Monday, April 02, 2012
Names
We're currently in the midst of the name game at our house. We've narrowed it down to two names we both love, and we have two others we both really like. As with Bear and Wild Man, we won't name the baby until he has been born. We recently discovered that one of the names we both love--and the one that Archer especially loves--is becoming increasingly popular. That turned us both off a bit. It is still far from a name you hear every day, but there is a distinct possibility there will be more than one "X" running around the playground by the time #3 starts kindergarten. Suddenly, one of our top choices is feeling a bit worn. And, honestly, that makes me sad. Why do we care that other people like this name? So here is a question for my readers: would you pick a name that was either growing in popularity or already popular? Does that matter to you?
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5 comments:
I think you should go with whatever name you like the best, and not have your top concern be based on other people. When we were picking a name, neither of us had ever met a Luke. And we checked the social security list to make sure Luke wasn't too popular, it was #49. So I thought it was a familiar but uncommon name. Wrong. There are multiple boys named Luke in his class and there is always another Luke on his sports teams. Jacob was number one on the social security list that year and our son has never had a Jake/Jacob in his class or on a team. You just never know in advance what is going to be popular and what isn't. So go with what you like.
I agree with Jennie. We found out after the fact that our boys' names were trendy. But their names suit them perfectly, and H thinks it's fun when another kid shares his name :)
The names I had always thought I'd pick for my (currently non existent) children have changed because some have fallen too much in favor. But then my name is insanely common. There were many "RL"s in my school as a child, and I went to a small school (under 500 7-12). I share my name with many students every year. My husband also have a very common name. I hate it, people develop associations with names, especially common ones. If the names I wanted became popular, I'd certainly change because I was that kid on teh playground with 5 others by the same name and it wasn't fun.
Not trying to be contrary, but admitting the fact that it was a factor for Hubby and I. While I was a little ahead of the curve with Hannah, a definite factor in choosing Eliza's name was knowing that there wouldn't be very many other children with that name. It stands out, but it's not an unusual name. Amelia is somewhat the same matter. Ultimately, I just really like old-fashioned names, but our choices were guided by elimination of some of those name that were coming to be used frequently.
On the flip side, you want to LOVE your child's name. So if it happens to be one that others have chosen as well, does that necessarily mean you will love it any less?
Popularity was a consideration with both Bear and Wild Man, although less so with Bear. We just loved his name, and frankly, as we thought he was going to be a girl, we didn't go to the hospital with too many options for boys' names. The popularity of the name in question is what has surprised me. I'll just say that if we were still in Southwest College Town I wouldn't be surprised that the name in question is becoming more popular, but given our location, I'm a bit surprised. We're still kicking around names, and this one is not out of the running. Ultimately, if the name fits the baby, I know we'll use it. But since neither of us is comfortable naming the baby before birth, we'll just have to wait to see how we feel--and to see what other names we come up with.
Thanks for the input!
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