Popularity of a name,...

[mamasammy.livejournal.com]

l've been thinking alot lately about the popularity of names and how much it affects the way we name our children. Especially in this community I have noticed what a big deal popularity is and what a massive turn off it can be even with a name that you loved before its rise to the top (or close to the top). I know for me personally, in naming my daughter, I think I must've considered every name in every book,... The first thing I'd check was the name's popularity and the closer it was to number one, the more it turned me away from the name.

Anyway, I was looking over the SSA Popular Baby Names List for 2009 and I was really amazed at the numbers I saw. For example, the name Isabella, while it was the most popular female name in the United States in 2009--only 22,067 babies were named Isabella last year. Which turns out to be 1.1023%, doesn't seem so popular when you look at it that way. A measly 1.1%? As for boys, the number one male name in 2009 was Jacob,...  20,858 boys were given the name Jacob. Which means--.9952%. Not even 1%!

I won't bore you with all the numbers, because you can go to the SSA website and see for yourself, but its just food for thought I guess. Even now that I know this information, I still feel the same way about names. When I have another baby, I'll still like a less popular name over a more popular name, only based on its rank in the SSA. I love the name Owen and I think it sounds good with my last name and all, but if I have a son, I won't use that name because its too popular in my opinion. Silly, but true.

If you have children--how much did you let the popularity of a name affect your decision to name your baby?
If you don't have children--how important is the popularity of a name you would like to use for future children?

Thoughts?

Comments

[bandnerd88.livejournal.com]

When I was born, my name had a popularity of almost 1%, and I still knew so many/heard it called out so many times that it made me hate how popular it was. 1% doesn't seem like a lot but it can be.

I like a *ton* of names, so even though I like some popular names I have no problem passing them up in favor of less popular names. I'll likely keep away from the top 100 if I can, or anything that's rising quickly. I'm grateful for the SSA list. My mom's excuse for giving me a popular name is, "But I didn't know anyone else with that name! I thought it sounded new and cool!" Yes mom, and everyone else had the same thought. :P

[mamasammy.livejournal.com]

Your comment makes me wonder...

Back when they didn't have internet and whatnot, and the SSA didn't have their useful popular baby names list.. How did so many people end up with the same name? Sheer coincidence?

I never really thought about it,... I guess I assumed that since the SSA has their list now that that's how people name all their kids the same name.

Its very crazy when you think about how many people's parents gave them the same names without even knowing it. What are the odds? Hmm..

[a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com]

Popular names tend to infiltrate the media when they're popular. There were tv, movies, books, and papers then. Before that, most names were very cultural or religious and there was much less variety.

[daveandmonika.livejournal.com]

I think at least some of it is whatever media influences you had growing up...there are names that weren't popular at all when we were little that it seems everyone held onto as wonderful and now that we're adults it's like everyone else did the same thing. For me that name was Sophia. I remember telling my then boyfriend now husband how much I had always loved that name but it was rising too fast.
...Didn't the animated video of Charlotte's web come out between our parent's generation and ours? So it would have influenced a generation of little kids who then grew up without knowing too many Charlotte's in real life but having this rosy picture from the movie.