(no subject)

[kati-d.livejournal.com]

Im not pregnant or TTC however I have always loved names. its too the point when everytime I see someone pregnant Im dying to know what they are going to name there baby, or if I hear a name, I sit and analyze it in my head. Its crazy. So this leads me to some questions about my name choices,

How awful is it to name your daughter a popular name? I mean I grew up with the name Katie and I survived, but today people go nuts if you mention madison etc, i LOVE LOVE the name Ella and Id really like to name my first daughter that... what are you thoughts.
Also which is your favorite and why?
Hannah or Anna?

Meredith or Jillian?

Luke or Caleb??

Comments

[tinylittlestars.livejournal.com]

I love Hannah. Don't like either Meredith or Jillian... and I prefer Caleb. :)

[dosequisgirl.livejournal.com]

I like Anna better than Hannah.
I'm indifferent to both Meredith and Jillian.
I like Caleb better. I like Lucas or Luca, not Luke.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

Anna - I find the "H" just harder to say and it's more harsh, Anna sounds more fresh and elegant.. although I like Hannah too
Meredith - It's one of those names like Ruth, which I think are smart sounding and strong, but not particularly pretty sounding, yet I still like it a bit. I don't like Jillian though so it was an easy choice
Luke - just prefer how it sounds

I don't think it's the end of the world if your daughter has a popular name, really... 99% of boys share their names with tons of people, we just happen to use more girls' names... but if guys can survive being called Ben and Tim why can't a girl be called Ella?

[caramelsugar.livejournal.com]

Anna, Meredith and Luke.

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

Not a fan of Ella and certainly not a fan of Katie - sorry! They're just kinda eh to me.

I like Anna over Hannah. Hannah is too sugary for me.

Meredith is one of my favorites. Luke is a good name, too and I don't like the sound of Caleb.

[maude.livejournal.com]

I personally don't want to use any names under #100 because I have a very very popular name among my generation and I just don't want my kids to have to go through that annoyance...and all my favorites are over #100 anyway, so it works out.

Anna, because it reminds me of the song Anna Begins.
Jillian, because I have a really really dear friend named this.
Caleb just because.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I adore that song, and i love Counting Crows.
It makes me sad though :-(

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I love Anna Begins too. By far my favorite song on that Album and maybe my favorite song of theirs ever.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I was born in the 80s and I'm a Jessica. Yes, I knew a TON of them, but it didn't stifle me as a child at all. Your name is not the only part of you that can possibly set you apart in a crowd. Plus, most people will give you a nickname so it's not like you have the horror of "Everytime someone says Jessica I got whiplash because I thought they were talking to me." My friends called me Jess and if I was in a crowd, they yelled "little Jess" or "short Jess." It won't kill your future child to have a common name. My only problem with my name is that I don't think it ages very well. "Jessica" just doesn't strike me as a name for a 50 year old woman.

[lavandersparkle.livejournal.com]

Anna - As much I like Hannah, I prefer Anna
Meredith - Jillian is just...blah
Caleb - LOVE LOVE this name I don't know why.

No its not horrible to name a kid popular name cause, I think if you love a name then use it, Honestly I don't get the big deal about naming you kid a popular name.

[pap3r-heart.livejournal.com]

I love the name Ella too so I can see your dilemma. If you love it that much you should use it, just be ready for there to be more than one Ella running around at school. You shouldn't let the popularity of a name discourage you from using it. Unless you're dead set on your kid growing up with a totally unique name that no one else has in school.

Anna - because I've always loved this name. It's so classic. Hannah just doesn't do anything for me.
Meredith - because this has been in my top 5 for girls for the past few years. I just LOVE it. It's slightly unique but not trendy.
Luke - because I've never liked the name Caleb. Plus it's a nice classic boy name.

[xanya.livejournal.com]

It's not so bad to have a popular name, I don't think, as long as it's as nice one. I believe a lot of people have a problem with Madison because not only is it VERY popular, but it's not seen as very classy. The name Ella is lovely, and I don't think it's too popular to put you off it.

I like both Hannah and Anna, but somehow Anna seems more classical to me (even though I know Hannah is a biblical name. It's always struck me more of a name for older women, though, for some reason).

Meredith and Jillian are both good, but Gillian is pretty much my number one name for girls, so I'm a little biased.

Definitely like Luke more than Caleb, as it's just... well, it reminds me of Caleb from Buffy who was creepily religious and EXTREMELY misogynistic. So yeah.

[satunian.livejournal.com]

Anna, Jillian and Luke for me.
They're all nicer sounding, Anna is prettier and classier, Hannah sounds boring and dull.

Meredith is just not an attractive name to me. Jillian isn't a favorite but it's decent, down to earth and cool.

And to me Caleb is a little boy's name while Luke is a hot and sexy man. And while I will love my little boy if and when I have him, one day, he will grow up to be a man. Caleb just does not sound like a man's name to me.

[satunian.livejournal.com]

and also, I'm the same way with names. It's a minor obsession of mine (along with birthdays) and my mom always made me feel weird for it, but I'm glad there are others out there like me. Ella is a pretty enough name but to me it always sounded incomplete. Like something should be before it. Maybe it's because of Cinderella, the "ella" part is interprested as generic female name ending in my brain (I guess like Ette, or etta)

[seren.livejournal.com]

I don't see anything wrong with giving children a popular name if you really really love it. Our daughter's name was #7 in the UK charts in the year she was born - I didn't realise it was that popular but I'd loved the name for years and wasn't put off. I don't know how I'll feel if there are other little girls called Lucy in her class when she starts school, but she's never had to be 'Lucy S' at any of the toddler groups and classes we've attended, and she's 27 months now. We've come across more children with slightly unusual names, like Jasmine or Ruby.

The name we have in mind for our second daughter is pretty popular - I think it's in the top 20 but I've never met another little girl with the same name. I like names that are popular for good reason - Ella is timeless and would suit a female of any age. I doubt it will ever go out of fashion.

My name is Celeste and it's really unusual in the UK - I've always wished I'd been named something a bit more 'normal'. I'm quite shy and don't really think I suit a name that makes me stand out from the crowd! ;)

I like Hannah better than Anna and Caleb better than Luke. I don't really like Meredith or Jillian at all I'm afraid. No real reasons for my preferences.

[scouty.livejournal.com]

I love ella....if you like the name don´t listen to anyone else...call your daughter (one day) ella ! it´s a wonderful name....


Hannah
Meredith

Caleb - I LOVE this name

[purple-gaze.livejournal.com]

I grew up with the name Sarah and I survived, I like Ella and it reminds me of Ella Fitzgerald.
I think if a name is classic it can transcend trends and I'm comfortable with my name now and love the meaning- princess in Hebrew,
but it did take me a long time to feel comfortable in my own skin jumping out of it everytime a stranger called "Sarah!" to someone else, and it's almost awkward introducing myself when everyone's already met so many Sarahs.
It's also harder to feel original, but I've risen to the challenge. :)
With Madison it's more that I don't like "son of" names for girls.
Also a name that just means "son of Maud" wouldn't be meaningful enough for my kids, particularly since I'm not called Maud!
Madysonn would be too trendy though. :)

Neither Hannah or Anna are really my sort.
I really like Anne, as in Anne Frank and Anne of Green Gables, but to me Anna sounds plain and is tainted by association.

The sound of Meredith reminds me of the neurotic Maris from Frasier, and Jillian suggests posh girls and pony clubs to me somehow.
Interestingly although I've always seen it as a girls name Meredith has quite a masculine meaning-"great lord" or "sea lord".

I love Luke and like Caleb too.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

haha i'm the same, weird arent we!

I don't think it's awful if you give your child a popular name, but I would never do it. I like some names that are popular nowadays- Olivia, Ava, Sophia but I think those are classic names that will always sound good. Madison isn't just popular it's trendy & will date so easily. I'd say Ella fits into the first catagory & it will always sound good, if you love it then use it! You'll regret it if you don't, my mum does!
I would never use them beacuse i really hate names that I found popular as a kid- Rachel, Rebecca, Rosie, Helen, Sarah etc

Anna- so much more so than Hannah, i don't know why byt i dislike Hannah a lot, Love Anna/Ana.
Meredith- Love, especially as a middle name. Jillian is ugly.
Caleb- i adore Lucas but i'm not a massive fan of Luke.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

Hannah
Meredith
Caleb (though I also love Luke)

[k-t-bug.livejournal.com]

I actually like all seven of the names you mentioned. They are beautiful, classic names, some more common than others, but none are trendy.

I grew up as a Katie too, although I think in my generation it's a lot less common; I'm nearly 30. *sob*

I'm expecting (in 9 weeks!) and am still agonizing over the Name List. I'm worried that the name I pick will become the next Madison/Kaitlin. My logic is, "Well, if I love it, then lots of other people will too." I really don't want our daughter to have a common or trendy name. This is worse than playing the freakin' stock market! :)

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

NO sobbing over being 30! My husband just turned 30 in August and he already feels like the best years of his life are ahead (and he LOVED high school...more than most).

From what I hear, you go through the most freeing changes. You have everything to look forward to. :)

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

Hannah is cute.

Caleb James is my pick for if this baby is a boy, so I defiently like that name :)

[xcuore.livejournal.com]

i liek Hannah.
Meredith is better that Jillian, but i dont like them.
Caleb is better that Luke. Tho Luke is nice to

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

Hannah or Anna?
Hannah - I know a couple of Hannahs & Anna has never sat quite right with me for no good reason I can think of. ;p

Meredith or Jillian?
Both. I really like them & think they're strong & classic names.

Luke or Caleb?
Luke. just love it, Caleb reminds me of Jacob (probably bc I knew brothers with this name growing up)and I'm tired of Jacob.

My issue with popular names is how unoriginal it feels I think. When I ask someone what they named their child and it's a very popular name, I feel disappointed for some reason maybe bc it seems so boring to me like they just jumped on the bandwagon and selected from the List of Currently Acceptable Names (i.e. the Top 25 or so). Which makes me think that they didn't even put much effort into searching for a name (this is probably not true at all) and that they hope that using one of those names will make their child as popular as the name seems to be.

I always feel like I wouldn't want my kid to be one of 10 Madisons in her class, but then again, if your kid has the personality that she doesn't want to necessarily stand out, then maybe a more common name would work better. Too bad we can't know what they'll be like before they're born.:)

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

I don't think using a very popular name is a bad thing, if you really love it. Ella is pretty, but it's too short and nicknamey for me. I prefer a more substantial first name (Eleanor) with Ella/Ellie as a nn.

Love Hannah. I HATE Anna. I don't know why I like Hannah if I don't like Anna, but that's how it is. Anna is one of my least favorite names. I adore the name Anastasia but would hesitate to use it because I don't want any future daughter being called Anna.

I like Meredith a million times more than Jillian. Meredith is classy and cute.

Luke and Caleb... god two of my favorites!! I'll take Caleb though. But if the choices were Lucas or Caleb, or Luca or Caleb, I'd pick Luca(s). I love them both though, they're great.

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Ditto Maude
It's survivable, but can be awkward at times. So I personally prefer more uncommon names, but 90% of people choose/have names in the top 100 so it's not that big a deal.
Ella is a sweet classic name, so think of it more as 'well received'.

Anna; understated elegance
Meredith; unusual but not weird, it has a nice meaning too. Have never been that keen on Jillian anyway.
Luke; has the better meaning of the two. Just like it really.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

I love how all these people are saying, "I had a popular name and survived" as though anyone has ever suggested popular names are fatal.

I had a popular name too (Jennifer) and yup, I'm still here taking breaths in and out every day. Doesn't mean I can't think of 1001 different times that having a common name has annoyed me. Doesn't mean I don't wish that someone somewhere had even once complimented my name. Doesn't mean I don't like seeing my name on every single person's "most hated" name list. Doesn't mean I had that have to leave my last name on all phone messages, even for my best friends. etc etc etc. Some people truly don't care. Some people like me truly do. What will your kid be like? I don't expect we can answer that question for you.

Yes, you'll get through life fine with a common name. But if ahead of time you have a choice between names that will either 1 - create situations of confusion for your child or 2 - be a unique identifier, why not go with the latter? Names are meant to identify a person. If they can't do that, I consider that name a failure.

I think it is important to consider all the pros and cons of every name and *thoughtfully* pick the name that you think will serve your child best from childhood to retirement. And if after that consideration the truly best name in your mind is a top 10 one, then embrace it and go with it.


Hannah or Anna - I really don't care for either one
Jillian or Meredith - I love Meredith
Caleb or Luke - Luke I guess, but again I dislike both

[glitterberrys.livejournal.com]

I'm incredibly sick of the name Ella, but if that's what you want to name your kid, go for it. By the time you're TTC it might not even be so popular any more.

Anna, because I don't like Hannah.
Jillian, because I don't like Meredith.
Luke, because I don't like Caleb.

...that was easy.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I dislike both Hannah (especially) and Anna (mom's name), but I like most names with Anna in it, including my top name right now, Susanna.

Meredith is a close second to Susanna. I ADORE it. Oh man. I love it. DOn't like Jillian much because I knew two mean ones.

Love both Luke and Caleb, but I prefer Caleb, for uniquness.

[wake-tonight.livejournal.com]

Ella could be a nickname. Annabella, Isabella, Arabella, Daniella, Gabriella and so on...

[peach-rose-girl.livejournal.com]

Unlike Madison, Ella is feminine and a classic name. Not to mention, you have to think that perenially popular names are for a reason. Emily is a good name. Katherine is a good name. They may not be to everyone's taste, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with them and a whole lot right. Ella might be popular, but not trendy. A trendy name is like Tiffany in the 1980s. Something that will sounds dated. I don't think Ella does.

I like Hannah and Anna, but Hannah more. It seems like a more finished/substantial name for some reason. Though I have to second "Anna Begins." I think that's everyone's favorite Counting Crows song. I like Anna as a nickname for longer names, too.

I love both Luke and Caleb, but I see Luke as more of a nickname for Lucas or Luca. I like Luke better than either of them, though. Caleb is sort-of-old-fashioned-but-popular-again. I really like it.

Ok, and as for Meredith or Jillian, I'm picking Meredith, but I'm a bit biased, because that's my name. Oddly enough, my parents really liked the name Jillian, but I have a second cousin named Jillian with the same last name as me. Meredith comes from Welsh and it means "protector of the sea" although it may have originally meant "god" because it was originally a male name. But since the 1940s it's virtually become exclusively female. I've never met a male Meredith and the only one I've ever heard of it Meredith Willson, who wrote "The Music Man," so I see it as a female name. Now, as a kid, I didn't know any Merediths at all. I always wanted to be Jessica or Katie when I was really little. But honestly, I think it fits me. It's classic, not too popular yet not unheard of, not overly feminine but still female. My mom said that she and my dad (names are John and Susan) didn't want me to be one of 6 Jennifers in my grade. And growing up there was one other Meredith in my high school (she was in my graduating class) and that was it. Of course, my parents went and named my brother Matthew, so you can talk to him about having a popular name. ;-) I really like my name now, though, and I'm happy with the thought that was put into it. I get compliments on it as well.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I think Jillian is better spelt Gillian, but probably because of Practical Magic. :]
I think Ella is cute- but becoming preeeeetty trendy lately.