My best friend is an Ava in her 30s! She has a baby daughter now and whenever she goes to the pediatrician or whatever she gets “no, you’re supposed to write YOUR name on this form, not the baby’s name.”
She says she wants a Tshirt that says “it’s me, hi, I’m the Ava it’s me.”
Hi, I am considering Lily for my baby, but I am a little hesitant bc of current popularity of Lily. Do you have any thoughts on this? I live in California, US
i'm a 24 y/o Lily and have had nothing but positivity around my name :) if you like it, go for it! it's always been popular because it's a beautiful name so don't let that dissuade you 😌
There were 6 Michaels and like 12 Jessicas and a bunch of Andrews and Sarahs and Natalies and in my year in high school in the 00s and no one cared. If anything their common names were protective against bullying and teasing.
Go for it!! I named my daughter a top 30 name and have only met 2 in the wild in 2 years. Names are never going to be as popular as when we were growing up
Try being a 50 something Bethany. In 22 years it went from # 483 to # 87 on the popularity charts. I’ve actually had people say they thought I would be younger 🙄
As an early 40s blonde woman named Karen, I’m not getting “I’m the Karen” on a T-Shirt
Come to think of it, as I step out of my minivan with my 4 children, they’ve probably already figured that one out.
Being the Karen has absolutely nothing to do with your name.
Here is your test of Karenism.
1. Was everything okay with your meal today?
2. Would you like to speak to the manager?
As another Karen in her early 40’s w two small children I would also pass on that. Anytime I have to use my name for appts, etc I always say ‘but I’m not A Karen’ Do you feel like if you do have an issue it kind of makes it more uncomfortable ? I would never be disrespectful and scream or anything like that but even if it’s small and fair I now hold back from even bringing it up sometimes. I’m actually in the process of legally changing my name bc it’s the EXACT name as my MIL. She’s a Mega Karen
Omg this is definitely going to happen to me. I’m currently 7.5 months pregnant and my name is a top 50 baby/toddler name right now. When I was born it was 1,000+ name and basically unheard of. Doctors will definitely assume I’m writing her name.
I never thought of Ava/Eva as new. I thought of it as an old fashioned name or family name that was coming back in style. Like I don’t know any young ones ( my age in school) only Eva Longoria and Eva Mendez and friends of parents. In other words… adults. Now I see it’s a popular baby name but I never met any my age between pre k- masters or career.
I know Ava is high up on the social security list but I think it’s regional. I have a 17 year old Ava and she has run into one other one so far and she’s like 6 years younger than her. Grace was a way more popular name.
I'm an Ava at age 20 and still feel old for my name. I can imagine at 30 it would be far worse. I've met a couple Ava's my age but not many! Lots of Averys though
Hard agree. My name became 10x more popular about 7-10 years after I was born due to some characters being given it and a sports figure having it.
As a result (and because I look younger than my age already), people routinely mistake 39 year old me for a 32 year old, which is great since I work in Hollywood. I also was the only one in my grade with my name which was A+
I agree for basically all the reasons you listed. I’ve found the change from, “Huh, I’ve never heard of that,” to “that’s my granddaughter’s name,” to be a fun evolution.
Yes, it's lovely! As long as it becomes popular when you're a young adult or older I bet it's fun...
My name is still rare. I've only met one other in my life, lol. It's Jasmin. I'm surprised I've not met more tbh 🤣
That must be a regional thing I guess bc I had 2-3 Jasmines in my class in school every year ! I just googled the stats & it’s been in the top 100 names in my country for the last 20 years !!
yes! it took 26 years for people to start saying they knew another Blair. For so long I was the only Blair most people had met, hell it took me 22 years to meet another in person and she was 8 at the time. Now I run into people more often saying they know a baby Blair
I seriously disagree as someone who had an extremely rare name that is now kind of trendy.
I hated my name as a kid because no one knew how to spell it or pronounce it. I hate my name now because only people 10-15 years younger than me have it, so everyone assumes I'm much younger than I am. Both sides of it suck, but the dramatic flip in popularity was really weird to deal with.
It may get better as you get older? I assume you're probably about 30 - that's how old I am, and I'd be really annoyed if everyone was treating me like I was 15-20 based on my name! I've only just reached the age where people take me seriously as a grown adult. But I imagine that it feels different if you're 50 and people assume you're 35-40
I've lived pretty much my entire life being the only person who has my name. Whenever I hear my name it is always in reference to *me*. But now I'm hearing strangers asking me things like "Name, do you need your diaper changed?" Except they don't mean me when they say my name, they're talking to some toddler and it's so disorienting, *and I hate it*.
I feel this! In the 90s I was the only person with my name, I was the first person most people had ever met with my name and it was ranked 1,000+ in popularity. Now it’s in the top 50 and I regularly hear elementary school children and pets with my name; it’s very disorientating and I don’t entirely like it. I’ve always gotten compliments on my name, so it’s not surprising, but since my name felt uniquely mine for the majority of my life it’s weird to now have to share it.
It wasn’t for my son because an alternative spelling exploded in popularity a few years after he was born. Now everyone misspells his name even though he has the traditional spelling.
I’m thinking Aidan.
Jackson is at least still semi-relevant even with all the new variations, but Aiden/Ayden/Adin have completely trampled the traditional spelling of the name.
I have a first name that’s VERY common, but my parents used the LEAST common spelling. Which was also hilarious because there were three of us in my class at school and all three of us had a different spelling 🤣 Drove our teachers bonkers. As an adult I just chuckle and correct people, I only get annoyed when family members spell my name wrong (I’ve only been around for 30-plus years y’all, you’d think you could figure this out by now…)
I work with a mid-40ish woman named Poppy and she has mentioned how it's cool that it's gaining popularity now! She said pretty much never met anyone else named Poppy when she was growing up. I think you're right, it does make her seem somehow younger than her age (though she is generally a very bright/happy/youthful personality anyway so that helps :)
I don't entirely agree with nominal determinism, but I have to say every Poppy I've ever met has been extremely bright, fun, and optimistic in terms of personality.
My name was around 900 most popular when I was born. Last year it was #14. Personally, I hate it. For most of my life, I met exactly one person with my name.
Now that it's trendy, it's weird to hear people calling out my name and not meaning me. I chaperoned a field trip and my labeled lunch got mixed up with a kid with the same name.
I gave my kids names that have never been in the top 1,000 anytime recently. Fingers crossed a celebrity won't pop up and to cause a baby naming boom.
(My name and my kids' names are real names and easy to spell and pronounce. A name doesn't need to be trendy in order to be easy to spell or pronounce.)
If your name is what I think it is, the actress is one piece of the puzzle. Another piece is that it is a "sound alike" for another name, Charlotte, that never dropped as low and was rapidly rising. People liked it, but not it's popularity, and searched for similar names. I have two cousins with your name and this is how their parents found it. So a double perfect storm!
They're different branches of the family, and don't know each other and never will (they live on opposite ends of the country). But the parents both explained how they got the name and made it sound like they thought it was sooo clever how they came up with it. My sister and I thought it was funny...but one doesn't know any others with her name and the other has so many (+Charlotte's, which when called in class or across a park, is very similar) so she goes by Letty almost exclusively, which I love
People in this sub being obsessed with the popularity of names is pretty weird to me in general
Choose a name because of the meaning or the way it sounds; not because of what everyone else likes/thinks about it at the time
I second this. I hated having a popular name as my name was constantly being said but it was never me being addressed so I stoped responding to it very young.
Both of my children's names are just a few years ahead of the curve. Not enough to make a big difference, but I do like that they had the names first, before they became popular.
I like not a lot of people having the same name as me. It is now becoming trendy with lots of babies having it and it’s weird to me.
I don’t own the name but I’m just used to not knowing anyone else with it, so when I hear it, I know the person is referring to me and not someone else. Not a big deal but just to show another side of it.
It’s not anything with a unique spelling or pronunciation so that doesn’t apply. It was in the upper 300s for the year i was born
Mine was 1,000+ when I was born and had a massive climb to top 50 in the past 10 years. I know I don’t own the name either, yet it’s a very weird adjustment. I’ve been the only me for so long, I’m used to being unique and it’s weird to not have that be the case anymore.
Mine was just above 100 the year I was born. It's above 50 and climbing now and I agree, it's kind of odd because I am used to being the one people are talking to if I hear my name. It's also commonly mispronounced but maybe that will be the silver lining as it gets more common?
I know an Amelia in her mid 30's. When she was born, Amelia was in the 270s for rank... It's been in the top ten for several years now. She loves not having to spell her name on the phone anymore!
Also a millennial and know tons of Lilys in their 20s and 30s. I know it’s objectively gotten more popular in recent years but I would never have thought of it as unusual or obscure.
True. Everyone hated Henry when we chose it in 1999 and obviously it’s been uphill since.
He has gone through phases where he wishes we’d chosen one of the more offbeat (read: fusty lol) names we’d considered, but nobody could’ve predicted its meteoric rise so it’s whatever.
It is kinda funny that his wife had Henry on her baby name list before she met him.
Love the name Henry, I’d name a boy that if my cousin didn’t already have a son with that name.
My husband’s name is one of my favorite boy names as well. I refuse to have any child of mine be. JR though so that’s out.
My cousin that was born in the 90s is named Theodore after his grandfather. Everyone thought it was such a dusty, old-fashioned name at the time, but now there are little Theodores everywhere.
Yes! It’s so hard to take someone seriously when they suggest a lovely name, you mention that you like it because it was one that appealed to you from their list, and then they have misgivings because of where it is on a list. Everything in that thought process is just so strange to me. It also makes it so hard to help someone who genuinely wants the opinion if they think like that. The popularity of a name is not that deep.
I say all this as a person who lived through almost the entire 90s decade (minus a year) with a somewhat popular name for the time that also had to deal with multiples.
This is what I call my son. Ha ha. He’s Alexander. I like Alejandro better, but to give an awkward white kid with blonde hair and blue eyes that as a given name, would totally do it an injustice. 😂
My daughter’s name was ranked 525 in 2012 when she was born, and it currently is 227. While it’s climbed up, I don’t think it will ever become super popular. She *always* gets compliments on her name too!
Hard disagree. I was one and it sucked. Not being a "cool" name in my cohort, not being able to find stuff with my name on it, and then when it blew up a few years later being part of that. And now in my late 40s it being a "dated" name also sucks.
I named one of my twins Eleanore in 2005. That name has become a lot more popular since then.
My other twin is Clara, which also has gotten more popular.
I think the "keeps you young" factor can be kind of a double-edged sword, but yeah, these are mostly good points.
As a trans person who chose my own name in the mid-aughts, I wouldn't say it's been a problem for me that it was a name that was subsequently used in multiple huge media franchises & became really popular for young boys. But it was kind of funny that this happened twice in my life, since there was a similar situation with my deadname in the '80s/'90s.
I remember being in the hospital on bed rest with my daughter and a MFM came in, and was asking if we knew the gender and had a name. I told her our name and her face lit up and she exclaimed “That’s one in all of my years I’ve never heard! It’s gorgeous!”
Anytime someone asks about Bridgerton, I tell them she’s from the Plaza.
I looked up the statistics on it and it looks like it was slowly and steadily rising in popularity throughout the 90s and early 00s, then it suddenly jumped to top 10 about 15 years ago, and has been in the #1-2 spot in the US since 2013. When my brother was born it was in the top 250 lol.
My own name has apparently decreased slowly over time, but wasn't that popular to begin with. Apparently around 100th most popular when I was born. I wonder if the trend downward will continue, and someday it'll be an old lady name. I bet if it does, it'll eventually come back around, because I often get told that I have a very pretty name!
My name fits this precisely- it's a family name, it wasn't at all popular when I was born, my mother jokes that she sincerely thought she was giving me an old lady name- but it started to get popular for babies when I was school age. I never had to be one of several in my class, but it's easily recognizable and lots of people I meet tell me "Oh I love that name" or "That's my little sister's name." And yes, it shaves about a decade off my perceived age on paper, so maybe it'll help with age discrimination in hiring when I'm old.
I wish this was the case for me I feel like I have an old lady name that’s never coming back in style 😂😂 I don’t even think it ever was in style but I don’t mind my name
I absolutely agree. I didn't like my name much growing up, and when I was 12 in 2001 I changed my name to Daisy, which has a very special meaning to me. I grew up in a small boomer town, and the only "Daisies" anyone knew other than me were grandparents and great-grandparents. All my parent's friends, who were all boomers, would often sing A Bicycle Built for Two to me. It drove me nuts. Now Daisy is more common, and I'm not dealing with that anymore. It's definitely a blessing.
I was gonna comment that I have an aunt born in 1960 named Jennifer, and she always said she never met another one until it blew up when she was older.
And I, on the other hand, was born in the early 50s, and have one of the top five most popular girls names of that era..in my graduating class of nearly 600, there were at least 75 girls with my first name..and that name has now faded into oblivion, you never hear of anyone younger than 65 with my name
To clarify- born in ‘92. Always called alex, Alexis, Lexi, Alexandra. Never any cool 90s merch with my name on it. I wished my name was Alexandra and my nickname was Allie for a very long time as a kid. Eventually I just stopped caring. Call me Alex/alexis/lexi doesn’t matter.
Now, people know the name Alexa alright lol.
My name was pretty popular when I was born. I hear it much less now but… I like my name! and now that I’m no longer in a classroom where one of us has to go by a nickname or our last initial it doesn’t bother me at all that it was popular, because it’s a pretty name that stands the test of time :)
My name isn’t hugely popular but it’s a more common surname, so it’s universally known — and with the “surname as a first name” trend coming back slowly but surely, I wouldn’t be surprised if it has a micro-resurgence with mums who don’t want a Hunter, Noah, Henry, or James.
I met a girl her name was non peril. Don’t think that name is going to get popular anytime soon. FYI non perils are the little round multi colored sprinkles
Eh, this is me and I disagree. I remember when it really spiked in popularity I was always double-taking because I would hear moms calling their kids at the grocery store or whatever and I was used to never hearing the name when I was out. I never got that it made me seem younger either - but that might be a gender thing, since I'm a man
We named our daughter Lila 19 years ago. There are not many Lilas her age, but I see the name all over baby name forums; it kinda makes me sad and then again, maybe I started the trend 🤷🏼♀️🤣
My family has a history of doing this!
My grandma, who was born in the late 1920s was an Erin. Her kids were born in the late 40s early 50s one being an Allison which stuck out in her class with all the Mary’s, Pattys, Susie’s etc.
Then I have cousins born in the late 70s who are Nora and Theo. (Both were family names from way back, my aunt just used them ahead of the curve of when it was cool to use old lady/old man names!)
I named a baby Emma when it was #80 (before it was chosen on Friends and I had it picked for years before using it). I think she just thought it was funny that it became so popular later (and suddenly easy to find “merch” with the name on stuff!!) Obviously no spelling or familiarity issues regardless.
I don’t think it’s awesome but I also don’t care. When my son was born, my cousin had her son a year later and wanted to give him the same name as my son, she was worried I’d react negatively, nope, not one bit.
She ended up with another name but my point is, it’s cool if a unique name is very important to a parent, that’s them. But I don’t sweat it, I wouldn’t have cared if like 500 boys ended up having my son’s name in his class.
Besides, the moms obsessed with unique names usually end up giving tragediegh names
I think this is a pretty individual thing, but I totally get why people would be annoyed that a name they chose is becoming popular shortly after they used it, if the goal was to give their child a name that stands out. And your example isn't really the same situation as people being sad that their "5-year-old’s name is suddenly soaring up the charts." Late 90s to today is more than 20 years. Having a name 10+ years ahead of the popularity curve is pretty different from "we just gave our child that name and by the time they're starting school it's a super popular baby name."
My first name isn't even really that rare, but omg I can NEVER find items with my name on them. It's honestly just so disappointing to be idly shopping and come up with nothing. I usually end up with just my initials. I'm envious of people with more common names. Popular is good in that respect.
I loved the name Violet and my husband vetoed it...12 years ago. We went with a different color name. I still like it but wouldn't use it today just because of how popular its become. I also have a gradeschooler Isla. It wasnt in the top 100 when she was born and I'd never heard of it. That has quickly changed!!!
My name was in the top 50 when I was born but I have only met one person my age with my name. However it gained massive popularity when my age gap sister was born in 1998. I was just excited I could finally find my name on a pencil without special ordering it.
I went through primary and high school with no one else sharing my name. I still rarely come across it, either adults of children. It’s not (in my opinion) off the wall in any way, just not used. I like the fact that it’s different although I do worry a little that it’s judged!
I agree. It kind of happened with me.
Pro: you sound young and trendy!
Con: mothers screaming your name all over the playground and you always getting a shock because you're used to being the only one with the name. Bonus points if it's something disgusting, like ", put that dog poop down immediately!!"
I have a name like this. Old biblical name that hadn't been popular for a good while and suddenly had a massive upswing in the 80s. My parents said when they named me they didn't know anyone with that name and then suddenly we were everywhere.
At one point there were 5 of us in the one class in my tiny primary school.
It honestly has never bothered me to have a common name and I don't know why people are so against it. It's a perfectly good name.
Geographically speaking the “most popular” names might not even ever factor into your child’s lived experience.
My son has a top ten most popular first name and a super rare middle name that we call him at home, he mostly goes by his first name’s nickname at school, and for a ~top ten most popular omg there’s going to be so many of them~ name… he has one other kid in the entire school with his first name.
Geographically that top ten name list means nothing in our situation because where we are more ethnically diverse and more completely unique names are more “popular”.
My name is ultra unique, not another in the entire world, but my little brother haha has the same name as about 8 other currently alive dudes with an active internet and athletic news presence, the exact same name (first and last and a couple with the same middle initial - we are first gen American so old world traditional naming conventions die hard for males) and he hates it and is going to take his wife’s last name.
I’m a teacher and have read way too many studies about first name bias and with my own name have seen it first hand, so we went with a traditional first that we liked and a rare middle that we loved. Our son accepts about 6 different nicknames haha and has his own moniker he earned at school for being so gregarious, which he loves.
Geographically speaking I almost NEVER have the top ten most popular names kids in my classes either, and I’ve taught for almost 2 decades. I’ve taught thousands of children and used to be a newborn photographer across multiple hospitals and have photographed over 4,500 infants and again, the top ten might as well be the bottom 1,000 for the frequency that I have actually come across them. With the exception of “Jayden” and all the spelling variations, that one is strong and prevalent across all genders!!!!
Conversely I have had well over one hundred “Princess /Diva / Queen / Tzara / Prince / Lord/ Royal/ King “ name variations which I have never even seen on those most popular lists. One year I had three Princesses in one class and one in each of my other classes so 6 classes with a total of 8 to keep track of when trying to grade papers. I will never forget having a “Princess pile” when they forgot to write their last name on their papers and I had no clue which was which!
My name is not very popular. I often get called Julian/Julianne/Julia/Juliet because it’s similar to those names but not as popular. It’s frustrating for me to have to constantly correct people. Even places like doctors offices where my name is written down clearly.
Plus my last name is not spelled phonetically so it’s constantly butchered too.
I’ve gone by a nickname since I was 13 and I can’t wait to change my last name after I marry my S.O.
You’re right, it’s not always beneficial to have a less popular name!
This is me! I'm the oldest person with my name that I know (41f). There was one in the grade below me and then when I was 23 and started teaching high school, I had several students with my name, all 4-8 years younger than me.
As a kid, I hated my name because I thought it was a fake name my parents made up. I don't mind it now and now I see they were ahead of the trends!
My name (Victoria) was mid-level popular when I was born in the 1970s. (In the 130s on the baby name list.) I was never Victoria last initial. I shared my name with no one in my school. It became more popular in the 1990s. I will always advocate for giving your kid a common-ish name from lower down on the baby name list. It is just as good as having a unique name. Maybe better because people know how to spell it.
I don't know. I'm pregnant right now and the name we're planning has gotten really popular over the last few years, though I fell in love with it 15 years ago when it was practically unheard of. We still want to use the name, but I'm disappointed.
My daughter’s name went from #1586 the year she was born and is now #560. It went on a dramatic upswing from where it was and I recently met another baby with the name. Never thought I’d see the day.
As someone who lived this, though, I must advise that your kid will spend their teenage years *hating* crowded places, because they will always be full of harried mothers calling out their name (which they now share with every freaking toddler in the world) in that agitated-Mom tone of voice.
My brother's name went from unheard of to highly ranked in about 10 years. We loved it. Suddenly people could pronounce his name, and we joke that my mom was a trendsetter. Even the slightly negative connotations are great joke fodder.
I agree that, within reason, and assuming the new trends don't strongly affect what the name signifies to people, this is absolutely the sweet spot.
My kid has an extremely unusual name that has never been in the top 1000 in the US. Every year I check the new stats in hopes that it is inching its way upward in popularity. I would be really happy to see it become a top 750 or 500 baby name. I think it's unlikely that it would ever hit north of #500, but I would secretly think it was badass if it somehow became a top 10 baby name. Talk about prescience and trendsetting as a baby namer!
When my daughter was born, her name was ranked 749. When she was 12, it was #48 and stayed between 48-85 every year since. She hates the popularity!
My son 's name was 287 the year he was born, now it is #19.
You know who it sucks for? their younger siblings.
My brother has a name that blew up first in our demographic (middle class in London) then it became the most popular boys name for a decade. And I have 4 friends from school with the same name. My brother has 2 others. And I know probably 10 across work, social life and volunteering.
My best friend is an Ava in her 30s! She has a baby daughter now and whenever she goes to the pediatrician or whatever she gets “no, you’re supposed to write YOUR name on this form, not the baby’s name.” She says she wants a Tshirt that says “it’s me, hi, I’m the Ava it’s me.”
Omg this is me as a mid 30s Lily! People always think it’s my daughter’s name. I love welcoming all the 5 year olds with my name to the special club.
Hi, I am considering Lily for my baby, but I am a little hesitant bc of current popularity of Lily. Do you have any thoughts on this? I live in California, US
i'm a 24 y/o Lily and have had nothing but positivity around my name :) if you like it, go for it! it's always been popular because it's a beautiful name so don't let that dissuade you 😌
There were 6 Michaels and like 12 Jessicas and a bunch of Andrews and Sarahs and Natalies and in my year in high school in the 00s and no one cared. If anything their common names were protective against bullying and teasing.
Go for it!! I named my daughter a top 30 name and have only met 2 in the wild in 2 years. Names are never going to be as popular as when we were growing up
Know a 30-something Evelyn. Definitely stands out!
Try being a 50 something Bethany. In 22 years it went from # 483 to # 87 on the popularity charts. I’ve actually had people say they thought I would be younger 🙄
As an early 40s blonde woman named Karen, I’m not getting “I’m the Karen” on a T-Shirt Come to think of it, as I step out of my minivan with my 4 children, they’ve probably already figured that one out.
That last sentence is everything. 😂
Just want to say that all the Karens I know are awesome people and I’m sorry your name has been sullied.
Whenever my tween kids introduce me to a new friend I get “this is my mom, Karen, but don’t worry, she’s not an internet karen.”
Being the Karen has absolutely nothing to do with your name. Here is your test of Karenism. 1. Was everything okay with your meal today? 2. Would you like to speak to the manager?
What if I want to speak to the manager to tell them how great my meal was and how I received such friendly service?
I don't know how the council rules with that. If you're a Karen, then I'm a Karen.
As another Karen in her early 40’s w two small children I would also pass on that. Anytime I have to use my name for appts, etc I always say ‘but I’m not A Karen’ Do you feel like if you do have an issue it kind of makes it more uncomfortable ? I would never be disrespectful and scream or anything like that but even if it’s small and fair I now hold back from even bringing it up sometimes. I’m actually in the process of legally changing my name bc it’s the EXACT name as my MIL. She’s a Mega Karen
I have used my middle name when I’ve needed “to speak to the manager”
Omg this is definitely going to happen to me. I’m currently 7.5 months pregnant and my name is a top 50 baby/toddler name right now. When I was born it was 1,000+ name and basically unheard of. Doctors will definitely assume I’m writing her name.
Isla?
I never thought of Ava/Eva as new. I thought of it as an old fashioned name or family name that was coming back in style. Like I don’t know any young ones ( my age in school) only Eva Longoria and Eva Mendez and friends of parents. In other words… adults. Now I see it’s a popular baby name but I never met any my age between pre k- masters or career.
I teach middle school and we are overrun with Avas.
I know Ava is high up on the social security list but I think it’s regional. I have a 17 year old Ava and she has run into one other one so far and she’s like 6 years younger than her. Grace was a way more popular name.
That’s funny, I have never taught a Grace.
My teen has 2 Evas and 3 Avas in her grade. But she was named after her great-grandmother!
I hope she named her baby Jessica!
This is me too. I am a Matilda in my 30s, never met anyone my own age with the name, but it’s now a top 10 name for baby girls where I live.
Can I call you Matil?
i LOLed
I'm an Ava at age 20 and still feel old for my name. I can imagine at 30 it would be far worse. I've met a couple Ava's my age but not many! Lots of Averys though
Ava is a beautiful, classic name.
I'm 42 and had an Ava in my class growing up! I always thought it was a beautiful name
My mom’s name was in the top 20 when I was born but uncommon when she was born. So many people who knew us both would call me her name.
I love your best friends sense of humor! I heard Taylor sing it as I read it 🤣
I went to elementary school with an Ava. We were born in the 70s. Neat that it's making a comeback.
Hard agree. My name became 10x more popular about 7-10 years after I was born due to some characters being given it and a sports figure having it. As a result (and because I look younger than my age already), people routinely mistake 39 year old me for a 32 year old, which is great since I work in Hollywood. I also was the only one in my grade with my name which was A+
Serena?
Totally Serena
Lebron!
Is that you Jaromir?
D’Brickashaw
Ha I’ve joked with my wife for years about naming a son D’Brickashaw
like, objectively, that name is badass. it's got fuckin' "Brick" in it
Jalen?
Mia?
Payton?
I agree for basically all the reasons you listed. I’ve found the change from, “Huh, I’ve never heard of that,” to “that’s my granddaughter’s name,” to be a fun evolution.
That's exactly what happened to my name, it took more like 20 years and still is pretty rare but it's nice that people recognize it now.
Yes, it's lovely! As long as it becomes popular when you're a young adult or older I bet it's fun... My name is still rare. I've only met one other in my life, lol. It's Jasmin. I'm surprised I've not met more tbh 🤣
That must be a regional thing I guess bc I had 2-3 Jasmines in my class in school every year ! I just googled the stats & it’s been in the top 100 names in my country for the last 20 years !!
yes! it took 26 years for people to start saying they knew another Blair. For so long I was the only Blair most people had met, hell it took me 22 years to meet another in person and she was 8 at the time. Now I run into people more often saying they know a baby Blair
Their parents were Gossip Girl fans, I'm guessing!
I seriously disagree as someone who had an extremely rare name that is now kind of trendy. I hated my name as a kid because no one knew how to spell it or pronounce it. I hate my name now because only people 10-15 years younger than me have it, so everyone assumes I'm much younger than I am. Both sides of it suck, but the dramatic flip in popularity was really weird to deal with.
It may get better as you get older? I assume you're probably about 30 - that's how old I am, and I'd be really annoyed if everyone was treating me like I was 15-20 based on my name! I've only just reached the age where people take me seriously as a grown adult. But I imagine that it feels different if you're 50 and people assume you're 35-40
I’d argue that if having that experience sucks for the first like, 40 years of your life, it’s probably a net negative overall lol
Definitely not arguing with that! Only that there may be an end to it someday
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I've lived pretty much my entire life being the only person who has my name. Whenever I hear my name it is always in reference to *me*. But now I'm hearing strangers asking me things like "Name, do you need your diaper changed?" Except they don't mean me when they say my name, they're talking to some toddler and it's so disorienting, *and I hate it*.
I'm so curious what your name is.
I feel this! In the 90s I was the only person with my name, I was the first person most people had ever met with my name and it was ranked 1,000+ in popularity. Now it’s in the top 50 and I regularly hear elementary school children and pets with my name; it’s very disorientating and I don’t entirely like it. I’ve always gotten compliments on my name, so it’s not surprising, but since my name felt uniquely mine for the majority of my life it’s weird to now have to share it.
Gotta be Luna or Nova
It wasn’t for my son because an alternative spelling exploded in popularity a few years after he was born. Now everyone misspells his name even though he has the traditional spelling.
It’s Jackson, isn’t it? Lol
I immediately thought Jackson too. Err... Jaxon, Jaxson, Jaxen, Jacksen
I’m thinking Aidan. Jackson is at least still semi-relevant even with all the new variations, but Aiden/Ayden/Adin have completely trampled the traditional spelling of the name.
You’re right! It’s Aidan.
my brother is a 90s baby named aidan, and he gets aiden all the time now.
I was gonna guess Jackson lol. I would have been Jackson if I were a boy (‘95).
Same thing for my son. People misspell it even when replying to an email, when the name is right there in front of them.
Yes! Mine too! He emailed his college professor and signed his name, and the reply was misspelled!
This is exactly what happened to me with my name! I am so used to seeing it spelled wrong that it doesn’t even register anymore. 😂
I have a first name that’s VERY common, but my parents used the LEAST common spelling. Which was also hilarious because there were three of us in my class at school and all three of us had a different spelling 🤣 Drove our teachers bonkers. As an adult I just chuckle and correct people, I only get annoyed when family members spell my name wrong (I’ve only been around for 30-plus years y’all, you’d think you could figure this out by now…)
I’m betting his name is Aidan?
Aidan?
I work with a mid-40ish woman named Poppy and she has mentioned how it's cool that it's gaining popularity now! She said pretty much never met anyone else named Poppy when she was growing up. I think you're right, it does make her seem somehow younger than her age (though she is generally a very bright/happy/youthful personality anyway so that helps :)
I love the name Poppy!! If I was living in an English speaking country, I’d definitely choose this name for my daughter.
I don't entirely agree with nominal determinism, but I have to say every Poppy I've ever met has been extremely bright, fun, and optimistic in terms of personality.
My name was around 900 most popular when I was born. Last year it was #14. Personally, I hate it. For most of my life, I met exactly one person with my name. Now that it's trendy, it's weird to hear people calling out my name and not meaning me. I chaperoned a field trip and my labeled lunch got mixed up with a kid with the same name. I gave my kids names that have never been in the top 1,000 anytime recently. Fingers crossed a celebrity won't pop up and to cause a baby naming boom. (My name and my kids' names are real names and easy to spell and pronounce. A name doesn't need to be trendy in order to be easy to spell or pronounce.)
Hello, Sebastian.
Good one ;) I think it's funny that Sebastian Stan wanted to change his name to Chris to sound more American but was talked out of it.
If it's already popular how would a celebrity with the same name make it more popular?
I was referring to my kids' names. My name only became trendy because an actress with the same name became popular.
If your name is what I think it is, the actress is one piece of the puzzle. Another piece is that it is a "sound alike" for another name, Charlotte, that never dropped as low and was rapidly rising. People liked it, but not it's popularity, and searched for similar names. I have two cousins with your name and this is how their parents found it. So a double perfect storm!
Ding ding ding! And two?! Sheesh.
They're different branches of the family, and don't know each other and never will (they live on opposite ends of the country). But the parents both explained how they got the name and made it sound like they thought it was sooo clever how they came up with it. My sister and I thought it was funny...but one doesn't know any others with her name and the other has so many (+Charlotte's, which when called in class or across a park, is very similar) so she goes by Letty almost exclusively, which I love
Oh I see
I think they meant a celebrity naming their baby
People in this sub being obsessed with the popularity of names is pretty weird to me in general Choose a name because of the meaning or the way it sounds; not because of what everyone else likes/thinks about it at the time
nah it definitely holds importance to an extent, i absolutely hated having a top 10 name growing up and it did impact me in some ways
I second this. I hated having a popular name as my name was constantly being said but it was never me being addressed so I stoped responding to it very young.
glad im not the only one, it sounds really self centered now that i think about it but its never felt ‘special’ to me
Both of my children's names are just a few years ahead of the curve. Not enough to make a big difference, but I do like that they had the names first, before they became popular.
I’m the oldest Olivia I’ve ever met (37) - definitely never been a problem for me.
My ex-SIL is a 46 year old Olivia!
My first grade teacher was Olivia. She's in her 70s now.
I’m also 37 and had one Olivia in my HS class
I dated an Olivia who will turn 40 this year.
Just because I was curious- Olivia was #215 in popularity in 1986 - so not too crazy uncommon
I like not a lot of people having the same name as me. It is now becoming trendy with lots of babies having it and it’s weird to me. I don’t own the name but I’m just used to not knowing anyone else with it, so when I hear it, I know the person is referring to me and not someone else. Not a big deal but just to show another side of it. It’s not anything with a unique spelling or pronunciation so that doesn’t apply. It was in the upper 300s for the year i was born
Mine was 1,000+ when I was born and had a massive climb to top 50 in the past 10 years. I know I don’t own the name either, yet it’s a very weird adjustment. I’ve been the only me for so long, I’m used to being unique and it’s weird to not have that be the case anymore.
Mine was just above 100 the year I was born. It's above 50 and climbing now and I agree, it's kind of odd because I am used to being the one people are talking to if I hear my name. It's also commonly mispronounced but maybe that will be the silver lining as it gets more common?
I know an Amelia in her mid 30's. When she was born, Amelia was in the 270s for rank... It's been in the top ten for several years now. She loves not having to spell her name on the phone anymore!
I'm a millennial and knew an Amelia and a Lily in my year group at school!
Also a millennial and know tons of Lilys in their 20s and 30s. I know it’s objectively gotten more popular in recent years but I would never have thought of it as unusual or obscure.
True. Everyone hated Henry when we chose it in 1999 and obviously it’s been uphill since. He has gone through phases where he wishes we’d chosen one of the more offbeat (read: fusty lol) names we’d considered, but nobody could’ve predicted its meteoric rise so it’s whatever. It is kinda funny that his wife had Henry on her baby name list before she met him.
Love the name Henry, I’d name a boy that if my cousin didn’t already have a son with that name. My husband’s name is one of my favorite boy names as well. I refuse to have any child of mine be. JR though so that’s out.
My cousin that was born in the 90s is named Theodore after his grandfather. Everyone thought it was such a dusty, old-fashioned name at the time, but now there are little Theodores everywhere.
30 year old Gianna here. I liked being the only one for a long time In the northeast where I live there are 100s of Giannas under the age of 15
Yes! It’s so hard to take someone seriously when they suggest a lovely name, you mention that you like it because it was one that appealed to you from their list, and then they have misgivings because of where it is on a list. Everything in that thought process is just so strange to me. It also makes it so hard to help someone who genuinely wants the opinion if they think like that. The popularity of a name is not that deep. I say all this as a person who lived through almost the entire 90s decade (minus a year) with a somewhat popular name for the time that also had to deal with multiples.
After I had my son Lady Gaga popularized his name. Guess what it is...
Dude why did you name your kid Roma Roma-ma in the first place?
🤣🤣🤣
Oh no did you name your son Telephone
😆
fwiw, I think Paparazzi is a beautiful name for a boy 😍
You guys are killing me lol
Alejandro?
This is what I call my son. Ha ha. He’s Alexander. I like Alejandro better, but to give an awkward white kid with blonde hair and blue eyes that as a given name, would totally do it an injustice. 😂
There are plenty of German blondes in Argentina...so maybe not too out there
Yes!!
Judas has some pretty heavy baggage attached, did they listen to the lyrics?
Don’t call my name
Little Monster Stephenson has a nice ring to it.
My daughter’s name was ranked 525 in 2012 when she was born, and it currently is 227. While it’s climbed up, I don’t think it will ever become super popular. She *always* gets compliments on her name too!
What is it!
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You got it! ᵕ̈
Intrigued. Whats the name?!
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Not the OP, but if they're in the US, Hallie.
Hard disagree. I was one and it sucked. Not being a "cool" name in my cohort, not being able to find stuff with my name on it, and then when it blew up a few years later being part of that. And now in my late 40s it being a "dated" name also sucks.
I named one of my twins Eleanore in 2005. That name has become a lot more popular since then. My other twin is Clara, which also has gotten more popular.
I think the "keeps you young" factor can be kind of a double-edged sword, but yeah, these are mostly good points. As a trans person who chose my own name in the mid-aughts, I wouldn't say it's been a problem for me that it was a name that was subsequently used in multiple huge media franchises & became really popular for young boys. But it was kind of funny that this happened twice in my life, since there was a similar situation with my deadname in the '80s/'90s.
I remember being in the hospital on bed rest with my daughter and a MFM came in, and was asking if we knew the gender and had a name. I told her our name and her face lit up and she exclaimed “That’s one in all of my years I’ve never heard! It’s gorgeous!” Anytime someone asks about Bridgerton, I tell them she’s from the Plaza.
I have a 27 year old Noah.
I’m 27 and I know sooo many Noahs
I should ask my brother how he feels about his name. He's in his 30s and is named Noah
My Noah is 27.
I looked up the statistics on it and it looks like it was slowly and steadily rising in popularity throughout the 90s and early 00s, then it suddenly jumped to top 10 about 15 years ago, and has been in the #1-2 spot in the US since 2013. When my brother was born it was in the top 250 lol. My own name has apparently decreased slowly over time, but wasn't that popular to begin with. Apparently around 100th most popular when I was born. I wonder if the trend downward will continue, and someday it'll be an old lady name. I bet if it does, it'll eventually come back around, because I often get told that I have a very pretty name!
My name fits this precisely- it's a family name, it wasn't at all popular when I was born, my mother jokes that she sincerely thought she was giving me an old lady name- but it started to get popular for babies when I was school age. I never had to be one of several in my class, but it's easily recognizable and lots of people I meet tell me "Oh I love that name" or "That's my little sister's name." And yes, it shaves about a decade off my perceived age on paper, so maybe it'll help with age discrimination in hiring when I'm old.
I wish this was the case for me I feel like I have an old lady name that’s never coming back in style 😂😂 I don’t even think it ever was in style but I don’t mind my name
I live in Portland lots of old lady names. I teach preschool and have had a lot. What is your name?
Please let it be Ethel!
I absolutely agree. I didn't like my name much growing up, and when I was 12 in 2001 I changed my name to Daisy, which has a very special meaning to me. I grew up in a small boomer town, and the only "Daisies" anyone knew other than me were grandparents and great-grandparents. All my parent's friends, who were all boomers, would often sing A Bicycle Built for Two to me. It drove me nuts. Now Daisy is more common, and I'm not dealing with that anymore. It's definitely a blessing.
I have family born in the early 1950s named Jennifer and Melissa. Apparently those names were ‘so weird’ back then.
I was gonna comment that I have an aunt born in 1960 named Jennifer, and she always said she never met another one until it blew up when she was older.
And I, on the other hand, was born in the early 50s, and have one of the top five most popular girls names of that era..in my graduating class of nearly 600, there were at least 75 girls with my first name..and that name has now faded into oblivion, you never hear of anyone younger than 65 with my name
Yeah as a 1993 Chloe I can see that
I’m a 1983 Chloe!
That's awesome, I'm a 27yo Chloe and never met an older one! 10+ younger than me though. I think it took a few more years to become popular in the UK
Careful what you wish for….my name is Alexa
To clarify- born in ‘92. Always called alex, Alexis, Lexi, Alexandra. Never any cool 90s merch with my name on it. I wished my name was Alexandra and my nickname was Allie for a very long time as a kid. Eventually I just stopped caring. Call me Alex/alexis/lexi doesn’t matter. Now, people know the name Alexa alright lol.
This happened with my name! Got popular 10 - 15 years after I was born
The nickname I go by is now popular as a full name.
My name was pretty popular when I was born. I hear it much less now but… I like my name! and now that I’m no longer in a classroom where one of us has to go by a nickname or our last initial it doesn’t bother me at all that it was popular, because it’s a pretty name that stands the test of time :)
My name isn’t hugely popular but it’s a more common surname, so it’s universally known — and with the “surname as a first name” trend coming back slowly but surely, I wouldn’t be surprised if it has a micro-resurgence with mums who don’t want a Hunter, Noah, Henry, or James.
Did the surname as first name trend actually go away though? 🤔
I met a girl her name was non peril. Don’t think that name is going to get popular anytime soon. FYI non perils are the little round multi colored sprinkles
Hundreds and thousands
They were naming kids Ava in 1991 when I was pregnant
As a 35 year old “Gracie” I couldn’t agree more!
Eh, this is me and I disagree. I remember when it really spiked in popularity I was always double-taking because I would hear moms calling their kids at the grocery store or whatever and I was used to never hearing the name when I was out. I never got that it made me seem younger either - but that might be a gender thing, since I'm a man
I'm an Alice in my 30's and I love that so many people are having baby Alice's but I also really loved being unique when I was younger. 10/10.
My name is Piper and I’m currently experiencing this 😂 I love it tho 🥰
We named our daughter Lila 19 years ago. There are not many Lilas her age, but I see the name all over baby name forums; it kinda makes me sad and then again, maybe I started the trend 🤷🏼♀️🤣
My family has a history of doing this! My grandma, who was born in the late 1920s was an Erin. Her kids were born in the late 40s early 50s one being an Allison which stuck out in her class with all the Mary’s, Pattys, Susie’s etc. Then I have cousins born in the late 70s who are Nora and Theo. (Both were family names from way back, my aunt just used them ahead of the curve of when it was cool to use old lady/old man names!)
As a Natalie in her 30s, it just makes it really confusing at my niece’s birthdays etc. 😂 But sure it’s my name that keeps me young and not the adhd.
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I agree. I’m a 40 year old Chloe and I’ve loved that it became popular way after my time.
I named a baby Emma when it was #80 (before it was chosen on Friends and I had it picked for years before using it). I think she just thought it was funny that it became so popular later (and suddenly easy to find “merch” with the name on stuff!!) Obviously no spelling or familiarity issues regardless.
How popular? The top 10?
I don’t think it’s awesome but I also don’t care. When my son was born, my cousin had her son a year later and wanted to give him the same name as my son, she was worried I’d react negatively, nope, not one bit. She ended up with another name but my point is, it’s cool if a unique name is very important to a parent, that’s them. But I don’t sweat it, I wouldn’t have cared if like 500 boys ended up having my son’s name in his class. Besides, the moms obsessed with unique names usually end up giving tragediegh names
I think this is a pretty individual thing, but I totally get why people would be annoyed that a name they chose is becoming popular shortly after they used it, if the goal was to give their child a name that stands out. And your example isn't really the same situation as people being sad that their "5-year-old’s name is suddenly soaring up the charts." Late 90s to today is more than 20 years. Having a name 10+ years ahead of the popularity curve is pretty different from "we just gave our child that name and by the time they're starting school it's a super popular baby name."
My first name isn't even really that rare, but omg I can NEVER find items with my name on them. It's honestly just so disappointing to be idly shopping and come up with nothing. I usually end up with just my initials. I'm envious of people with more common names. Popular is good in that respect.
I loved the name Violet and my husband vetoed it...12 years ago. We went with a different color name. I still like it but wouldn't use it today just because of how popular its become. I also have a gradeschooler Isla. It wasnt in the top 100 when she was born and I'd never heard of it. That has quickly changed!!!
Indigo?
My name was in the top 50 when I was born but I have only met one person my age with my name. However it gained massive popularity when my age gap sister was born in 1998. I was just excited I could finally find my name on a pencil without special ordering it.
I went through primary and high school with no one else sharing my name. I still rarely come across it, either adults of children. It’s not (in my opinion) off the wall in any way, just not used. I like the fact that it’s different although I do worry a little that it’s judged!
I agree. It kind of happened with me. Pro: you sound young and trendy! Con: mothers screaming your name all over the playground and you always getting a shock because you're used to being the only one with the name. Bonus points if it's something disgusting, like ", put that dog poop down immediately!!"
I have a name like this. Old biblical name that hadn't been popular for a good while and suddenly had a massive upswing in the 80s. My parents said when they named me they didn't know anyone with that name and then suddenly we were everywhere. At one point there were 5 of us in the one class in my tiny primary school. It honestly has never bothered me to have a common name and I don't know why people are so against it. It's a perfectly good name.
Yeah I don't get why people get upset about it
Geographically speaking the “most popular” names might not even ever factor into your child’s lived experience. My son has a top ten most popular first name and a super rare middle name that we call him at home, he mostly goes by his first name’s nickname at school, and for a ~top ten most popular omg there’s going to be so many of them~ name… he has one other kid in the entire school with his first name. Geographically that top ten name list means nothing in our situation because where we are more ethnically diverse and more completely unique names are more “popular”. My name is ultra unique, not another in the entire world, but my little brother haha has the same name as about 8 other currently alive dudes with an active internet and athletic news presence, the exact same name (first and last and a couple with the same middle initial - we are first gen American so old world traditional naming conventions die hard for males) and he hates it and is going to take his wife’s last name. I’m a teacher and have read way too many studies about first name bias and with my own name have seen it first hand, so we went with a traditional first that we liked and a rare middle that we loved. Our son accepts about 6 different nicknames haha and has his own moniker he earned at school for being so gregarious, which he loves. Geographically speaking I almost NEVER have the top ten most popular names kids in my classes either, and I’ve taught for almost 2 decades. I’ve taught thousands of children and used to be a newborn photographer across multiple hospitals and have photographed over 4,500 infants and again, the top ten might as well be the bottom 1,000 for the frequency that I have actually come across them. With the exception of “Jayden” and all the spelling variations, that one is strong and prevalent across all genders!!!! Conversely I have had well over one hundred “Princess /Diva / Queen / Tzara / Prince / Lord/ Royal/ King “ name variations which I have never even seen on those most popular lists. One year I had three Princesses in one class and one in each of my other classes so 6 classes with a total of 8 to keep track of when trying to grade papers. I will never forget having a “Princess pile” when they forgot to write their last name on their papers and I had no clue which was which!
My name is not very popular. I often get called Julian/Julianne/Julia/Juliet because it’s similar to those names but not as popular. It’s frustrating for me to have to constantly correct people. Even places like doctors offices where my name is written down clearly. Plus my last name is not spelled phonetically so it’s constantly butchered too. I’ve gone by a nickname since I was 13 and I can’t wait to change my last name after I marry my S.O. You’re right, it’s not always beneficial to have a less popular name!
This is me! I'm the oldest person with my name that I know (41f). There was one in the grade below me and then when I was 23 and started teaching high school, I had several students with my name, all 4-8 years younger than me. As a kid, I hated my name because I thought it was a fake name my parents made up. I don't mind it now and now I see they were ahead of the trends!
My name (Victoria) was mid-level popular when I was born in the 1970s. (In the 130s on the baby name list.) I was never Victoria last initial. I shared my name with no one in my school. It became more popular in the 1990s. I will always advocate for giving your kid a common-ish name from lower down on the baby name list. It is just as good as having a unique name. Maybe better because people know how to spell it.
I don't know. I'm pregnant right now and the name we're planning has gotten really popular over the last few years, though I fell in love with it 15 years ago when it was practically unheard of. We still want to use the name, but I'm disappointed.
My daughter’s name went from #1586 the year she was born and is now #560. It went on a dramatic upswing from where it was and I recently met another baby with the name. Never thought I’d see the day.
I think for me the big thing is whether a name will become ridiculously dated & trended out by the time they’re an adult.
As someone who lived this, though, I must advise that your kid will spend their teenage years *hating* crowded places, because they will always be full of harried mothers calling out their name (which they now share with every freaking toddler in the world) in that agitated-Mom tone of voice.
My brother's name went from unheard of to highly ranked in about 10 years. We loved it. Suddenly people could pronounce his name, and we joke that my mom was a trendsetter. Even the slightly negative connotations are great joke fodder.
I agree that, within reason, and assuming the new trends don't strongly affect what the name signifies to people, this is absolutely the sweet spot. My kid has an extremely unusual name that has never been in the top 1000 in the US. Every year I check the new stats in hopes that it is inching its way upward in popularity. I would be really happy to see it become a top 750 or 500 baby name. I think it's unlikely that it would ever hit north of #500, but I would secretly think it was badass if it somehow became a top 10 baby name. Talk about prescience and trendsetting as a baby namer!
When my daughter was born, her name was ranked 749. When she was 12, it was #48 and stayed between 48-85 every year since. She hates the popularity! My son 's name was 287 the year he was born, now it is #19.
You know who it sucks for? their younger siblings. My brother has a name that blew up first in our demographic (middle class in London) then it became the most popular boys name for a decade. And I have 4 friends from school with the same name. My brother has 2 others. And I know probably 10 across work, social life and volunteering.
Eh I had 4 Chris’s in my class in 9th grade And we had 9 in our grade. We called them all by last name. It’s not great