Choosing a popular name

[Mrs.R]

So I've always loved the name Charlotte.

Unfortunately ever since Will and Kate had their daughter the name has sky rocketed (actually was getting way popular even before this) in Australia and has been no.1 for the last 3 or 4 years!

Would you name your child a name that was no.1 and very popular in your country?

To be honest I don't personally know any new bubs called Charlotte, I know one lady from Uni (on Facebook) who called her daughter that but that's it (Charlie for short). We would call her Lotte when she is little.

 

[krissie328]

Personally I have avoided overly popular names. But if it was one I loved it would use it. It's a beautiful name and classic.

 

[minties]

Both of my kids have names that have been in the too ten here for ages. I've never met another Thomas or Sophie and Thomas is the only one with his name in his entire school.

My next baby will also have a common/popular name and I'm not bothered.

 

[Breeelizabeth]

My daughter is named Charlotte and we're from Australia. We call her Lottie as Charlotte is a big name to grow into. My daughter is older than princess Charlotte but I wouldn't let the popularity phase you if you really love the name. Even though it's becoming more common I always get comments on how lovely the name is.

 

[Tishybabe]

Yes I can relate to pp. My DD1 is Charlotte and is older than the Princess. I'm from Canada, so its not as popular here, but it is still in the top 10. We call her Char [pronounced "Shar"].

Everyone loves her name, its very feminine and suits her very well. [She's a self-proclaimed princess...lol]

 

[Lucasmum]

It wouldnt bother me personally, when we chose DS' name it wasnt overly popular well not in the area we were living at the time but where we are now every 3rd boy we meet is called Lucas

 

[Buffyx]

I'm from australia and I know one 2 year old named Charlotte, and that's it.

There's a reason names are popular - because they are nice names! I say if you love it then use it. Wouldn't put me off! We almost named our DD Ava, which was number 2 I believe at the time.

 

[jessmke]

We loved the name Isla for several years before we were even TTC and always knew that would be our daughter's name (if we had a daughter). It wasn't until the last two years or so that the name has become very popular, we talked about picking a different name but we love the name so decided to use it anyways. I haven't met any other Isla's yet, and oddly enough people who don't have kids under the age of 3 think it is a super unusual name and have no idea how to pronounce it!

 

[Wish85]

I say if you love it, use it and don't worry about anything else. Think about all the common names in the world. If you meet an old lady with a really common name like Mary or Elizabeth you don't really ever think about the popularity of it..

 

[chelsealynnb]

The only way I wouldn't use a widely popular name is if it sounded like a "fad" name at the time, but I think Charlotte is a beautiful and timeless name so personally I would use it despite the popularity.

 

[staralfur]

The only way I wouldn't use a widely popular name is if it sounded like a "fad" name at the time, but I think Charlotte is a beautiful and timeless name so personally I would use it despite the popularity.

Yep, agree with this. There are some popular names that you can tell will go out of style and are just trendy.

Then there are popular names that have been popular at many points throughout history and will in all likelihood continue to be popular in waves forever! That's because they're good names.

Charlotte is definitely one of the classically good names that stands the test of time. The popularity wouldn't bother me at all, personally. We picked the #6 most popular name in Canada when we named my LO and I've actually not met another kid named Abigail yet, but I've met a million Ellie's which doesn't even crack the top 30 at its most popular recently... so you just never know what it'll be like in your area in reality!

 

[Mrs.R]

Thanks ladies - that makes me feel better! Our son is named Thomas and there is seriously at least one Tom at every park we go to ha ha! I guess it won't hurt if his sisters name is equally as popular!

 

[indira]

I think Charlotte has been popular for long enough that it won't seem like she's named after the Princess, and it's popular for a reason - it's a gorgeous name!

We will probably try to avoid names that are too popular as we have one of the most common surnames and my husband had at least one other boy in his year at school with the same full name - I'd like to avoid that. So depending on what your surname is, maybe go for an unusual middle name?

 

[Amygdala]

I love the name Charlotte! But I have to say that now that my kids are approaching school age and their social circles widen, I'm glad we stayed away from too popular names. We know at least four Harris', three Lotties and four Islas. I like all of those names but when we talk about any of those kids, it's always "Isla from nursery" or "Lottie from book group", which I think is a bit of a shame.

 

[pippi_89]

Ours are Amelia and Oliver, which have both been the no.1 names for a few years (they weren't when we named them!) and we've only come across a couple of each over the years. This time we chose Eleanor because it was about no.64 but it's shot up to no.10 this year!! Haven't come across another one yet though.

Charlotte is a lovely name. It was high on our list every time!

 

[Vonn]

Charlotte is a beautiful name. And very classic, has been around for many, many years.

My name is Jennifer, by far the most common name of my generation in the US, and fairly uncommon outside this generation. I hate it. I know we are all unique and special, but it makes me feel boring. My mom has a really unusual name, so I think she was drawn to the fact that my name wasn't weird. Not sure what the lesson is here...Maybe there's a middle ground to find, or maybe you just have to go with what you love because there are probably people who enjoy having a really common name, or enjoy having a really unusual name.

Good luck!

 

[Fruitmash]

I love Charlotte, it's very classic but I know how you feel. DH and I love Isabella, but twilight ruined that for me. Same with Quinn, loved it since I was 15 and obsessed with The Used (lol) but since glee it's lost it's appeal.

 

[KatO79]

I'm actually trying to actively avoid the popular names here, at the very least the top 3 for each gender are automatically out (we're team all the way). I just think it's a shame to name kids the same thing so many others are and then they end up going to school and there are maybe 3-4 other kids with the same name. I think I would only do it if I was absolutely crazy about the name, especially if it was a front runner before becoming popular.

Don't get me started on fad names Here people are also naming their kids the most ridiculous things like "Dyne" which is Danish for a duvet or comforter I've even heard of someone here trying to name their kid "Rhododendronbusk" which is Danish for a Rhododendron bush and another couple that wanted to name their kid Lucifer Luckily those last 2 names didn't get approved but it's getting crazy what lengths parents go to to try and make their kid stand out, without any regard for how names like that will affect their kid later in life

 

[Pansy]

My DD is Charlotte (older than the princess). We call her Lottie. We deliberately didn't chose a top 10 name but I guess it will be now!

I was pregnant at same time as Kate had Prince George & we really liked that name before he was named. DH is still keen on it now, but I've told him we're not having a Charlotte & a George, especially as my name is Catherine!!!

 

[minties]

I loved having the same name as other kids at school! I'm a Michelle and when I was 10, I was 1 of 3 Michelle's in the same classroom. We were a firm bunch of friends.