How important is popularity to YOU?

blessedmommyofthree

We just found out we are pregnant with our 3rd. DD and DS both have common but not popular names because I did NOT want a top 100 name. This time what do I fall in love with for a girl? Sofia. Of course I did. WHY do I like this name so much????? Is it really a huge deal that an alternate spelling is ranked number 1? Boy name is Asher Paul. We are team green so we won't know until January but it's never too early to talk about names, right?!

 

TIA 

guilletskichuk

Popularity does matter to me and is why, even though I liked tons of names in the top 100, I didn't like any of them enough to use them. Their popularity made them shine less in my eyes.

You say you love Sofia though. If you love it, use it!

blessedmommyofthree

I think if I KNEW a million and one Sofias it would be completely different but I've never met one. DH likes it but isn't sure bc of the popularity. Our 3yo DD has already decided that it's a girl and her name WILL be "Snofia" so daddy has 2 against one

blessedmommyofthree

Our 2nd choice is Rose NN Rosie...thoughts?

==N==

Popular names are popular for a reason (most of the time anyway) its because they're good names.

Personally though, I wouldnt use a popular name. My kids names are closer to the 700-1000's so a more popular one in the sib set would sound weird I think.

WashingtonQueen

For me, I will not pick anything in the top 100 and I prefer to keep it out of the top 200.

DaisyZH

Popularity is important to me, but if I absolutely loved a name it wouldn't deter me.  Sofia is lovely, if you love it then use it. 

arizonatea

It's pretty important for us. I LOVED the name Mia but knowing it's in the top 10 for last year completely changed my mind. I like names that are at least below the top 150. That's just me though

stargazer08

When I named my DD, I didn't check the popularity of her name until we had already named her. Then I realized it was in the top 20 names for that year. 

With our next one, I'm not necessarily going to be concerned about popularity either, even though I will check beforehand. For me, if I love the name I will use it.  

Roxie5739

I think the popularity in your state is more important than the national ranking. I have some names picked that are high on the national rankings but low or out of top 100 on the CA rankings

hologram87

This is what I'm wrestling with now.  We are having a boy and the name I love is in the top 10.  DD has a name that hasn't been in the top 1000 in the past 13 years, so it would be weird to then choose a popular name, but it seems to be the name that we love the most.  I don't know!! 

WinsyWade

MosyMama:

blessedmommyofthree:

We just found out we are pregnant with our 3rd. DD and DS both have common but not popular names because I did NOT want a top 100 name. This time what do I fall in love with for a girl? Sofia. Of course I did. WHY do I like this name so much????? Is it really a huge deal that an alternate spelling is ranked number 1? Boy name is Asher Paul. We are team green so we won't know until January but it's never too early to talk about names, right?!

 

TIA 

 Wait, I'm confused. How can a name be common but not popular? Please explain the difference. 

When I hear common, I think "well known, not outthere, not misspelled, top 50?". When I think popular, I think "Soc. Security top 10".

g8trkim

guilletskichuk:

Popularity does matter to me and is why, even though I liked tons of names in the top 100, I didn't like any of them enough to use them. Their popularity made them shine less in my eyes. You say you love Sofia though. If you love it, use it!

Ditto all this. I know a lot of girls named Sophia so it makes me like the name less. I guess if I didn't know any I wouldn't feel this way, because it is a really pretty name. I actually think the alternate spelling makes it worse because now you have to not only deal with her name being really popular but you also have to deal with people constantly using the more common spelling.

CeCe8579

Rosalie Sofia would be nice but if you love Sofia use it!

ippichic

Keep in mind, though, that popularity changes.  When we named DS 6 years ago, his name was #96 on SSA and we thought we were relatively safe.  Now it's in the top 10.  You just never know, a name can go the other way, too, and fall out of favor quickly.

blessedmommyofthree

WinsyWade:

MosyMama:

blessedmommyofthree:

We just found out we are pregnant with our 3rd. DD and DS both have common but not popular names because I did NOT want a top 100 name. This time what do I fall in love with for a girl? Sofia. Of course I did. WHY do I like this name so much????? Is it really a huge deal that an alternate spelling is ranked number 1? Boy name is Asher Paul. We are team green so we won't know until January but it's never too early to talk about names, right?!

 

TIA 

 Wait, I'm confused. How can a name be common but not popular? Please explain the difference. 

When I hear common, I think "well known, not outthere, not misspelled, top 50?". When I think popular, I think "Soc. Security top 10".

 

 

Exactly. Our children, more than likely, will not have another child in their class with the same name BUT they are both well known, classic names.  

blessedmommyofthree

Iloveshanej:

Rosalie Sofia would be nice but if you love Sofia use it!

 

 

 

I love the way that sounds BUT then I can't use Rosie in the future or she won't be going by Sofia =/ I like them both as first names lol 

blessedmommyofthree

Iloveshanej:

Rosalie Sofia would be nice but if you love Sofia use it!

 

 

 

I love the way that sounds BUT then I can't use Rosie in the future or she won't be going by Sofia =/ I like them both as first names lol 

 

 

 

ETA- Okay, I just checked, Sophia/Sofia ranked #13 in my state in 2011 and less than 150 girls were named that in the state that year. 

Keri Marie

Popularity is not important to us. We love our kids names popular or not.

ordinary1

Popularity is pretty important to me. I didn't want a top 10 name so I personally wouldn't use Sofia/Sophia. Also, when you include the variations in spelling it makes the name even more popular IMO. Changing the spelling of the name doesn't make it less popular.

HBGroz6912

I am one who tried to stay away from the top 100! With DS1. I didn't even have the internet, and it's funny cause looking back his name was 270s (2005) and I've never met one and I've gotten many compliments now it's 80! With DS2, his name was/is in the 250+ (Even though a few months after naming my son 2 other FB people named theirs the same). And with DS3, it was around 100 but I didn't know any. And one month after having him another FB friend named their son that. I get I don't own my names, but honestly if someone used a name (especially one that isn't popular) a month before I don't think I could. I'd feel like I was copying them. However, I know about 3-4 Sophia's and so if I used that I don't think it would matter since it's already popular. Anyway, my point of my rant was to say even if you try hard to stay away from popularity you may end up with a name that is anyway. My DS1 now had a name that keeps climbing. He is the only one in his age group/class that I know of.

queenbone

For me it entirely depends upon how popular your LN is. We have a top 10 LN so we are sensitive to not using really popular names. DSs' names were ranked in the 300s and 600s when they were born.

Sofia is very pretty.

913mom

Love Rose, not so much Sofia, too popular for me.

Allie429

My husband and I wanted to do something that wasn't so popular.  I work in an elementary school (finishing my 7th year), so I have come across A LOT of names.......many which were immediately shot down before they could fall out of my husbands mouth!  The name we have picked for a boy isn't even in the top 1000 and our girl name is in the 600's or 700's.  If you like a top 100 name, go for it! 

mrstengallonhat1

Popularity also matters a lot to me.  I personally don't want my kids to be one of three or four (or more!) in their class, so DH and I are very conscious to pick names that are 200+ (or in our case, in the 700-900 range) on the SSA list.  We also look at the list for our particular state, as it varies nationally. 

janneann1127

MosyMama:

blessedmommyofthree:

We just found out we are pregnant with our 3rd. DD and DS both have common but not popular names because I did NOT want a top 100 name. This time what do I fall in love with for a girl? Sofia. Of course I did. WHY do I like this name so much????? Is it really a huge deal that an alternate spelling is ranked number 1? Boy name is Asher Paul. We are team green so we won't know until January but it's never too early to talk about names, right?!

 

TIA 

 Wait, I'm confused. How can a name be common but not popular? Please explain the difference. 

My name is Jane. Common? Yes. Popular? No. I don't think it's ever cracked the top 300.

Zimger

It's not a big deal to me. The only name I like that I worry about popularity for is Jacob and that is only because it has been number one for a long time.

 

skio

Popularity doesn't bother me unless I personally know several kids with the name. DD is Chloe. I love Annabel, Ella, Ava, Elizabeth, Sophie, Isabel, Emma, Grace. I also love Olivia, but I know three Olivia's under four, so I wouldn't consider that one.