Top 10 Baby Name: Do it? Or Don't? (Clicky)

StrawberryAlarmClock

We keep coming back to the name Mia. We both love it and get great feedback when people ask what we're considering. We just don't want her to be Mia S or "blonde Mia" forever. 

Then, part of me says we're over-thinking it. It's not like all the Jennifers in the world are in therapy because they had to use their last initial their whole lives. 

 

Ugh. We have 20 days to decide. Ha! 

[Poll]

pillowpants10

I think you should go for it if you love the name. FWIW, I've never even met anyone named Mia!

Allycat11

If you love it, use it. I didn't want a super popular name but DH and I love the name Elijah (nn Eli) which I believe is 13 right now.  While we still have time to decide, we will probably use it if we have a boy.  SIL asked about names we liked and she said she has never had a student named Elijah (pre-k teacher) and her 6 and 8 year olds have never had one in their class.  Point being, even if it is a top 10 name, there is no guarantee your child will be one of many in their school. 

swimiz500

Ari1028:

I think you should go for it if you love the name. FWIW, I've never even met anyone named Mia!

This. 

quidditchcapn1120

I say you use it anyway if you love it.  We had lots of names on our list, but we liked Jackson the best which is the #25 name for boys in 2010. 

Also, my name was #2 in my birth year and I always had tons of others in my classes with the same name.  It didn't annoy me or anything though and I like my name.

ang.ela23

Please use it...it is BEAUTIFUL!! & on my top 5 girl names

& I have never met a Mia either! My daughter was in preschool last year, has been in dance for 2 years & started cheerleading this year....all those girls & not one Mia!

That.Just.Happened

I had 27 friends have babies in the last 18 months. Not a single one was Mia. Don't sweat it if you love it.

MoreThanABride

I like Mia, go for it.

StrawberryAlarmClock

Thanks, ladies! We don't have a lot of kids around us so we don't have exposure to things like friends' kids' names, gymnastics class rosters, etc 

Thanks for the encouragement!!  

mrebecca

I only know one Mia. Love the name!

Aligator28

If you love it, use it. It's a pretty name.

HannahO28

I can never wrap my head around Mia being a top ten name. Out of all the names on that list, it's the only one that I don't know any of, and I rarely see people on the bump that have daughters named Mia either...

though the numbers don't like...it IS being used somewhere in the country...

but anyway...use the name you love. I don't think popularity is a dealbreaker.  

JulesDiane

I have 2 friends that have had babies in the last 6 months named Mia. You might want to take in to account the popularity of your last name too.. If it is Johnson (like mine), I say don't do it. If it is completely uncommon, I am a little more inclined to say go for it. Mia IS a great name!

doremi29

I really don't think there is even a comparison out there to the use of Jennifer in the 80's.  I know we still have the top ten names that get chosen more often but I really believe that people are picking from such a broad list of choices that even the #1 name doesn't seem to be as previlent as it would've been years ago.  I rarely have kids in the same class with the same name (and I have a total of 16 classes a year because I teach music) and when I do there is never more than 2 and they tend to be classic boy names like Matthew or Michael. 

Will DS have another Mason in his class someday, maybe/probably.  Are there going to be 4 Mason's in the same class- I highly doubt it.  I was a Sarah and was in a college class once that had 6 Sarahs in it. 

I'm in camp "It's popular because it's a great name"

chibride4

Mia/Maya is definitely one of the most popular girl names in my social circle, but use it if you love it! A unique middle name doesn't really make it any less popular, though, as they'll rarely be used together. But as you can see in this thread, popularity is somewhat relative and goes beyond the SSA list. DS1 (Jackson) has a MUCH higher ranked name than DS2 (Reid), but I know far less Jacksons than Reids IRL.

ETA: Oh, and I totally agree with Doremi29. Mia (or even Sophia and Isabella) will never be the Jennifer of yesteryear. There are many more choices today. There are rarely duplicates in any of DS1's classes (and he takes a lot of them) and when there are, it's never more than two kids or a name you'd guess (like the two Siennas in his camp group this summer). 

isacdimi10

My DD is Sophia.

I didn't know it but it was #2 in '10 when she was born and #1 in '11. 

I still love her name even though its a top 10 name.

Matildasun

I say use it. The top 10 names are not as concentrated as Jennifer was. There were between 40,000 and 60,000 Jennifer's born each year from 1970 to 1984, when it was number 1. There were only 11,000 babies named Mia last year.

 

kacelle

I'd consider how popular the name is in my area.  I don't know anyone named Mia.  I tend to see a lot more of the trendy popular names in my area as opposed to the classics (Evelyn, Lillian, etc.).  I wouldn't automatically rule out a name just because it's more popular nationwide.

ThePolishHammer

If you love it, go for it!

SPerry0376

As long as it's not an ugly name it's not that big of a deal if it's popular. 

KatieLG04

I know one Mia, and she is in her mid 30's.  My DS is Benjamin which is always hovering around #20 on the SS list.  A few friends on FB have a DS named Benjamin, but I don't really hear it all that often otherwise.  I had wanted something less popular, but it took us 2 days in the hospital to agree on a name so we went with it.  I don't think it will be an issue for him.  I hear many more Ava, Evelyn, Sophia, Isabelle, Olivia etc than a name like Mia. 

BLPL101

Mia is very pretty. My friend has a 4 year old name Mia, but I don't know any other little girls with that name.

Katieg90

Go with your gut! If you love it use it

amberthehobbit

Allycat11:

If you love it, use it. I didn't want a super popular name but DH and I love the name Elijah (nn Eli) which I believe is 13 right now.  While we still have time to decide, we will probably use it if we have a boy.  SIL asked about names we liked and she said she has never had a student named Elijah (pre-k teacher) and her 6 and 8 year olds have never had one in their class.  Point being, even if it is a top 10 name, there is no guarantee your child will be one of many in their school. 

We chose Eli before we knew it was in the top 13 and I've only met 1 Eli/Elijah in my 32 years. On the other hand when my parents named me Amber it wasn't very uncommon but there was almost always an Amber in my class. My sister is also a teacher and she loves Eli which means she has not had too many, if any, yet. 

jennygirlmt

I voted to have a unique middle name. I'm certainly not in therapy :-) And honestly, I don't remember going by my initial. While there were a few of us in gym class or band, I was the only one in my actual class. My two bffs are Jennifers as well (no joke) and one of them shares my middle name as well. No big deal, we don't even think about it. So I think a unique middle name would be nice, but even that's not necessary. I've been trying to avoid it, but I love a top 30 and top 20 name and I might end up using one of them.

rp-chicago-mom

Just don't spell it Meeya. That's what one of the moms at my school did poor child. One of my favorite kids ever was a Mia so I love it.  

meg07bride

I know only 2 Mia's - one is 2 and the other is 4.   One of them is spelled Meah. It is a beautiful name - i say go for it!  

Zimger

If you like it then use it. Our DS name was in the top ten (and still is). We used it because we liked it. It's not popular here but it is in our home state. It fits him well.

StrawberryAlarmClock

JulesDiane:

I have 2 friends that have had babies in the last 6 months named Mia. You might want to take in to account the popularity of your last name too.. If it is Johnson (like mine), I say don't do it. If it is completely uncommon, I am a little more inclined to say go for it. Mia IS a great name!

Good point. Our LN is common in our area (ethnic majority), but not really anywhere else. 

StrawberryAlarmClock

chibride4:

Mia/Maya is definitely one of the most popular girl names in my social circle, but use it if you love it! A unique middle name doesn't really make it any less popular, though, as they'll rarely be used together. But as you can see in this thread, popularity is somewhat relative and goes beyond the SSA list. DS1 (Jackson) has a MUCH higher ranked name than DS2 (Reid), but I know far less Jacksons than Reids IRL.

ETA: Oh, and I totally agree with Doremi29. Mia (or even Sophia and Isabella) will never be the Jennifer of yesteryear. There are many more choices today. There are rarely duplicates in any of DS1's classes (and he takes a lot of them) and when there are, it's never more than two kids or a name you'd guess (like the two Siennas in his camp group this summer). 

Yeah Doremi has a good point. I was thinking the MN may help if she wants to go by that instead of Mia. My brother (John) and mom (Latona - gag) both go by their MNs, for totally opposite reasons, obviously. 

StrawberryAlarmClock

HannahO28:

I can never wrap my head around Mia being a top ten name. Out of all the names on that list, it's the only one that I don't know any of, and I rarely see people on the bump that have daughters named Mia either...

though the numbers don't like...it IS being used somewhere in the country...

but anyway...use the name you love. I don't think popularity is a dealbreaker.  

Your siggy is stinkin' adorable!!!!