How much does popularity matter to you?

tee18

One of our top 2 choices, Ella, is popular. In 2013, it was 15 nationwide, but in my state it was 28 (who knows what it will be for 2014). I don't know how I feel about popularity. My DH doesn't care. I know popularity means something different now than it used to. It's the main thing holding me back from the name. Help!

lifeisapeach

I am not a fan of popularity one of the reasons being I taught for seven years so having an Olivia, Sophia, ella, ellie and Ava every single year (sometimes 2 of the same name) im a bit turned off by it. But if you LOVE a name then use it!

Huler

I am a Megan, and growing up my first best friend was named Megan. In kindergarten, I moved... and my new best friend was named Megan. I loved it! Maybe it was bc I hated my last name, but having a normal name made me feel... normal?

Fast forward to today, and both my boys have popular names. But our last name is a mess, and DH got teased ALL the time. I am hoping they will appreciate an easy first name since they are stuck with a not-so-fun first name the rest of their lives.

NYMominCA

I didn't think I cared much about popularity. With DD we named her the first name that came to my mind (Julia Rose). DH loved it as soon as I spoke it (at 5 weeks pregnant) and that was that. Fast-forward to her being in 1st grade and not only was there another Julia in her grade/class but also the same last name initial. So my DD became "Julia Bo" and the other girl "Julia Ba". I HATED it. Her name was ranked #32 the year she was born, it turns out. (Honestly, I never considered her name to be rare or anything, though, I knew Julia was a classic common name.)

With DS I found that popularity did weigh into my choice. When I chose his name (Luca) it wasn't popular. (#272) But within a year of his birth it was! Now we have met a few Lucas around his age. (It's still only ranked at 202, and I have no idea where it stands in our state, but I hear it more often lately.)

So this go around I'm weighing popularity BIG TIME. Our #1 choice and name we love the most is Eliana. But it is sooooo popular here. I think I know 3 or 4 Elianas under the age of 3. It's ranked 125 in the nation, but not in the top 100 in our state. The other name DH really likes is Gianna. Again, I feel like it's uber-popular. (86 in the US, 71 in our state.) Same goes for Michaela. There are a gazillion different spellings of it and so when you put them all together I feel like it's a really popular name. It's making it REALLY hard for me to pick a name because these ones that I would love otherwise are being "clouded" by how popular they are.

In short, it really depends on the person. It's really hard, though. I wish I could go back to loving Eliana as much as I did for the longest time.

BlessedMomma07

Landon & Liam were two of my favorites but because of popularity I've nixed them.
Asher is now my front runner but after seeing that it's one of the "up and coming names of 2015" I'm a little drawn back.

I don't want my kid to have to go by Asher D. because he is the 3rd kid in his class with that name.

I've always thought Ella was a pretty name. Maybe if her middle name was a little more uncommon it might help?

delujm0

I'm an 80's Jennifer...so even though the top 10 names today are nowhere near as popular as the top names when I was born I'm still turned off by then. There were So. Many. Jens. When I was growing up.

SmrBrd2012

I have a very unusual name which I always had trouble with growing up. Surprisingly, I'm still trying to avoid popular names. My H's LN, which I took, is very very common, so I at least want LO's FN to be a little bit distinguished. However, if there was a popular name that I really loved, I wouldn't count it out.

LNic5

I generally don't like names that are overly popular, I'd like my kids to have a name that is somewhat unpopular (for my area) without beIng weird and too out there, but I have an exception with Sophia, I still love it despite its popularity

thelastdreamer

I hated having such a common name growing up so I want my kids to have something not super popular but not super weird either. Like a nice middle ground where they'll be the only kid in their class with that name but not a name that sounds made up. My husband's name is Brooks and I think his mom did a good job with this. It's not common but it's also not bizarre. 

juliad2010

I personally avoid the top 30. My preference.
Popular names are often popular because they are good, solid names though.
If you love the name Ella, then just go for it.
My name wasn't top 100 for when I was born, yet I have 2 friends with the same name. Impossible to predict future classmates or coworkers' names.

Chantress78

We intentionally try to avoid the top 50-75 names.  

We live in a predominantly Hispanic town so it makes it a little easier for us fudge that as neither of us are Hispanic...but we still went with for DS1 and will for 2.0 the not so popular and trendy names.

BeachBabe22

I love the name Jack but would never use it because there are so many little kids named Jack and Jackson. 

neverblushed

If I really loved the name, popularity wouldn't stop me.  If I was merely ambivalent about the name, it would give me pause.  Popularity would not be my top consideration.

In my son's birth year, the name Emily is the number 1 girl name.  So... what does that translate to in reality? 

In his entire grade -- and he goes to a big suburban school with 7 sections in each grade -- there are 4 Emilys, not even one in each class.  His name is 70th in popularity for boys, and he's the only one in the entire school, let alone his grade.  So when you're talking bottom of the top 100, the reality is that you're talking about a name that only 1 in 1000 kids will probably have.

cosmama

I was a Staci born in the 80s.  The only thing it had going was the unusual spelling.  There was actually another Stacy, Stacey, etc. with my last name just a year ahead of me in school.  No fun.

I try to avoid popular names and was disappointed to see one of my top choices is ranked #44 in my state.  I love it enough that I can probably overlook that but if it were higher up the list I would reconsider. 

Artsywife07

It matters to me.  We try to stay away from the top 50, really the top 100.  When I hear a name over and over, it loses its appeal for me.  I tend to like names that are recognizable and classic, but not super popular at the time.

actinup23

As a teacher, I won't choose a name that is super popular. I would never choose a top 10. I have regretfully put aside names that I love, like Emily, because I always enjoyed being one of only 2 or so with my name in school, and because it is confusing in class.

queenbone

IMO it depends upon your LN. We have a top ten LN so we prefer underused FNs for our children. If we had my uncommon maiden name, a popular FN wouldn't bother me so much.

kmvisioli

Personally, I'm trying to avoid names in at least the top 20. Our front runners for this LO are not even in the top 100. I want names that are recognizable and not weird, but also not boring, which I think is the case with super popular names.

kassy66

I have a really rare name. As in if you google my first name, you'll find me and one other girl. I love it. So I want really rare and uncommon names for my kids too.

4N6s

I personally wouldn't want anything in the top 10...or 20.

kristyn831

It doesn't matter to me.  If I love a name, I will use it.  I'm a Kristyn.  In elementary school, there were 2 other Kristens, 2 Christinas, 1 Christine, 1 Christopher, all in a small class.  "Kris/Chris" made up a large percentage of the class.  It never bothered me.  Your kid isn't going to be in grade school forever, pick the name you love.

You could pick a name that's not popular and still end up with another in the same class so I wouldn't go by that.

allthecheese

Yes it's important to me. But the names that are popular on the ss lists are not necessarily the same names that are popular in my culture. My criteria for a fn is #1 that I don't know anyone with the name. Maybe met one or heard of one or two or maybe even one that up know very vaguely would be ok. I have a relatively small local social group who will be the parents of my children's classmates. Once one of us uses a name it is considered taken, so once I name my child the only chance of them having a classmate with the same name would be if someone moved in. And even then... Everyone that uses the same school system has a magazine and there's a page with everyone's birth announcements. The name being uncommon or unheard of on that list of names is my second criteria. Thirdly would be tv shows or any other celebrities or porn stars that the people at the doctors office or their future co-workers would associate the name with. Myself and most of my associates do not watch tv so my friends aren't gonna associate names with tv.

Our hypothetical DS1 will be Sebastian. I have met 1 Sebastian from another state who belongs to a very different culture from mine and who I will never meet again. Sebastian has never been in the list of names in above mentioned magazine, tho I'm sure it will be, it's so far unheard of in my social circles. Also it doesn't bother me at all that Sebastian is what a lobster? I can't remember what from some Disney movie, because neither I, nor any of my friends, nor my son have or are likely to ever watch the movie.

Isabella is one the top names on our girl list. I have never met one, but have heard of one little girl outside of our social circles. Isabel was listed once in about the last 5yrs worth of our magazine, but no Isabella. I don't think there were any before that. I don't remember any but I didn't go and check. I know it's way high on the ss lists but it's not in my circles.

Just two examples of how much and what kind of popularity matters too me.

ETA: yikes I know this is insanely long already but I decided to add one more example
Aria/Arya (I forget which is supposed to be correct) -I listened to the first GOT book and liked the name in there. (Maybe because i "empathized" with her, because I was a tomboy growing up and basically wished I'd been burn a guy.) But I think there is/going to be a LOT of "Arias named after GOT" on the 2010s" I'm not sure I want that association for my daughter. While I found the book Game of Thrones very interesting and very well written, I was sick of the immorality by the end. I know that's why it's so popular and no offence at all to those who love it, I just don't want to fill my mind with that. But most of the people who hear my daughter's name and associate with her have no idea what GOT is. And what I know of her character I liked So that name could likely make it at least to mn spot if I have more than one daughter.

JJBoden

It's important to me. I picked my ODS's name 25 years ago. It was in the 500's then. ( not that I knew the rank) when I named him it was 209 I think. Now, it's like 52. Ticks me off that it's so popular now. My other two son's names are around 200 or so. I do think they will also continue to gain in popularity but not as much as ODS's name. If Oliver makes the top ten in the US I'll cry. Seems it's headed that way.. Grrrr. Too many little Oliver's around now. I blame the internet.