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HelpCommon names
How do you feel about common names? Do you think they are too basic, or do you like common names? Do you only like certain kinds of common names (if yes, what kind)? Would you give your children common names or would you want to call them something more unique? Or since in some cultures there are middle names, would you want to give them a rare name there with a common name as first name?
Personally, I like most common names where I live, and I would give a person a common name here. In my country we don't have middle names like that so there is nothing there. I also like a lot of rarer names. I don't really like modern names.
Personally, I like most common names where I live, and I would give a person a common name here. In my country we don't have middle names like that so there is nothing there. I also like a lot of rarer names. I don't really like modern names.
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I generally like common names or at least I don't particularly dislike the top ranking names. My favourite names are Lucy and Jack so as basic as it gets. And if I was in charge of naming a child right now I'd definitely pick a common name. But when I was younger I struggled to understand why anyone would use a common name, I just couldn't fathom it. To me a name was supposed to be unique. But now I'd only consider very few unusual names. I also like a lot of common names because I tend to like a name more if I know nice people with it and that's much easier with names that a lot of people have.
I am bored of common names. Like... Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Alexander, Sébastien, Theodore. I would prefer to name my child an uncommon name, but not a name that is unheard of.
I also like classic names! I like my country forms of Katherine and Elizabeth (Kateryna / Yekaterina & Yelyzaveta / Yelizaveta), Edward (Eduard) is not my style but I would much rather a kid called Edward than Paxtyn.
Hayleigh I prefer spelling Hayley or Hailey, it sound nice but I don't like name that come from surname. Jaxxon is very no. Oakley is also surname.
Where I live our modern names are derived from words (like Dzvina or Zirka) or are western names (like Bella or Emma). They are not common here. I do not like the western names here, they are fine if you live in English speaking country but we should keep our own culture here and not take English culture because it "cool" or what ever. Word names it depends, the examples I gave, Dzvina remind me of Old Slavic names so I do kind of like it, Zirka sound nice but it is a bit diminutive-ish and it have a little communist vibes.
Hayleigh I prefer spelling Hayley or Hailey, it sound nice but I don't like name that come from surname. Jaxxon is very no. Oakley is also surname.
Where I live our modern names are derived from words (like Dzvina or Zirka) or are western names (like Bella or Emma). They are not common here. I do not like the western names here, they are fine if you live in English speaking country but we should keep our own culture here and not take English culture because it "cool" or what ever. Word names it depends, the examples I gave, Dzvina remind me of Old Slavic names so I do kind of like it, Zirka sound nice but it is a bit diminutive-ish and it have a little communist vibes.
Whether I like a common name completely depends on the name.
Some common names I like: Alexander, David, Emma, Isabella, Jessica, Joshua, Julia, Justin, Megan, Olivia, Tyler
Some common names I dislike: Christian, George, Grace, Gregory, Helen, Madison, Mary, Roger
I would want to name a child something more unique and have a common middle name.
Some common names I like: Alexander, David, Emma, Isabella, Jessica, Joshua, Julia, Justin, Megan, Olivia, Tyler
Some common names I dislike: Christian, George, Grace, Gregory, Helen, Madison, Mary, Roger
I would want to name a child something more unique and have a common middle name.
There are some common names I like in terms of sound, meaning, aesthetic etc. but I find it off putting if a name is too common and wouldn’t have used a common name on a child. It’s possible the result of having a common name myself.
It depends really. Some more common names I like, some I don't. I also have more unique and rare names on my list. It admit it's totally arbitrary.
As for naming my child a common name, I mean, maybe I would if it's the name my spouse and I really love. Maybe I'm influenced by the fact my husband and I have really opposite taste in names, so if the more common name that I love is the middle ground, than so be it. If I was alone in naming my child, I think I would go for the middle ground. A name that is unique and different but not too strange nor too bizarre so the kid would be teased or picked on. I actually read an article that says a lot of name trends start that way. Parents look for names they have not heard much growing up, but that are still existing names.
In the end, I know it sounds selfish, but if two partners agree on a name they really enjoy, that is what is most important in my book. Be it common, or not.
As for naming my child a common name, I mean, maybe I would if it's the name my spouse and I really love. Maybe I'm influenced by the fact my husband and I have really opposite taste in names, so if the more common name that I love is the middle ground, than so be it. If I was alone in naming my child, I think I would go for the middle ground. A name that is unique and different but not too strange nor too bizarre so the kid would be teased or picked on. I actually read an article that says a lot of name trends start that way. Parents look for names they have not heard much growing up, but that are still existing names.
In the end, I know it sounds selfish, but if two partners agree on a name they really enjoy, that is what is most important in my book. Be it common, or not.
I love "common" names. Nowadays they are so refreshing because of how hard parents are trying to make their kids unique. My favorite name for a boy is John and my favorite name for a girl is Sarah Lauren.
When it comes to unique names, I really really dislike them on boys (I don't know why). Not a fan on girls either, but it feels a bit better.
There are a few unique names that I do enjoy on girls, such as Cheyenne, Hunter, Merande, Aubree, Hayes, Hadasa... But still out of all of those I would rather just name my daughter Elizabeth- I've lived with a unique name, it's such a hassle for nothing. Not every conversation with a person I just met needs to be about my name, and spelling it out 1000 times gets old.
When it comes to unique names, I really really dislike them on boys (I don't know why). Not a fan on girls either, but it feels a bit better.
There are a few unique names that I do enjoy on girls, such as Cheyenne, Hunter, Merande, Aubree, Hayes, Hadasa... But still out of all of those I would rather just name my daughter Elizabeth- I've lived with a unique name, it's such a hassle for nothing. Not every conversation with a person I just met needs to be about my name, and spelling it out 1000 times gets old.
I dislike naming children a too common name where odds are they'll be one of the Emmas or Lucases in class or at work. Some names that are called 'classic' by some here are just 'boring and have been boring for quite a while' to me.
I'm more in the category of naming my children something different, but not too different. I like names with a longer history that don't get the main spotlight.
But, still, I'd rather see boring or very common names rather than creative spellings, made up weirdness and on purposely misgendering names (which somehow always means giving a girl a masculine name and not the other way around).
For middle names, meaning trumps any dislike for common names. If, for example, the name Emma would be perfect for us to use to honour loved ones, then I'd definitely use it, regardless of the fact that I'd never consider such a popular name as a fn.
I'm more in the category of naming my children something different, but not too different. I like names with a longer history that don't get the main spotlight.
But, still, I'd rather see boring or very common names rather than creative spellings, made up weirdness and on purposely misgendering names (which somehow always means giving a girl a masculine name and not the other way around).
For middle names, meaning trumps any dislike for common names. If, for example, the name Emma would be perfect for us to use to honour loved ones, then I'd definitely use it, regardless of the fact that I'd never consider such a popular name as a fn.
I've never met a Thomas with any variant. Of all form I like Toma most. Toma can be short name of Tamara but I like it as full name on boy too. I also like short name Tomek in Polish.
Sean is variant of Ivan, I have met many people called Ivan and I have met people called Ivanna.
Daniel I have met many in variants Daniil, Danylo, Danyil.
Rebecca I never met or any variants, but I love Yiddish Rifka variant!
Sarah is nice, I met 2 people called Sara but never with h.
Lauren always sounds like male name to me. I never met any Laurens before, but I met kid called Lavrentiy before. I went to school with him in my old city. I like the name (Lavrentiy) but first thing that comes to mind is Beria... I like Lauren as well, it seem more male to me.
Sean is variant of Ivan, I have met many people called Ivan and I have met people called Ivanna.
Daniel I have met many in variants Daniil, Danylo, Danyil.
Rebecca I never met or any variants, but I love Yiddish Rifka variant!
Sarah is nice, I met 2 people called Sara but never with h.
Lauren always sounds like male name to me. I never met any Laurens before, but I met kid called Lavrentiy before. I went to school with him in my old city. I like the name (Lavrentiy) but first thing that comes to mind is Beria... I like Lauren as well, it seem more male to me.
This message was edited 2/12/2025, 11:28 AM
Great question!
I would say I like familiar/classic names. By that, I mean names that most people (in my community) will be able to recognise and spell without strange looks. At the same time, I'm not keen on trendy names. As an example, my great-grandmother was called Elisabeth. I do like that name, and I loved Isabelle since I was young, but then Twilight happened, and suddenly every 3rd little girl was named Isabelle/Isabella/Isabel. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just one of those names that will inevitably be associated with a specific decade.
I have one of those names too. I don't particularly mind that aspect of it, but for my own kids I want to be more creative.
I chose Ester over Estelle as a first name for my daughter, which I learned is more common than Estelle globally, though not locally. There are a lot more people in the world named Ester/Esther than Estelle, but Ester/Esther (like Mary/Maria) is also a classic name. No one will be able to guess my daughter's birthdate based on her name. Estelle is lovely, but it's a name that tends to peak and fall. It seems to be peaking now, maybe as an alternative to Isabelle? And that put me off enough to change it.
So basically, yes. I do like common names, I just prefer that they're consistently prevalent in the parts of the world I move in rather than a trend.
As for middle names... I'm actually not super invested in them as a rule. People do use them here, but it's not as ubiquitous as in Western Europe and the US. My daughter does have a middle name, because my brother did and I want to pass on his initials. Her middle name is quite unique. I chose it because it's easy to write and pronounce where I live, while still being quite feminine - not true for most Germanic "W" names IMO :') Finding a "W" name I like was a journey. I chose it for the initial and would have used it even if it was popular - trendy even! xD I do like that it's not, though. My son's name is very very local. The poor kid is going to be spelling it in the Anglosphere forever, but he'll know where it comes from and hopefully be proud of it (and hey, it's not as brutal as a boy named Sue in the Midwest :P).
I would say I like familiar/classic names. By that, I mean names that most people (in my community) will be able to recognise and spell without strange looks. At the same time, I'm not keen on trendy names. As an example, my great-grandmother was called Elisabeth. I do like that name, and I loved Isabelle since I was young, but then Twilight happened, and suddenly every 3rd little girl was named Isabelle/Isabella/Isabel. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just one of those names that will inevitably be associated with a specific decade.
I have one of those names too. I don't particularly mind that aspect of it, but for my own kids I want to be more creative.
I chose Ester over Estelle as a first name for my daughter, which I learned is more common than Estelle globally, though not locally. There are a lot more people in the world named Ester/Esther than Estelle, but Ester/Esther (like Mary/Maria) is also a classic name. No one will be able to guess my daughter's birthdate based on her name. Estelle is lovely, but it's a name that tends to peak and fall. It seems to be peaking now, maybe as an alternative to Isabelle? And that put me off enough to change it.
So basically, yes. I do like common names, I just prefer that they're consistently prevalent in the parts of the world I move in rather than a trend.
As for middle names... I'm actually not super invested in them as a rule. People do use them here, but it's not as ubiquitous as in Western Europe and the US. My daughter does have a middle name, because my brother did and I want to pass on his initials. Her middle name is quite unique. I chose it because it's easy to write and pronounce where I live, while still being quite feminine - not true for most Germanic "W" names IMO :') Finding a "W" name I like was a journey. I chose it for the initial and would have used it even if it was popular - trendy even! xD I do like that it's not, though. My son's name is very very local. The poor kid is going to be spelling it in the Anglosphere forever, but he'll know where it comes from and hopefully be proud of it (and hey, it's not as brutal as a boy named Sue in the Midwest :P).
This message was edited 2/12/2025, 8:20 AM
I also like classic names! Ester is a nice name. Estelle and Isabelle alright (for Isabelle I prefer Isabel spelling). I also like Elisabeth.
Where I live we use patronymic middle names. I don't think it is required I just think most people do it because tradition. Even my non Slavic friends here did it :/ (though I think most of their cultures also did/do it, just a bit different).
Where I live we use patronymic middle names. I don't think it is required I just think most people do it because tradition. Even my non Slavic friends here did it :/ (though I think most of their cultures also did/do it, just a bit different).
Well, Maria has been one of my favorite names since I was a little girl, so I guess I don’t mind common names. Sometimes having 5 different Emmas, Sophias, Evelyns, Harpers, and Olivias in a grade can get annoying though.