What’s your favorite “not top 1000” name(s)?

[Anonymous]

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I don’t understand why you would actively seek this.

Don’t most people want to give their child a popular name instead of an obscure or archaic one?

It’s not like a name is some precious commodity.

No, not everyone wants to do what’s popular just because it’s popular. Some people actively seek popular, some people just don’t care, and some prefer unique. None are wrong, just different. And many of these names are known and familiar, just not currently on trend.

What you said. Exactly! Thank you

And some people just say to their spouse I like this name and when they agree say "that's it" and never even LOOK at the rank! That's what we did. Twice.

That’s called “negligence”. It’s how I ended up with a top 10 name that still hunts me.

poor baby. I'm sorry but, it is not negligence not even a tiny bit. My kids love their names and one of them is in the top 10. You need more problems to worry about.

Agreed. My DD's name is now Top 20 even though it was in the 200s or 300s when we named her. She LOVES that it's become more popular. One of her favorite things in the world is meeting a baby with her name -- for a while I think she thought it mean they were sisters. Maybe one day it will annoy her to have a more common name, but I hope she maintains her delight with it. It shows that she's comfortable in her own skin and feels valued for herself, not because she has a "special" name.

That’s a ridiculous rationalization. Wishful thinking.

How is that ridiculous? I have a very common name and hate how common it is, but I am pretty insecure and don't always feel valued for who I am. It sounds pretty logical to me.

I’m not saying that it can’t happen, but most people I know who like their average names feel average(hence, the name fits) and/or have an obsession with fitting in. There’re exceptions though.

[Anonymous]

When 1/3 of your cheerleading squad has the same name, it may change your mind.

[Anonymous]

Just checked and all of these are outside the top 1000. I wouldn't choose all of these names for my own kid, but there are some good ones!

Girl names:
Blythe
Joni
Dora
Doris
Gwyneth
Marigold
Polly
Zena
Freda
Aviva (very surprised by this one not being in the top 1000!)
Anita
Sybil
Cecily
Ethel

Boys:
Linden
Garnet (might be a better girl's name these days?)
Cyril
Willem
Wilfred
Duncan (was in the top 1000 before 2019)
Elgin
Seamus (was in the top 1000 before 2018)
Noam

My grandfather's name was Ambrose, and it just entered the top 1000 for the first time since 1954!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When 1/3 of your cheerleading squad has the same name, it may change your mind.

This can't/doesn't happen anymore because no name now is as popular as the popular names were when you were in high school.

I guess that's what this is, isn't it? A generation of Sarahs/Jennifers/Emilys/Amandas/Rebeccas/etc. working out their insecurity over being "one of many" instead of being "special" by trying to give their kids really unique names?

It's interesting to me because while I have name that was common in the 80s, my husband has a very unique name and hated it. HATED. And by unique, I don't mean hard to pronounce or weird. It's a normal name that might have been considered normal in the late 1800s or early 1900s. He got teased a lot. He is a grown up and made peace with it, but as an adolescent, it was genuinely really difficult for him and he still kind of resents his parents for doing it. So when we named our kids, we looked for names in the middle -- not in the top 50 or so, but we weren't looking for something so unique there would only ever be one. That way they can be individuals, but we're not foisting a whole personality on them. We gave them names they could make their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t understand why you would actively seek this.

Don’t most people want to give their child a popular name instead of an obscure or archaic one?

It’s not like a name is some precious commodity.

No, not everyone wants to do what’s popular just because it’s popular. Some people actively seek popular, some people just don’t care, and some prefer unique. None are wrong, just different. And many of these names are known and familiar, just not currently on trend.

What you said. Exactly! Thank you

And some people just say to their spouse I like this name and when they agree say "that's it" and never even LOOK at the rank! That's what we did. Twice.

That’s called “negligence”. It’s how I ended up with a top 10 name that still hunts me.

poor baby. I'm sorry but, it is not negligence not even a tiny bit. My kids love their names and one of them is in the top 10. You need more problems to worry about.

Agreed. My DD's name is now Top 20 even though it was in the 200s or 300s when we named her. She LOVES that it's become more popular. One of her favorite things in the world is meeting a baby with her name -- for a while I think she thought it mean they were sisters. Maybe one day it will annoy her to have a more common name, but I hope she maintains her delight with it. It shows that she's comfortable in her own skin and feels valued for herself, not because she has a "special" name.

That’s a ridiculous rationalization. Wishful thinking.

How is that ridiculous? I have a very common name and hate how common it is, but I am pretty insecure and don't always feel valued for who I am. It sounds pretty logical to me.

I’m not saying that it can’t happen, but most people I know who like their average names feel average(hence, the name fits) and/or have an obsession with fitting in. There’re exceptions though.

No one ever says, "Well I'm average and so my average name suits me." No one. I think people with "average" names that they don't resent just care more about other things than their name. I consider my name inoffensive. It's not the most important or interesting thing about me, thankfully.

And increasingly, giving your kid a "unique" name is a way for adults to fit in. We do it because other people do it. People roll their eyes at more popular names, so parents work hard to come up with a name that isn't popular. Giving your kid a unique name will not magically make your kid unique, especially if a major reason you did it was to impress other people.

[Anonymous]

Psychoanalyze me if you must, but I did want to find a name where my kid wouldn’t have to go by a last name her whole school career or be in a situation where an entire bleacher section groaned when yet another same name cheerleader was announced. My parents didn’t have the popularity lists/websites for research like I did.

Do I get that there aren’t as many of the same name these days? Yes. That said, as evidenced by this board, naming trends tend to run in peer groups/SES groups. I know so many people with Sophias, Isabelles and Avas. Maybe not all in the same class, but it is bound to happen in some Upper Middle Class school or class.

My girls have normal names. I wasn’t trying to find some crazy unique moniker. Just a name that wasn’t in heavy usage right now. As I said above, it was a fun exercise to find names that worked within my criteria.

We all have our own experiences to work with-sounds like you came to a solution based on yours, yet are judging others for doing the same.

[Anonymous]

Geneva

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Psychoanalyze me if you must, but I did want to find a name where my kid wouldn’t have to go by a last name her whole school career or be in a situation where an entire bleacher section groaned when yet another same name cheerleader was announced. My parents didn’t have the popularity lists/websites for research like I did.

Do I get that there aren’t as many of the same name these days? Yes. That said, as evidenced by this board, naming trends tend to run in peer groups/SES groups. I know so many people with Sophias, Isabelles and Avas. Maybe not all in the same class, but it is bound to happen in some Upper Middle Class school or class.

My girls have normal names. I wasn’t trying to find some crazy unique moniker. Just a name that wasn’t in heavy usage right now. As I said above, it was a fun exercise to find names that worked within my criteria.

We all have our own experiences to work with-sounds like you came to a solution based on yours, yet are judging others for doing the same.

I'm not judging anyone -- I'm actually responding specifically to the judgment and pressure heaped upon parents to choose an "original", "not overly popular" name for their child, and the way people openly roll their eyes and express annoyance when a child has a name that is more common. The whole existence of this thread -- to find names that are not even in the top 1000 name that no one else will have -- is a response to that pressure. And while you didn't list my child's name as one of the "super popular" names, I actually think tossing off "Sophias, Isabelles and Avas" is super judgmental! People who gave their DDs those names did so because they loved the names, they thought they were pretty, they felt that it would suit a child growing up in the world they are hoping to create for her. They aren't trying to be unoriginal or basic or strivers or whatever.

If you want to give your child an original name because that's what you want for your kid, great. What I can't deal with is this idea that because your child's name is very uncommon, and my child's name is more common, that somehow that means I failed at naming my kid, or that your kid will magically be more interesting, original, or whatever. I think it's a weird part of parenting culture, especially in DC or among UMC people, where naming kids has become super competitive and judgment-laden. People are sensitive about their children, for good reason, and it's gross how often people on these boards act like just because a child as a more common name, it reflects ANYTHING about the child or his/her parents other than that they liked a name that many other people also like.

[Anonymous]

you're putting words in my mouth. and I was in no way judging those names other than to say they are way up there in popularity and probably bound to run across another. If that doesn't bother someone, that's fine. I only laugh when someone gets so upset "I didn't know how popular it was!" Jeez, give me a break - the internet is right there if this is going to be an issue.

You chose a name you love, I'll do the same. Deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Psychoanalyze me if you must, but I did want to find a name where my kid wouldn’t have to go by a last name her whole school career or be in a situation where an entire bleacher section groaned when yet another same name cheerleader was announced. My parents didn’t have the popularity lists/websites for research like I did.

Do I get that there aren’t as many of the same name these days? Yes. That said, as evidenced by this board, naming trends tend to run in peer groups/SES groups. I know so many people with Sophias, Isabelles and Avas. Maybe not all in the same class, but it is bound to happen in some Upper Middle Class school or class.

My girls have normal names. I wasn’t trying to find some crazy unique moniker. Just a name that wasn’t in heavy usage right now. As I said above, it was a fun exercise to find names that worked within my criteria.

We all have our own experiences to work with-sounds like you came to a solution based on yours, yet are judging others for doing the same.

I'm not judging anyone -- I'm actually responding specifically to the judgment and pressure heaped upon parents to choose an "original", "not overly popular" name for their child, and the way people openly roll their eyes and express annoyance when a child has a name that is more common. The whole existence of this thread -- to find names that are not even in the top 1000 name that no one else will have -- is a response to that pressure. And while you didn't list my child's name as one of the "super popular" names, I actually think tossing off "Sophias, Isabelles and Avas" is super judgmental! People who gave their DDs those names did so because they loved the names, they thought they were pretty, they felt that it would suit a child growing up in the world they are hoping to create for her. They aren't trying to be unoriginal or basic or strivers or whatever.

If you want to give your child an original name because that's what you want for your kid, great. What I can't deal with is this idea that because your child's name is very uncommon, and my child's name is more common, that somehow that means I failed at naming my kid, or that your kid will magically be more interesting, original, or whatever. I think it's a weird part of parenting culture, especially in DC or among UMC people, where naming kids has become super competitive and judgment-laden. People are sensitive about their children, for good reason, and it's gross how often people on these boards act like just because a child as a more common name, it reflects ANYTHING about the child or his/her parents other than that they liked a name that many other people also like.

Whoo boy - talk about issues

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you're putting words in my mouth. and I was in no way judging those names other than to say they are way up there in popularity and probably bound to run across another. If that doesn't bother someone, that's fine. I only laugh when someone gets so upset "I didn't know how popular it was!" Jeez, give me a break - the internet is right there if this is going to be an issue.

You chose a name you love, I'll do the same. Deal?

But sometimes people really do not know how popular a name is, specifically because there are micro trends in an area. So it's actually not that unusual for especially a FTP to say "I didn't know how popular it was" because unlike someone with a 3 yr old, they may not have realized how popular a name is in a certain area. I know numerous people this has happened to. And yes, I know that you can look up names by state, but you can't do it by neighborhood or city, and someone who is pregnant for the first time might not know about event the state lists. So to laugh at someone in that situation is actually really rude.

It honestly sounds like you are super judgmental of people who didn't choose a super unique name and feel superior specifically because you did. Which is incredibly lame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you're putting words in my mouth. and I was in no way judging those names other than to say they are way up there in popularity and probably bound to run across another. If that doesn't bother someone, that's fine. I only laugh when someone gets so upset "I didn't know how popular it was!" Jeez, give me a break - the internet is right there if this is going to be an issue.

You chose a name you love, I'll do the same. Deal?

But sometimes people really do not know how popular a name is, specifically because there are micro trends in an area. So it's actually not that unusual for especially a FTP to say "I didn't know how popular it was" because unlike someone with a 3 yr old, they may not have realized how popular a name is in a certain area. I know numerous people this has happened to. And yes, I know that you can look up names by state, but you can't do it by neighborhood or city, and someone who is pregnant for the first time might not know about event the state lists. So to laugh at someone in that situation is actually really rude.

It honestly sounds like you are super judgmental of people who didn't choose a super unique name and feel superior specifically because you did. Which is incredibly lame.

what names are you claiming had microtrends? So curious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Psychoanalyze me if you must, but I did want to find a name where my kid wouldn’t have to go by a last name her whole school career or be in a situation where an entire bleacher section groaned when yet another same name cheerleader was announced. My parents didn’t have the popularity lists/websites for research like I did.

Do I get that there aren’t as many of the same name these days? Yes. That said, as evidenced by this board, naming trends tend to run in peer groups/SES groups. I know so many people with Sophias, Isabelles and Avas. Maybe not all in the same class, but it is bound to happen in some Upper Middle Class school or class.

My girls have normal names. I wasn’t trying to find some crazy unique moniker. Just a name that wasn’t in heavy usage right now. As I said above, it was a fun exercise to find names that worked within my criteria.

We all have our own experiences to work with-sounds like you came to a solution based on yours, yet are judging others for doing the same.

I'm not judging anyone -- I'm actually responding specifically to the judgment and pressure heaped upon parents to choose an "original", "not overly popular" name for their child, and the way people openly roll their eyes and express annoyance when a child has a name that is more common. The whole existence of this thread -- to find names that are not even in the top 1000 name that no one else will have -- is a response to that pressure. And while you didn't list my child's name as one of the "super popular" names, I actually think tossing off "Sophias, Isabelles and Avas" is super judgmental! People who gave their DDs those names did so because they loved the names, they thought they were pretty, they felt that it would suit a child growing up in the world they are hoping to create for her. They aren't trying to be unoriginal or basic or strivers or whatever.

If you want to give your child an original name because that's what you want for your kid, great. What I can't deal with is this idea that because your child's name is very uncommon, and my child's name is more common, that somehow that means I failed at naming my kid, or that your kid will magically be more interesting, original, or whatever. I think it's a weird part of parenting culture, especially in DC or among UMC people, where naming kids has become super competitive and judgment-laden. People are sensitive about their children, for good reason, and it's gross how often people on these boards act like just because a child as a more common name, it reflects ANYTHING about the child or his/her parents other than that they liked a name that many other people also like.

Whoo boy - talk about issues

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you're putting words in my mouth. and I was in no way judging those names other than to say they are way up there in popularity and probably bound to run across another. If that doesn't bother someone, that's fine. I only laugh when someone gets so upset "I didn't know how popular it was!" Jeez, give me a break - the internet is right there if this is going to be an issue.

You chose a name you love, I'll do the same. Deal?

But sometimes people really do not know how popular a name is, specifically because there are micro trends in an area. So it's actually not that unusual for especially a FTP to say "I didn't know how popular it was" because unlike someone with a 3 yr old, they may not have realized how popular a name is in a certain area. I know numerous people this has happened to. And yes, I know that you can look up names by state, but you can't do it by neighborhood or city, and someone who is pregnant for the first time might not know about event the state lists. So to laugh at someone in that situation is actually really rude.

It honestly sounds like you are super judgmental of people who didn't choose a super unique name and feel superior specifically because you did. Which is incredibly lame.

what names are you claiming had microtrends? So curious

Beatrice is a great example. Top 100 in DC but #562 overall in the US. We actually considered it for our second DD but then I kept seeing it on this board and also seeing it disparaged as "overpopular" and was deeply confused until someone told me about the DC-specific list. I think there are a few others like that, plus the reverse situation (names that are very popular in the US but don't crack the top names in a given area).

It makes sense. Most people don't just pick a name they've never heard of before (some do, but that's rare). So people gravitate towards names they've heard before but don't seem that popular. You meet a Beatrice randomly or someone suggests the name, you look it up and see it's in the 500s, and you assume you're good. But a bunch of other people in your geographic area have met the same Beatrice, and that suggestion didn't come from nowhere. Thus: microtrend. And micro trends sometimes turn into macro trends. But unless you make it your whole job to suss out this sort of thing (which some people do, but most people do not), it can happen.

[Anonymous]

Alberta
Jacquetta
Glinda
Andressa
Liselotte
Margarida
Monique

Gianluca
Hans
Nuno
Claude
Emil
Grigor
Serafin