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Help[Opinions] Popularity
Popularity is a really big put off for me -- as a matter of fact, if a name is in the top 200 the thought of using it makes me sick. How big of an impact does a name's popularity have on you?
~ Note: I actually named my son a rather common name, Gabriel (GAY-bree-el). It is DH's father's name, though, so I don't mind it quite as much. I do have the habit of calling him Gabe, instead of Gabriel, despite my distaste for calling a baby by nicknames. . .
~ Note: I actually named my son a rather common name, Gabriel (GAY-bree-el). It is DH's father's name, though, so I don't mind it quite as much. I do have the habit of calling him Gabe, instead of Gabriel, despite my distaste for calling a baby by nicknames. . .
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I wouldn't want to use a name that is ultra-popular, the way Jennifer was. However, I like traditional names the best, so if it was in the top 200 it wouldn't phase me. My daughter is Caroline and I see her name slipped from 67 in 2003 to 74 in 2004. Yet when I check lists of births, or honor roll lists, in my newspaper, I'll see a Caroline here or there but not often.
When my daughter was born I actually saw a few obituaries for women named Caroline in their 80s and 90s and it really brought home for me how traditional the name was - you could have used it 100 years ago, 50 years ago, or now, and it sounds old-fashioned without sounding dated. Which is one of the things I like about it.
When my daughter was born I actually saw a few obituaries for women named Caroline in their 80s and 90s and it really brought home for me how traditional the name was - you could have used it 100 years ago, 50 years ago, or now, and it sounds old-fashioned without sounding dated. Which is one of the things I like about it.
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Popularity has an effect on me a bit just because they are overly used. I tend to like the unusual classic names.
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I don't care about popularity, if I love a name I'll use it, regardless of how popular it is.
~ Louise x
"It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut."
~ Louise x
"It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut."
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If anything, I'd prefer to name my child a name that's relatively popular. (I don't mean trendy, however!) I read a study saying that people with names that are more popular are much more likely to fit in with their peer groups than people with very unusual names, which is something to consider. Plus, there's a reason why certain names are popular -- because they're usually great, classic, time-tested names that many people happen to like (with a few exceptions though, for trendy names like Madison and Nevaeh!) For example, names like Elizabeth and Sarah are classics, and they've always been popular. So popularity doesn't deter me at all, but overly trendy names sometimes do.
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My best freind grew up with a very common name and spent ages thinking of an unusual name for her daughter she chose the then sweet and slightly old fashioned name of Chloe lol, only for it to suddenly become very popular a few months after her daughters birth and stay popular since
You cant predict which names are going to suddenly rise in popularity
Both my children have very common names, these are the names I have always loved and in the case of my son his first name is a name used in my family for several generations, common it maybe but it has meaning and history for me
As I see it better a name I know and love than second best which might suddenly zoom up the charts anyway :)
You cant predict which names are going to suddenly rise in popularity
Both my children have very common names, these are the names I have always loved and in the case of my son his first name is a name used in my family for several generations, common it maybe but it has meaning and history for me
As I see it better a name I know and love than second best which might suddenly zoom up the charts anyway :)
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What are the names of your children?
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It has a big impact on me. A name's popularity will have more effect on the child's life than any other aspect of their name. (Meaning, for example, is going to have no effect whatsoever.) I prefer names that are not in the top 100.
It's not a dilemma for me though, as I seldom do love very popular names. I tend just to be bored by them, though there are a few exceptions (which are strictly for mns only).
_____________________________________________________________________
"He (David Gest) looks like he's had a lot of plastic surgery done, but not by a plastic surgeon."
♥Elinor♥
Proud "mother" to !!s Dallán and Aubrianna
It's not a dilemma for me though, as I seldom do love very popular names. I tend just to be bored by them, though there are a few exceptions (which are strictly for mns only).
_____________________________________________________________________
"He (David Gest) looks like he's had a lot of plastic surgery done, but not by a plastic surgeon."
♥Elinor♥
Proud "mother" to !!s Dallán and Aubrianna
This message was edited 5/6/2005, 3:35 AM
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It has a big impact on me, I don't like overly popular names. I cringe at the thought of my child having 3 of his name in his class. However, as Claude was only popular in about 1909, and even then I think it ranked in the 900's - I don't think he's got much to worry about! However, I like the name Theodore for our next one, but I'm fearful of using it as it ranks in the 300's for popularity. We shall see.
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I, too, strongly dislike a lot of popular names. I like weird, odd, unique and uncommon names. Mind you, I like quite a few popular names too. It all comes down to the way the name sounds. If I like it, it's all good.
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Top 10 Girls: Eden Nykara, Coy, Ryder, Tenar Hayden, Illeana/Liliana, Evelyn, Yuri, Indy, Marina, Lecksie.
Top 10 Boys: Shannon, James, Andreas, Broderick, Asce, Finley, Orian, Corrigan, Lachlann, Dilandau.
Both: Ariel, Italy, Adie.
^^-Schezar
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Top 10 Girls: Eden Nykara, Coy, Ryder, Tenar Hayden, Illeana/Liliana, Evelyn, Yuri, Indy, Marina, Lecksie.
Top 10 Boys: Shannon, James, Andreas, Broderick, Asce, Finley, Orian, Corrigan, Lachlann, Dilandau.
Both: Ariel, Italy, Adie.
^^-Schezar
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I wouldn't say that it doesn't bother me at all. I would prefer not to choose a name that's very popular but it's not the defining factor for me. I'm going to choose a name I love, and if it's popular then that's too bad but it won't change my mind. The only way popularity would keep me from using an absolute favorite was if someone I was close to had already used that name or was planning to before me.
"I dare you to make less sense."
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Popularity's pretty much a big put off for me, too. I would probably still use one in the top 200 though, if I really loved it and it had significant meaning for me. But if it was in the top ten, I'd really really try to find something else.
"If you can't laugh at yourself, life is going to seem a whole lot long than you'd like." - Garden State
Hannah
Hannah
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Popularity does not play a factor in the names I like. I couldn't care less if the name is in the top 10 or if I know five people named the name. If I love a name, nothing stops me from using/liking it.
-Lissa Hannah-
My twelve !'s = Kipling, Barry, Mortimer, Miles, Marmaduke, Fletcher, Maris, Blanche, Gladys, Arlette, Glenda, and Juniper
My ten ?'s = Pasquale, Archibald, Humphrey, Nigel, Bernard, Minna, Doris, Shirley, Cordelia, and Gertrude
-Lissa Hannah-
My ten ?'s = Pasquale, Archibald, Humphrey, Nigel, Bernard, Minna, Doris, Shirley, Cordelia, and Gertrude
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You're hilarious-the thought of it being in the top 200 makes you sick??! That's so funny! I don't like when names are too popular and overdone. Every little girl I meet lately is Emma, Emily or Olivia and it is so boring to me. That said, if a person truly loves a name then they should use it regardless of popularity because it is the name that speaks to them. Names are popular for a reason-a lot of people find the sound is lovely to their ears. I would rather use a name that I absolutely love and that is #5 on the charts than deliberately try to find a name that isn't popular that I may not really like as much in my heart.
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I totally agree with you, you made your point very well. I think if I heard a name and it was overdone to my ears then I wouldn't use it.
But if someone really loves a name, they should use it. Dh and I have chosen the name for our first daughter and it's set in stone- we are going to use it no matter what happens by the time we conceive.
On another note, it's hard enough to find a name that really hits you between the eyes. When you come to that point, you shouldn't relinquish your favorite/s just because other people like them too.
But if someone really loves a name, they should use it. Dh and I have chosen the name for our first daughter and it's set in stone- we are going to use it no matter what happens by the time we conceive.
On another note, it's hard enough to find a name that really hits you between the eyes. When you come to that point, you shouldn't relinquish your favorite/s just because other people like them too.
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I wish I had the same fealty as you two. I'm afraid (and somewhat ashamed) to say that no matter how much I love a name, I'd refuse to use it after it becomes the least bit popular -- I'd like to say I would, but, unless there's a good meaning behind it (if it's a family name, the name of a close friend, etc. Maybe I just haven't found a name that I really like yet. . .
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But...
You'd have no control over if the name you've chosen will become popular in the future. How would you feel then? What if, by the time your child goes to school, there will be other children with the same name as your child? Would you still feel sick about it?
-Lissa Hannah-
My twelve !'s = Kipling, Barry, Mortimer, Miles, Marmaduke, Fletcher, Maris, Blanche, Gladys, Arlette, Glenda, and Juniper
My ten ?'s = Pasquale, Archibald, Humphrey, Nigel, Bernard, Minna, Doris, Shirley, Cordelia, and Gertrude
You'd have no control over if the name you've chosen will become popular in the future. How would you feel then? What if, by the time your child goes to school, there will be other children with the same name as your child? Would you still feel sick about it?
-Lissa Hannah-
My ten ?'s = Pasquale, Archibald, Humphrey, Nigel, Bernard, Minna, Doris, Shirley, Cordelia, and Gertrude
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If I had already named my child, and the name became popular after my baby was born, I would only be put off if a close friend or family member named their child by the same name. I'm not really sure why, I just know that after Gabe was born one of my best friends decided that she adored the name Gabriel, pronounced the same way, and it gave me a twitch every time she brought it up.
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