When you say a name is "really popular"....

Re: When you say a name is "really popular"....

• zaramarie81 member

  April 2012

  Both the national SSA list as well as the regional listings (some Top names are more popular/more concentrated in certain regions/states than others). You also have to remember that it may take a few years to start meeting all the Jackons, Jaydens and Isabelles because newborns often don't get out much or make the news very often nor are they in school yet. So we often perceive certain names to be less popular than they really are because we've yet to meet these babies or because of our region.

  On the flip side, name popularity today is more spread out than in generations past, so even popular names are shared by a lower percentage of kids.
  

   

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• TheBub member

  April 2012

  I have wondered this too.  DS is Owen.  Every time someone does a "WDYT post" and includes Owen, a lot of people respond..."over it", "WAY too popular", and the like.  I don't know any other Owens IRL and don't see a TON on TB.

  I feel like people also base their perception of popularity on frequency on name suggestion lists.  So people make not be actually using the names, but they are still being thrown out on TB a lot.

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• chibride4 member

  April 2012

  I'm so over hearing that such and such name is too popular, especially when boards like this frequently applaud the ugliest names I've ever heard. Since when is Arthur a better name than Mason and the like?? I just don't get it. Sigh. Of course, I have a Jackson

  Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

  Report0 Reply
• erb82 member

  April 2012

  It's a combination of my students names (I'm an elementary school teacher), what friends are naming their babies, and the SSA list.  I've never actually known a kid named Isabella even though it's been at or near the top of the list for years now.  But just because I don't know any Isabellas doesn't mean it's not a popular name, or even that it's not popular in my region.  The fact is there were like 23,000 of them born last year, I just haven't run across any. 

  Report0 Reply
• queenbone member

  April 2012

  I base it off of the ss rankings and those in my circle/schools/church/work etc.  I know a ton of kids it seems.

  I try to qualify my answers if I think it is popular here on this board. For example I see Brynn and Isla on here all the time but I've never met or heard of one IRL.
  

  Married 9-4-04

  
  

  ***PM me for my IF history***

  
  

  

  

  Report0 Reply
• alohamora member

  April 2012

  chibride4:

  I'm so over hearing that such and such name is too popular, especially when boards like this frequently applaud the ugliest names I've ever heard. Since when is Arthur a better name than Mason and the like?? I just don't get it. Sigh. Of course, I have a Jackson

  This kind of annoys me.  It's pretty obvious that this board favors a certain style of name, and that style isn't always reflected by the population at large.  Who cares if people on this board like Arthur better than Mason?  Obviously, based on popularity, you are in good company with people who like Mason and Jackson. 

  

  Report0 Reply
• LadyXaverian member

  April 2012

  SSA listings for my state. Even if I don't personally know kids with that name, the stats don't lie, so chances are, if I name my son Ethan, he's going to have a few others in his kindergarten class. (Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that.)

  
  

  Our sweet girl is 3!

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• stahlop member

  April 2012

  erb82:

  It's a combination of my students names (I'm an elementary school teacher), what friends are naming their babies, and the SSA list.  I've never actually known a kid named Isabella even though it's been at or near the top of the list for years now.  But just because I don't know any Isabellas doesn't mean it's not a popular name, or even that it's not popular in my region.  The fact is there were like 23,000 of them born last year, I just haven't run across any. 

  I subbed for a 3rd grade class today and had one Isabella and two Isabel's,  Very confusing.

  As a teacher I do see all these names.  But back in the 80's when Jennifer was the number one name, it was about 30% of baby girl's who were named Jennifer.  Now, the number one name is only about 1% of the baby girls.  There are just a million more names nowadays. 

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

        

    

  
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• LollipopsAndCrisps member

  April 2012

  feffy11:

  fitzpemberley:

  chibride4:

  I'm so over hearing that such and such name is too popular, especially when boards like this frequently applaud the ugliest names I've ever heard. Since when is Arthur a better name than Mason and the like?? I just don't get it. Sigh. Of course, I have a Jackson

  This kind of annoys me.  It's pretty obvious that this board favors a certain style of name, and that style isn't always reflected by the population at large.  Who cares if people on this board like Arthur better than Mason?  Obviously, based on popularity, you are in good company with people who like Mason and Jackson. 

  I'm with fitzpemberly. Chibride, Jackson and Mason are very popular names, so obviously lots of people like them. Classic names have been used for centuries and that's why they're often defended on this board; they're names that are tried-and-true.

  
  

  
  TTC since June 2010.
  DX hypothyroidism, pituitary hyperfunction, and PCOS.
  On med/treatment break indefinitely. Not currently trying.
  Lots of love to all of my Golden Girls!
  The Vagtastic Voyage
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• zaramarie81 member

  April 2012

  CabbageCabbage:

  chibride4:

  I'm so over hearing that such and such name is too popular, especially when boards like this frequently applaud the ugliest names I've ever heard. Since when is Arthur a better name than Mason and the like?? I just don't get it. Sigh. Of course, I have a Jackson

  Arthur has always been a way better name than Mason as far as I can tell but I do love me some ugly, classic, strong names.

  To each his own, I say. I know three very cute Masons and I know two really adorable Owens.  To answer the original question, I think a name is too popular when I know more than a couple people by that name or when I hear it frequently. For me, this means Lucy, Natalie, and Nora are too popular.  I doubt they are that high on the SSA list but I know a bunch of babies with those names. 

  I agree - Arthur is a fantastic name with great literary ties. I know three baby Owens at least... so yeah, the SSA list does play out IRL, just isn't evenly concentrated across every region.
  

  Report0 Reply
• chibride4 member

  April 2012

  Per the commotion my previous comment created, Arthur is just one example of old-fashioned names I see Bumpies raving about that I don't like. At all. Personally, I find names like this to be dated and while they'll likely age well, I don't find them to be remotely attractive on kids. Fwiw, my DH has a classic name that he hates, whereas my name screams that I was born in the 70s and it has always suited me well. Likewise, my BFF is named Leonard (another name that's been recently lauded on this board) and he's been teased for it his whole life. Still is and he's 45. Taste is relative.

  Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

  Report0 Reply
• notkateanymore member

  April 2012

  I don't usually say names are popular unless I know a bunch of people with that name...like the fact that out of 40 kids in DD's grade, there were 3 Olivias. They got called Big Olivia, Little Olivia and Other Olivia. 

  Report0 Reply
• lauralew member

  April 2012

  chibride4:

  Per the commotion my previous comment created, Arthur is just one example of old-fashioned names I see Bumpies raving about that I don't like. At all. Personally, I find names like this to be dated and while they'll likely age well, I don't find them to be remotely attractive on kids. Fwiw, my DH has a classic name that he hates, whereas my name screams that I was born in the 70s and it has always suited me well. Likewise, my BFF is named Leonard (another name that's been recently lauded on this board) and he's been teased for it his whole life. Still is and he's 45. Taste is relative.

  You are an adult much longer than you are a child. 

  
  

    

  Justin + Laura 10.18.08
  TTC #1 09.10/Dx PCOS 12.10/BFP #1 12.29.10/EDD 9.10.11/Missed m/c 2.3.11/D&C 2.15.11
  “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”-Kahlil Gibran
  Cycle #1 4.2.11 + Clomid = BFN/Cycle #2 5.9.11 + Clomid + Trigger Shot = TWINS! 
  Walter Allen and Eleanor Joan 1.15.12
  Another baby on the way! 8.25.14

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• alohamora member

  April 2012

  chibride4:

  Per the commotion my previous comment created, Arthur is just one example of old-fashioned names I see Bumpies raving about that I don't like. At all. Personally, I find names like this to be dated and while they'll likely age well, I don't find them to be remotely attractive on kids. Fwiw, my DH has a classic name that he hates, whereas my name screams that I was born in the 70s and it has always suited me well. Likewise, my BFF is named Leonard (another name that's been recently lauded on this board) and he's been teased for it his whole life. Still is and he's 45. 

  Whew, good thing you're an adult for far longer than you're a kid.

  chibride4:

  Taste is relative.

  Yep, that's pretty much what I was saying.
  

  

  Report0 Reply
• chibride4 member

  April 2012

  lauralew:

  chibride4:

  Per the commotion my previous comment created, Arthur is just one example of old-fashioned names I see Bumpies raving about that I don't like. At all. Personally, I find names like this to be dated and while they'll likely age well, I don't find them to be remotely attractive on kids. Fwiw, my DH has a classic name that he hates, whereas my name screams that I was born in the 70s and it has always suited me well. Likewise, my BFF is named Leonard (another name that's been recently lauded on this board) and he's been teased for it his whole life. Still is and he's 45. Taste is relative.

  You are an adult much longer than you are a child. 

  By saying a name will age well, I actually mean for 60-year-olds and up. Sorry. It's just how I feel based on real-life experiences with people who have mature sounding names. Clearly, I'm the minority on this board. I'm okay with that  

  Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

  Report0 Reply
• starsmoonsky member

  April 2012

  What I don't get about this, is that many people rip apart "popular" or "trendy" names and it's okay. Yet when this girl says that Arthur is ugly, its a big deal. 

  Report0 Reply
• thefiftyone

  April 2012

  I think it's regional for some. I'm thinking about naming my baby girl Evelyn and I've got the "it's too popular" response. We don't know anyone with this name and it's #39 on the SSA list. I think of popular as top 20ish along with if we know any kids around us with the name. We also like Abigail which is somewhere around #13 yet we know only one. So I guess it's a mix for me. Some people think "popular" is in the top 100 or so. 

  

  Report0 Reply