Giving your child a really common name.

[Le Chat]

In son no1's class, there are 6 (you read that right!) boys called Matthew. He is 15. In son no 2's class there are 3 boys called Cameron and 3 girls called Emily. (He is 7.)
I was wondering why parents call their children names that are really common and therefore no longer individual?

[Maydup]

We live near a school and sometime hear the children in the playground. Looking back over the past 10 - 15 years I can guarentee there have been several Matthews, Emilys, Olivers, Camerons, Callum, Alfies, Chloes and Jacks!

Nothing's changed, there are always popular names and they stick around for years. Not everyone realises these names are so popular until the children go to school and find they are one of 4 or 5 rather than the only one in their family. Just he same in the Sharon and Tracey era, or the Jane and Margaret times, or the Ivy and Doris days.

[ummmm]

Which did make me smile BM :-)

[fairycakes69]

One of mine was going to be called Darren, but it was very popular in the late 80's, so changed to Daryl which I had never really heard, turned out lots of mums had the same idea and the name I thought was different ended up very common. Still not come across a Marti or a Drew in our town, so I got 2 out of 3 right 20 years on.

[4getmenot]

i'm always trying to think of names that non of my mates have given their children but how am i meant to know when i have a baby who will be in their class?!

[sherrardk]

It's a tricky one forget - and then you might choose a name, meet the baby and think, 'no, you don't look like a Fred' and have to find an alternative name.

[jackthehat]

I managed to pick a name for my son which meant he was the only one in each of his school years, and certainly unique at his Lower and Middle schools........although I'm not certain about his upper school.

[4getmenot]

sometimes its weird to picture a baby with a certain name, like dean, mike, sandra, kevin...

[Prudie]

There were loads of Christines when I was at school, I think that's way out of fashion now. I wanted to call my new baby daughter Cassandra which would shorten to Cassie but my mum said she foretold of doom so the new puppy got that name instead!

[Maydup]

Agree with 4getme - I've never been able to imagine a Gordon, Kenneth or Rodney as a new born!

[joeluke]

At least Matthew, Cameron and Emily are normal names, unlike some of the chavvy made-up names some people name their kids these days

[boxtops]

There's a little girl round here called Lilith, strange name for an innocent baby.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

[craft1948]

When I was at school it was Ann, Carol, Linda, and Christine............I've only ever met 3 other people with my christian name.

[sherrardk]

Himself wanted to call thing 1 'Harmoni' - idiot. (We knew what we were having on thing 1 and thing 2 and it was so hard thinking up two names.)

[boxtops]

Sher, I'd rather call my baby Thing, than Ellaweez (sic).

[BAKERS DOZEN]

My mother wanted to call me Gladys Agnes after both my Grandmothers. Thank goodness my dad refused and I was christened Joy. Our daughter is called Sarah which I think is quite ordinary but she went through the whole of her school life from four to eighteen being the only one, not just in her class but in the the whole school.

[4getmenot]

my name is quite unusual but I still managed to work with a girl called the same a couple of years ago

[askyourgran]

When my little one started school I was waiting at the school gates and a big woman came to pick up her little boy. She yelled at the poor kid "Ashley c'mere you little ble*der" As I'd just finished reading Gone with the Wind - starring the beautiful and romantic Ashley Wilkes, I looked at the little bl**der to find a snotty nosed towhaired kid. What a let down.

[boxtops]

My yelling story, gran, is a woman in the supermarket -
Where are yer, Tarquin....?

[Bobbisox]

When in Bulgaria recently I met an Australian couple, their daughter was called Trinity, she was in her mid 30s, I liked the name