For those of you who picked names in the top 100...

CaraLynn91 · February 2013

I have been telling myself not to look at the top 100 because I just knew it would steer me away from the 6 names (3 boy, 3 girl) we have picked out.

The only two not on it is Calvin our #1 boy pick, and Ava our #3 pick.

Our #1 girl is Evelyn, so now I'm stuck. I really love the name...I just don't want LO to have a ridiculously popular name. How do you not let that bother you? I plan on calling her Evie, but still.

MrMrsandBaby · February 2013

I think they are the top 100 for a reason, they are (mostly) beautiful names. If you love a name, does it really matter if others use it too? Also, it shouldn't surprise you that others love it too.

For boy names, they tend to have about 10-15 "trendy" names but the rest are the usual suspects. Classics.

Girls have more variety IMHO. Evelyn is very popular right now (with the nn Evie) but if you really love it go for it. If you like it because it sounds good then maybe rethink it?

DH and I didn't look at the top names when we picked Allison (generally top 50 for the last few decades). We picked it because we both knew that was our daughter's name as soon as we said her whole name together.

So, long story short, go with what you love. No baby will be the ONLY one with a name, it isn't likely anyway. But make sure you don't give them a name that will make them blush later in life!

Zimger · February 2013

Is the name popular where you live?

I picked a name in the top 100. It isn't popular where we live but even if it was I wouldn't worry to much about it. When I was in school we had a very small class and every once in a while a new student would move to our area and have the same name as someone else in class. We didn't think much of it. Usually the student who had been there longer took on a NN.

DS will also attend a smaller school so I just don't worry.

526SadieSadie · February 2013

My DD's name is #3 the last time I checked.

It just doesn't matter to us. A common name doesn't mean the kid isn't special or unique, just like an unusual name doesn't guarantee specialness or uniqueness.

I have an unusual name and growing up, no one could ever pronounce it, or spell it and I could never find it on anything the way my friends could find there names on pencils and school supplies like that. I hated substitute teachers and the inevitable pregnant pause when they came to my name on the class attendance sheet.

We didn't go out of our way to choose a "normal" name for DD but we weren't trying to avoid popular names, either. It's just one we loved. The rest of our top 5 list were all pretty common names, they're just our style.

Manderlin923 · February 2013

I'll be honest- one of our name is in the top 300 and I'm bummed about it. It didn't scar me for life, but growing up I was one of many with the same name, and not only same first name, but same last initial, so I had to go by my first and last name throughout high school. It was annoying. Now, we will probably still go with a name that's more popular than we'd like because we love it. It just happens that usually when a name is super popular I don't love it, not because it's ranking is high, but because it's lost it's sparkle for me, I hear it all the time, or I know too many people with that name so it's hard to break associations, kwim?

If you still love it, and can't talk yourself out of it, then it's meant to be. If you keep wavering because of popularity (or any other reason) maybe it just doesn't feel right and you should keep looking.

trudibell · February 2013

I have the same dilemma as you - it's so hard, we are telling ourselves that no matter what it's going to be a great name, but for boys it's like not picking in the top 100 (and even some choices in the top 100) the names get too weird. We love Jackson and Henry but are really hesitant because they are so popular and trendy right now.

jjkaye · February 2013

I just checked the top names for the year I was born... I'm #54 (Jenna) https://www.thetop100babynames.com/USBabyNames/1984BabyNames.htm My name was NOT popular at all when I was growing up. There were 2 other Jenna's in my whole high school (of 1,000 kids) and I was always upset because as a kid I could never find keychains or tshirts or other trinkets on vacation, etc. that had my name on it. They'd have everyone else's, but no Jenna. Just food for thought- don't let the numbers scare you!

hmp1 · February 2013

James is a top 20 name and #4 in our state the year DS1 was born. He is the only James at his daycare, but there are 5 Jacobs, the #2 name in our state. We named our James after my grandfather so it was never a question for us about ditching the name due to popularity.

hmp1 · February 2013

If it makes you feel better, there were only 126 babies named Evelyn in MO last year. It was #32 in your state.

JaynieByrd · February 2013

It makes more sense to me to name your child something that you LOVE that happens to be popular, then something that you kind of like, but isn't popular. There's no way to know how many little kids will share that name in his/her class anyway, so I would try not to focus as much on that top 100 list, and choose a name that you and your H love

kayjay10 · February 2013

MrMrsandBaby:

I think they are the top 100 for a reason, they are (mostly) beautiful names. If you love a name, does it really matter if others use it too? Also, it shouldn't surprise you that others love it too.

For boy names, they tend to have about 10-15 "trendy" names but the rest are the usual suspects. Classics.

Girls have more variety IMHO. Evelyn is very popular right now (with the nn Evie) but if you really love it go for it. If you like it because it sounds good then maybe rethink it?

DH and I didn't look at the top names when we picked Allison (generally top 50 for the last few decades). We picked it because we both knew that was our daughter's name as soon as we said her whole name together.

So, long story short, go with what you love. No baby will be the ONLY one with a name, it isn't likely anyway. But make sure you don't give them a name that will make them blush later in life!

I agree with all of this. And I think popularity largely depends on where you live. I LOVE the name Evelyn, but I only know one person IRL with this name and she is around 70 years old. There was one baby named Evelyn on my BNB. I say go with what you love instead of settling on a "less popular" name and regretting it.

LissaLynn0682 · February 2013

First off...let me just say that I LOVE the name Evelyn. It was in our top 3 for our DD.

Just because a name is in the top 100 doesn't necessarily mean it's popular for your area. DD is named Natalie, which is a top 20 name. I work in an elementary school and in the past 5 years, I've only had 2 Natalie's in the whole school of 500 kids. I would second guess it if I knew a ton of Natalie's....only because I don't want her to be one of 5 in her class growing up.

I also agree with people that names are in the top 100 for a reason.....because they are beautiful names!

PunkyBooster · February 2013

This really does not bother me.

While I know "nick" is a popular name I have yet to meet another little Nicholas. And even if we do, who cares?

Elinetrouwt · February 2013

I have a name in mind that is top 100 where I live. I try to stay away from names that are 'newcomers' in the top 100. I think they might sound very dated in 10 years from now.

Names like Madison and Mason are highly popular and fairly new, so I think those are names that may sound dated pretty soon. A previous poster named Allison, a name that has been in the top 100 for decades. IMO, that makes it a classic, it won't disappear overnight.

The name I picked is a "classic" in the same way. Throughout the past centuries, girls have been given that name, so I think it won't sound "2013" twenty years from now.

Heartcease · February 2013

We had our names picked out for ages, and they were special to us. All of them ended up being in the top 10. I was not going to abandon our names just because there might be other kids out there with it. Plus, I'm a Jennifer, and I've made it through life just fine. It was sort of nice to always have something in common with someone. "Oh your name is Jennifer, me too!"

Elinetrouwt · February 2013

Elinetrouwt:
I have a name in mind that is top 100 where I live. I try to stay away from names that are 'newcomers' in the top 100. I think they might sound very dated in 10 years from now.
Names like Madison and Mason are highly popular and fairly new, so I think those are names that may sound dated pretty soon. A previous poster named Allison, a name that has been in the top 100 for decades. IMO, that makes it a classic, it won't disappear overnight.
The name I picked is a "classic" in the same way. Throughout the past centuries, girls have been given that name, so I think it won't sound "2013" twenty years from now.

Obviously, Evelyn is such a classic name that won't sound dated later on, as far as I can tell.

My DH was one of three with his name in his class and he never cared. So that's possible too. And I had a non top 100 name and ended up with a same name classmate. Hated it.

ShoeFanatic614 · February 2013

Ava's not in the top 100? There's no way.

We didn't look at it at all. I certainly didn't want DD to have an extremely popular name but our love for her name was most important. The other thing to remember is just because it's high on the SSA list doesn't mean it's popular where you live. I know only one child named Evelyn even though it's very high on the list.

hjk5000 · February 2013

MelRC117:
MrMrsandBaby:
For boy names, they tend to have about 10-15 "trendy" names but the rest are the usual suspects. Classics.
Girls have more variety IMHO. Evelyn is very popular right now (with the nn Evie) but if you really love it go for it. If you like it because it sounds good then maybe rethink it?
This. I'm confused though, Ava is a top 10 name?
My LO's name is more popular than I thought, but we liked his name that it didn't bother us. I would rather compromise on popularity than compromise on the name entirely just to avoid it. I haven't met any other young Eli's, however we aren't part of any mommy groups or on sports teams yet for me to really now other little boys.

We've met a few other Eli's but I've found it doesn't really bother me. If I really loved a top ten name like Ava or Emma I don't think that would stop me from using it.

Regardless of how popular a name is, if it's a good name, I don't get tired of hearing it.

blu-eyedwife · February 2013

While I would have loved to pick a name that wasn't in the top 100, the rising popularity of "old" names means the name we picked ended up jumping in the past few years. I still like it and it's not terribly common (closer to 100 than 1), although it is definitely getting moreso. I think I know of 2 other babes born the past year given the same name.

PinkyFloyd73 · February 2013

I would go more by whether a name is classic or trendy than by it's number on the name list. For example, I have loved the name Avery for years, but I will never use it now because it's super trendy. Evelyn I would still consider it because it's classic.

MelissaRae1525 · February 2013

My son is named Aaron Jacob but we call him Jacob because his grandfather goes by Aaron. To me, the tradition of the name (he is the fourth) and the fact that his dad and I both like it mean more than the numbers on the chart.

As far as Evie, what about Evangeline? That is my number one name for a girl and I would call her Evie prn EV-ee

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