don't feel like this *because* a name is popular, exactly. What usually happens is that I dislike the name to begin with, and then when it becomes popular and you begin to see it everywhere, being constantly bombarded by the name makes me like it even less. If it's spelled properly and isn't a boy's name on a girl, then chances are I wouldn't have the reaction you describe.

I tend to lean away from popular names simply because I was one of three Michelle's and my husband agrees because he was one of five Joshua's. I just don't want to do that to my kid. I wouldn't eliminate a name in the top 100 but I have been watching the top 20-30 as I near my due date.

I actually like most of the names in the top ten. I would mostly avoid using them, not because I'm concerned with being different, but just because I like a lot of other names that aren't as popular, and probably wouldn't involve my kid being the third Emily in her classroom/workplace her entire life. That said, I really don't think there's anything wrong with giving your child a very popular name. It's all down to what you personally feel comfortable with. My favourite name for a boy happens to be William, which is in the top ten.

Names from the top ten that I like: Michael, Joshua, Daniel, Alexander, Anthony, William, Christopher, Matthew, Emma, Emily, Ava, Abigail, Elizabeth.

I have changed a lot on this point. For me there's a difference between names that I like and names I would use personally. I like many of the names in the top 10 but wouldn't personally use them because I prefer baby names that are a little more off the beaten track. However I would use a name I really loved regardless of the popularity of the name.

Re: snobbishness at popular names, I agree with other posters that there's a huge difference between popular-but-classic and popular-faddish. I am thinking Aidan vs. Hayden vs. Jayden. The first sounds the most classic, the second is a "new classic" and the third sounds really trendy. But who knows how that will shake out in a few years. Jayden will be the new Kevin.

The first time I looked at baby names I saw the name Aidan and fell in love with it instantly. That was before I even knew I was carrying a boy. Then alas, found out it was a boy so Aidan was at the top of my list.

Then I found out how insanely popular it's becoming and honestly... I don't care. I've loved it since I first saw it. It's perfect. I don't let it bother me.

LOL good for you! I tried to get my sister to name her son Aidan (he's 13 now) and everyone looked at me like I was crazy...it was apparently too "out there: LOL

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satanwearspink.livejournal.com - 2009-12-28 15:59 (UTC) - Expand

For me it's not so much popularity as trendiness. There are popular names that have been popular for quite some time--two of my favorite names (James and Claire) have always been relatively popular. I don't care about their popularity because they are classic names that are not dated to a specific time period. To me, a name that has had a steady popularity and is well recognized as a legitimate classic name is entirely different than a name that has had a sudden skyrocket to the top of the charts and will invariably date the name to that specific era. It's the difference between Madison and Christopher, you know?

I <3 James and Claire!!!

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arbus.livejournal.com - 2009-12-28 18:55 (UTC) - Expand

I like most of the the top 10 and I love the name Aidan too lol. If I were to have a child, I think popularity and meaning would be strong influences in what I name them. Being one of five in a class is never fun lol. I admit that I like more obscure names....and I kind of worry about that lol.

Oh, and I think I would be more influenced by the name's popularity in my circle of friends and family than over all popularity. It would be weird to me to have six Isabellas...

I don't care about the popularity of a name, but I do care about the trendiness. They're two different things to me. A popular name is self explanatory, but to me a trendy name is a name that has suddenly become popular and will become dated, or one that follows current style trends (like the -aden thing or boy's names on girls).

Some popular names are classic, traditional names with plenty of history behind them. I really like William, Michael, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Emma. Elizabeth is tied for second for names I'd use on a daughter, and William is my #1 boy's name, but I can't use it. I'd consider using Michael too, but can't use that either.

I like Aidan too, but I'm so tired of hearing it. I do have a problem with Madison, though-- it's too surnamey and makes no sense on a girl.

It doesnt matter to me if its on the top names, if I like it and it fits baby then thats all that matters.

I care a little, but I also think that even the "trends" tend to be regional. My daughter's name is Madeleine, she was born in 2008. At the time, this community was like OMG SO POPULAR NOOOOO! but honestly? We have yet to meet another Madeleine or another Maddy (I realize this may change as she starts school). The name didn't even clear the top 50 in ANY form in 2008, and that particular spelling is something like 230th that year.

::shrugs:: I love her name, I think it's beautiful and it suits her well. So what if she isn't the only one? My husband is William and there are always TONS of Williams everywhere and he's ok. Didn't scar him any. She also has two middle names that she could go by if she wanted to (her full name is Madeleine Allison Mae), so there are lots of possibilities here. My sister frequently calls her Mae, which I think it really ctue.

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