Popular vs. trendy...what are your thoughts?

erinlovesdavid

When selecting a name for our LO, DH and I are pretty firm that we don't want to give our child a popular name. We don't want him/her to grow up as "Jacob/Isabella B."

In my lurking on this board on and off for the past several months, I have seen many others echo this concern, along with the concern of not wanting to name their child a trendy name. 

I'm genuinely interested in knowing what peoples' reasons are for not wanting a trendy (but not popular) name. Is it because you're worried that the name will become more popular, and then your child will have to share their name? Is it because you worry that the name will become dated? Also, what makes a name "popular," in your book? Personally, I don't consider anything > 100 on the SSA list to be popular enough for my purposes.

I'm not trying to open a can of worms or anything, but my conversation with Princess101 last night in my "WDYT of our top boy name" thread has me wondering what others' thoughts are on the matter. 

What is your opinion?

 

juniper19

People don't like popular names (Sophia, Ava, Jack, Jacob)because they don't want their kid to be one of 4 kids in the class with the same name. 

I think that the issue with trendy names (Madison, Kinley, Jaden, Colten) is that they carry stereotypes as being low class.

luckyluvr

There was an article about a month ago that said people are wanting non-trendy names more now than before because we tend to think that a name reflects who we are and parents want their children to be unique. 50 years ago, people didn't care as much. I have a DD named Emma. I don't really care that it was #2 the year she was born b/c I love the name. I still have only run across maybe 3 Emma's in my life. I'd much rather choose a popular name that I love than a so-so name b/c it was more unique.

princess101

Me again. So, IMO popular is not as bad as trendy. I really like classic, strong names and the one DH and I like most is within the top 100 BUT I have never met another baby or child with that name here where we live. I'd take a popular name over a trendy name anyday. It's kind of funny to me that timeless names right now are popular again, where they have always just kind of been down on the list in past years.

In the end, it's your kid (obviously) and you can call him Fart if you want and though people will silently judge, they'll do that no matter what you name him/her. 

princess101

And yeah, like pp said, the trendy names are also a class thing as well. Jayden, Hayden, Aiden, Colton, Easton, Gage, and all of those are names that I see in my line of work all the time, and I work with low-class, poverty stricken populations. I think that has definitely changed my perception of certain names.

citychicks

juniper19:

People don't like popular names (Sophia, Ava, Jack, Jacob)because they don't want their kid to be one of 4 kids in the class with the same name. 

I think that the issue with trendy names (Madison, Kinley, Jaden, Colten) is that they carry stereotypes as being low class.

Could not have said it better. I don't want my child to be refered to as "Emma I" or by there last name (I'm a Jessica from '83, my BFF was Jessica and we hung out with two other Jessica's, so we were all called by our lastnames, none of which were feminine).

Names that are "trendy" are like anything "trendy" they get dated quickly. And a lot of them have an "eau de trailor" feel to them.

shall923

princess101:

Me again. So, IMO popular is not as bad as trendy. I really like classic, strong names and the one DH and I like most is within the top 100 BUT I have never met another baby or child with that name here where we live. I'd take a popular name over a trendy name anyday. It's kind of funny to me that timeless names right now are popular again, where they have always just kind of been down on the list in past years.

In the end, it's your kid (obviously) and you can call him Fart if you want and though people will silently judge, they'll do that no matter what you name him/her. 

Fart is going on my list but I am going to spell it Phyartt

princess101

shall923:

princess101:

Me again. So, IMO popular is not as bad as trendy. I really like classic, strong names and the one DH and I like most is within the top 100 BUT I have never met another baby or child with that name here where we live. I'd take a popular name over a trendy name anyday. It's kind of funny to me that timeless names right now are popular again, where they have always just kind of been down on the list in past years.

In the end, it's your kid (obviously) and you can call him Fart if you want and though people will silently judge, they'll do that no matter what you name him/her. 

Fart is going on my list but I am going to spell it Phyartt

Love the spelling. Very you-neek. 

erinlovesdavid

shall923:

princess101:

Me again. So, IMO popular is not as bad as trendy. I really like classic, strong names and the one DH and I like most is within the top 100 BUT I have never met another baby or child with that name here where we live. I'd take a popular name over a trendy name anyday. It's kind of funny to me that timeless names right now are popular again, where they have always just kind of been down on the list in past years.

In the end, it's your kid (obviously) and you can call him Fart if you want and though people will silently judge, they'll do that no matter what you name him/her. 

Fart is going on my list but I am going to spell it Phyartt

FTW!

HappyMrsK

Popularity and trendiness are not necessarily one in the same. IMHO a trendy name does not have staying power and will sound dated eventually.

A name's popularity has become less important to me when naming my own child. The main reason for this that my husband and I have really don't agree on many names. There is literally only one girl name we can agree on, and it has become very popular recently so if we have a girl she will very likely end up with this name regardless of it's popularity.

I understand parents wanting their child to not be one a several of a particular name in their classes growing up. However, I have a very common name and always had at least one, or more, kid with my name growing up and I have not suffered any because of it and it never bothered me. So I don't think it's the end of the world if a parent chooses a popular name for their child.

HarperM

The way I look at it is this: I look more at names around me, in my circle and beyond, in my town... more so than the TOP100 names.

I don't know ONE Emma or Jacob... and I have been in a severe babyboom the past 4 years here!

But names like Ava, Brynn, Max, Jackson/Jaxon, Colton, Brooklyn, Cohen, etc.... I know at least 3 or 4 of each! So in my opinion, I think it depends alot on the area you live in.

That being said, I dislike popular names way more than trendy names... just because I wouldn't want my kid being 1 of 4 Ava's in her class (my friend has this problem with her daughter! 4 other Avas in her class, and 3 other Avas in her swimming class!)

magsugar13

To me popular=names that have been around forever and have had a steady ride.

Trendy=people trying hard to be different so they come up with new names, which then become the "in name" for a time being. So, 20 years from now we will know that if your name is Aiden you were born in 2009. I also find SOME of the  trendy names to be teen momish.

I think my name was #5 for the year i was born...i do not know any.

IrishBrideND

I don't like trendy names because they end up being dated. I like classic names that withsastand the test of time.

Spin313

shall923:

Fart is going on my list but I am going to spell it Phyartt

Nearly spit OJ all over my computer!  Thanks for a good laugh!

***

IMO, I'd much rather have a classic, popular name (my DS is a Matthew) than a disposible, trendy name.

LauranBilly

I just pick names that i like.. Popular or not.. trendy or not. I know i cant get too trendy because my SO doesnt like a lot of them.

unamilagra

To me, popular and trendy often overlap but aren't necessarily the same.  I don't want my child to have a name that is too popular, despite the fact that there are some popular names I love (Matthew, Jacob, Noah, Elizabeth, etc.).  Both DH and I grew up with fairly uncommon names and we want our children to do the same.  We likely won't pick anything that is in the top 25 names or so when the 2010 statistics come out.

Trendy names are names that are only used for a short period of time and then go out of style.  Names like Sherry, Carol, Nancy, JoAnn, etc. from my parents' generation, and names like Tiffany, Jessica, Whitney, Shana, etc. from my generation.  Many of these names are also popular names, but there are popular names that I don't consider trendy because they will ALWAYS be good names.  To use my generation as an example, Rachel, Sarah, Matthew, John, and Michael were very popular but are also classic, timeless names.

I tend to not like trendy names.  For one, a lot of them these days sound made up, and make me wonder about the education level of the parents.  Two, most of the trendy names right now are names that I have a hard time picturing on adults in the future - Cooper, Harper, Harlow, Chloe, Spencer, etc. are adorable on 5 years olds, but can you really picture an Uncle Cooper?  Also, I have noticed that most trendy names start at the top of the socio-economic ladder and steadily make their way down.  So if I'm seeing a Caden who is 5+ years old, he was probably born to upper middle class parents.  When I see a Kaidenn today, the first thing I'm going to do is wonder if it's a boy or a girl, and then I'm going to guess that he's from a lower class family.

Really, it just comes comes down to personal preference.  I just happen to like more classic names that were around in my generation and will still be around in my grandchildrens' generation.

erinlovesdavid

Thanks, ladies, your responses help me understand a little better. One more question comes to mind...a few of you said that you don't prefer trendy names because they become dated quickly. Can you tell me what you see as the down sides of that?

Jinsy80

Obviously I like popular, common names. I'm not worried about the popularity though. In Hannah's preschool, there's one other Hannah in a different age group (she's 3, the other is in the 4's). And not one Emily in the whole school! It seems most of the kids have trendy names...I'd much rather have a classic name. I don't have a classic or trendy name, it's unique. I'm not too thrilled with it.

HappyMrsK

erinlovesdavid:

Thanks, ladies, your responses help me understand a little better. One more question comes to mind...a few of you said that you don't prefer trendy names because they become dated quickly. Can you tell me what you see as the down sides of that?

I just think if a name sounds dated it means at some point it's not going to sound good anymore. Also, it's like a time stamp where when you hear a name you can tell pretty much when the person was born.

For example, the name Emily. It's been a very popular name for a long time but I don't consider it trendy because I've known Emily's of all different ages, from babies to Great-grandmothers so I would not necessarily know how old the person was if I just heard the person's name. However, if I meet someone named Emersyn (or many of the "son" names, especially for girls) I'm going to expect that person was born in the last year or so.

I also don't think trendy names are necessarily "low-class" unless they are misspelled. Then it makes me wonder about the parent's educational level or their level of maturity.

erinlovesdavid

HappyMrsK:

erinlovesdavid:

Thanks, ladies, your responses help me understand a little better. One more question comes to mind...a few of you said that you don't prefer trendy names because they become dated quickly. Can you tell me what you see as the down sides of that?

I just think if a name sounds dated it means at some point it's not going to sound good anymore. Also, it's like a time stamp where when you hear a name you can tell pretty much when the person was born.

For example, the name Emily. It's been a very popular name for a long time but I don't consider it trendy because I've known Emily's of all different ages, from babies to Great-grandmothers so I would not necessarily know how old the person was if I just heard the person's name. However, if I meet someone named Emersyn (or many of the "son" names, especially for girls) I'm going to expect that person was born in the last year or so.

I also don't think trendy names are necessarily "low-class" unless they are misspelled. Then it makes me wonder about the parent's educational level or their level of maturity.

I understand what you mean about the name sounding dated, but I'm specifically wondering why that is a bad thing. I think of names like Irene, Dorothy, Betty, etc that were trendy/popular in the 1930s. When I hear them, I think of an elderly person, but why is that a bad thing? I'm not trying to contradict, truly just looking for an understanding of this mindset.

HappyMrsK

erinlovesdavid:

HappyMrsK:

erinlovesdavid:

Thanks, ladies, your responses help me understand a little better. One more question comes to mind...a few of you said that you don't prefer trendy names because they become dated quickly. Can you tell me what you see as the down sides of that?

I just think if a name sounds dated it means at some point it's not going to sound good anymore. Also, it's like a time stamp where when you hear a name you can tell pretty much when the person was born.

For example, the name Emily. It's been a very popular name for a long time but I don't consider it trendy because I've known Emily's of all different ages, from babies to Great-grandmothers so I would not necessarily know how old the person was if I just heard the person's name. However, if I meet someone named Emersyn (or many of the "son" names, especially for girls) I'm going to expect that person was born in the last year or so.

I also don't think trendy names are necessarily "low-class" unless they are misspelled. Then it makes me wonder about the parent's educational level or their level of maturity.

I understand what you mean about the name sounding dated, but I'm specifically wondering why that is a bad thing. I think of names like Irene, Dorothy, Betty, etc that were trendy/popular in the 1930s. When I hear them, I think of an elderly person, but why is that a bad thing? I'm not trying to contradict, truly just looking for an understanding of this mindset.

I don't think it's "bad" really, it's just a personal preference for me. I also think mostly it's just some names don't hold up over time. A new parent may think their name choice is really "cool" and cutting edge today, but in 15 or 20 years, when the child becomes an adult it's not "cool" at all and just sounds bad. I guess I would personally rather saddle my child with "boring" classic name that has stood the test of time since they are the ones that will have to live with the name for the rest of their lives.

I think everyone should test drive their name choice before sticking their child with a name just too see the reactions they get from others. For me, if it's something people have a hard time pronouncing or spelling I don't think I want to set my child up for a lifetime of correcting others. A lot of the "trendy" names these days involve adding extra letters or using yooneek spellings that IMO make it a PITA for everyone. So I think it's bad to use such names because it would be quite annoying to have to constantly correct others.

I guess a real life example could be when you are applying for a job and based on your name they could tell how old you are approximately and they may think you are too old or too young depending on the name.