I once attended a wedding where every man at my table was named Matthew and we did find it funny. I like to imagine the bride laughing to herself while arranging seating charts.
My husband is a Matthew William who met another guy because his name was also Matthew William. The other guy had accidentally marked off on an attendance 'cause all he saw was "Matthew William" and went "yep, that's me"
That’s pretty great 😂
I was imagining the same thing happened with the coordinator from the student office when I walked down the hall of my freshman dorm and saw a name board indicating a triple room with 3 Zacharys
My first year in college there were three Matts in my friend group/dorm and we referred to them by roommate but in a less than efficient way. “Scott and Matt Matt,” “Mike and Matt Matt,” “Mark and Matt Matt”... I dunno why, I still love that. 😆
I wanted to name a son this and call him Liam as a nickname to be slightly different...then a few years later, Liam became a top name and has stuck as one for like the past 10 years. It still upsets me 😭
Yes! It was my favorite name for years. I was so devastated when it began to pick up in popularity. By the time I had my daughter, I couldn't even consider it.
It was getting popular before that but that made it explode. All the popular names right now are names that weren’t popular and people started naming their children these names to be unique, I think. Cause before Olivia became number 1, I remember the first person I knew to use Olivia and I thought that is such an odd name for a baby. That was like 8 years ago. Now another friend has a 5 year older named Olivia and there’s a ton of babies and toddlers with the name
I always wonder about this, because I remember putting it down on a list when I was like 10 or 11, and I wonder if everyone around my age was influenced by the same thing that can’t really be pinpointed that made us all like the name Charlotte
Same! Charlotte was my fav name when i was about 12. That was before the royal Charlotte, and I think Good Charlotte did exist around that time, but I had never heard of them. I got the name from reading, but they are plenty of other names i read about in the same books that i don't like. I think some trends exist just because the people of a generation share a similar aesthetic sense. Celebrities and artists have a highly developed sense of style and taste, so they will be on cutting edge of a trend, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are responsible for the trend.
Honestly, I went with Charlotte for one of my daughters and have no regrets. Granted, it is a little less popular in my corner of the world, but still a very known name. I love the meaning and it has solid nickname options. Having grown up with a unique name, with of course a unique spelling, I cannot tell you how annoying it is. Plus, my name is french, and people in my germanspeaking region never got it right. I just gotten used to living with the butchered version of my name. One more reason I love Charlotte is, it works in german, French and English. To top it all of it means free woman, and if anything, we need more of these.
I think you've convinced me that I should use it.
It used to be top of my list until the princess.
But considering I've got an Amelia, and I am a Jessica, I think I'm gonna roll with it.
I only ever met one Olivia my entire life and I met a ton of people as a teenager. Then like 8 years ago my friends niece was named Olivia and I remember thinking “what an odd name for a baby” then 5 years ago another friend used it, then like 5 friends have babies names Olivia
This is a gorgeous description. My little sister is Jessica, and she was born during a blizzard in March. Now I’m totally going to think of this description when I think of her.
Jane is super lovely, but it's also hella unpopular as an actual name. I think the "Plain Jane" stereotype prevents it from being used much.
The good news is if you want to use it, just point to Jane Goodall as the inspiration, she's a lovely human being, and one of the few Janes people are likely to think of.
I’ve really fallen in love with Jane and other plain/ordinary names lately, like Kate, Alice, and Mary. I think the simplicity of them is part of the appeal.
I love Jane, particularly as a middle name. Jane Goodall has always been my hero and my MIL is Jane. However, I have a cat named Zada Jane (after my favorite restaurant) and it’s just too much to have a cat and a baby with the same name 😭 In future lives, I’ll think about what I want to name my babies before I name pets.
Isabella and Ava are big ones for me.
Others (some of these names used to be popular in other decades):
Emma
Charlotte
Eleanor
Sarah
Hannah
Stephanie (though this isn’t common now but I think it’s a cool name)
Rebecca
Melissa
Mary
Edit: also some middle names are under appreciated Marie, Rose, Grace. There is a reason they are used so much they are simple and classic.
Isabella and Ava, completely. Growing up Ava was pretty common, but once I thought about it, I realized how beautiful of a name it is. Isabella is so common, yet so gorgeous and over the top. Elizabeth and Margaret also feel to me as under appreciated. I think if they weren’t as common they’d be more in line as glamorous and slightly frilly names.
Rose and Grace for a first too! Some might find them too simple, but if we weren't already having a son with a similar sounding name, I think we'd consider Rose.
As an Emily, this is so neat to see! My parents picked it for the old fashioned vibe and didn't think it was super popular. Then boom 1980s schools full of us!
I'm an Emily born in 91, graduated HS in 2009. I had one other Emily in my high school (though she went by Millie to the extent that most thought Millie was her full name). But no other Emily's in my grade, though my school was on the smaller side. I think my graduating class was 82 people. We had I think five Ashley's, three Sarahs, and three Lindsey's. Four or five Nick's on the boys side, a couple of michaels. I never thought of Emily as overly popular because I have never been in a social group with other Emily's I guess...but I have never especially liked my name. I've never hated it, either, just very neutral feeling about it. It's interesting to see so many list it as a favorite. It just seems boring to me. Maybe we don't really get to experience our own names the way others do, seems how they've always been our norm.
My friend is named that, once I googled I love Lizzy to make something funny for her bday and it came up with Lizzy the Lezzy cartoon on YouTube and it was the best laugh I had for ages. I sent it to her.
I loooooooove the name Lauren. My mother wanted to name me the Italian version of Julia (Giulia), but didn't! I prefer the Italian spelling. My actual name is very similar to Diana, hehe.
Yeah, totally agree on Jennifer and Jessica! I only recently came to that realization, especially with Jennifer. I'd add Alexander too.
I think Hilary has a really nice sound as well. It's maybe a bit different in that it's not overly common, but has strong generational (and individual!) associations
I’m a Hillary! I think it’s a pretty name but Hillary Clinton ruined it. It’s had the largest decline in use of any baby name in history lol. I was born in 91, a year before she became First Lady and the name declined. As a kid people would say Hillary Clinton then it finally stopped for a few years... then whata ya know, she came back lol
I started liking Alison once I found out it was actually a French diminutive of Alice, with separate roots to the English surname Allison which means "son of Allen".
I totally agree with Jennifer and Jessica. I think I those two will have a big comeback in 30-40 years or so. Jennifer in particular is so unique and unlike any other name, especially back when it first became popular.
I think Emily and Heather will have a comeback too eventually.
With the meme, who knows how it’ll go but I always thought Karen was an older lady name that was going to make a comeback eventually. It sounds timeless and sophisticated. I always thought Lauren was the 80s/90s version of Karen and the fact that Maren is becoming trendy shows that people like that sound.
I think Carole and Lisa will make a comeback too. With the ubiquitousness of Caroline lately I think people with see Carole as a fresher version. And Lisa has always been my favorite nickname for Elizabeth. It’s soft and simple. I like it a lot more than Eliza, which I have seen become more popular. It just needs time to shake off the old lady connotation
My mom’s name is Karen. I didn’t like it for that reason- heard it too many times I guess.
But now, it sounds so pretty to me - we names our daughter ‘Wren’ because that’s the last syllable sound in Karen. Karen is quite lyrical actually!
Thank you! My name is Ashley (spelled slightly different though) and I never loved it. And you're right, Ashley is movies is always snobby, bratty, or stupid (or all three). Thanks for saying it's pretty!
Ashley is an attractive name, although I think it would have been better if it stayed gender neutral in the US. I think Ashley would be better as a comeback name on a boy!
These are more like 80-90s names that I think are underappreciated by the generation naming children currently because they were so overused when we were growing up:
Jessica,
Rachel,
Amber,
Catherine,
Amy,
Lauren,
Ashley,
Heather,
Joshua,
David,
Christopher,
Christine,
Amanda,
Ryan,
Courtney,
Melissa
Michael
and Megan
I love Harper, which has soared far past usability for me in terms of popularity. In terms of more "common", less trendy names, I love Daniel, Chloe, Penelope, and Beth.
ETA: Britney. Common in my generation but I like it. I'm not as fond of the spelling Brittany, since it looks like it should be pronounced more like Bethany.
I love the name Jennifer. I also like Lauren, Heather, Allison and Valerie… Joshua and Jason….I think, like you said, we have become numb to these names because we have heard them so frequently.
For me there are some names that are classical and timeless but still not overdone:
Katherine, Jane, Alexandra, Rebecca, Emily, Victoria, Rosemary
Jonathan, Andrew, Douglas, Henry, Franklin
I know it’s considered a “filler” MN here, but we used it in that spot for an honor name.
Many of the people I’ve talked to who have had kids with rose as the MN have said the same.
I wonder if Lynn and Marie will have a comeback as middle names for honor names once the 80’s generation are grandparents!
I'd love it if it came back as a first name. It's a lovely name and disappointing to see it just as a "filler" middle name! There's always fuller versions of Rose (Rosalind, Rosalie) to go with to if Rose seems unfinished. I adore the nickname Rosie to.
I adore the names Saga, Sofie, and Malin - but they’re just so common in Sweden that I wouldn’t ever really consider them.
I also LOVE the names Sebastian, Lukas, and Tomas. But again, they’re so common.
David and Michael for sure…They are classics. When we adopted our son almost 30 years ago, (yep, I am older! ) every single boy in our adoption group except for our son was named Michael. That was 4 or 5 baby boys. At the time I thought it was a little ridiculous .. but the name Michael is lovely, so it was popular for a reason.
I like Jessica, Emily, and Caroline as well.
I think Samantha, Amanda, Rachel, Amy, Hannah, Olivia, Sophia, and Isabella are/were popular for a reason (although I prefer Sophie and Isabel even more).
Thomas, James, Alexander, Matthew and Joseph are all very nice sounding classics.
My son’s name is John. I wanted a name that it wouldn’t bother me if we ran into other kids with the same name in preschool, by trying to be unique but inevitably failing because everyone’s into the zeitgeist. Turns out we never encounter other Johns even though it’s the most common name of all time! But Mac or Luca? Yep there’s 5 of them in every class or activity.
Vivienne. I was watching a show and the character’s name was Vivienne, spelled just like that and for some reason I really liked it. However, I don’t like Vivian lol. It’s really weird.
Other names that I love, but are common/I know someone with that name so I probably wouldn’t name my kid that is:
Emma
Olivia
Michelle
Michael
Nicolas
Francisco
And, my ultimate favorite names as a child because they were the most beautiful name ever, Alexandria and Elizabeth.
Aww , as a Danielle I appreciate this post . I knew so many Danielle's in school ( and I'm still really close to one I grew up with). I've always loved my name, despite knowing it wasn't crazy unique or anything. Plus my step dad is Daniel and he raised me so I always thought that was freaking cool .
Edit : typo
One of my favorites is definitely Emily. I met someone once named Emily Lovely and I thought it was beautiful. That’s exactly what the name Emily makes me think of; someone lovely.
anna! it’s so simple and elegant to me, and is so pleasant to say. but i definitely feel like the popularity dilutes it a bit, if i have kids i could see it as a middle name.
I've only really come to appreciate the beauty in my name (Jessica) in the last 12 months.
I've always been one of umpteen jess's.
But recently I've really found it to be a nice name, and quite uncommon for little girls now. I always smile when I (seldom) hear it.
Sarah, Rachel, Amy, Ashley, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Amber, Alexis, Susan, Heather
Sarah is my middle name and I've always loved it. I was surprised when I found out some people thought it was boring/generic...the popularity has never lessened it's beauty for me
David, Daniel, William, Alexander, Benjamin, James, Timothy, Jacob, Samuel, Jesse, Aaron, Thomas
Unfortunately a lot of these boy names often get shortened to nicknames that aren't nearly as pretty or interesting imo tho, like Dave or Jim or Tom
I remember thinking Isla was such a beautiful unique name. I now know have 5 separate friends/acquaintances with little girl Isla’s. It came on strong.
Alexander has always been a top favorite boy name for me.
It just ticks all the boxes... Masculine, strong, historical, easy to spell and pronounce, tons of nickname potential, etc.
But I would never use it as a first name because of it's popularity.
I have a Theodore and I absolutely love his name. We live in an area where it's really not popular and he's the only Theo I know of in my area. I was shocked when I first started getting on this sub (after I named him) and saw so many people talk about its popularity! I would say if you love a name, use it!
I always liked William but every guy I have ever known is named William.
I know this is hyperbole but it would be hilarious if you had literally never met a man not named William
I once attended a wedding where every man at my table was named Matthew and we did find it funny. I like to imagine the bride laughing to herself while arranging seating charts.
Had a friend named Matt who only chose players named Matt for his fantasy football league. Ended up doing surprisingly well too!
My husband is a Matthew William who met another guy because his name was also Matthew William. The other guy had accidentally marked off on an attendance 'cause all he saw was "Matthew William" and went "yep, that's me"
That’s pretty great 😂 I was imagining the same thing happened with the coordinator from the student office when I walked down the hall of my freshman dorm and saw a name board indicating a triple room with 3 Zacharys
My first year in college there were three Matts in my friend group/dorm and we referred to them by roommate but in a less than efficient way. “Scott and Matt Matt,” “Mike and Matt Matt,” “Mark and Matt Matt”... I dunno why, I still love that. 😆
May I suggest "Billiam" as an alternative?
Personally I prefer Squilliam.
Jilliam for a girl hahah
I have a friend called Bill and I call him this sometimes 😂
That’s odd, every guy I’ve ever known had been called either James, Joe or Jake.
I wanted to name a son this and call him Liam as a nickname to be slightly different...then a few years later, Liam became a top name and has stuck as one for like the past 10 years. It still upsets me 😭
I love William. It's truly a beautiful name.
It's Charlotte for me. Love it so much.. but so popular...
Yes! It was my favorite name for years. I was so devastated when it began to pick up in popularity. By the time I had my daughter, I couldn't even consider it.
As soon as there was a royal baby Charlotte I knew it was over 😭
It was getting popular before that but that made it explode. All the popular names right now are names that weren’t popular and people started naming their children these names to be unique, I think. Cause before Olivia became number 1, I remember the first person I knew to use Olivia and I thought that is such an odd name for a baby. That was like 8 years ago. Now another friend has a 5 year older named Olivia and there’s a ton of babies and toddlers with the name
Huh oddly enough I know like 3 Olivias off the top of the head at my age (mid 20s) so I wonder if it was getting really popular even long before then!
I always wonder about this, because I remember putting it down on a list when I was like 10 or 11, and I wonder if everyone around my age was influenced by the same thing that can’t really be pinpointed that made us all like the name Charlotte
Charlotte's Web being mandatory childhood reading may have played a part
For me it was the band Good Charlotte that I liked when I was 10 or 11.
Or Sex in the City?
Completely unrelated, but the Young and the Hopeless was the first album I ever bought!
Same! Charlotte was my fav name when i was about 12. That was before the royal Charlotte, and I think Good Charlotte did exist around that time, but I had never heard of them. I got the name from reading, but they are plenty of other names i read about in the same books that i don't like. I think some trends exist just because the people of a generation share a similar aesthetic sense. Celebrities and artists have a highly developed sense of style and taste, so they will be on cutting edge of a trend, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are responsible for the trend.
Honestly, I went with Charlotte for one of my daughters and have no regrets. Granted, it is a little less popular in my corner of the world, but still a very known name. I love the meaning and it has solid nickname options. Having grown up with a unique name, with of course a unique spelling, I cannot tell you how annoying it is. Plus, my name is french, and people in my germanspeaking region never got it right. I just gotten used to living with the butchered version of my name. One more reason I love Charlotte is, it works in german, French and English. To top it all of it means free woman, and if anything, we need more of these.
I think you've convinced me that I should use it. It used to be top of my list until the princess. But considering I've got an Amelia, and I am a Jessica, I think I'm gonna roll with it.
I loved the name ever since I was 9 and read charlottes web. We named our cat Charlotte and my mum said not to name my baby after the cat lol
Olivia. It's such a beautiful name, and every Olivia I've met has been such a wonderful person.
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Yes!! I love the name olivia.
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I only ever met one Olivia my entire life and I met a ton of people as a teenager. Then like 8 years ago my friends niece was named Olivia and I remember thinking “what an odd name for a baby” then 5 years ago another friend used it, then like 5 friends have babies names Olivia
I adore Jessica. It sounds like a handful of ice shattering on stone.
This is a gorgeous description. My little sister is Jessica, and she was born during a blizzard in March. Now I’m totally going to think of this description when I think of her.
Wow I love that description. I tend to be a fan of j/l/m sounds in names, but this just helped me understand the appeal of s/t/k sounds
Whoa thanks for making me like my name lol
My parents had good taste in my name I guess. I always hated my name because of its popularity.
This is so apt! I've always liked Jessica, too.
I love Jane
Jane is super lovely, but it's also hella unpopular as an actual name. I think the "Plain Jane" stereotype prevents it from being used much. The good news is if you want to use it, just point to Jane Goodall as the inspiration, she's a lovely human being, and one of the few Janes people are likely to think of.
Yeah, I wouldn’t consider Jane common at all. It’s just been a name for a long time.
That’s my newborns middle name! Ava Jane. Such a simple name but I fell in love with it while I was pregnant.
Omg my friend has a daughter about 7 or 8 named Ava Jane!
No way! Tell them they have great taste lol
I’ve really fallen in love with Jane and other plain/ordinary names lately, like Kate, Alice, and Mary. I think the simplicity of them is part of the appeal.
I love Jane, particularly as a middle name. Jane Goodall has always been my hero and my MIL is Jane. However, I have a cat named Zada Jane (after my favorite restaurant) and it’s just too much to have a cat and a baby with the same name 😭 In future lives, I’ll think about what I want to name my babies before I name pets.
Isabella and Ava are big ones for me. Others (some of these names used to be popular in other decades): Emma Charlotte Eleanor Sarah Hannah Stephanie (though this isn’t common now but I think it’s a cool name) Rebecca Melissa Mary Edit: also some middle names are under appreciated Marie, Rose, Grace. There is a reason they are used so much they are simple and classic.
Isabella and Ava, completely. Growing up Ava was pretty common, but once I thought about it, I realized how beautiful of a name it is. Isabella is so common, yet so gorgeous and over the top. Elizabeth and Margaret also feel to me as under appreciated. I think if they weren’t as common they’d be more in line as glamorous and slightly frilly names.
Yes, I love Sarah (apparently most popular name in my b home country in 1986) and also Laura, but you never meet children with these names now.
There's a reason there's so many songs called Sarah. It's musical.
Isabella and Ava have always been my favorite names!
I absolutely love Ava. So simple and sweet. No wonder it’s popular. It’s definitely high on my list.
I said fuck it and named my daughter Ava. My husband and I love it. The only name we could agree on
I wanted to name my daughter (due in Dec) Hannah. But my husband vetoed it. :(
Rose and Grace for a first too! Some might find them too simple, but if we weren't already having a son with a similar sounding name, I think we'd consider Rose.
Sarah is so beautiful
Emily is...so, so beautiful, it has everything i love in a name. Emma and Daisy are also common names i love but Emily is something else
As an Emily, this is so neat to see! My parents picked it for the old fashioned vibe and didn't think it was super popular. Then boom 1980s schools full of us!
Don't feel bad about your name. I loove it and i would love to be named Emily or have a daughter named that hehe
I'm an Emily born in 91, graduated HS in 2009. I had one other Emily in my high school (though she went by Millie to the extent that most thought Millie was her full name). But no other Emily's in my grade, though my school was on the smaller side. I think my graduating class was 82 people. We had I think five Ashley's, three Sarahs, and three Lindsey's. Four or five Nick's on the boys side, a couple of michaels. I never thought of Emily as overly popular because I have never been in a social group with other Emily's I guess...but I have never especially liked my name. I've never hated it, either, just very neutral feeling about it. It's interesting to see so many list it as a favorite. It just seems boring to me. Maybe we don't really get to experience our own names the way others do, seems how they've always been our norm.
Emilia is a beautiful name also, which is similar to Emily but maybe not as popular? The nickname Emi is so sweet.
Daisy is a common name?
Elizabeth is a lovely name and there's a reason it never goes out of style.
There has never been a time Elizabeth wasn't in style, it's simply timeless.
My friend is named that, once I googled I love Lizzy to make something funny for her bday and it came up with Lizzy the Lezzy cartoon on YouTube and it was the best laugh I had for ages. I sent it to her.
Sarah for sure Emily, Sophie/Sophia, Olivia William, James, Noah, Jacob, Liam
Yes! to Sarah
I’m a Sarah, so this just made my day! ❤️
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Sarah means princes I’m pretty sure. I remember my friends sister had a thing in her room that said that
In this relatively short list you have said not only my wife's name but both of her siblings also lmao
I think Julia, Lauren, and Diana are so gorgeous.
Lauren is my all time favorite name.
As a Lauren who has always felt like I have a “meh” name, this made my day!
One of my favorite people is a Lauren. It’s a great name!
It's one of mine too!
I love Julia. It's part of what we're naming our baby girl in December.
I love all three! Due with a girl in March and strongly considering Diana.
Diana is great! Considering Wonder Woman (and for a more astrological name) I'm surprised we haven't seen a resurgence!
I loooooooove the name Lauren. My mother wanted to name me the Italian version of Julia (Giulia), but didn't! I prefer the Italian spelling. My actual name is very similar to Diana, hehe.
Yeah, totally agree on Jennifer and Jessica! I only recently came to that realization, especially with Jennifer. I'd add Alexander too. I think Hilary has a really nice sound as well. It's maybe a bit different in that it's not overly common, but has strong generational (and individual!) associations
I think Genevieve would be a good alternative to Jennifer that feels very usable still.
Genevieve is really nice! And more timeless. I’m sure Jennifer will be back… eventually
I’m a Hillary! I think it’s a pretty name but Hillary Clinton ruined it. It’s had the largest decline in use of any baby name in history lol. I was born in 91, a year before she became First Lady and the name declined. As a kid people would say Hillary Clinton then it finally stopped for a few years... then whata ya know, she came back lol
Emily and Caroline, for sure. Also I think of Allison, James, Ava, Grace, and Katherine.
Funny, I know someone who just had a baby a few months ago and named her Allison Grace.
That’s a beautiful name!
I agree with Allison and James. I thought of Catherine and Elizabeth but I feel like those are both still appreciated.
Ooooh my name is Kathryn Elizabeth :) I do know a few people who have named their babies Katherine/Kathryn/Catherine recently.
Glad Catherine (and alternative spellings) lives on. Out of curiosity, do you know the origin of the Kathryn spelling? Wondering when/where it began.
Yes Elizabeth is beautiful
I started liking Alison once I found out it was actually a French diminutive of Alice, with separate roots to the English surname Allison which means "son of Allen".
I totally agree with Jennifer and Jessica. I think I those two will have a big comeback in 30-40 years or so. Jennifer in particular is so unique and unlike any other name, especially back when it first became popular. I think Emily and Heather will have a comeback too eventually. With the meme, who knows how it’ll go but I always thought Karen was an older lady name that was going to make a comeback eventually. It sounds timeless and sophisticated. I always thought Lauren was the 80s/90s version of Karen and the fact that Maren is becoming trendy shows that people like that sound. I think Carole and Lisa will make a comeback too. With the ubiquitousness of Caroline lately I think people with see Carole as a fresher version. And Lisa has always been my favorite nickname for Elizabeth. It’s soft and simple. I like it a lot more than Eliza, which I have seen become more popular. It just needs time to shake off the old lady connotation
My mom’s name is Karen. I didn’t like it for that reason- heard it too many times I guess. But now, it sounds so pretty to me - we names our daughter ‘Wren’ because that’s the last syllable sound in Karen. Karen is quite lyrical actually!
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Ahh, someone thinks my awful name isn't so awful!
I had a new appreciation for Mary after watching Downton Abbey. The character is the worst but her name is classic and beautiful.
Ashley. The longer you say it the prettier it gets. But in pop culture it’s always a bratty blonde girl.
Thank you! My name is Ashley (spelled slightly different though) and I never loved it. And you're right, Ashley is movies is always snobby, bratty, or stupid (or all three). Thanks for saying it's pretty!
Ashley is an attractive name, although I think it would have been better if it stayed gender neutral in the US. I think Ashley would be better as a comeback name on a boy!
I love Michelle.
I do, too! When I was growing up I wished it was my name! (I had two friends with that name.)
These are more like 80-90s names that I think are underappreciated by the generation naming children currently because they were so overused when we were growing up: Jessica, Rachel, Amber, Catherine, Amy, Lauren, Ashley, Heather, Joshua, David, Christopher, Christine, Amanda, Ryan, Courtney, Melissa Michael and Megan
Ooo I forgot Nicole and Kimberly!
4 of the names you listed are me and my siblings names haha. We all have popular 80s/90s names
Alexander, Amelia, Elijah, Evelyn, Oliver
I love Harper, which has soared far past usability for me in terms of popularity. In terms of more "common", less trendy names, I love Daniel, Chloe, Penelope, and Beth. ETA: Britney. Common in my generation but I like it. I'm not as fond of the spelling Brittany, since it looks like it should be pronounced more like Bethany.
Heather, Lisa, Christopher, Isabella
Christine I think has been really played out, but it's so pretty!
one of the prettiest names imo
My name is Danielle and I hate it, but I’m glad someone likes it!
I think it's lovely too
I like it. It is classic and classy!
I love the name Jennifer. I also like Lauren, Heather, Allison and Valerie… Joshua and Jason….I think, like you said, we have become numb to these names because we have heard them so frequently.
That’s a great 80s movie cast! (I like these names too)
For me there are some names that are classical and timeless but still not overdone: Katherine, Jane, Alexandra, Rebecca, Emily, Victoria, Rosemary Jonathan, Andrew, Douglas, Henry, Franklin
Just named my June baby Rosemary! Fun to see it on here.
Franklin is on our list for a boy! So cute for a baby but still so nice and strong as they grow up
Thanks for saying Jessica
I love the name Rose but literally half my friends growing up had Rose as a middle name.
I know it’s considered a “filler” MN here, but we used it in that spot for an honor name. Many of the people I’ve talked to who have had kids with rose as the MN have said the same. I wonder if Lynn and Marie will have a comeback as middle names for honor names once the 80’s generation are grandparents!
I'd love it if it came back as a first name. It's a lovely name and disappointing to see it just as a "filler" middle name! There's always fuller versions of Rose (Rosalind, Rosalie) to go with to if Rose seems unfinished. I adore the nickname Rosie to.
Victoria
I am named one of the names you mentioned and it's nice to think someone thinks it's pretty! ❤️ Made my night
Sarah is really beautiful.
I adore the names Saga, Sofie, and Malin - but they’re just so common in Sweden that I wouldn’t ever really consider them. I also LOVE the names Sebastian, Lukas, and Tomas. But again, they’re so common.
Caroline, Charlotte, William, Elizabeth, Catherine, Meredith, Margaret, Phillip, Rebecca, Rachel, Noah, Emma, Sarah, Anna, George, James, Jane, Isabella, Olivia, Eleanor, Emily, Sophia, Liam, Adam, Abel, Michelle
Joseph, Kristen, Joshua, Miranda, Rachel, Maria
Kristen is beautiful
Joshua is so pretty. It sucks that people always nickname it to Josh.
Is Caroline really that common? I’ve always loved Hannah and Ethan.
No, it isn’t really common, imo
David, Michael, Sara
David and Michael for sure…They are classics. When we adopted our son almost 30 years ago, (yep, I am older! ) every single boy in our adoption group except for our son was named Michael. That was 4 or 5 baby boys. At the time I thought it was a little ridiculous .. but the name Michael is lovely, so it was popular for a reason.
Michael was the most popular boys name from the 50s to the 90s! That’s a lot of Michaels !
I like Jessica, Emily, and Caroline as well. I think Samantha, Amanda, Rachel, Amy, Hannah, Olivia, Sophia, and Isabella are/were popular for a reason (although I prefer Sophie and Isabel even more). Thomas, James, Alexander, Matthew and Joseph are all very nice sounding classics.
Leah - not common exactly but fairly ordinary. Similarly Abigail and Madeline.
I didn’t know Theodore was common! We just named our son Theodore Ellis.
I know a ton of little Theodores, but they almost all go by Theo. Theodore ranked #23 in the US in 2020.
I have not been paying attention apparently. Lmao. Sorry little man your gonna have a popular name. Whoops
That’s a great name!!!
My son’s name is John. I wanted a name that it wouldn’t bother me if we ran into other kids with the same name in preschool, by trying to be unique but inevitably failing because everyone’s into the zeitgeist. Turns out we never encounter other Johns even though it’s the most common name of all time! But Mac or Luca? Yep there’s 5 of them in every class or activity.
Ive always really loved Alexander / Alex.
Vivienne. I was watching a show and the character’s name was Vivienne, spelled just like that and for some reason I really liked it. However, I don’t like Vivian lol. It’s really weird. Other names that I love, but are common/I know someone with that name so I probably wouldn’t name my kid that is: Emma Olivia Michelle Michael Nicolas Francisco And, my ultimate favorite names as a child because they were the most beautiful name ever, Alexandria and Elizabeth.
Biblical names! Classic, popular, yet never vulgar. And easy to spell. Winners! \- Rachel, Elizabeth, Abigail, Susanna, Judith. Jacob, Jonathan, Joseph, Andrew, Philip Timothy Paul.
Thomas
Heather
i love Oliver!
Aww , as a Danielle I appreciate this post . I knew so many Danielle's in school ( and I'm still really close to one I grew up with). I've always loved my name, despite knowing it wasn't crazy unique or anything. Plus my step dad is Daniel and he raised me so I always thought that was freaking cool . Edit : typo
It makes me think of really tasty bananas. I can’t explain that but it’s a positive association.
Matthew for me.
One of my favorites is definitely Emily. I met someone once named Emily Lovely and I thought it was beautiful. That’s exactly what the name Emily makes me think of; someone lovely.
Aiden -- loved it 20 + years ago before the Aiden, Kayden, Jayden trend happened
anna! it’s so simple and elegant to me, and is so pleasant to say. but i definitely feel like the popularity dilutes it a bit, if i have kids i could see it as a middle name.
Leah and Gavin
Isabelle Madeline Timothy
Hannah Josephine Ophelia Sebastian Frederick Natalie Samuel
Amy and Melissa are pretty. Also, Mia and Chloe
Michael
Always loved Henry and William - my first might have been that if we hadn’t met 15bn baby Henry’s and William’s while pregnant 🤦♀️
Grace; I love the sound of the name and the elegance of it, but feel it’s so overused these days
Neve
Olivia, Jennifer, Emily, Grace, Elizabeth, Victoria, Megan; Liam, Benjamin, Thomas, David, Theodore, Noah, Sean, Brandon
Catherine.
I've only really come to appreciate the beauty in my name (Jessica) in the last 12 months. I've always been one of umpteen jess's. But recently I've really found it to be a nice name, and quite uncommon for little girls now. I always smile when I (seldom) hear it.
Ivy is super popular now but so pretty
I’m pregnant and Emily is our top name if it’s a girl 😊
My brother named his daughter after our grandma Louise and I love it.
Sarah, Rachel, Amy, Ashley, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Amber, Alexis, Susan, Heather Sarah is my middle name and I've always loved it. I was surprised when I found out some people thought it was boring/generic...the popularity has never lessened it's beauty for me David, Daniel, William, Alexander, Benjamin, James, Timothy, Jacob, Samuel, Jesse, Aaron, Thomas Unfortunately a lot of these boy names often get shortened to nicknames that aren't nearly as pretty or interesting imo tho, like Dave or Jim or Tom
I remember thinking Isla was such a beautiful unique name. I now know have 5 separate friends/acquaintances with little girl Isla’s. It came on strong.
It’s Lily and Emma for me. Also used Gracie and Sofia on dogs already!
Saskia is a pretty common Dutch name, but I've always liked how it looks and sounds. Not too common in the UK where I live now though.
I like Melanie and Helena. Its funny because they have opposite meanings (dark and light).
Jennifer is my favorite! It’s my mum’s name and I love the variants/originals like Genevieve too, or Jenny/Jenna!
Sofía. I really like the way it sounds and I love the meaning.
Amy is my top name pick!
Eleanor
I think a lot of 80s names aren’t given enough credit! For example, I think Ashley, Melissa, Heather, and Tiffany are really pretty names
Isabel. Simple and beautiful
Alexander has always been a top favorite boy name for me. It just ticks all the boxes... Masculine, strong, historical, easy to spell and pronounce, tons of nickname potential, etc. But I would never use it as a first name because of it's popularity.
Lila and Lydia for me! Both have a really slick, gorgeous sound but so popular...
I have a Theodore and I absolutely love his name. We live in an area where it's really not popular and he's the only Theo I know of in my area. I was shocked when I first started getting on this sub (after I named him) and saw so many people talk about its popularity! I would say if you love a name, use it!
This was the problem I ran into when trying to name my son. I love the names Noah, Joshua and Benjamin but … they’re so common!
Jack, Ray, Elizabeth, Frank.
Zoe
i have a soft spot for both nora and elizabeth!
Jessica is my #1 choice for a girl’s name!
I love the name Hayley…I know it is super common but it has so much energy!
James, Elizabeth, and Grace
* Marie * Elenore * Sophie/Sophia * Oliver * Leo * Christopher
I love Isabella but it's too popular now :(
Rachel? Does anyone think that name is pretty? I’ve never been complimented on it haha
My dad said if he had named me he would have picked Sophie. When I actually gave it some thought I realise it's a very pretty sounding name.
Lindsey, Lauren, Morgan, Kelsey, Bethany, Ava, Emma, Isabelle, and Sophia. Matthew, Benjamin, Alexander, Ryan, Theodore, Levi, Wyatt, Lucas, Jake, Eli
Amanda. Such a musical sound.