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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]NP here (and didn't read the thread).

I'm a teacher - my worst example in HS was a class with 6 Alexanders. Really!

It's fine to use a popular name, but if the name doesn't have several options for nicknames, choose a middle name that does. Give your child some options so that they can choose a different go-by name in school, if it really bothers them and they don't want to be one of many same-named kids.[/quote]

This is good, practical advice for people who wind up choosing more popular names. I actually think it's very common to give kids these top 10 names and then do a less common nickname. Charlie and Lottie are ones I've heard for Charlotte.

My name is Emily and I was born in 1987. One thing I don't like about my name is that it's common but doesn't lend itself to unique nicknames -- they all just kind of sound like Emily (Em, Emmy, Emma). I went by my first and middle name a lot when I was in school because there were so many Emilies. Luckily, I like my middle name (though it's a common middle name!). It was still inconvenient.

I gave my own DD a name a lot less common than Emily, but I also made sure to choose a name with good nickname options, including some nicknames that are fairly different than her given name, just in case she gets to a certain age and thinks "this doesn't feel like me" or "I want something more original".

But I do want to say that I don't think my parents were being "uncreative" when they named me, even though they gave me a common name that would only get more common. They named me after my mom's favorite poet, and they really loved that Emily is a pretty name that didn't feel super girly or elaborate. I think they, like a lot of 80s parents, were reacting to the Tiffanies, Stephanies, Jennifers, etc. and found themselves draw to simpler names. It turns out a lot of other parents felt the same way. Even though there have been times when I've wished I'd had a less common name, I've never been upset with my parents for it. I think they, like all parents, did what they thought was best.[/quote]

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