(no subject)

[so-there.livejournal.com]

where does a name have to rank in order for you to consider it "popular"? top 10? 50? 100? or just "I know lots of people with that name" vs. "I don't know anyone with that name"?

Comments

[krosp.livejournal.com]

I work with kids, so for me it's whether I know many kids with that name. It doesn't matter so much if I know adults with that name. Possibly Rebecca would be an archaic name for kids today, but I know 1000 Becs my age. So I don't go by my generation. I suppose if I really wanted to be accurate I'd look at the most recent naming trend chart for the area that I live in. It tends to match the kids in the preschool pretty well.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

Also worth noting is that if I actually was looking at the official rankings, I'd accept a much higher rating for a boys' name than a girls. Because I just think that there aren't as many boys names out there, so if my favourite boys' name was ranked 10 I would be fine with it, but if it was a girls name I would rather it be lower. Doesn't sound too good when I put it that way hey

[cocinadelfeto.livejournal.com]

I try to stay out of the top 300.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Anything in the top 10 is out for me. I think it's just name name snobbery showing through. When I was younger I used to dislike popular names, names that lots of kids i knew had. This was just passing thoughts as a musing youngster, before i knew there were other people like me who actually cared about this kind of thing! So it's always been with me to disregard popular names. A lot of the names I like are relatively common, not out there weird & in the top 75.. but definitely anything that seemed popular to me growing up is out.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I'm the same with boys names. Top 10 is still too high for me but it would take less to convice me to use a popular boys name than a popular girls name. The problem is, i really dont love that many boys names at all. I could easily choose 10 names from my girls list i would nme a future daughter, i dont even have 10 names on the entire boys list!!

[calixbat.livejournal.com]

It depends. Its kind of a combo off where it is on the chart and how many people i know with the name..

[jaydoz.livejournal.com]

I know lots of people with that name vs. I don't know anyone with that name

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

top 10 and whether or not I know alot of kids with that name. I work at a school so that's how I find out which names are really popular.

[x-lostinyou.livejournal.com]

Top 100 for me.

[hitzpink.livejournal.com]

Top 50-100. I don't go by how many people I know with that name, because I think it's pointless. I don't know all of the kids who will be in my child's class at school, or all of the kids who will grow up with my child. The people that I know tell me nothing about a name's popularity as a whole, so I won't name a child Ava just because I don't personally know any Avas.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

i try to keep below 200. although when i looked up valerie the other day and found it hadn't been out of the top 200 in at least 50 years, i was surprised cause i've never met a valerie. so if it was something like that, i would still use it. so, under the top 200 with room for exceptions.

[coconutchica.livejournal.com]

mine is usually based on if i've actually heard the name a lot. I can look at the list and see Olivia up high, but I've never met one. but i see it on so many people's favorites lists, so i'd be convinced that it's popular.

i love Ava. I have no concerns if it's #1 on the list. I loved it before I realized how popular it was, and I've never met on, nor do I frequently see it on favorites lists. so to me, it's just not that popular.

i never said i based anything on logic, i just want a name i love

[p-inkjeans.livejournal.com]

top 10. there are a lot of names later than that on the list that i've never encountered before, so they're not THAT popular. with a top 10 name, the kid has a pretty decent chance of being in the same class as someone else with that name, and as a lindsay, i know how much that sucks.

[p-inkjeans.livejournal.com]

also, if i know a lot of people with that name. For instance, Christina was #138 in 2005, but I know a TON of people with that name, so I always consider it to be more popular than it probably really is. likewise, i know one emma (not from the US) and one Olivia (also not from the US), and so I probably wouldn't think they were THAT popular, even though they're #2 and #5 respectively. Since I don't know anyone with those names, I find it really hard to see them as "popular".

[julieannie.livejournal.com]

I like to look at the state one because it has some variance. I would prefer a girls name that is lower than the top 10 and doesn't look like it will make it to the top 10 before she hits kindergarten. I also look at usage rates. A name can be #12 but have 20,000 less uses than the #11 or something. If a name is declining, that is good too because names do bell curves. The same boy names have been in the top 10 with a few newcomers now and then. I will probably choose a name I purely like rather than a rank with a guy. I'm just like that.

[smasharash.livejournal.com]

Top 30.
Using "I know lots of people with that name" vs. "I don't know anyone with that name" doesn't generally work because how many of us hang out with under five year olds?

[lavandersparkle.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you on this.

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

I would prefer to stay out of the top 50 or 100, but I don't know if that would happen. definitely out of the top 20.

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

iawtc. i hate when people say "well i don't know anyone named isabella! so it can't be THAT popular!" and likewise, i hate when they say things like "omg i know sooooo many *insert popular 80s name here* its too common!!" because they're basing it off of people THEIR AGE, not children. a jennifer now would be much less common than an isabella, but you always get those people who would say they'd never use common jennifer but would use the "not as common" isabella.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

Top 20 for boys
Top 50 for girls

That's where I say "too popular for me."

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Ditto that :)

I'm British but follow American trends, because well frankly you've no choice on the net.
Really though what's hot there always comes here eventually and vice versa. People here consider Madison to be pretty and unusual (it's just getting trendy here), but I was jaded about it long ago.
Also think it's so funny that yanks are going nuts over Gemma and Claire, they're like our equivalant of say Britney and Erin [not really complaining though, my mn is Clair and the new perspective has helped me learn to love it... 'creative' spelling not withstanding]

[so-there.livejournal.com]

all the lindsays must have come after I was born, because I never knew any until recently, and they're all a few years younger than me.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

see, I just think most of the 80s names are ugly. I know that there are probably few to no jessicas, jennifers, tiffanys etc being born now, but UGH.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

I don't tend to like popular names, but if I like one, well I'm not going to not like it just because it's popular. I don't like some names just because they seem so over-played and I'm tired of them.
I can't even find my current favorite girl's name on any list.. I'm starting to think the mother of the one person I've seen who had it pulled it out of ehr butt. I'd like to at least find the definition of it. I worry that it's too unpopular and people will be like, "huh?".