A useful thread for figuring out if a name is "too popular"

[Anonymous]

I don't know if anyone is necessarily following trends. Maybe some are, but most aren't looking to impress/get approval from anyone based on what they name their kids.

Again, I came up with my rules for names based on my experience with own name. I liked that the meaning seemed to fit me, so I wanted names with nice meanings that might fit my own kiddos. But I hated the uber-trendiness, so I picked a number way down the list to try to avoid that issue.

I did want the names to be familiar to people, though, so I wasn't really looking for wacky/unique.

[Anonymous]

The point is that people following trends in name don’t realize they are just following the trend. Why are people not naming their babies Susan or Linda? Because those names are out of fashion.

Seriously, it’s nothing more than that. We live in the current society and think our fashion, home decor, children’s names, how we wear our hair, etc are all better than previous generations. Trend. Nothing more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes but they might be naming their kids Henry and Leo because they went through all their family names and those sounded most appealing to them. It doesn’t mean they just picked Henry because they love trendy names and are using the family name thing as a ruse.

It just seems like you are assuming people are blindly following trends and lying about their intentions and name inspiration, but I think it’s more likely people are looking for names that appeal to them and the trends naturally emerge from that.

Exactly. It's not unusual to look to the family tree for names or other inspiration. The people who want something "fresh" pick a name that's been out of fashion but they like for whatever reason. Others hear that, meet a cute toddler with the name, and pick it too. And over time the fresh name picked by people who want an unusual name becomes the popular name. Then the people who want a fresh name look for something else and so the cycle goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point is that people following trends in name don’t realize they are just following the trend. Why are people not naming their babies Susan or Linda? Because those names are out of fashion.

Seriously, it’s nothing more than that. We live in the current society and think our fashion, home decor, children’s names, how we wear our hair, etc are all better than previous generations. Trend. Nothing more.

+1

[Anonymous]

I always wanted to name a baby Olivia - that was my baby doll name, my Barbie name, the name I used when I wrote stories, etc. I don’t know where or why I picked up that name, but now I’m in an age group where so many peoples named their babies Olivia. I’m obviously not unique, I think name trends begin for a generation when they’re children, and so while they’re on trend, they’re also honest when they say they’re not following the trend because the name has been a part of their world (along with all the other current popular names) their entire lives.

[Anonymous]

Some of the names that have fallen out of favor are a bit strange to me, honestly. There are some great names that were more popular in the last 2 generations that I honestly feel fit in just fine with the popular names of today but people say they are dated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of the names that have fallen out of favor are a bit strange to me, honestly. There are some great names that were more popular in the last 2 generations that I honestly feel fit in just fine with the popular names of today but people say they are dated.

Sometimes they just need a little twist to fit the current fashion. Like my mom is Carol ( popular when she was born in the 40s). Rarely used now but we'd have used the popular Caroline, at least as a middle name, if we'd had a girl. Today's middle-aged Susans will likely have granddaughters or great-grandaughters named Susanna.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point is that people following trends in name don’t realize they are just following the trend. Why are people not naming their babies Susan or Linda? Because those names are out of fashion.

Seriously, it’s nothing more than that. We live in the current society and think our fashion, home decor, children’s names, how we wear our hair, etc are all better than previous generations. Trend. Nothing more.

THIS. Come on, guys. It’s so obvious.

[Anonymous]

You’re following trends and don’t seem to know it. Think fashion. Trends are in the ether of every generation.

And there is nothing wrong with it.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother’s name is Evelyn. When she heard that Ava, Evelyn and Hazel were popular again she said, “Jesus, I never thought they’d come back”. She’s plotz to see Ellie, Sophia, Olivia, and Charlotte back!

Trends. All our granddaughters are going to be named Susan, Linda, Patricia and Mary and our daughter’s will claim they just always liked the name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of humans will always follow group-think, trends, and fashions. That’s all the popular names are. Sophia is not inherently prettier than Linda - Linda is just not in fashion.

The people following the trend here are the people who choose their kid's name because of what other people choose. Searching for an "unpopular" name is super trendy right now. The idea that somehow it's bad to have the same name as someone else is group-think.

I'm glad I gave my kid a name with meaning to me. The fact that my grandmother's maiden name, which I've always loved, happened to be in the top 20 did not sway me.

DP but this made me laugh a little. Everyone is adamant they're not the trend-followers, even if they did use a top 20 surname-as-a-first name. Same with the poster above insisting that hating on Sophia is bucking groupthink, in a thread of people using "Sophia's mom" as an insult.

YOU'RE ALL SNOWFLAKES, OKAY? NOW PLAY NICE.

LOL, it actually happens that it’s a name like Thomas that happened to be Granny’s maiden name, and also a top 20 name, but no one hears it and thinks “surname”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the names that have fallen out of favor are a bit strange to me, honestly. There are some great names that were more popular in the last 2 generations that I honestly feel fit in just fine with the popular names of today but people say they are dated.

Sometimes they just need a little twist to fit the current fashion. Like my mom is Carol ( popular when she was born in the 40s). Rarely used now but we'd have used the popular Caroline, at least as a middle name, if we'd had a girl. Today's middle-aged Susans will likely have granddaughters or great-grandaughters named Susanna.

+1

“Olivia” was actually “Olive.”

https://www.behindthename.com/name/olivia/top/united-states

https://www.behindthename.com/name/olive/top/united-states

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that people following trends in name don’t realize they are just following the trend. Why are people not naming their babies Susan or Linda? Because those names are out of fashion.

Seriously, it’s nothing more than that. We live in the current society and think our fashion, home decor, children’s names, how we wear our hair, etc are all better than previous generations. Trend. Nothing more.

THIS. Come on, guys. It’s so obvious.

Sure, everything follows trends. But it's not "nothing" more than that. Also people genuinely like these names. I think the reason people are pushing back against this argument is that you're basically arguing that people have no taste at all. Not that they have bad taste or taste you don't agree with, but you are arguing that people are just blindly following a trend and not exercising judgment at all. But people obviously put a lot of thought into what they name their kids. So that doesn't ring true.

If you want to use the fashion analogy: I love high waisted clothing and always have. Even when I was in high school and it was out of fashion -- it looks good on me and I find it more comfortable than the low rise everything that was popular back then. But it was hard to find things that were higher rise beyond vintage clothes, so it's not like I wore it all the time. But then in the last 10 years high rise has become more fashionable and I wear it pretty much exclusively and I like that I can find it almost anywhere. I'm sure there are people who look at my clothes and think "fashion victim -- she's just wearing high rise because some magazine told her to." But it's not one or the other. I am wearing it both because I like it AND because it's on trend and therefore more available to me. It's both. Which is typical -- very few people embrace every single trend to come along, but instead gravitates toward the trends they like the most based on their genuine preferences.

And it's the same with baby names. Are the popular names today trends? Yes, of course, these are the names that are in fashion. But also: people are choosing one name out of all the names that are "on trend" and they are choosing that name because it's the name they like the most. Like even the person who is choosing Sophia over Charlotte or Luna over Olivia is doing so based on something personal and specific to them. Maybe it's their grandmother's name or maybe it reminds them of their favorite children's book or maybe they just love how those sounds go together. They are still exercising a choice, even if it's the same one lots of others exercise. They are not just reaching into a hat of "Top Names" and going with whatever comes out. It's a combination of fashion and personal preference, like most things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that people following trends in name don’t realize they are just following the trend. Why are people not naming their babies Susan or Linda? Because those names are out of fashion.

Seriously, it’s nothing more than that. We live in the current society and think our fashion, home decor, children’s names, how we wear our hair, etc are all better than previous generations. Trend. Nothing more.

THIS. Come on, guys. It’s so obvious.

Sure, everything follows trends. But it's not "nothing" more than that. Also people genuinely like these names. I think the reason people are pushing back against this argument is that you're basically arguing that people have no taste at all. Not that they have bad taste or taste you don't agree with, but you are arguing that people are just blindly following a trend and not exercising judgment at all. But people obviously put a lot of thought into what they name their kids. So that doesn't ring true.

If you want to use the fashion analogy: I love high waisted clothing and always have. Even when I was in high school and it was out of fashion -- it looks good on me and I find it more comfortable than the low rise everything that was popular back then. But it was hard to find things that were higher rise beyond vintage clothes, so it's not like I wore it all the time. But then in the last 10 years high rise has become more fashionable and I wear it pretty much exclusively and I like that I can find it almost anywhere. I'm sure there are people who look at my clothes and think "fashion victim -- she's just wearing high rise because some magazine told her to." But it's not one or the other. I am wearing it both because I like it AND because it's on trend and therefore more available to me. It's both. Which is typical -- very few people embrace every single trend to come along, but instead gravitates toward the trends they like the most based on their genuine preferences.

And it's the same with baby names. Are the popular names today trends? Yes, of course, these are the names that are in fashion. But also: people are choosing one name out of all the names that are "on trend" and they are choosing that name because it's the name they like the most. Like even the person who is choosing Sophia over Charlotte or Luna over Olivia is doing so based on something personal and specific to them. Maybe it's their grandmother's name or maybe it reminds them of their favorite children's book or maybe they just love how those sounds go together. They are still exercising a choice, even if it's the same one lots of others exercise. They are not just reaching into a hat of "Top Names" and going with whatever comes out. It's a combination of fashion and personal preference, like most things.

You’re exercising a minor choice within the trend, PP. Using your personal fashion statement (which I applaud, btw) as an analogy, you aren’t wearing hoop skirts or wild futuristic jumpsuits. You’re still within contemporary fashion.

And in regard to names, that people are making choices within the trend (Sophia over Charlotte) doesn’t disprove the trend!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking up by region is really interesting and I think pretty useful. I was a little shocked to see just how few Olivias were born specifically in DC in 2020- it's only 53. Given the overall number of births, that doesn't seem so terrible. It's not my name choice (and I'm having a boy), but if I loved Olivia I would find that to be encouraging even though most of DCUM would trash it as way too popular, though it does seem to be reliably the number 1 name across states for 2020.

I do worry about specific populations. I'm Jewish and I plan to use a Jewish name, but I don't feel like I have a good way of knowing what names are popular in this community because Jews make up a fairly small percent of the population, so even a fairly popular name won't show up in the SSN data.

53 seems like a lot of Olivias to me! It’s not that big of a city.