https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:58:47 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634878 Wed, 14 May 2014 21:37:29 +0000 loveisstrange 1634878@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Unfortunately... C's name is getting super popular. It's a little irrtating... but we love her name so BFD. Her name is pretty and classic, so I don't think it's going to be like Tiffany or Jennifer or Kimberley in the 80s. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634873 Wed, 14 May 2014 21:29:58 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1634873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: that's how I felt about our first daughter's name when Pam and Jim on the office used the name right around the time our daughter was born. It jumped several points, but then settled right back to the mid 200's. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634849 Wed, 14 May 2014 21:20:51 +0000 daniellemybelle 1634849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: that's good to know but I still kind of hate that it is "very popular"! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634819 Wed, 14 May 2014 21:05:34 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1634819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: I think you are safe on this one. It is very popular, but I think it is on the 100 year cycle rather than being an Elizabeth or an Isabella which would have a tendency to stay at the top through multiple historical periods.</p> <p>And I love it. It's so cute and spunky. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634661 Wed, 14 May 2014 19:51:17 +0000 daniellemybelle 1634661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Since you are clued into name geekdom, I am really interested to know - is S.adie going to be the next Sophia?? It's meteoric rise is making me nervous! Though folks are attributing it to Duck Dynasty... Yipes. The TIME predictor says it peaked this year &amp; will decline. If it stays at #50 I can live with that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634455 Wed, 14 May 2014 17:56:37 +0000 jedeve 1634455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I wouldn't mind if my kid's name got more popular, too! I feel like I'm the only one, haha. But we get "oh, that's unique" sometimes.</p> <p>His name is Gene. Not that out there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634424 Wed, 14 May 2014 17:34:53 +0000 ShootingStar 1634424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@thisisme: I have heard "deek-lin" and "del-kin". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634404 Wed, 14 May 2014 17:16:57 +0000 jedeve 1634404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's funny - I really liked the name Declan before we got pregnant, but the only person I knew with the name was a homeless person.</p> <p>Also, Abigail and Madeline. I loooved those names as a kid, and now they are climbing the charts! </p> <p>Five or six years ago I knew a kid named Henry and thought the name seemed so out of place among all the Aidens and Bradens and Owens. Now I know a bunch of Henrys and tried to talk DH into it!</p> <p>So there must be bigger forces at play, like with any trend (chocolate covered bacon? maxi skirts?) Why does something start sounding good to everyone that a few years ago would have been "eh?" </p> <p>I think some super expert could probably analyze trends like certain sounds that become popular (like boys names ending in -en for a few years there, or now with girls names ending in -a), regions of the world (Irish names, anyone?), time periods (no one wants to name names from their parents' generation, but two or three back seems cool).</p> <p>So as all those things become trendy, we all start liking names like Declan, and Finnegan, and Emma and then get annoyed when they become popular because, hey, I liked it first! (Or maybe that's just me?) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634387 Wed, 14 May 2014 17:03:27 +0000 swedishfish 1634387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stargal: Time Magazine is predicting that the popularity of Declan will decline. I've loved Declan for years! It's still on my list for a boy. I don't care if my married last name isn't Irish at all. :wink: </p> <p><a href="http://time.com/93911/baby-name-predictor/" rel="nofollow">http://time.com/93911/baby-name-predictor/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1634370 Wed, 14 May 2014 16:56:59 +0000 thisisme 1634370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: How else do they pronounce it?!</p> <p>I love the name Declan! Just had a close friend use it, so I doubt we will. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1633353 Wed, 14 May 2014 10:18:35 +0000 ShootingStar 1633353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DS is a Declan, and we gets lots of weird responses to it. Most people have never heard of it, at least around here (outside Boston), which I think is weird, but that's a different topic. We get people that can't pronounce it (WTF?) and people that ask where it came from. I'm not hugely worried that he'll have a class full of Declan's one day. In fact I'd kind of like it to be popular enough to stop the strange comments. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1633338 Wed, 14 May 2014 10:12:43 +0000 cascademom 1633338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have some friends that named their LO "Declan." I seriously considered it for LO, but went with another popular name. I'd say the name is rising in popularity, but not much. Also, it's a pretty old school traditional name, so it's not like it's a new one or a new variation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1633127 Wed, 14 May 2014 08:52:02 +0000 LuLu Mom 1633127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a Declan at daycare, and he's the first in real life I've met in real life. I wonder if it became more popular because of Revenge? Now that he's gone maybe it will start to decline again? I do love the name! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1632945 Wed, 14 May 2014 07:24:46 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1632945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Name geeks would think that my second daughter's name is rising to the top. And yes it has now cracked the top 1000, but only 50 kids were named that in her both year and 80 last year. So yeah, huge spike but some names will never be super popular. I can't see Declan being top ten, but maybe top 100? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1632933 Wed, 14 May 2014 07:11:37 +0000 Foodnerd81 1632933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stargal: I thought this predictor was pretty cook:<br /> <a href="http://time.com/93911/baby-name-predictor/" rel="nofollow">http://time.com/93911/baby-name-predictor/</a></p> <p>Put in a name and it predicts how popular it will be over the next 25 years based on similar names. It says C's name will peak again in 2016. </p> <p>I personally would expect Declan to get more popular but not top twenty popular or anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1632922 Wed, 14 May 2014 07:02:14 +0000 wonderstruck 1632922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know, I keep hearing the name Declan online, but when I told people we would be using it for our son I got a LOT of reactions as if I'm crazy and just totally made up that name! I think a lot of it depends on the area you live in - I don't know anyone who has used most of the top 5 baby names. And yeah like Mae said...13 out of 10,000 kids is really not a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1632912 Wed, 14 May 2014 06:41:23 +0000 ValentineMommy 1632912@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TemperanceBrennan: &amp; @Foodnerd81: same name here too, spelled differently! Everyone thought I was named after the character on Dallas...which my mom had never seen. Lol she just liked the name. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624986 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:31:04 +0000 Mae 1624986@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stargal: Keep in mind too, like others have said, that the distribution of names is far wider now than it was when we were kids. This site shows you how many babies are actually born every year with a given name: <a href="http://www.ourbabynamer.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ourbabynamer.com/</a> It isn't updated for 2013 yet, but in 2012 only about 2700 baby boys in the entire US were named Declan. Which is only 13 of every 10,000. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624969 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:25:37 +0000 catlady 1624969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One thing to look at is how similar the name is to the currently super popular names. For example, I first heard the name Declan a few years back and assumed it would go up the charts due to it being an "alternative" to Aiden and Liam. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624943 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:20:49 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 1624943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Ha! Are you from STL? My parents thought they gave me a popular name, and it was according to my birth year, but I never had someone in my class with the same name, but my friend was always Kristen X. She went through a phase where she pronounced it Ker-sten to be different. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624931 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:18:39 +0000 stargal 1624931@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: ooo thanks for the links!! urgh why cant it be 1998!! LOL </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624922 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:16:37 +0000 rattles 1624922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stargal: Hmm, I mean, it's obviously already more popular than that, although @TemperanceBrennan is right that popular isn't what it used to be in terms of lots of kids sharing a name in one classroom. I think it's going to rise, and I think it will end up at least in the top 100. I'm a believer in using a name anyway if you love it, but your priorities might be different! I wonder if you might like the name Eamon? Similar feel to Declan but popularity more like Pierson.<br /> @Mae: That's exactly the chart I was referring to! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624916 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:13:55 +0000 Pancakes 1624916@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stargal: One thing that might be helpful to you is to look at name popularity by state. Declan (also one of my faves!) might be much more popular in some areas that others. SSA.gov has a downloadable .txt file if you go to "Beyond the Top 1000 Names." Then at least you can compare over the years whether it's climbing in your state, or holding steady. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624903 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:10:55 +0000 Foodnerd81 1624903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TemperanceBrennan: my parents had the same conversation as your friends, and gave me the same name. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624901 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:10:35 +0000 Mae 1624901@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you just sort of look at how the name is moving. Declan is definitely getting more popular. The chart from baby name wizard shows a steep increase in popularity, but it is important to remember that it is still RELATIVELY unpopular over all (or rather not super popular). As you can see from the SSA data, it is definitely rising through the ranks. But I guess you have to ask yourself how popular is "too popular." And also it is a gamble knowing when it will peak. At some point it will reach its max popularity and hold steady or decline... but who knows when that will be! </p> [attach=4140/14/n5bmlo.326x301.Screen-Shot-2014-05-09-at-3.06.50-PM.png] [attach=4140/14/n5bmlp.480x449.Screen-Shot-2014-05-09-at-3.08.02-PM.png] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624899 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:10:11 +0000 stargal 1624899@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@rattles: our first son's name isn't in the top 1000 and I never heard of anyone irl with the name and most ppl who hear it never heard of it before, and I like that. but its hard to find another name that we like that could fit all the critiera like Pierson's name. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624893 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:09:12 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 1624893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>According to Freakonomics, look at the names the superrich/intellectual give their kids. Eventually it trickes down: </p> <p><a href="http://freakonomics.com/tag/baby-names/" rel="nofollow">http://freakonomics.com/tag/baby-names/</a></p> <p>ETA: <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/2005/04/a_roshanda_by_any_other_name.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/2005/04/a_roshanda_by_any_other_name.html</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624865 Fri, 09 May 2014 14:00:05 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 1624865@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also think it is important to keep in mind that the internet didn't exist when we were born. Our parents didn't have the data we have now. My friend's parents name her Kristen because they thought it was unique and they didn't know anyone else with that name. It ended up being one of the most popular names the year she was born. </p> <p>The top ten names make up a much smaller percentage of births then they did 20, 30 years ago. </p> <p>The flip side is that we are aware of tons more names. I don't know anyone with the name Declan in real life, but I've heard the name a ton online so I might believe it is more popular than it actually is. </p> <p>Just providing a little perspective. I don't know if there is a way to predict the rise of a name. What's the saying, "Past performance is no guarantee of a future result". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624755 Fri, 09 May 2014 13:35:13 +0000 looch 1624755@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's kind of like how the name Jennifer became so popular in the 1970s...was it because of the character Jenny in Love Story, which was a super popular book and movie at the time. No one really knows! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-know-if-a-name-is-going-to-rise-significantly-in-popularity#post-1624744 Fri, 09 May 2014 13:31:48 +0000 rattles 1624744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81 is right that there are tons of articles about this. Aside from those, one thing I find helpful is looking at the charts from NameVoyager at babynamewizard.com and looking at how steeply the name has gained momentum. A slow and steady gain is less likely to jump than a name that's made a sudden spike in the last few years/decade.</p> <p>ETA: I know a Declan my age and think it's a great name that wears well, fwiw. I do think it will continue to rise - it hits several trends (2 syllable, ends with -n names, Irish names, etc). How popular is too popular for you? </p>