Tell it to me straight...

iLoveblueberries

Baby names in the 40's to 50's spots on the SSA list are going to be how popular?
2 in a class? 3 in a class? Child still might be the only one?
I know this could vary for many reasons (what state you live in, region) but in general?

I feel like maybe I am out of touch with just how popular  "popular" really is....
I am so afraid of my child having 4 or 5 others with the same name (Can you tell I am scarred from my childhood lol? It always sucked being Catie #2 or Catie #5 in a class) that I am overlooking names I really like in some strange fear haha

Let's use the name "Amelia" for reference....In the top 50 but yet I have never met a baby/ young Amelia but obviously they are out there.

benmel31

I guess it depends on the name.  If it is in the 40s or 50s and the popularity is rising, you may not want to choose it.  But if it is in that range and holding steady or popularity is dropping, it may not be as much of an issue.

Sorry I can't be more concrete. 

Ivana_Stolichnaya

I have only known of one Amelia and that was back in the 1980's when I was in elementary school.  I haven't met another one since.

RaeBerler

A friend of the family has a two year old named Amelia, and my cousin and his wife just named their second daughter, Amelia. Other than the two of them, I hadn't heard the name for quite a while.

BackseatDriver

With a name in the 50's I would think it might be possible for your child to be 1 of 3 in a class with the same name, but usually she would be the only one or maybe 1 of 2. I'd check how common the name is in your state (an option on SSA baby name site), but it still might not tell you how common the name with be with your child's peers.

To give yourself a better idea look at the common names for the year you were born. Did you have any name duplicates in your classes and where did those names rank?

cloud9climber

there is a way to look at the rankings for your state on the SSA site.  Check that out because maybe the name you like is in the 100's for your region. 

I loved/love being the only Holly wherever we go and my DS's name is ranked around 400 and I've yet to meet another Casey (boy or girl) in our circles.  

I've said this before on the board but a couple weeks ago we were at the park with like 6 different "Owens."  I was like blech!  

I totally understand your reasoning for worry! 

queenbone

There is an Amelia in DS's preschool class.  So, 1 out of 16. 

I think you just never can tell.  DS2's name is in the 800s, so ~300 born.  It has had similar stats for the last several years.  This summer we ran into another little boy with the same name in our neighborhood.  So out of ~600 total in the US (the sum from both birth years), two of them are in our hood. 

Laurakat81

My name is Katharine. In 1981, the year I was born, Katherine was #42 in my state. Kathryn was #85 and Catherine was #92. My version of it wasn't on the list. I lived across the street from a Kathryn and a Katharine and sat next to a Katherine in 1st grade. Oddly I don't know of any other Katherines (of any spelling) and never shared a class with one after 1st grade (well I had a couple classes with the same Katherine from 1st grade in middle school). But despite it being oddly popular on my street it was not popular anywhere else. So I think you are safe to pick a name at that ranking and feel confident that your child won't be one of many.

carolinaem

I think it's unlikely for a name in the 40s or 50s to be repeated in a class.  I am an Emily.  In the top 10 for many, many years and often I was the only Emily in my class.  Also, I agree that if you are really concerned, check your state stats.

iLoveblueberries

Laurakat81:

My name is Katharine. In 1981, the year I was born, Katherine was #42 in my state. Kathryn was #85 and Catherine was #92. My version of it wasn't on the list. I lived across the street from a Kathryn and a Katharine and sat next to a Katherine in 1st grade. Oddly I don't know of any other Katherines (of any spelling) and never shared a class with one after 1st grade (well I had a couple classes with the same Katherine from 1st grade in middle school). But despite it being oddly popular on my street it was not popular anywhere else. So I think you are safe to pick a name at that ranking and feel confident that your child won't be one of many.

This is funny...because I am Catherine as well (though NN Catie growing up) and always had at least 2 other C(K)atherines or Katies in my class until 8th grade or so. I guess it was my area! I think it was the "Katie" NN though that made me feel it was more popular 

staycee

I think Sydney is ranked mid-50s.   We haven't personally known any other baby Sydney's, but I occassionally get "Oh, my neighbor's sister's daughter just had a baby and named her that"

 

allisonmarie22

I love this site because it shows you the popularity of the name along with a graph that shows how the name has trended over X number of years. Just for laughs, take a look at Isabella. Back when I was in middle school (around 1992) and decided that my life wouldn't be complete without a daughter named Isabella the name was hardly even on the chart. Now it's obviously in the top 5 (if not in the #1 spot). Thanks a lot Twilight...

Anyway, it's a good site. 

https://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/quick-search.html

anna7602

cloud9climber:

there is a way to look at the rankings for your state on the SSA site.  Check that out because maybe the name you like is in the 100's for your region. 

This. I am over several names of kids I know IRL that aren't even in the top 100 nationally. It can really vary from region to region.

I don't know any little girls named Amelia. Which makes me happy, since I am certain DD's name would be mispronounced all the time if there were an Amelia in her preschool class.

My mom has a friend with a granddaughter named Emilia, but I've never met her and they live far away.

Sherbet Lemon

I'm a teacher and just looked up the ssa list of name popularity for the birth year of my students.  Apparently I have too much free time on my hands - but hopefully the information is useful and/or interesting to the rest of you.

  Out of 50 kids, I only have 3 sets of repeating names (and most of those are not in the same homeroom).  3 girls share the #7 name, 2 boys share the #38 name, 2 boys share the #24 name (though they have different spellings), and 2 girls share the #69 name (again with different spellings).

 4 boys and 11 girls have a name in the top 20.  

 7 boys and 3 girls have a name ranked between 21 and 40.

3 boys and 0 girls have a name ranked between 41 and 60.

2 boys and 3 girls have a name ranked between 61 and 80.

0 boys and 2 girls have a name ranked between 81 and 100.

 

Amandelic

I can relate. I think it depends on where you live. LO is Madeline Grace. I see on this board that it is so popular. DH chose her first name and there was no popularity influence whatsoever and then I chose her middle name which has a lot of meaning for us and was not a filler. I have only come across one Madeline and she's 10! Everyone else I tell her name too hasn't heard it in a long time. Same with Isabella... I only know one and she's 8.

EMOmamma

Popular doesn't mean the same thing now that it did 30 years ago.

For example Claire was #53 in 2010 with a percentage of 0.2516%. That means 1 out of 400 girls were named Claire. 

Even Isabella at #1 only has a percentage of 1.17% = only about 1/100. The #1 name in 1981 was Jennifer at 3.19% = about 1/30. Much higher percentage per the #1 position.

(these are national stats per ssa)

 

emilyray14

What I always do is look to see the actual number of babies born with that name in my state. Then I look on my birth year in my home state and find the names where there were that number of births (regardless of rank). Then I try to think of how many people I knew with that name in high school, for example.

Hope this makes sense, and helps!

aec22

BackseatDriver:

With a name in the 50's I would think it might be possible for your child to be 1 of 3 in a class with the same name, but usually she would be the only one or maybe 1 of 2. I'd check how common the name is in your state (an option on SSA baby name site), but it still might not tell you how common the name with be with your child's peers.

To give yourself a better idea look at the common names for the year you were born. Did you have any name duplicates in your classes and where did those names rank?

This is a really good idea! I have looked at the SSA site before but never thought of looking at it that way. DH and I are in love with a suddenly popular name and are trying to decided whether to still use it or not. I will definitely use your tip. Thank you!