Using a popular name anyway?

[Anonymous]

One of the names husband and I like for our second baby (a girl) is in the top 5 names nationally and locally. But does that really matter? It is one of the few names we both like and it goes well with our other kid's name and our last name and the family middle name we'd like to use. Uniqueness seems to be more of an issue for girl names -- like there are 2 James in our preschool class and 2 Will's when we were in daycare and no one seemed to care at all. How much does this really matter?

[Anonymous]

It doesn't really matter. I have a niece named Olivia and she hasn't ever had another in her class or daycare.

Some names are more classic than other in the top 5. William and James have been around for 100s of years. Mia and Harper- not so much

[Anonymous]

How much does this really matter?

A lot.

[Anonymous]

Use what you like. If you don't mind it being popular, that's all that matters.

[Anonymous]

What’s the name?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use what you like. If you don't mind it being popular, that's all that matters.

I guess the kid doesn’t matter.

[Anonymous]

I have a Henry and it is fine. I'm so glad I gave up on trying to find a less-popular name. He loves it, his sister was the one who wanted that name so that's sweet, and we have never had a problem with there being too many henrys in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Use what you like. If you don't mind it being popular, that's all that matters.

I guess the kid doesn’t matter.

The kid will be fine. No child has been harmed by a popular name.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it matters very much. It matters much more that you and your spouse really like the name and it goes well w/ your other names (all of which you said are true).

-someone who has a very unusual name and hated it as a kid and always wished for a more popular name (FWIW I also named one of my kids a name that was about 40th on the popularity list the year he was born and is now in the top 10 and he's never been in a class or activity w/ another kid w/ his name)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the names husband and I like for our second baby (a girl) is in the top 5 names nationally and locally. But does that really matter? It is one of the few names we both like and it goes well with our other kid's name and our last name and the family middle name we'd like to use. Uniqueness seems to be more of an issue for girl names -- like there are 2 James in our preschool class and 2 Will's when we were in daycare and no one seemed to care at all. How much does this really matter?

It only matters if it's going to bother you. A lot of times people will point out a name's popularity because we all have a friend or relative that thought they were the only ones with that idea when they named their kid Liam or Harper, and then it bothered them to realize it wasn't particularly unusual after all. But if you know going in that it's more common, there's no rude awakening in your future.

[Anonymous]

I think its fine. In reality there is a lot more variety of names used today so even the most popular names have less people actually named that name. In my little bubble a common name is less likely to have multiple kids in the class with that name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Use what you like. If you don't mind it being popular, that's all that matters.

I guess the kid doesn’t matter.

The kid will be fine. No child has been harmed by a popular name.

I personally have always hated my name. It was popular and had no meaning to my parents.

[Anonymous]

Even with unusual names sometimes you get unlucky. My DD has two Selmas in her class. What are the odds of that?

[Anonymous]

It's totally fine. My DD is an Emma which is about as common as it gets and she has always been the only one in her class.

[Anonymous]

No one name is anywhere near as popular as Jennifer or Mary was once upon a time. In my elementary class with 22 girls, 4 were named Jennifer. That doesn't happen any more.