Should you give your child a popular baby name?

When choosing the name for your baby, whether or not to choose a popular baby name is one of the top questions you will face. Although you may like to follow fashion trends in many aspects of your life, it’s possible that when it comes to naming your newborn, you prefer not to follow the current name list, and instead choose something that’s more traditional.

Although popular baby name lists often include some traditional names that seem to be evergreen, they also reflect the current trends in popular culture. By giving your baby one of these names you are placing your child within a certain period of history because of the time frame that this name was popular and the amount of people within their generation who have the same name - for example, Tiffany was not as popular in the 70s as it became in the 80s, and likewise, the popularity for the names Marilyn and Rita are more likely to be reflected in names of the baby’s grandparents’ generation.

When deciding to give your baby a popular baby name, consider whether or not the name will still sound good when the baby is grown up. Is it a name which will endure the years, or do you think that it could sound dated - as perhaps the name Doris, which would have been a popular baby name in its time, sounds to you now. Another thing to consider is how many other babies have been given the same name, especially in the area where you expect your baby to grow up in. Do you really want him to be in a class with 6 other boys who have the same name? The positive side of choosing a popular baby name is that you know your child will have a name that will be acceptable by his peers, although a traditional popular name such as Thomas will be probably transformed into something more modern such as Tom or Tommy.

Whether or not you choose to give your baby a popular baby name is very much a personal decision, but more often than not there are outside influences which will also factor into the final verdict as you consider not only the current trend, the future implications and even whether or not it’s a name that a child can grow into adulthood with, but also the other people who will be important in the baby’s life, and whether or not you want to recognise their part by ignoring the popular baby name list and naming your baby after them instead.

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