Do you have a common/popular name or a very unique name?

[BellaGirl]

My DH and I have been struggling to name our baby girl due in June. We already have a DS who is 2. And when choosing a name for him, we always found ourselves avoiding very popular names...we wanted something less common. In naming our future girl, we're having considerable trouble finding a less common name that we love. As a matter of fact, the only name that we love has been in the top ten list for a while (Madison)...and I'm having trouble deciding how I feel about this. My own name is very uncommon. It is spanish and has never been in the top 1000 names. I never liked it growing up (mostly because it got mispronounced quite a bit)...but now I really like that it is so different. So I guess my questions are...

If you have a unique name, do you think it's very important to impart unique names to your children? And if you have a fairly common name, did you ever wish it were less popular?

Thanks for reading...this turned out longer than I intended!

[purpleeyes]

Hi!

I have a "boring" name, I guess! :) Elizabeth, but everyone calls met Beth. When I was younger, I wanted something more dramatic, but now I am happy with it ;)

When we named our son we had to follow a family tradition-but we made it our own. It was very important to me that we did not directly name our son after my husband-I like children to have their own individual name. In the US it doesn't break the top 1000. And we love that! We even discussed what it would be like for him, growing up, having it at the top or a resume-it would make him memorable! :) I hope having the unique name will help him be very confident and self-assured.

So, as you can see, I am a big fan of unique names-particularly if they come from your family or heritage!

Good luck naming your baby-have fun!

Beth

[kedss]

DS' grandma is Icelandic, so we gave Christopher an Icelandic middle name, Eirikur which means 'rich landowner'(we can only hope) or Richard which happens to be his grandfather's name and one of my uncle's names.

We both liked Christopher immediately as a name, we just took a while finding his middle name.

I'm a Kathryn, and have gone through being called Katie(my immediate family still does), Kathryn, and Kate. People have occasionally called me Kathy which I just hated! People still had a problem pronouncing 'Kathryn' so you never know what people will do with any given name!

[Wife_and_mommy]

I have a common name(heck, I'm the second one on the this thread already! :P ) but I love my name. I just ached for a nickname or a short name when I was in elementary school and finally got one in high school when I didn't want it anymore. Now I go by the full name and love that I have a classic and beautiful(if I do say so myself :P ) name.

It was chosen by DH and I wasn't crazy about it at afirst but liked that it was classic like mine. I had no idea how popular it was and didn't like that it's so trendy but I'm over it now. I've loved since I was a child and I don't think it's too common right now but wouldn't care if it was. Most s don't go by their full name(which DS is) so it doesn't bother me.



http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

[mudder17]

Well, I am Elizabeth Eileen, which seems very popular, but I go by Eileen and for some reason, it was never that common when I was growing up. It's been fun to run into another Eileen, even if her name is spelled different (my spelling seems to be less common for some reason).

I named my daughter Kaya Challis, which is quite unique, but I love it. Her middle name is named for my MIL and she in term was named for her grandmother (or something like that). In fact, Challis was a maiden name, if I recall correctly. So I like that my daughter has a unique name, but it's not weird, IYKWIM.

ETA: One of the reasons we chose Kaya was because it means Wise Child in Hopi and Resting Place in Japanese. Although I am not Japanese, my dad has always been fond of the Japanese language/culture. And DH is not Hopi, but his mom really loved the Native American culture and had many Native American friends in the Arizona and NM area. So it was one of us allowing us to give a tribute to both sides of the family.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[elliput]

Both DH and I are fond of uncommon names. When we were going through the name selection process for DD, we printed off the the top 1000 names (both male and female) from the SSA website along with the ranking. We discounted some names that we liked because they were too popular, and in the end named DD something that didn't even break the top 1000.

I have a name that has been trendy during my lifetime, but when I was born was fairly uncommon. DH's name was in the top 50 when he was born, but has since dropped a bit. I like the fact that I am usually the only one around with my name, and that DH's name is not very popular.

[MelissaTC]

Well, my name is Melissa and I was the only one I knew for awhile. Then I went to h.s.! I have never had that many issues with my name. My one gripe is that it doesn't have a decent nickname (I am so NOT a Missy although my Grandma calls me that). My family calls me Misa but no one else, not even my DH. Friends in college called me MT (my intials).

We named our son a very popular boy name, Matthew. His middle name is somewhat popular as well, Patrick, but that is a family name. We really liked it and quite frankly, it was the only boy name we could agree upon.

I say name your child what you want. Have you thought about some Spanish names that translate well like Marisol? (I LOVE Marisol!) Or Alicia? Sofia? Olivia? Isabel? Just trying to help. :)

[CiderLogan]

Growing up with the #1 (I think) name for our generation, I hated always being "Jenny [lastname or last initial]" rather than having my own name. My roommate in college even had the same first name as me - it made for some confusing phone messages! While our DD's name, Julia, is not all that uncommon, we specifically avoided the top 25 or so names just so she wouldn't have to deal with what I went through. The name we have chosen for our second DD, Clara, is much more uncommon. We think it's beautiful and we love old, classic names, but I hope she doesn't think it's *too* uncommon growing up.

You should check out the babynamewizard.com blog (and accompanying book) - the author maintains that these days everyone is looking for "unique" names and that the search for individuality is itself a type of conformity.... Well, I didn't say that as well as she does, but it's an interesting argument.

Jenny
Mom to Julia, 8/03
...and another GIRL due 5/29/06!

[annasmom]

From reading the responses I am struck by how much geography must play a role in what we perceive to be "common names." I grew up in an Irish family and had a lot of Irish friends. I knew a ton of Eileens (including maybe four in my family), all different versions of Maura, Moira, Maire, Maureen, Siobhan, Maeve, Mairead, Sinead, and I went to school with a Kean (American spelling of the Gaelic Cian).

Personally, I do shy away from the VERY popular names, e.g., Emma or Emily, even though I LOVE those names. Do you remember how popular Jennifer was when we were growing up? Beautiful name, but you were one of maybe 6-8 Jennifers in your class!

Our daughter's name is Anna which is not at the top of the popularity lists, but definitely makes the top maybe 50-100. Her middle name is an Indian name after my dh's mother. So my daughter's entire name is very unique. My son's name, Kieran, is not so common (American spelling of the Gaelic Ciaran), but we really liked the name and Kiran is an Indian name so we liked the fact that it tied into both of our cultures. His middle name is Indian also, so again, his entire name is quite unique.

Good luck! I used to think baby naming was so much fun, I guess I thought my dh would agree with me more!

[mommyj_2]

My DS has a popular first name with a Chinese middle name, which I can guarantee none of his friends will have. We chose his English name based on its meaning, and later found out it's one of the more popular names now, but I don't care. For me, it was more important to find a name we loved, and a name that had a significant meaning for us than it was to worry about whether or not it was popular. I did go through a short phase when we were deciding names where I was convinced I needed to find a unique name, but my DS' name was such a perfect fit, it was the one we always liked no matter what other names we put on the list. I still love his name, and am happy we named him what we did. Since he's biracial, I thought it was important to give him a Chinese middle name. I've had students who have chosen to go by their middle names (which were Japanese, Korean, or Chinese) during and or after college.
I have a name that wasn't common but wasn't totally uncommon (I knew one other girl in hs with the same name), but the way I spell my name is really unusual. My older sister has a really unique name, and my little sis has a common name. I really don't think it made a difference. I'm sure everyone goes through phases where they totally love or totally hate their names growing up, but you can't really predict what your DC will like when s/he is growing up.
My one rule was to avoid names that would make goofy nicknames when mixed with our last name. We had a name we loved, but it was a pun for something negative in Chinese, so we decided against it early on. I also agree with a PP that it's good to choose a name that's easily pronounced by your DC's relatives. We ruled out one name because we knew DH's relatives wouldn't be able to pronounce it.
Other than that, I would just go with the name you like.

[proggoddess]

My name is Bemina, which is a smushing of my parents' first names. My sister's name is Beth, so I always tease her about her "boring" name. :) I usually go by Mina, which is easier to spell and pronounce. I don't think my nickname is unusual or weird, but just uncommon enough that I've only met one or two other people with it.

We named DD Gillian, which is uncommon, but again, not too weird or hard to spell. I think it's important to have a name which is easy to spell or say, but not so common as to have 3 or 4 of the same names in a classroom. And a name your child can grow up into (that sounds fun as a kid, but professional as an adult.)

DH has a very "uncreative" streak in his family. He has 3 David's, and 3 Mary's among his extended relatives. For baby #2, he said "How about David?" I emphatically replied "NO!!" :) Like the reunions aren't confusing enough.

[Queensgirl]

I think you should name your child what you like & feel comfortable with. Trends come and go, what's popular today probably will be considered "charming" 30 yrs from now. My name was very uncommon while growing up. There was no one with that name in elementary school & only one other girl had that name in high school.
Now it's ranked like #150 and it's pretty common. People still mispronounce but it never bothered me. I love my name and unique names (unless they're completely outrageous & I've heard my fair share). During your child's lifetime people are likely to comment about his/her name. Even if it's common.

On another note, I don't know if you have spanish/italian heritage but there are some great "m" names ot there that reflect that- Marisa, Marina, Marisol, Miranda, Marga, Mariana, Maribel, Mariela, Marcela.., Good Luck!
-Karina

[Puddy73]

Another Jennifer chiming in. The benefit of having such a popular name is that it is seldom misspelled or misprounounced and is hardly ever a subject of teasing. On the downside, I have several other friends, co-workers and even an SIL with the same name, and it gets confusing. Also, names like Jennifer that are super-popular in one era become very dated. Since most Jennifers were born in the 70s or early 80s, people automatically make assumptions about your age. When I first started working, this bothered me.

I decided to give my DC names that were relatively uncommon. Only time will tell whether they are appreciative or not. :)

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/08/03 & Finn 10/31/05

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

[chiqanita]

Ditto here on the translatable to Spanish part. Our families' first language is Spanish. We also wanted to choose strong biblical names. We used our fathers' names for their middle names. We didn't care about popular or not because they would be unique to our family. Both names can be shortened to strong sounding nicknames if they choose.

If we would've had a girl or two, it is our families' tradition to name girls Maria _____. For example: Maria Cristina, Maria Luisa, Maria Estela, Maria Isabela, or Maria Clarisa.

I say choose a name you love whether it's popular or not.

BTW, I like my name. Simple. Short. Sweet. Not sure whether's it's common in English but it is in Spanish. I love my nickname better but only my father, grandparents and DH use it.

[mamamayi]

Here is something no one's mentioned so far. What about thinking of folks you like and what their name is? I know that might sound kind of strange, but have you ever thought about how people look like or act like their name? I'm not saying to name your child after someone else -- just that certain names seem to have certain personalities. I hope this makes sense...

By the way, my name is not common unless you are naming the months of the year! I like it very much and always have.

[tarynsmum]

I thought I would chime in on this one too, since I was OBSESSED with names for approximately 9 1/2 months... I was dead set against a "popular" name: we, too, had the SSA top 1000 list printed out. At about 9 months pregnant, I realized something. My niece (who just turned 7) is named Shae. I LOVE her name and we all thought is was great and unique (and it's not on the top 1000 either). WELL, when she went to preschool, of the 8 girls in her class, there was a Shaelin and a Shea-Marie. So if you want to go "uncommon", just realize that you might end up not so unique after all...

P.S.: My DD's name is in th top 1000, but I still think it's pretty uncommon: Taryn Gene.

[new_mommy25]

I have a spanish name too that I rarely ever hear. Growing up I hated it. I dreaded the first day of school or when there was a sub because they could never pronounce my first name when calling roll.

Now I love my name and wouldn't change it for the world.

edited for spelling.

[nupe]

I have a unique name. Everyone has always tried to call me something less unique that sounds similar, which I don't care for.

I think you should choose a name you love. And ignore that it is popular, in my opinion. DS has a unique name and it is already causing problems. I know (based on where we live) that there is little hope of differentiating his name forma simpler/common name that he will automatically be re-nicknamed.

[smilequeen]

I have a common, boring name IMO (Karen). I wish it was more interesting. DH has a unique name (Samson) and loves it. We looked for something underused for DS and any future children. Not something wildly unique though.

[tiapam]

My name is just uncommon enough. When I was born it was #24, now it is #528! I share the same name as my mom, so that was really my only problem with my name growing up. I am fine with it now.

DD's name (Charlotte) seems to be moderately popular. I wanted it to be easy to spell and pronounce and go well with our last name. I think it really suits her.

There is a really good children's book about a family expecting a baby in June. They already have a little boy and they let him help name the baby. Their last name is Early, so when it turns out to be a girl, he names the baby June. The book is:

How I Named the Baby by Linda Shute

So I would suggest June, if it goes with your last name. Or if you want a Spanish name, how about Paloma? I know you didn't ask for suggestions, but I couldn't resist!

-Pam

DD - One year old!

[mama2galpals]

well i had a different name growing up. even now it's unusual to hear someone say rita and it be for someone else. it's just not that common of a name. i didn't like it growing up. i wanted a more popular name but now it's fine.



rita
mommy to
olivia '97
stella '00
emma '03

the truth may hurt your feelings, but lies will break your heart.


http://lilypie.com/baby3/030123/3/4/1/+10/.png

[jhaud]

yet another jennifer and from the 70's although 71, so my mom didn't realize the popularity of it. i've had two different roommates in college that were also jennifer's and i was a jenny as a child. i didn't like the popularity of my name, but what the pp said about mis spellings and pronunciations hit a chord with me. i am really surprised at how dd's name is butchered the majority of the time by new people. genevieve, though not common, i thought was not so unusual that people wouldn't know how to pronounce it (spelling i understand!)

i like the uncommon, but not necessarily unusual. i also like the use of family names.. dd's middle name is elizabeth, my aunt's middle name, my grandmother's (my aunt's mom), and her mother's first name. both of my grandfather's had their mother's maiden names as middle names and my brother has used both... jackson bristol and lauren christy. i think the other's in the family also love the connection.

[jd11365]

I love my name. :) Not many Jamie's, yet not something that gets mispronounced because it's never been heard of. I definitely lean toward a little ess common names, but not completely uncommon either.

[hobokenmom]

Here's my opinion (for what it's worth). I'm all for uncommon names, but I'm not really fond of names that are hard to pronounce or spell. That just makes things more complicated for your child as they grow up.

My first child is Michael (after his GRANDMOTHER whose name really is Michael), my daughter's name is Blake, and she occasionally gets confused with being a boy as it's a pretty common boy name, and my other son's name is Zeke, and I have yet to come across another Zeke.

I think as long as you love the names you're choosing, then who cares what other people think.

Good luck!!

[jbowman]

My name is Jill, which is a very 70s name, LOL! That said, it was never so popular that every other girl was named Jill--I knew a couple other Jills growing up. And nobody has ever had a problem pronouncing it (uh, except when I lived in Italy--everyone called me "yill" ;)). I like that it's short, simple, and not-so-popular these days (although Gillian has gotten very popular).

I gave my DDs family names: Elizabeth and Alice. Elizabeth is, was, and probably always will be popular. One reason for that is that it is such a beautiful, classy name IMO! We shortened Elizabeth to Ellie--a name that has gotten quite popular recently. Alice, on the other hand, is not so popular, but still very pretty! Both names are easy to pronounce and spell.

I also gave my DDs family names for their middle names. Those names are not hard to spell or pronounce, but they are very uncommon--the maiden names of relatives.

[jamsmu]

My name is really common in my generation--I have never liked it. I hated that in my sorority in college there were so many Julie's that we all went by last names. And growing up, there was always another Julie around. When people called out to me, I was never the only one to turn around.

Then, as a teacher (and I wasn't the only Julie in my school who was a teacher, either), it was so tough on the teachers and the kids. One year I had 3 Kevin's in my room, and 2 were Kevin M's... not just Kevin M but Kevin Ma... (the rest of their last names were different.) In their grade of 3 classrooms, there were 6 Kevin's in all. That same year, there were 5 Ryan's.

So, it was important to us that our kids not be one of 7 ___'s in the classroom. Infact, Carson was going to be Alexander Jacob. He was until after my water broke when the nurse informed us that he'd be the 11th Alexander born in the hospital that week. (at the time, we didn't know any Alexander's or Alex's except for one in a different state. Now, in his preschool grade, there are at least 3). I loved the name, but couldn't do it to him. So we went with Carson and haven't looked back--and I LOVE the name Carson. And when Wes was born, we considered Jacob as one of our final choices, but the nurse (a different one) was telling us all about her son, Jacob, and that she couldn't believe she named him such a common name.

For both boys, we wanted names that were common enough that people wouldn't pronounce it wrong or have never heard it, but we didn't want to have just another ____. And we didn't want them to be referred to by the last name because there were so many.

We're really happy with our choices. :)

[bcky2]

i have a name so common that alot of girls in school had the same first AND last name as mine. i hated it! i always wanted a more unique name, i still do :)

[aliceinwonderland]

"unique" by default, and I like it okay. It is gender-neutral, so (say) when mailing out resumes or whatever 75% of the time people assumed I was a man. This even with my two last names (there being more women with two last names than men). Anyway.

I wouldn't choose a name based on it's uniqueness or popularity (or lack thereof). If you love it, go for it. Our favorite girl name right now is Katja, and I know that is prone to being misspelled. So is EriK (my son's name)

[JTsMom]

I have a common, but not extremely popular name. I tend to like the same when picking baby names. The funny thing is that Jason (DS's name) was SO common when I was little, but I've never met another Jason his age. That was ok with me. I just didn't want him to be 1 of 5... say Jacobs... in his class. I tried to avoid anything in the top 20.

On the other hand, I didn't want to choose a name people wouldn't recognize or be able to pronounce either.

[spu]

I feel terrible - I have no ideas whatsoever for our new baby on the way! I can't even begin to figure out where to start thinking! I have a feeling I may have to see the little face pop out and then it will hit me... (though, before my twins were born, I always wanted to have a vinnie and tony... and I love rocko as a nickname...!) Or maybe the girls can come up with a name for their new sibling! (all I want to do right now is sleeeeep!)

I have a common name, so I know what it's like to be referred to as Susan "U" since there were so many others in the class... so I'd probably stay away from the top 10 names (or maybe use them as a middle name?)

I love how whats-her-name called her baby Apple. How many people can get away with that? and it's a beautiful name! Though, can you imagine miss Apple working in an office, or presenting at a client meeting? :)


susan

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
nursed for 3 years!
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charlotte + else

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[psophia17]

I have a unique name, Petra, and have never met another Petra in my life. I also love it. It means rock in Latin, but is the feminine form of it. In Greek, I have been told it means wise, again with the feminine ending.

I went through all that fun stuff with people pronouncing it incorrectly when I was in school (it's Pay-tra, not Pee-tra, or Pet-ra) but a correction or two did the trick. My brother and sister both got wild and crazy unique names, so I couldn't complain too much.

When naming DS, it somehow slipped past our attention that Nathan is ridiculously common nowadays. We were trying very hard to come up with a normal, but not too popular name, and we failed. I hope we do better next time, whenever that happens to be.

I will always lean towards unique names, though.

[C99]

My name is uncommon for my generation but common for my kids' generation -- I'm constantly turning around at the playground or ped's office, wondering who is talking to me. My only requirement for names is that it fits them as well at 25 or 55 as it does at birth or 3 -- I like classic names, whether popular or not.

[s7714]

My name is Jennifer...enough said. :P Never really thought about changing it or wanting a different name though.

I did seriously want to avoid any names that were in the top 20 for my DDs though, because of the popularity of my name. My older DD's name is very unique (Annalia). My second DD ended up with a rather popular name (Sophia) because DH really liked the name. My choice was Holly. And yes, I have second thoughts about her name every single time I hear another girl being called Sophia. I wouldn't change it now, but if I had it to do over, I might have filled out that paperwork in the hospital a little different!

Jennifer
Mommy to
DD 3/03
DD 6/05

Calling fellow BBB SoCal moms...we'd love to meet you!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babybargainssocal/

[s7714]

I actually came across a Petra just a couple days ago! (And you'll love the irony that it was in the yarn section at the craft store! ;) ) I commented on knowing someone else with the name and she said she'd never met another person in her entire 82 years with her name, so she was rather surprised.

ETA: She was born in Greece but moved to the US shortly afterwards. Maybe Petra's a bit more common in Greece?

Jennifer
Mommy to
DD 3/03
DD 6/05

Calling fellow BBB SoCal moms...we'd love to meet you!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babybargainssocal/

[Tondi G]

I have a very uncommon name Tondi. My sister was 2 and when my parents asked thats what she blurted out! LOL. My middle name is more common but not too, Natasha! My sister's name is Katja (a russian diminutive of Kathrine ... my DH's mothers name... they didn't want another "Kathy") her middle name is Dandri and monogram of my parents names BrenDAN and Roxanne Roxi... Dandri... go figure!

When naming my boys I didn't want anything too popular... Mason was a name we both just loved right off the bat. His middle name Liam is Irish (my dad is Irish). When naming #2 Dh didn't like anything. I suggested Aidan (again an Irish name) and he turned it down at first and then it grew on him. Now it is getting a lot more popular ... I suppose after it was on Sex and the City and the little boys name in The Ring! It just suits him so well .... he is a red headed Irish lookin little man so I don't care how popular it is.... it is HIS name! Oh and his Middle name is Gabriel to honor DH's grandmother who passed whose name was Georgette!

Good Luck
~Tondi
Mommy to Mason Liam (7/8/01) and Aidan Gabriel(5/4/05)

[almostamom]

I have a very common/popular name - just not for my generation! I worked with at least 3 other Linda's and they were all at least 20 years older than me. I've never liked my name. My son has a fairly unique name - Reeve. I taught school for many years and just about every other name reminded me of a student I'd had at one time or another. I wanted DS to have a name where he wouldn't have to be "First Name, Last Initial" in school, but I wanted it to be easy to pronounce and spell. FWIW, most people I meet that are in my parents' generation do NOT like DS' name at all. Most people who are in my generation seem to really like it (or they just have better manners and are too polite to say they hate it ;) )
~Linda~
DS 11/9/04

[g-mama]

Susan - how funny - my sister in law has two sons, Anthony and Vincent so we affectionately call them Vinnie and Tony. Their parents aren't too wild about the nicknames but it's hard to resist. :)


~Kristen

Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03
Marco 12-05

[hez]

Another Heather here. I was always 'Heather K' growing up, never just 'Heather'. DH's name has been in the top 10 or 20 for a very long time, too, but it bothered him less. My dad wanted to name me a VERY uncommon name, but my mom won that battle, and in the end, if there's a girl in our future, she may have the name my dad wanted for me.

When we were pregnant with Payton, I was deadset that my child's name would not be in the top 10, top 20, and managed to avoid the top 100 ;) I wanted Payton to have a name that was easy to pronounce, but which wouldn't require his last initial his whole school career.

[JacksMommy]

Well, I'm Laurel Ursula and was called Ursula as a child. I always hated it and while I'm fine with it now, I've never had any desire to go back to being Ursula even if it is less common than Laurel (which is still not-too-common). It's funny that I my kids wound up with names that are ever increasing in popularity, even though I would have thought I'd pick more unusual names. I have never known someone named Jack in my entire life (although it's not as though I thought it was original) but it's apparenlty quite popular now and still rising in the ranks. I've loved Madeline ever since I was little and was a bit chagrined to find it in the top 50 (a definite jump this year) but went ahead with it anyway since I think the most important thing is to love the name.

Laurel
WOHM to Jack, 6/4/02
Baby Madeline 12/14/04

[psophia17]

From what I hear, Petra isn't common anywhere, although it's Latin, Greek, and supposedly German, too. How cool that you were in a yarn store - that's where you'd likely run into me if it's not the grocery store :)

[psophia17]

I love the name Sophia :)

It was my grandmother's middle name, and when I was born on her birthday, it became my middle name. It's gaining in popularity, but not too much so far...

[kedss]

Actually, I went to school with a Petra (Pe-tra) in Middle School. :)

[Corie]

I have a name that isn't too common. My name is Corie.
(My mom heard the name in the movie, Barefoot in the Park
with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.)

I named my daughter, Carson. I should mention that
I prefer unisex names for girls. (My entire list of girls'
names are unisex.) :)
I doubt that she will have another girl named Carson in her
class. Her middle name was my mom's name which I love.

I named my son, Knox. I wanted a one-syllable strong-sounding
name. His name comes from one of husband's favorite movies,
Dead Poet's Society. People either love the name, Knox or hate it.
And you can tell by the expression on their face! I love his
name! His middle name was my mom's maiden name.

I really love our kids' names! :)

[chiqanita]

I think it might be a little more common with hispanics. I knew a Petra Paula growing up and when I was teaching in a predominantly hispanic area each year I had at least one Petra in my classroom or the mom was named Petra.

I believe Petra is the feminine version of Pedro (Peter) in Spanish/Latin.

It is a strong yet pretty name.

[lizamann]

Yet another Elizabeth/Beth here. Love my full name, can take or leave the nickname. Like Caroline, I love classic names no matter their popularity. Hence, I wouldn't have a problem with Emily even though it's top 10, but I don't like most trendy, unclassic names.

Also, I have found that the SSA's list isn't all that helpful for avoiding common names, since it takes the whole diverse country into account. We as individuals tend to travel in pretty tight circles, with names that have huge popularity within that little subset but wouldn't necessarily show up very high on that overall list. Hence, Nora is 400 something on the list, but we have met quite a few little Nora's in our runnings around. A friend called it the "name du jour" and I was NOT happy about that.

[tarynsmum]

Hey! I'm Heather K. too!!!

[hobokenmom]

I also love those unisex names for girls. Hence the reason why I have a daughter named Blake.

Also, my son Zeke has a strong one-syllable name, though some people believe he'll grow up to be a hillbilly or a stoner. Somehow I doubt that. We've also come across a few people who have named their dogs Zeke. People either love it or hate it.

BTW, I know two Carsons here in town who are both girls.

[jbowman]

I have a friend from high school named Petra. Her parents are Mexican. I think it's really pretty!

[tarahsolazy]

My name is Tarah. Not too common, not too rare. Its OK, never really loved it, though. I would choose perhaps a more formal name?

My DH is one of a zillion Jasons born in 1971 :). He is not the type to care.

Yet, he chose our son's name, which is Forrest. We went to medical school with a guy named Forrest, and of course there's Gump, but other than that, haven't met any others. Certainly not any kids.

I am less fond of the new trend of spelling names in "unique" ways. As someone whose name was a less-typical spelling, it just means its always mispelled. Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, Adyn, and Adan, and Adin have all been babies at my work in the last three months. But hey, everybody gets to pick for themselves, and that's cool. In France, the government gets to veto your kid's name if they want.

[mommy_someday]

I think my name is sort of uncommon, although not necessarily unusual per se. I really disliked it growing up because it didn't sound feminine to me (I wanted to be a Michelle or something softer). I really wanted something that could be shortened into a logical nickname, like Chrissy from Christina. Instead, in 8th grade, a friend of mine gave me a horrible nickname that is going to follow me until I die, I'm afraid. And she gave it to me because my name doesn't lend itself to shortening. Ugh. Spelling is always an issue, too, for some reason. I always thought mine was the more traditional spelling (it's in the name of our country, for Pete's sake), but everyone wants to spell it Erika or Ericka. Drives me bonkers.

I got teased a lot with my name, mostly because I was a tomboy. The neighborhood kids would call me "Erica, Miss America" but they meant it as a joke because I was the furthest thing from being Miss America. They also called me Plain Jane (my middle name). So I pretty much despised my name until...last year?

One thing I will say, though, is it's nice to know that when you hear your name, the person is actually saying *your* name. I've known maybe 2-3 Ericas in my lifetime (not including those on here!) and I've never shared a class or even a grade with one. That's a really nice thing about a unique name.

Honestly, it's entirely likely that your DC may hate their names, at least for awhile, no matter what you choose. The grass is always greener, or something. I agree with PPs who say to just pick what you like regardless.

Funny enough, I actually wanted to be a Jennifer...thought at least that way I might fit in. :P

[kboyle]

I'm a Kristine & was pretty popular in the late 70s/80s. I ALWAYS had at least 2 other Christine's in my classes, though I don't think I ever met another "K"ristine. I know they are out there, but never met one, Kristin's and other variations, but not KRISTINE. I've always liked my name and pretty much go by Kris, i'm not to fond of Krissy or Kristen, but do respond to those anyway, I've given up :)

BTW, I LOVE Blake for a girl, and at work last Friday a customer said that she's naming her daughter Blakely...that I ADORE!

If we go for a #3, and it turns out to be a girl, I think it'll be Lucila or Lucy after my grandmother, neither are popular...at the moment. I also LOVE my mom's nickname, Rosario, but we PROMISED to use MIL name as the middlename and Rosario Rose just doesn't work :(

I'm never going to have a girl anyway, I know i'm destined for boys...which is ok, I love the little men in my life.

[shilo]

i totally agree with the pp about the grass is always greener. i went thru times growing up when i loved my 'unusual' name and other times where i hated it. i don't think Lorien has ever been in the top 1000, but my nickname Lori was in the top 50 the year i was born. i hated it growing up whenever anyone called my name and always said the wrong thing, but the good thing was that only happened very rarely at the doctor's office, etc. at school, my mom just included Lori on my paperwork, so the class lists always had that - so even the subs got it right. as an adult, i have always found my name to be very versatile. imo, Lorien sounds very professional and 'grown-up' and Lori on the other hand is easy and relaxed - not stuffy iykwim?

i personally have always liked names with great nicknames, everyone's mmv. if you are a nickname kind of person, maybe give some thought to either a more 'unusual' name with an easily recognizable nickname? or the opposite - if you love some of the popular names, but are worried about her being one of 3 or 4 in her class, maybe you can come up with a less often used nickname? for example, i have always loved the name natalie - but would use the nickname 'lia'.

lori

Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[s7714]

FWIW, on the SSA's website, you can do popularity searches by state. I was surprised at how exact you can make the searches on their site! Some states also release name data for individual counties, but I know not all of them do that.

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

Jennifer
Mommy to
DD 3/03
DD 6/05

Calling fellow BBB SoCal moms...we'd love to meet you!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babybargainssocal/

[Corie]

Amy,

I love your kids' names!! :)

We have the same naming philosophy!

[mapg]

My name is a one word spelling of two common names, Marianne. I don't mind it now, but when I was a kid I hated it. Subs never could pronounce it, everyone mispelled it, and I could never find the personalized pencils and such that everyone else had. Plus it was long. In first grade you wrote your full first name and the the first letter of your last name, I really envied those kids with four or five letter names. My kids have short, easy to pronounce names, both of which make the top ten list every year. But they aren't that popular in this area. We have a couple of Jennifer's in the family, both of whom hated having such a common name.
Marianne

[karolyp]

My first name is unique, but combined with my DH's middle eastern last name makes it even more different. I even went to a job interview where the guy literally said, "you don't look like what I expected." WTF??? And the interview pretty much went downhill after that...

[1ceng1]

Another Christine here, born in the mid-70's. BTW, my mom is Lucy, I hear it is coming back in style!

[Jen841]

Hey, Elizabeth was our girl name. I wanted to call a little girl Libby.

Still on the list, but will we decide on a third?????

I hear you on trying to find uncommon names. Jude we loved b/c everyone knows it (Hey Jude), but no one seemed to know anyone with the name.

Favorite names of friends I like for girls:
Kaili (Kay-Lee)
Kerrigan

[kboyle]

oh great, by the time i even think about ttc Lucy will be the most popular name. go back into hiding lucy, wait till i name my future dd before you become popular!

[kboyle]

oh great, by the time i even think about ttc Lucy will be the most popular name. go back into hiding lucy, wait till i name my future dd before you become popular!

[Zana]

We're south-asian so our names are by default 'unique' over here! When naming DS we tried to give him a name that would be close to an anglo-saxon name (in his case its very similar to Ryan), but it was very important to us that his name have a nice meaning (his means 'gateway to heaven').

But I wanted to add that DS has a friend in daycare whose name is 'Lucy' whose elder brother is 'Linus'! Am I the only one who finds that really cute and not cheesy at all :)

[Zana]

We're south-asian so our names are by default 'unique' over here! When naming DS we tried to give him a name that would be close to an anglo-saxon name (in his case its very similar to Ryan), but it was very important to us that his name have a nice meaning (his means 'gateway to heaven').

But I wanted to add that DS has a friend in daycare whose name is 'Lucy' whose elder brother is 'Linus'! Am I the only one who finds that really cute and not cheesy at all :)

[kaylinsmommy2]

This has been such a helpful thread - I just wrote down a list of about 10 names mentioned in this thread that I would consider if I have another baby (no, I'm not pregnant!). Thanks! :)

I love my name! It's not uncommon (there's a song, a Kennedy, and a princess by the same name), but not popular here in California. I never knew a Caroline in elementary or high school. I knew someone in college who went by Carrie but was named Caroline. I've seen the college directory and there are quite a few Carolines, although I didn't run into any of them. I'm always surpised by C99's posts, because that might be the most that I've seen of another Caroline! ;)

Caroline
mommy to Kaylin 6/5/04

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/bunbunadb20040605_-9_Kaylin+is+now.png[/img][/url]

[kaylinsmommy2]

This has been such a helpful thread - I just wrote down a list of about 10 names mentioned in this thread that I would consider if I have another baby (no, I'm not pregnant!). Thanks! :)

I love my name! It's not uncommon (there's a song, a Kennedy, and a princess by the same name), but not popular here in California. I never knew a Caroline in elementary or high school. I knew someone in college who went by Carrie but was named Caroline. I've seen the college directory and there are quite a few Carolines, although I didn't run into any of them. I'm always surpised by C99's posts, because that might be the most that I've seen of another Caroline! ;)

Caroline
mommy to Kaylin 6/5/04

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/bunbunadb20040605_-9_Kaylin+is+now.png[/img][/url]

[tarynsmum]

I think Lucy and Linus is cute too. As long as they don't have a third named Rerun...

[tarynsmum]

I think Lucy and Linus is cute too. As long as they don't have a third named Rerun...

[VenusElon]

My name is Venus, and all I can say is go with the common name! I really sruggled to name my daughter because I have had so much teasing growing up-and even now. I was a teacher too, so lots of names of bad kids were ruled out. I dread each time starting a new job or meeting a new group of people because I hear all the same jokes (Venus flytrap, hey Mars-I mean Venus) and the popular songs. I can judge your age based on which Venus song you sing to me. And let's not even talk about rhyming words. Rule #1 Do not name your child something that rhymes with a sexual organ! My brother bought a book called "What Not to name your baby" by Joe Borgenicht. It was a funny read and mentions the rule above. It's hard to be the goddess of love and beauty when you are average looking with a dumpy figure.

The really odd thing is a used to work in a same office with another Venus, and there is even a Venus in the extended family.

[VenusElon]

My name is Venus, and all I can say is go with the common name! I really sruggled to name my daughter because I have had so much teasing growing up-and even now. I was a teacher too, so lots of names of bad kids were ruled out. I dread each time starting a new job or meeting a new group of people because I hear all the same jokes (Venus flytrap, hey Mars-I mean Venus) and the popular songs. I can judge your age based on which Venus song you sing to me. And let's not even talk about rhyming words. Rule #1 Do not name your child something that rhymes with a sexual organ! My brother bought a book called "What Not to name your baby" by Joe Borgenicht. It was a funny read and mentions the rule above. It's hard to be the goddess of love and beauty when you are average looking with a dumpy figure.

The really odd thing is a used to work in a same office with another Venus, and there is even a Venus in the extended family.

[megs4413]

We struggled with the very same thing. We couldn't agree on an unusual girl's name and the only name we liked was Madison, which we were hesitant about because of its popularity. We went ahead and went with it and so far it's been great. We think she wears her name quite well and it's fun running into other little Madisons. It gives us something to talk about with other parents. Hope that helps!

[megs4413]

We struggled with the very same thing. We couldn't agree on an unusual girl's name and the only name we liked was Madison, which we were hesitant about because of its popularity. We went ahead and went with it and so far it's been great. We think she wears her name quite well and it's fun running into other little Madisons. It gives us something to talk about with other parents. Hope that helps!

[Queensgirl]

Love that! My DH is the biggest "Peanuts" fan & that idea has creeped into our conversations several times. I'm game, not sure how others would react though.
Linus is one of the best characters ever!
(Can you tell we're complete dorks!?)
-Karina

[Queensgirl]

Love that! My DH is the biggest "Peanuts" fan & that idea has creeped into our conversations several times. I'm game, not sure how others would react though.
Linus is one of the best characters ever!
(Can you tell we're complete dorks!?)
-Karina

[BellaGirl]

Wow...thanks to everyone for all the great responses and suggestions!! I love hearing about how yopu came up with names for your babies and how you liked/disliked your own name. I'm still going through all the posts!!!!

I will likely keep the popular first name...because I do love it. But I will try to find a unique spanish name for the middle name. The one thing I LOVE about my son's name, besides the fact that it isn't too too common, is that it sounds even better in spanish. Thanks for all the replies and well wishes!

[BellaGirl]

Wow...thanks to everyone for all the great responses and suggestions!! I love hearing about how yopu came up with names for your babies and how you liked/disliked your own name. I'm still going through all the posts!!!!

I will likely keep the popular first name...because I do love it. But I will try to find a unique spanish name for the middle name. The one thing I LOVE about my son's name, besides the fact that it isn't too too common, is that it sounds even better in spanish. Thanks for all the replies and well wishes!

[KBecks]

My name is Karen, and it was most popular in the 60's, but I was born in 1970, so I didn't have tons of Karens in my classes.

I've always felt comfortable with my name.


I'm a big fan of names that both sound pleasing and that look pleasing on paper (as a full name). I also like names that work well for the child-to-adult tradition.

I love some names that are traditional and some that are more unique. It takes a little longer for creative names to grow on me.

[KBecks]

My name is Karen, and it was most popular in the 60's, but I was born in 1970, so I didn't have tons of Karens in my classes.

I've always felt comfortable with my name.


I'm a big fan of names that both sound pleasing and that look pleasing on paper (as a full name). I also like names that work well for the child-to-adult tradition.

I love some names that are traditional and some that are more unique. It takes a little longer for creative names to grow on me.

[Dcclerk]

I'm sorry, Venus, but you made me laugh aloud at the office no less! Rule #1 is a great one to live by. BTW, I think you have a lovely name, but you have still convinced me not to name any future children it ;)

[Dcclerk]

I'm sorry, Venus, but you made me laugh aloud at the office no less! Rule #1 is a great one to live by. BTW, I think you have a lovely name, but you have still convinced me not to name any future children it ;)

[terrapin_mon]

I love your name Zana!! We are south-asian too and considered the name Zaina for my DD but when we asked people to pronounce it after we wrote it down, i gave up on that one! They never got it right!!! We settled for Maira .. love it, and once they realize it is pronounced myra, they always get it right!!

Btw, I think Lucy and Linus is cute too! :)

Ritu

[SpaceGal]

My name (first and last) were both very uncommon. I never liked it when I was little since they would butcher my frist name or think I was a boy since I have a unisexual name, at the same time though I never wanted a different name. But as I grew up I really liked the uniqueness of my first name. I guess it was just something I knew was a part of me. My DH on the other hand has a very common first and last name. I took his last name when I married and it's been weird to have a last name so common. When naming our son we didn't pick anything popular but we picked something "ordinary" and easy to pronounce. My DH's last name is CONSTANTLY butchered so we figured a first name that was straight forward would be nice.

I think picking a name for a girl is harder tho. Since you don't know what last name she may have when she marries...will she keep her birth name or change it or hypenate. So it's a bigger mix to think about. At least those are the things we thought about when picking girl's names.

[4Cats]

Hi,

I agree with the above poster that the SSA and other name popularity lists may not reflect more local trends. My 7 month-old DS's name is Henry, and while it didn't break the top 100 last year according to most lists I've seen, suddenly it seems that baby Henry's are popping up everywhere. If we had a girl, she was going to be Phoebe or Margaret. As with Henry, we've met a lot of little Margarets.

Kristin
(one of many :))

[jec2]

My name is Juliet. I think I personally have met 1 other Juliet in my entire life. I've met lots of Julie's and Julia's but only 1 Juliet.

[m448]

Definitely unique until I searched for it on myspace . com and then realized it's quite popular in some asian circles. I've never met anyone with the same spelling though close.

The kiddo's first names are pretty common but as a nod to my ethnicity their middle names are of spanish origin (Ian Braulio for my dad and Ryan Elias for hubby's grandfather's name translated to spanish).

Marielle


Ian - born 10/03
&
Ryan - born 01/06

[1ceng1]

My 3 yr old DD is Juliet! Obviously I LOVE the name!!!

[ribbit1019]

Well we are fans of Madison here, lol. We made the choice because I am related to Dolly Madison, it is a family tradition (my grandmother's middle name is Madison). Just unlucky that it is so common right now. Anyway, we really liked Maddy so that is what we call her. Her middle name is Dee, my mom's nickname.

For DS we named him Jarred, an uncommon spelling to a common but not very popular name. :) His middle name is Marshall, which is DH's middle name and family tradition for him.

My name is Christine Elizabeth, I always wished I was an Elizabeth Christine when younger! I am fine with my name now, and I go by Christy. Very rarely someone calls me Christine, there were a lot of variations of Chris-- when I was growing up. Never bothered me that my name wasn't original.

GL!

Christy
Maddy born 6/9/04
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040609/3/4/0/-5/.png

Jarred born 3/8/06
http://b1.lilypie.com/KH1pm5/.png
Co-Owner Ribbit Baby

Frogs are lucky, they eat what bugs them.

[Zana]

That is such a coincidence...Maira was our first pick for a girl!!!! Love that name. DSs name is Rayyan (pronounced Ruy-Yahn) and of course when asked to pronounce it my friends were all over the place...the worst was Rae-Anne!! We went with it anyway 'cos we loved the meaning.

[kfk]

I have a very unique name, in fact I've never met another. In fact all of my siblings (4 of us) have unique names. I hated it as a kid, no teacher could ever pronounce it, and they would often alter it to resemble a boys name, which mortified me. I've always gone by my nickname, though I use my "real" name on legal documents, etc.

For my boys, my DH and I had a hard time agreeing, and one boy left the hospital with no name. I really wanted names that were easy to pronounce and had good nicknames. We chose to honor family, a dear deceased friend and our heritage (Jewish). Plus DH really wanted a "strong name" for our tiniest boy (4 lbs. 6 oz. at birth), who needed to get rescued by emergency c-section 4 weeks early. One boy has "popular" name according to the SSA, and there are 4 with his name and our last name at their ped's office! But we both loved the name, and it doesn't bother me.

They are Jacob Daniel (Jacobs on both sides of my family, J to memorialize a friend of my DH's; middle name was purely my choice) and Isaac Jude (Isaac on both sides of my family, "strong" name which means "laughter" and Jude after my deceased mother who was Judith). I call them Jake and Zac (a colleague suggested this as a nickname for Isaac, which convinced me to let DH name him that!). DH calls them by their full first names!