Would you say "no" to a name solely because of popularity?

abbyful

I know we have a while still to find names, and if we have a girl this doesn't even matter. But right now, the only boy name that DH likes is "Jackson". I like the name too, except that it's fairly popular (#25 last year). Would you cross off a name solely because of how popular it is?

kmv68

yes, I struggled with this naming both my daughters.  I would change the name b/c I don't want my child to be the 5th in his class.  When I went to school there were 5 Dave F's in my class....yes, Dave F's, doesn't include the other Dave's!  Got really annoying for them.

mishfull

It would depend on how many people I know with that name. I know names like Olivia, Lily, Ella are popular but I rarely run into girls with these names. So to me those names aren't popular in my area.

My brother's name was number 9 the year he was born, currently I only know 3 other people with his name  and only in my life have known a handful of people with his name. 

If I know 20 Olivia's I probably wouldn't use it but if I didn't know any I would probably still use it. 

Jennilynn

Being a Jenny in the 80's was horrible. I hated it. I probably hated it more because I was just Jenny and didn't understand why the Jennifer's couldn't just go by Jennifer, and the teachers ALWAYS accidentally called me Jennifer too. But I hated it enough to not give my kids anything on the top 100.

 

ETA: I hated it enough, that when I found out my mom was THISCLOSE to naming me Jennilynn, I started going by that instead. I still use Jennilynn pretty often. 

Mahon Baby

Yes, when I was first pg w/ dc 1, if it was a girl,  I wanted to use Sophia (which was my favorite for yrs) .  I saw the popularity and quickly scratched it off.  I know that's crazy but growing up, my name wasn't very popular....actually no one had it at all...and I loved that I never had to use my last initial or say my last name like so many other kids in class.  

I named my ds an unpopular, "old" name but not weird. It was also a family name.  So many people compliment it and say how they never here it anymore and I like that.  EXCEPT...when two people from our gym class named their little boy the same name!! UGH.

But if you LOVE the name and don't mind there being other kids in the classes w/ the same name, then use it. 

 

Chrissymarie98

I used to say ''no'' to names because of popularity, but then I realized that I was settling on names instead of going for a name I truly loved.

For instance, I'm pregnant with twins this time and if they're girls I am finding it really tough to fall in love with any names other than Olivia and Emma.

Obviously those are both super popular.

I guess my thought process has changed this go around and I'd rather go for names I love than settle on a name for the sake of it being different. 

Plus, it's also super important to me that the names work with our short last name. And I want the names to also work with my DS's name - so when you start thinking about all of those factors, it gets a tad complicated.

So ultimately ... my advice would be to go for the name you love! 

Pearl16

I would, just because I was always one of several Megans in school, and would like my children to have more distinctive names. It doesn't bother me that other people choose popular names, as most popular names are popular for a good reason. But, I have to say, there are so many Jackson's, Madelyn's, and Isabella's in my particular area that every time I hear of a new one I cringe a little.

hmr22

YES! I have a popular name from the '80s and hated having several others in my grade with my same name.

KatieMarie27

Not solely, but definitely is a factor in my decision.  If I find a name that DH and I LOVE (or has significance to us) that happens to be in the top 100, then fine.

I would almost rather have a more common name than a completely "you-neek" one that my child will have to constantly correct people on spelling or pronunciation.

evaazalea

If it was a name I really loved and DH was on board with it, I would likely go for it. I do tend to shy away from popular names though. I did have to go by my last initial in school but did not have a popular name, there were only two of us in the whole school, it just so happened that we were in the same class, so you just never know.

Jessa1807

Yes.  We actually avoided a lot of names that we really liked because of their popularity. 

But, if you really love it and don't have a problem with it being popular then use it. 

strawberrytree

If I really, really loved a name, I wouldn't cross it off the list because it is popular. If it was a name that I liked a lot, but was considering a few others as well, then extreme popularity would probably be enough to eliminate it for me. 

abbyful

DH has a very common name (Chris), so I'm surprised he is okay with using such a common name. 

shouldbworkin

I always have, but now that I'm on #3, it's pretty hard to do.  I will say though, that Jack and the variations are probably pretty popular, but I don't think you'll have too many in one class.  There are 3 in DS's grade, but not more than 1 per class. 

I think that there are so many names being used these days that we won't have a concentration of popular names like we did with Jennifer in the 80s. 

kookulai

It's been said before, but just in case you haven't been yet, I say go to:

 https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/state/index.html

Maybe the super popular name you like isn't particularly popular in your state. That could help you decide.

Fink

Yes - but the only exception for me would have been 'Jackson' since I absolutely love the name, but unfortunately, it sounds ridiculous with my last name.

BelleIsa

I depends on how many I know in my area. I know Olivia is popular, but I don' t know a single Olivia in my area.  There are TONS of Annas, Avas and Sophias though so I would stay away from them.

When I was pregnant with DD, DH really liked Chloe but I saw how fast it was climbing the charts - and low and behold, the year we had DD, a TON of people we know named their girls Chloe so I'm glad I didn't go with it.

To me, how fast a name moves is more of a popularity indicator.  LIke, I know Emily has been in the top 10 for ages but I only went to school with maybe 3 Emily's and only now as an adult know about 5.  

MissButters

We would, but only because our last name is the most common last name, so we want something a little unique and different.

MaryYVR

It's interesting.  Everyone mentions the 80's and don't want their child to be one of 5 "xxx" in their class.  The difference today is that the most popular names aren't used nearly as often as the popular names in the past.  I read an article on it lately but can't find the source.  Basically it said that for the most part, parents used to choose from the names on the top 20 most popular names list to name their children.  Today, FAR fewer babies are named exclusively from that list so even if Olivia or Liam is number 1 today, it's more unlikely to be the same as being one of 4 "Jennifer's" in your class in the 80's.

If I can find the article, I'll post the link. 

da731

If it was a name that I really liked and felt had merit, I certainly wouldn't discount it. After all, the child will grow up and into their name and be an adult all their own, completely separate from being what some might consider "just another [insert popular name here] in the birth announcements. . ." 

No big deal, in my opinion. 

black.kat

Yes - and I had a heartattack when I saw that there was potential for Eloise to go high on the popular name list...

I do not want my child to be one of 4 or 5 kids named Olivia or Jacob or whatever popular names are out there...

I find it annoying beyond words.

slukd79

Yes, for girls. No for boys, because I like more classic names for them.

MaryYVR

Here's a link:  https://www.vancouversun.com/life/long+Susan+hello+trendy+baby+names/4743282/story.html

Basically, the most popular boys name in 1960 in my province was "David" with 939 boys born named David.  In 2010 (same province), the most popular name was "Jacob" with only 263 boys born with that name.  So, despite still being the most popular name, there are obviously WAY fewer Jacob's today than there were David's in the 60's or Michael's in the '70's.

SummerMama12

No, we go by what we like, not how popular it is right now, at this moment in time.

Mamasaurus

I would cross a name off the list because it was in the top ten. I don't want to show up to soccer practice/dance class/whatever, call her name, and have a herd of little girls running to me. Number 25, though? Harder to say. Sometimes a name like that is very popular in some areas, but not others. For example, I know three baby boys born in the past year with the same name, but they are all the children of people who live in the South. There are almost no babies with that name around me, near Chicago.

You could poke around a little to see if there are a lot of Jacksons in your area, maybe by checking birth announcements from the newspaper or the birth board at your OBGYN, if they have one. If it's your favorite name and it's only #25 in popularity though, you should keep it on the list.

Keeks14

There are many names I think are cute, but I wouldn't use them because I know several people who named their LO the same.

 

 

femmepink

Yes!

I am more turned off of popular names than you-neek names.

When I hear the same name over and over again, I grow a hatred toward it. I can't help but think, don't the parents want the child to feel like they put enough effort into giving him/her an uncommon name that will help individualize them? The only exception to this would be family names. But I by no means like trendy, made-up names, either. There are many, many legit names that aren't in the top 100 that are great.

Jackson to me, is definitely one of those names. After I have met the 5th Jackson IRL, I started to feel sickened by the name.

 

artygirl

Yes, to a degree.  Personally, I'd avoid anything in the top 5 (probably even in the top 10).  My little boy's name is ranked in the mid-30s, but I don't know any other boys with the same name.

My name was #9 in 1974 (when I was born) and I've only known a handful of other people with my name.  I think #9 back then was way more prevalent than #9 nowadays.

alohamora

I think for me, I shy away from popular names because of oversaturation.  Even though Sophia or Olivia are fine names, I start to really dislike them after hearing them so often.  This is why I'd at least avoid the top 10 or 20.

aeh72

I always thought I would, but as it turns out, the name we've picked is Jackson.   My husband likes trendier/more popular names that I generally don't like, but it has become our compromise name because I want to name the baby after our fathers and my father's name is Jack (also popular, I realize, but it has significance to me). So, I think even though a name is popular, if you both like it and it just feels right to you both, I wouldn't make the popularity factor a reason to rule it out.  After all, they are popular for a reason, and often times it's because they are more "classic" names that transcend generations.

cookies+milk

Yes. For me, it's a deal-breaker. Thank God this next LO is a girl because all of our liked boy names got crossed off because of popularity.

nonoemily

Absolutely. I disqualified any name that even registered on the popularity charts.

alliejo725

Would and did, which is why DD is named Monica and not Sophia.

treble_clef

Yes.

austenreader85

Depends on how popular.  I try to stay out of the top 100, would say no to anything above 25, or if I personally know several.  Landon is ranked 32 nationally and 29 in my state, but I know 4 under the age of 5.  So, I'd stay away from that one.

There are a lot of Jacksons and Jaxon and Jack's out there right now.  If you don't mind him being one of several in a classroom then I don't think it's bad.  I actually really like the name, but this is a good example of a situation when I'd turn it down.

ktpaladino

Yessssss because I always had 5 other Kristens in my classes and I haaaated it! My husband and I both really like Landon but is was number 32 last year and that is really making us steer away from it and try to come up with some alternatives. I want something more unique, yet not so outlandish that people liken us to celebrites or hippies naming thier kids strange things.

jolynn326

If it was the only name that both DH and I loved, we would use it. But, I generally don't "love" the most popular names because part of a name's appeal to me is that it's less common.

mlf625

Yes.  I'd absolutely ditch Jackson.  Just the sight of it makes me gag, it's THAT overdone.

We wouldn't consider anything top 50.

mlf625

aeh72:

I always thought I would, but as it turns out, the name we've picked is Jackson.   My husband likes trendier/more popular names that I generally don't like, but it has become our compromise name because I want to name the baby after our fathers and my father's name is Jack (also popular, I realize, but it has significance to me). So, I think even though a name is popular, if you both like it and it just feels right to you both, I wouldn't make the popularity factor a reason to rule it out.  After all, they are popular for a reason, and often times it's because they are more "classic" names that transcend generations.

Why not just name your kid Jack, then?  Jack is nice.  Jackson is annoying and doesn't fit the whole "classic, transcending" thing you're talking about. 

jallascalla

Yes.

And Jackson/Jack is super popular in my area.

kelnyc

Absolutely. I used to love the name Aidan but wouldn't dare use it now. Jackson is just as popular as Aidan and Jacob IMO.