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June 2011 Moms
AshleyPT
member
Shocked at baby name popularity
AshleyPT
member
I recently saw the list of top names for 2010 and was so surprised to see our top girls AND boys name choices near the top of the list. We're Greek and have been struggling to find Greek names that are easy to pronounce and spell and not intimidating to Americans. We finally figured the whole thing out, and now I see they are in the top 10.
I wouldn't necessarily abandon them because they are popular, but it is making me a little unhappy. Thoughts?
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Re: Shocked at baby name popularity
what are your top names, out of curiousity?
Don't forget the top names are nation wide. They may be more popular in one area and less in others. Name them what you like!!
Who cares how popular .... if you love the name use it.
I teach and have some very popular names in my room. The most I've ever had, no matter how popular their name, was 2 people with the same name.
So, I really dont think its as big a deal as many think.
We picked our names because we love them. It just so happens that we have good taste and a lot of other people like the names, too!
Isabella & Olivia have been in the top 10 for awhile. Our next girl, Catherine, isn't nearly as popular -- but still just as classic, I think.
Go for what you like. Like the pp mentioned, the names are national not local. You can use this link to find out which names are popular in your area:
https://www.our365.com/wisdom/babynamescape/default.aspx
In my city, Isabella is #2 but Olivia didn't make the top 10 (but Arianna and Angelina did, and nationally they aren't as popular).
Zoe for a girl and Lukas for a boy
Oh, I'm definitely not one to care much about what other people are doing. We like what we like and that's all that is important to us. I wouldn't have even looked to see how popular the names were, but it was sent to me and I was surprised first by the fact they were both on there and second by the fact that it mattered to me!
We have a very unique and borderline scary last name for people to say - rare even in the Greek world, so that is why it was important to us for the first name not to be intimidating, but I never thought they'd be so popular. I don't really care about someone else having the name, but I don't want there to be 3 or 4 in their class like Katherine, Courtney, and Amy were when I was growing up. I can't even really figure out a good reason why that bothers me though.
Yes, I have a blog and it's hilarious (except when it's not)
I agree. We picked names we liked. They happen to both be top 15 names, and I don't care.
Husband is a teacher and he said he gets doubles of some of the most RANDOM names that are not even on the list. No matter what, someday your kid will meet someone with the same name, it won't hurt them.
I also think the top 10 names don't have nearly the density they used to. I'd guess the top 10 from the 50s covered a huge percentage of the population, and now the #1 is probably only a couple % total.
Ohh that's a fun link!
Yes, I have a blog and it's hilarious (except when it's not)
That is a fun website--I was even able to see the top names at the hospital where I will deliver
OP, I kind of know how you feel about having a "popular" baby name. For some reason, it bugs me, too. But, I'm going to go with names that we love, and not really worry about popularity. Most of the names I like are more classic, I guess, and many of those seem to be popular.
IMO, I would give my child a "popular" name that I love, rather than changing spelling or inventing a name just to be unique.
Came back to see what everyone else was saying and found myself checking out the link... So fun! I was excited to see that my second boy name (Henry) is on the top 10 where we will hopefully be living... My husband hated that name and said he would get made fun of... NOT TRUE!!! (I win!)
My name is Amber, and this it is pretty popluar. It fits me well and I am just fine with it.
The only thing that has ever been an issue is having to look around when someone says my name, often to find out its not me. Not a big deal though; it keeps me more aware of my surroundings.
I live in Montreal (very multicultural and lots of Greeks
) I think that you should choose names that are traditionally Greek no matter how "intimidating" they are...As a teacher I've heard some beautiful names and yes they may be hard to pronounce the first time but once I'm corrected it's no longer an issue.
I liked Aristidis (one of the boys I taught)...we always called him Aris or Ari. For the girls I haven't taught any yet that had names I couldn't pronounce.
I usually avoid popular names. I have a name that at least one other person in the room shares and I don't really like it. With this being said, DS's name is Evan and that is getting higher up there on the list. I don't think I would have chosen it if I had known that before hand.
Personally, I'm trying to avoid anything landing on the top 10 lists.....I remember having girls in my class growing up being Jennifer #1 and Jennifer 2, and I really don't want that happening to my kid. My name is Paola and I have always loved having a name that was not the norm, so we are leaning towards things that are a bit different for our baby. It's a personal choice though, if you love the names, go with them, but I can totally understand how seeing the list put a kink in your plans.
I'm Greek, too
"Zoe" was one of my favorites; we're having a boy, though, and he'll be James (my late father's name, and of course the "really Greek" relatives will call him "Dimitrios").
I say go with the names you loves. Lukas and Zoe, in my opinion, are lovely.
"5.01.09"
Congrats to the person in Montreal who can pronounce names after initial correction. After 3 years my mom still can't say my last name and there are some sounds that just don't carry over which means some people actually cannot pronounce them. In the DC area, it's pretty easy since it's so multicultural, but get an hour out and people won't even try to say our name.
Yes, I have a blog and it's hilarious (except when it's not)
My name (Sarah) was No. 1 in popularity for the year I was born, and as a result, there was always at least one other girl in every class with the same name. It helped a little that my parents chose the alternate spelling Sara, but phonetically, it's the same thing, and it got confusing. I hated it growing up, although I've come to terms with it as an adult.
We avoided names that appeared in the top 20 for our son, and we're going to do the same this time.