How popular is too popular?

doodleoodle · July 2015

How high on the list of most common names of last year would your top name choice have to be before you chose something different?

My name was ranked #4 the year I was born and it was annoying in school and continues to be annoying in the work place being one of many. I don't even turn around when I hear my name anymore.

magsugar13 · July 2015

I'd take popular over unique spelling and made up names any day!

doodleoodle · July 2015

Of course, but it doesn't have to be one or the other

parenthood4 · July 2015

I'd want to avoid a top 10 or top 20 name...unless I really loved it. One of my kids names is in the 30s. But one name on my list for this baby is top 10. So who knows what I'm talking about

MamaWren919 · July 2015

Top 10 is a deal breaker for me, but really I'd like to avoid top 20 or 30. I'm a Jennifer from 1984, hated the popularity of my name growing up.

lifeonthehill · July 2015

I try to avoid the top 20 in our state.

crf4 · July 2015

Another on the bandwagon of staying out of top 20. I also like to look at how popular it has been over the last 5-10 years. A fairly steady name, spelled correctly is a huge win in my book!

CGless · July 2015

I think for me the numbers associated with the ranking mean more than the ranking itself. For example if you look at the sheer number of Jennifer's in the 70/80s was about 4%. So 1/25 girls. Now Ava is a top name but it's hovering under 1% so 1/100.

That being said, mine are #157 with 0.1% and the other likely wouldn't crack the top 1000. I like unique but not unheard of or laughable. Old fashioned maybe.

MixedBerries88 · July 2015

Id stay out of the top 10 unless the name was a family name or THE name I have always wanted to use.

4N6s · July 2015

I'd avoid top 25.

mattandlora · July 2015

CGless said:
I think for me the numbers associated with the ranking mean more than the ranking itself. For example if you look at the sheer number of Jennifer's in the 70/80s was about 4%. So 1/25 girls. Now Ava is a top name but it's hovering under 1% so 1/100.

This is why i don't worry about where a name is ranked. Even with a top 10 name, the likelihood of sharing it is less than it used to be.

For us, name popularity was a tie-breaker if we were really torn between 2 names and there was no clear fit for the baby. Otherwise, I don't really care where it ranks. DS has a top 10 name. DD is in the 180s. Popularity didn't come into the equation. Both are family names and I couldn't imagine either of them with a different name.

jeanbug12 · July 2015

Like others said, even the most popular names aren't used as much. People are trying to be so creative with kids names these days that there is a lot more variety of names being used.

The tricky thing about looking at the popularity list though is it only accounts for one spelling. So while Madison is #9 I believe, there are also all those spelling variations...Madyson, Maddison, Madysyn, Madisen.....plus all the girls with other names nicknamed maddie that add to the mix! Or Kaylee down in the 50s with probably 50 spelling variations, I bet that name would be closer to the top 10 if you account for all those variations. On the other hand classic names like Elizabeth are in the top but don't get quite the same number of youneek spelling variations.

doodleoodle · July 2015

That's a great point @CGless

jmomof4 · July 2015

MamaWren919 said:
Top 10 is a deal breaker for me, but really I'd like to avoid top 20 or 30. I'm a Jennifer from 1984, hated the popularity of my name growing up.

I'm a 1984 Jenifer. My mom thought she was YOUNEEK.

slradske0626 · July 2015

Honestly I'd probably stay out of the top 50. Being a Samantha with like 15 others in my very small high school was not fun. You can definitely find beautiful, normal names that aren't within the top 50.

bbiutmcph · July 2015

It's not so much popular I worry about it's the trendiness of a name. Charlotte or Sophia that is popular but Classic not an issue. Aria which is popular and as trendy as you can get. Or something like Avery or Riley which is the new Ashley I wouldn't dream of using. Trendy names are the next Ashley, jennifer and Jessica.

You don't want a name that will date your kid and anyone could guess their age within a couple years

mb0112 · July 2015

I'd like to avoid the top names because our last name is pretty common around here. It's one thing to share a first name with someone in your class, but I'd be afraid of my child having the same first AND last name as someone in their school.

jessilee15 · July 2015

I think last name matters some too - my maiden name was super common and I was a 1980s Jessica. I thought I wanted a more unusual first name for my kids...until I married into a really long, complicated, unique last name. Now I want short and classic first names!

MamaWren919 · July 2015

I think it's important to look at your state list, too. That's really a much more accurate representation of who you'll meet. Aubrey and Aubree are top 20 in my state. Mia is in the 50s.

I also try to avoid names that sound like a bunch of other popular names. As a teacher, the Haleys/Baileys/Kaylees/Kylies all just run together. Same with nns that are used for 5-7 different fns. There are Maddies and Allies everywhere. Ellie and Evie will be the next wave.

AlphabetFish · July 2015

Top 50 is too popular for me. At that point, I find names start sounding stale and trendy to me. The more I hear a name, the less I like it, so my taste doesn't seem to kick in until a little further down the charts.

emmy236 · July 2015

Like others have said, a lot has to do with the name itself and I feel girls names are a lot harder. Now for girls, Adelaide is a family for me and not popular but with the Addison, Adelyn etc craze she'd be one of a bunch of Addie's. Then add all the Maddies in and it was just completely off the table. I also love the name Sophie but with all the Sophia/Sofia's that is coming off the table too. But I will take an Emma, Charlotte or Isabelle over the trendy/trashy popular names any day.

Linsbins · July 2015

I agree with the PP that said to look at how many children actually have that name vs the number it ranks at. I have 32 kids in a class and the worst I've had is 3 of a name, two times. One year it was a really popular name and the other year it was a name you wouldn't have seen coming, and they were all spelled youneekly. So many other children will have made up names that as long as you stay out of the top 3 you will be fine.

Elsa1984 · July 2015

We stuck with 400+ on the SSA name list. Well, and it had to be spelled correctly and not a made up name.

doodleoodle · July 2015

Great advice, ladies! For some reason it didn't occur to me to look at the popularity in my actual state. Good grief lol

My favorite name right now was #72 last year, but I read that so far this year it's trending at #48 however, it wasn't even in the top 100 in my state last year. I'm feeling much better about it.

groovylocks · July 2015

As an Ella, I grew up feeling singled out because there were ZERO ellas. Actually, there were two ellas. Me and one i ended up babysitting for.

But it didn't really affect me negatively. At least I wasn't one of seven Claires in my homeroom. Nobody had to go "Which Ella?" when i was mentioned. Say the word "Ella" and everybody knew who you were talking about. It's a time-saver, really. And, for better or worse, my name became part of my true identity.

Now that I'm an adult and there are a million trendzoids naming their kid Ella, I am considering changing my own name. (Because "Ella" for me is actually what i was nicknamed - my full name is Elizabeth and I'm thinking of going by my proper name now) Whenever i tell people my name NOW, i always get "Oh. Em. Gee. I LOVE lovelove that name. I am SO going to name my kid that/my sister is naming her kid that/my boss named her cat that" etc.. and it annoys me because now i feel my name is no longer mine. It's an accessory i have. Like a Hermes bag or something. I don't like that.

That's me. It SHOULDN'T affect how we feel and if you love the name and it doesn't completely blow, go for it. But just letting you know how i felt since i came from the unique position of being on both sides. Both having a rare name, and then later a trendy one.

2-Step · July 2015

CGless said:

I think for me the numbers associated with the ranking mean more than the ranking itself. For example if you look at the sheer number of Jennifer's in the 70/80s was about 4%. So 1/25 girls. Now Ava is a top name but it's hovering under 1% so 1/100. That being said, mine are #157 with 0.1% and the other likely wouldn't crack the top 1000. I like unique but not unheard of or laughable. Old fashioned maybe.

I second this. The number of Michaels was insane during the 80s, but now the top name doesn't hold nearly as high of a percentage of births. Also, if a name has been in the top 10 for a few years, but maybe normally hangs out around 20-30 I wouldn't worry so much about it. I'm thinking about this too because one of my top girl names is number 5 right now. I think I will still use it if DH agrees. My son's name was near 100 when I chose it yet he has had another kid in his class with the same name since preschool and he is the only one with two of the same name despite the class having an Ava, Ellie, Addie and Jackson. Go with what you love. I don't think we will see these names turn into the next Jennifer.

lalala2004 · July 2015

I'd stay out of the top 5. My name was in the top 14 from the year I was born, but I never knew anyone that shared a name with me until I was in high school. And now that people are using more of a variety of names, the percentages are lower, and it's less of a problem. And there are some names that are always going to be classic and popular.

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