Did you give your child a common (very popular) name and now regret it?

I really love the name Sophia...and was planing on giving our baby girl (due next month) that name. However, I have heard that it was the #1 name in 2007. I also did a search of local hospitals and there are a TON of babies named Sophia born so far this year.





Did anyone give their child a very popular name--and then later grow to regret it because so many other children had the same name? Please tell me your experience. Thanks!

Did you give your child a common (very popular) name and now regret it?
I have a name that was very common when I was born, AMY. Well, it's not spelled AMY, it's AMIE, but that's beside the point. I never had an issue with my name and there were always several other Amy's in my class.





We considered Jacob for our son before he was born but decided against it because it was #1. Neither of us loved it enough to overlook that. Instead we went with a name in the 20's, Brandon. It really fits him too.





In the end, if you love the name you should use it no matter where it falls on the list of popularity. I think it does more damage when parents are trying to be unique and don't realize that unique doesn't always mean good. It often times means awkward, weird or "stands out like a sore thumb" lol.
Reply:Well, I don't actually have a daughter, but from my own personal experience, girls named things like Ashley, Jessica, etc. are driven nuts because everyone has the same name. Haha.





My name is Maggie, and I hear it every once in a while (two of my next door neighbors in a row (I moved) both have dogs named Maggie. Hehe.). But when someone has the same name, I really don't mind.





For the record, I haven't met a lot of Sophia's. It sounds to me like it'd be just as popular as Maggie and I really don't mind my name.





But trust me, no matter what you name your child, she'll go through a period where she hates it, so don't feel let down if she tells you she doesn't like her name when she gets older.





I would go ahead and name her Sophia because that's beautiful. :) Besides, a more common name will be way easier to remember, which is good when she goes into the work world.





And if all else fails, give her a more unique middle name, and she can go by that if the more common name makes her mad or you regret it.
Reply:It doesn't matter if a name is extremely popular or not, it just matters that you love the name and that you want your child to grow up with it...





My daughter's name is Kennedy Addison, it's not extremely popular but it is more common these days... My sister's daughters are named Emily Elizabeth and Sophia Lynn, they are both popular names but they suit the girls extremely well... And my sister loves them and the girls don't mind them at all either...
Reply:In many cases (not all) Popular names are as such becuase they are good names.





If you adore the name, use it regarless of how many others there may be.





Sophia is a good name, A woman named Sophia demands respects, and as a little girl Sophie is cute.
Reply:no it doesnt matter
Reply:no. i picked names ppl didnt really hear of too much. my daughter still hasnt come across with anyone with her name but its used as user names in chat rooms etc. but not for a real name. lol
Reply:Names are popular for a reason. Only the best names become so popular. You wouldn't want to pick a name that you think is less beautiful just because someone else in her class may have her name.





My husband grew up with a popular name and never minded having more than one other child in class with his name.





I love Sophia, use it and don't worry about what other people say.
Reply:Yes. I know someone called Rebecca. It wasn't common at the time, it suddenly became popular. Same for Madeleine and Anna.
Reply:from my experience,it seems harder for children to deal with uncommon names,not popular names.


For example, I know someone named Gretchen who hated how uncommon her name was and wished she was named something more common. She will name her kids something mainstream.
Reply:If i was to have a girl i was going to name her savhanna lynn but if you cant come up with anything that isent to common wait till shes born they say the name just comes to you
Reply:Yeah Sophia is SO common, I bet there will be like 10 of them in her class, lol. I have a few friends who's kids names are Sophia. So I would rather go for something less popular, and more unique.
Reply:No, I don't regret it yet. There are many different spellings of my daughter's name, even though it's popular, so at least that's something. I used it cuz I loved it too, and couldn't come up with one that seemed as perfect. Actually I did, but it was too close to someone else's name in the family so I used my 'original' name for my daughter's middle name. My daughter might regret it later, who knows. But I think it's beautiful and fits her.
Reply:In baby naming, you should really just go with something you like, that has a nice or personal meaning. Old fashioned names (or names that seem outdated) always seem to find their way back into mainstream, and trendy names always seem to go out of style and quickly become old fashioned...it's a full circle. My name is Jennifer, and back in grade school I was literally 1 of probably 8 Jennifer's in my class. Now, however, the name Jennifer is considered old fashioned. So do I have a trendy name, or an old fashioned name? Trends come and go, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.





As for my kids, I didn't pay much attention to trends or popularity when I named them. Dylan was born in 1996, back before the name became trendy (I named him after the famous poet Dylan Thomas) Madison was born in 2005, and although it's considered a trendy name, I didn't name her to be trendy (I found out I was pregnant on a trip to Madison, SD, and that trip was the last trip we took with my grandmother before she died) Mandalyn was born in 2002, and her name is a made up name. I do not regret any of my decisions!





By the way, I think Sophia is beautiful!
Reply:When I named my son Cameron, I had only heard of it as a last name and a girls name (Cameron Diaz and Camryn Manheim.) I finally seen the name on a male actor (Cameron Mathison) and immediately liked it. I thought it sounded powerful. He is now in the 1rst grade and I can honestly say I dont know any other Cameron's at his school. However, the year after he was born, I start seeing in our paper the name Cameron coming up every week in the births section. Now I;m starting to wish I could have thought of something else.
Reply:names are hard to decide on.i have 5 girls.just think of it is a name you and your child will be sharing for a very long time. even if several has the name, it is unique to you and your child!
Reply:I gave my oldest daughter the name Jessica. I found out later it was the most popular name the year she was born. I don't regret it because I still think it is a beautiful name. I just wish it had been more unique. There have been times when she was in a class with 2 or 3 other Jessica's. She was named shortly after the whole "Baby Jessica" incident and I think a lot of little girls were named after that little girl. When she was young we mostly called her Jessie, which didn't seem to be as popular for girls, but now that she is older she mostly goes by Jessica. Anyway, if you love the name Sophia now, you will probably always love it. Unless you have another name that you love, who cares if other kids have the same name.
Reply:I gave my daughter the name Katherine and it's been in the top 100 (not sure of the exact spot) for many years. No, I don't regret it. She doesn't have any other kids with that name in her class. But she does have 3 Aiden's!
Reply:My son is called Connor and as soon as we found out we were having a boy we loved it. we didnt know anyone else at the time with the name and as huge fans of angel we knew the name was perfect!!





then we moved to wales, and in my sons class there are 4 connors, i believe there was another one but hes left to go to another school. so now they are all called by thier full names. i do regret it and i dont, i cant imagine him with another name as it suits him perfectly but sometimes i wish there werent so many other connors around.
Reply:I have a very uncommon name, and I love it. It makes me feel unique. And I like not having to hear my name everywhere. I can't imagine it any other way!
Reply:My son is named James and although it's somewhat common, there is only one other James in his grade (and not even his class). I call him Jamie anyway.





I don't know if my mother regretted it, but my sister Elisabeth was one of four in her class - same with my sister Lauren. They would get annoyed about it as kids - so I don't really know. Sophia is really a gorgeous name, it'd be a shame not to use it just because of popularity.
Reply:I named my daughter mackenzie, and my son jacob. Jacob is a very popular name but I didnt regret it because I LOVE that name. I think if you love the name sophia no matter how many are named sophia you wont regret it. You should be able to name your child whatever you want and someone is bound to have the same name.
Reply:Name your child whatever you are comfortable with. I like the name Sophia. I named my first daughter Farrah Monet. I love the name, people were like what is wrong with you. I never thought twice about it. Who cares what other people think.
Reply:My son's name is Andrew, which is a pretty common name. But it fits him. And it is what I wanted. If you really like the name, which by the way is beautiful, you should use it. Yeah, it might be common, but it doesn't change that it is a good name. I say go for it!
Reply:Fashions come and fashions go - I wanted to call my daughter Molly, but suddenly there were many little girls called Molly. I wouldn't mind - I love the name - my husband didn't. So we named her Georgina and she is the only Georgina we know. Her sister is Joanna.


But ... I was much younger when I had her brothers, and I watned them to have fashionable names. My son is Jason and there are millions of those around. But I really wanted him to be called Liam, and I'm glad I didn't get my way, because there are millions of Liams we know.


My grandson is now called Corey and his uncle is engaged to a girl who has a son called Corey, too.


I've never met any Coreys before, and now I have two!


Sophia is a beautiful name - I would go ahead with it.
Reply:I always wanted to give my children different, but not odd names. I don't think I would've felt comfortable giving them names that were #1 in the nation. But, if you love that name, do it. You'll regret it later in years, if you truly didn't love the name you gave your child.





You are right about Sophia being the #1 name. I love the name Sophia. I named my cat that about 3 years ago. If it is truly your favorite, name your baby that.





At the time I was having babies, Jennifer was really popular, but the more I heard it, the more I didn't like it. I think I would've regretted naming my child the most popular name, but that is just me.





I wanted my children to stand out and have unique, but not crazy names. When there are 10 Jennifers in one class, they just all kinda run together. But, when someone mentioned Elaina, everyone knew who they were talking about.





On the other hand, if I had my heart set on Sophia, nothing in the world would've stopped me from naming my child that. If every kid in town was named Sophia and that was my favorite name, I wouldn't care. If you're heart is set on it, got for it.
Reply:I know you asked for personal experience, but I wanted to give my opinion even though I don't have children.





I'm assuming you're in your twenties like me... Think about how many Ashley's and Jennifer's you had in your classes/school growing up. There was Ashley G., Ashley M., Ashley P., Jennifer T., Jennifer J., or a Jenn or Jenny. I agree that you should ultimately choose a name that you love, but think about the "Ashley and Jennifer" of the next generation... Do you want your daughter to be Sophia D. or Emily B. ??





My mom named me Chloe in 1985 when NO ONE had ever heard of it. When I was in like 2nd grade I hated my name because everyone was an Ashley, Jennifer, Jessica, or Nikki. I just really wanted to be like everyone else. But then when I hit middle and high school I fell in love with my name because it is unique and memorable. People don't forget my name! Even though it's a popular name now, Chloe was a unique name that I grew to cherish and even realize that it fits me to a T.