Baby Name Poll Results

I was always Laurie B growing up. There were 2 Lauren’s and a Laura, plus a Lori in our after-school program. It wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be. I mean, I didn’t love it, but I did like my name and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

My name was uncommon in that it was old-fashioned and barely used among the generation. That said, my name is not strange or unique. I have yet to meet a younger person with the same name as me, though some people share a nickname. I liked being the only one.

I had a pretty uncommon name, Colette. I liked it, but i didn’t like that I didn’t have a ready nickname and I was constantly spelling it for everyone. I’d go more unusual but stick toa classic spelling :)

I’m going to try and answer all your questions:
Yes I had a popular name. No, I was the 3rd Abby in my classes, not Ashley or Emily(thank God, I hate that name). It made me feel a bit less unique and I hated Abby R. I always wished I had a less common or more modern name. My personal wish is that none if my kids’ names be in the top 100.

My name is common in Mexico, but growing up, I didn’t know any other Carmens. But I still wouldn’t consider my name uncommon. Back then I really hated it. But not because of it’s irregularity, because it was too CAR MAN.

Uncommon because it’s ethnic. No problem with it, have met very few others.

My name is pretty uncommon and I like it that way. My sister has a really common name (Jessica) and I’ve always felt sorry for her.
With my name, I am the Keila not just a Keila, if you get what I mine. The name feels mine, instead of just a name that is shared between half the kids in your class.

My name was somewhat uncommon. I liked that. I feel bad for kids who have to go by their first name and last initial because there are so many with the same first name. In my daughter’s class, there are three girls named Emily and they have to use their last initials. I know it irritates at least one of the girls.

I was born in 1981...my mother gave me the very unique Jennifer Elizabeth. Only about two billion more of us born that year. Honestly, though, it wasn’t really that bad. I had to go by Jennifer L. or Jenny sometimes, but I didn’t mind. I would much rather have to suffer through Jennifer L. than to have been named Tushi, which is the name of a girl that I went to school with. (The beginning of the name sounds like "hush" ...just in case you were wondering.)

*mean not mine haha!

I had (have) a common name and I HATED it. I had to go by my name and initial in school because there will always at least two others in my class, and in my after school activities too. My life in school would have been a lot easier if I didn’t have such a common name.

Honestly, it really is not that difficult to choose a non-super popular name. Really anything not in the top 50 or maybe even 25 names is probably pretty safe (you do have to take into account spelling variations though). There’s just no good reason at all not to stay away from those names. Even if not everyone hates their super common name, just the chance that they might should be good enough to keep a parent from using it. There are plenty of normal non-popular names to choose from.

When I was growing up my name, Heather, was popular and I hated it. I loved my sister’s name (at the time, not really heard of - Aubrey) and I knew a Fauna and a Melodie and loved their names, and loved the name Saffron. I desperately wanted a name that wasn’t the same as someone I knew.

My name is Abby and there were ( I think 4?) in my class. And there’s another who commented on this poll. :) to be honest it did annoy me a little bit but it wasn’t the most horrible thing ever. If you like a that’s popular I say go for it! Obviously other people like it too!

My name is Caroline. I live in the UK. There were no other Carolines in my year or in my classes (in fact of the years above and below me I was the only Caroline). I’m at university now and still haven’t met another one.

I’d never really thought about the fact I didn’t share a name. I was friends with Hannahs, Emilys, Rebeccas and Imogens who all shared their names with at least one other girl in the year. I never heard them complain about it. I don’t think they really cared.

Basically. A unique name doesn’t mean a weirdly spelled or really unusual name (unless of course you really want a really unusual name) because Caroline is hardly unique and cutting edge, but I am still the only Caroline of my age grouping (as in the 3-5 years around my age) I have ever met. The closest I have come is one girl I met at a festival who was called Carolyn.

So there you go. A child doesn’t need to be a Marguerite or a Krystynah for the sake of uniqueness if I can have the well known name Caroline and manage it.

I have a very uncommon name (not English). I both loved and hated it. I loved it because if someone called my name I knew they were talking to me. But I hated it because I always had to say it 10 times, had to spell it and nobody remembered it. Plus, it kind of sounded ugly in English. I considered going by my middle name (only 3 letters and very common), but I just couldn’t find a convenient time to switch names. So I still use my uncommon name. For my kids, I’m going for something spellable, pronounceable, and understandable, no matter how common it is.

I had a top 10 name for my year of birth and hated it. I never felt unique in school and hated going by my name and last initial. As an adult it is still annoying to have multiple co-workers with my name too. I will be choosing less common although still normal names for my children

My name’s like yours. Neither common or uncommon. I felt sorry for the 5 John’s in our school, but I felt worse for the kids whose names nobody could spell or say properly. Most of them ended up having to go by nicknames that people could pronounce. Given the choice, I’d go more popular than less, but I wouldn’t choose the #1 name.

Michelle, which Michelle? The pretty one. Too bad for the others. Hard to be always being confused with the other girls with the same name. I did like being able to find personalized items though. But hated Michelle N. I wanted to be Kira as I only knew one girl with that name, ever.

My name is Sarah and I was the fourth Sarah in my class growing up, no kidding, really the fourth. I had to go by Sarah F all through school. And I hated it! It was so annoying. And when I out in public and someone calls the name Sarah, I feel feel like three other people with that name turns their head to see who’s calling. I’ve always wished I had a more unique name. Sarah is plain and boring. It’s a name that is forgotten, it’s nothing special. People don’t remember me by my name. I wish I had a more ’spunky/unique’ name that people would say and be like I know her! And my mother totally agrees. She wanted to name me Sierra, but my father didn’t like it, so they went for Sarah. And she regrets it, I so wished she had stuck with Sierra. So because of this, I’ve always had this fascination with unique/uncommon names. I still do like some common names like Owen and Lilly, but I wouldn’t name my kids that because they are just really common. But at the same time, I don’t think I would give my child a ’really weird name’ that no one has ever heard. I have 7 year old twin sons named Sterling and Oliver, a beautiful one year old daughter named Gwendolyn an[removed]ow expecting my last and final child, a daughter, who I will be naming either Priscilla or Verity.

I was about one of 7 in my grade with my name. It was never a problem except once when my mom picked me up early for an orthodontist appointment and the office aid brought her the wrong girl. She called down a different girl (who was also of a different race) with my first name, but we laughed about it. It’s not a problem to me to have a common first name, but I also feel that you should just use the names you like as long as they’re not too crazy. Don’t worry about common or uncommon, just worry about respectable and dignified.

To be honest, I don’t know what people with common names are complaining about. Back in the day, everyone was named Mary and John and it wasn’t that big a problem. My mum was one of 6 Margaret’s in her hometown (3 of whom she still hangs out with) and they all just go by different nicknames. If you Google Katherine or Margaret or Mary or Elizabeth there are TONS of nicknames for each of them. In one of my classes, there was a Kate, Kat, Katie, Carly, Carrie and Cassie, which are all really similar, but we all knew which was which. You can always find a more creative way around Katie A, Katie B and Katie C. I even know some boys who went by their last names because it was easier for teachers and they’re STILL called by their last names today because they think/thought it’s cool.

For my kids, the most important thing is that we both love the names. I wouldn’t choose Juniper just because it’s uncommon, if Isabella was prettier and would age better.

My name is Danika, it was really uncommon when my mother named me that although it has raised in popularity over the years. I love and hate it. I love it because I feel one of a kind with that name and people know and remember me. Everyone I’ve met loves my name and loves that it’s uncommon. But also don’t like my name because sometimes I feel a little left out, for instance, those personalized key chains with the names on it, they never have my name, it’s a little annoying. But I don’t not like it enough to wish I had a common name. I’m glad I have this name. This name is me whereas names like Ava and Emma they are shared with thousands and thousands of girls every year. And I intend to give my children unique names like mine too.

Back in the day when everyone had the same name they had MANY different nicknames for that name, such that Mary or John were only on paper.

Now there are a ton of easy to spell and pronounce and yet NOT top 100 names. No reason why you cannot choose a name that is normal, easy, and WON’T make your child one of several in their classes.

when I was in K-2 I was the only Jennifer then my third grade year we moved to another state I was in a class with atleast with 3- 5 Jennifer. Either was,known has Jennifer.M or went by Jen, Jenny, or Jennifer. On my dad side I was named after my cousin so that was cool. But on my mom side there we’re two younger Jennifer couple years a part and we all was went by middle names Jennifer Kay or Jennifer Lynn, the 3rd Jennifer was Lynn all so for mn.
I don’t hate my name I love it but if I know somebody that has the same name that I’m naming my child that name is out.

I was a 1980’s Amanda. Hated it. I remember resenting it when teachers tried to get me to go by a nickname just make it easier... like I had to give up my name. It’s not so bad as an adult, but it was bad enough that I wouldn’t choose a super popular name for my children.

My parents decided they didn’t want me to be the 10th Mary in my cl[removed]o they gave me an uncommon name instead. I hated it. It’s not weird or tease-able or anything, just that nobody spelt it right and they always asked me to repeat my name 100x or thought my name was something else when I said it. I always wished I was a Kate or Emily or Abby or Lauren or any of the other more common names. People knew their names. People remembered their names. Nobody ever wrote their name down wrong over the phone and later couldn’t match it up with ID. And now I wonder about all these Krystell’s and Mykynzie’s and Unity’s. If my name was hard enough to live with, they must be tortured.

btw, I go by Kay. Because my name starts with a K. When I say my name now, people go "Hi, Kay" not "What’s your name? Kbsikajfbgdfksjd?"

I think everyone just wants what they don’t have. You have a popular name, you wish it were unpopular. You have an unpopular name, you wish it were popular. Same goes for eyes, hair, height, weight, whatever. We all want what we don’t have.

My name is Melina, my brothers Kyle and Ross, and we never had trouble with our names. My son will be named Joseph James. Joseph, Joe, Joey, JJ...they’re all fine with me.

My names McKenna. I have only met 3 other McKenna’s in my life. They didn’t go to school with me. I am glad that i didn’t have to share a name with anyone else. I always went by Kenna. I was supposed to be names Sophia which meant i would of been the 6th Sophia in my school. I remember that I had a class with 3 Sophia’s once. It got confusing.

My name is Katrina and I love it!!! I never had anyone in my classes with the same name but i have met two other people with similar names(Carina and Katerina). I like having a less common name i would hate to be named Sarah, Emily, Brittany, Tiffany, Etc...

I don’t agree with giving children hard to spell and/or pronounce names OR with super popular names... but it’s not one or the other! It really is not.

For example, I don’t think anyone here couldn’t spell or pronounce Diana, and it’s ranked number 251 currently. That’s just one of many examples... not that hard to do.

I love my name Catherine as I was the only one from my year level who had it. This was from primary school to the end of high school, that was roughly 8 years.

My name is Kristen and on my school soccer team there was two Kristens, a Christie and a Chrissy so confusing although none of them are popular anymore.

My name is a variation of a common name which isn’t very common. It’s ok I don’t mind it however it’s kind of annoying because my name is mispronounced 80% of the time and almost nobody knows how to spell it even though my parents used the "normal" spelling for the name.