is Declan too popular?

dixneuf

I fell in love with this name 10+ years ago...now I feel like I see it all the time. New post every day. I want an established but not trendy name...I fear it's getting trendy. But maybe I am paying too much attention and it's sticking out for me. 

Thoughts? 

Leah&JP

I have met MAYBE one or two Declan's in my 10+ years of early childhood education.  I don't think it's as popular as this board makes it seem like!  I really like the name as well!!

LadyXaverian

Too popular? No. Rising in popularity? Yes. In 2000, it was 545 on the SSA list. in 2011, it hit 177.

ETA: I've been teaching for 10 years, and I've never known anyone with this name.

 

dixneuf

thanks. My fear is that in 5 years it'll be #5! When I first heard it it was this unknown name that no one had ever heard of (unless they were Irish)

I guess you can't plan these things. 

Fwiw Elvis Costello's real name is Declan.  

magpie1127

No it's not too popular right now. In baby name circles, it seems popular, but it IS gaining popularity quite quickly, and I think it has a very appealing nature to it, so I could see it being very popular in a few years.

Allycat11

I think it is increasing in popularity but I don't anticipate it becoming too popular.  FWIW, I don't know a single Declan.

Aligator28

I think it is getting on the popular side (but it's still in the 100s on the SSA list), bt I definitely wouldn't call it popular right now.

strawberrytree

I've always liked this name too. However...I would consider it trendy, based on how quickly it is rising in popularity. You can see here how it's risen over the past few years:  https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi. It went up about 100 spots in the rankings between 2010 and 2011, which is a huge jump. 

ETA: FWIW the only Declans I know in real life are grown men I met when I lived in Ireland.  

Leah112

I love this name!  It is one of my guilty pleasures!! FWIW I do not know any Declan's IRL

dairygirl19

The only Declans I "know" are on the Bump.

I don't know soul or even know a soul who knows a Declan IRL...lol.

Use it if you want. I love the baby names board and have gotten great advice but there's a tendency to over-exaggerate name popularity on here.

For example, I was told Ruby (my daughter's name) was waaayyy toooo popular on more than one occassion. Once again, I don't know a single Ruby (other than my dead great-aunt) nor do I know anyone who knows someone...lol. Names are very regional. The ones popular in my area don't even cross the radar on this board.

mschocokitty

I also love Declan and was wondering if it will be the Aiden (Aaden, Ayden) of the future. The first place I heard the name was in a movie called Leap Year with Amy Adams. It is set in Ireland and surely the fact that the Declan in that movie was very sweet and cute helped the name's appeal. 

PunkyBooster

I adore it.

I do think in the next 2 years, it will be a top 100 name and it will keep climbing after that.

With that said, it's on the list for a boy if we have another one. 

DS has a Declan in his playgroup. That's the only one I've ever met, besides a guy at work who has the name. He works in our UK office. He is from Northern Ireland. 

dixneuf

mschocokitty:

I also love Declan and was wondering if it will be the Aiden (Aaden, Ayden) of the future. The first place I heard the name was in a movie called Leap Year with Amy Adams. It is set in Ireland and surely the fact that the Declan in that movie was very sweet and cute helped the name's appeal. 

 

ahh, I didn't know this. I think the 100 spot jump may have been the nail in the coffin for me.  

Irishsapphire

I think of the Declan from the TV Series "Revenge."  I think that it is a little trendy. But then so is Aidan, and I love my son's name Aidan. 

clineak

I think it's definitely rising in popularity. About 18 months ago, I know 3 people IRL who named their babies Declan.

dpdw

I have a 6 year old Declan.  As evidence from the SSA, it has risen in popularity pretty quickly in the last 6 years.  There have been a few movie and TV characters with the name, so my guess is that what's sparked the interest - beyond those Irish-Americans who wanted a traditional name which is still easy to pronounce for Americans.

IRL (actually FB), I know of one other Declan under the age of 6.  A few friends have told me that they know someone who has used the name.  I also know a bunch of adult Declans in (or from) Ireland.

IMO, Declan can't become a "trendy" name because it is such an old classic name (St. Declan lived in the 5th century along side St. Patrick).  It can rise in popularity, sure, but that won't make it trendy.  Trendy would be the you-neek misspellings like Deklin and Declyn.

plunderb

It depends where you live.

I'm in Boston, and Declans are a dime a dozen around here. It's a top-100 name in 5 of the 6 New England states and is 3-5x as popular as it is nationally.

On the other hand, if you live in the South, it's less than half as popular as in the rest of the country.

Still, Declan is a great name, and I wouldn't dissuade you from using it.

dixneuf

true, I lived in Boston for 10 years and I know several adult Declans...and while he had never heard of it before he met me, my H is now dead set on it. 

and OMG I would NEVER spell it anohter way, so tacky!

 

Randa&Jerm

The only time I have ever seen it has been on this board.