How to get ahead of the naming trends...

dozersmom

I am not pregnant- but always have been interested in baby names. As a kid I wanted to have 12 kids, and at any time had 6 boy and 6 girl names picked out.

I have come to think that Australians are slightly ahead of the curve that we see here. In 1990 they had Emma's- which I feel like we didn't see too many of them until 2000.

What are your way's to stay ahead of the trends?

zaramarie81

Interesting... I could see how Australia seems ahead of the curve as often times up and coming names in the US are already super popular in Australia.

I am not sure how to stay ahead of trends as I do find them very hard to predict, so my goal is to pick a good, classic name. I don't mind if a name isn't super rare. My only "fear" is accidentally picking the next Isabella... I just don't know how could predict a name like that shooting so high, so fast.

 

blush64

I don't bother with the trends so I don't need to stay ahead of them. I pick names I like and use them. I am TTC now and I plan to use names I love regardless of whether or not they are popular.

I would prefer to call Emma popular because trendy seems more like made up names or fads of using lastnames for first names or using place names. I know that's not the case but it's just the feeling it gives me when I hear it.

McFelix5711

I think its impossible!! I have wanted to name a baby girl Avery FOREVER. It is my grandfather's middle name and I am very close to him. But now that it's so popular I am thinking that we will not use it, whenever I do get pregnant and if we end up having a girl. I am very disapppointed about that.

natalie7s19

I seem to gravitate toward up-nd-coming names, for girls especially, and then I get really disappointed when they shoot up the charts and I have to nix them (I used to love Ella, Evelyn, Charlotte... my now-iffy faves are Annabelle, Violet, Clara.)

I agree that Europe and Australia seem ahead of the curve. I also think you can stay "ahead" by picking a name that seems dated now - 10 years ago I would have grimaced at Mabel or Hazel, now they seem cute and fresh.  

alohamora

With most of the names I consider, I look at the 10-year trend and see if it's gained a ton in those 10 years.  If yes, it's a name that's probably trendy.

Other than that, I feel like the way to avoid trends is to choose names that have gone downward in popularity over the past 10 years...but with those, you run the risk of them sounding dated.

megemoney

I don't really pay attention to trends for names.  We are using family names so we are set.  Our set in stone first names, one for each, are not trendy or popular so I think we're ahead there!

dozersmom

natalie7s19:

I seem to gravitate toward up-nd-coming names, for girls especially, and then I get really disappointed when they shoot up the charts and I have to nix them (I used to love Ella, Evelyn, Charlotte... my now-iffy faves are Annabelle, Violet, Clara.)

I agree that Europe and Australia seem ahead of the curve. I also think you can stay "ahead" by picking a name that seems dated now - 10 years ago I would have grimaced at Mabel or Hazel, now they seem cute and fresh.  

 

Exactly! I found Hudson in my family tree, and have liked it for years. Now, it continues to climb the ranks!

Keri Marie

I'm not into trends. We name our kids family names that we love. No trend or outside influences allowed.

Emma

natalie7s19:

I agree that Europe and Australia seem ahead of the curve. I also think you can stay "ahead" by picking a name that seems dated now - 10 years ago I would have grimaced at Mabel or Hazel, now they seem cute and fresh.  

And I think the same can be said about Emma 15-25 years ago.  I am 39 and my name is Emma.  I was named after 2 great grandmothers, but I HATED my name growing up and considered it an old lady name.  I finally grew to love it, and then it became uber popular.

AlphabetFish

It seems like the trends are looking back at names that were popular two generations back. I like to look at names that were popular just one generation back; they're neither common nor trendy nowadays.