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HelpWhy isn't a "trendy" name considered a good sign?
I looked at the reactions to the names mentioned on this site and found that names that are considered trendy don't seem to get a great response.
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Replies
Because most people here are into names that have a history and a more classic vibe, trendy names might be more popular on a baby name website.
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Probably because they are associated with a specific time, it can be a "cringe factor" for some people. Sometimes trendy names can be good, or they can be bad, like any other type of name.
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In addition to everything already said, I think sometimes if you hear a name too much on too many people it wears out and no longer sounds pleasant. So you might like a name, but then after it's popular for a while, it's just kind of boring and lifeless.
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I think that is also part of it. I remember names that were super popular when I was in high school, for example Stephanie. After hearing it 4 or 5 times a day, everyday in high school, it just becomes boring. You hear it so often that you don't really see the quality of it anymore.
But now that I take a step back and just look at the name in itself, it's not a bad name. Is it my top choice? Probably not. But it sounds feminine enough and flows well when you say it out loud. Like it's a very fine and normal name.
Also (kind of ironically), a baby girl born in 2024 named Stephanie would probably be the only one in her class. ;-)
But now that I take a step back and just look at the name in itself, it's not a bad name. Is it my top choice? Probably not. But it sounds feminine enough and flows well when you say it out loud. Like it's a very fine and normal name.
Also (kind of ironically), a baby girl born in 2024 named Stephanie would probably be the only one in her class. ;-)
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I don't get why it would be bad for a name to be associated with a certain time period, though. I think that's kind of fun.
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I think there are a few reasons. One is that the name will become dated in a little while instead of remaining timeless, or sound like something of the past or from the specific time period when the bearer was born. I don't think it's horrible to have a name that matches your age, though.
Another thing is the trend of being "unique". It used to be that most people wanted to give their children very popular and widely considered acceptable names, but it seems people more increasingly since then have decided they want their child to be different and special, and so they try to give them a special name. They want their kid to have a name that's different and noteworthy, or at least one they won't share with a bunch of other kids in their class, which I can understand.
Another factor I've noticed is occasional snobbery about having different opinions than other people. I mean like people priding themselves being different by not being like the others and liking more uncommon names, because as previously mentioned, people like to be different. Some people might just not like specific trends, which is fine, but it seems like some also go out of their way to prove that they're not like the others. I think it's a little silly to hate on something just because other people like it. I don't really like the name Scarlett, but not because it's popular, I just don't like it. They might not like the name for other reasons, but they use its popularity or seeming "trendiness" to reason their dislike for the name. The thing is, a lot of the names I see people calling "trendy" aren't even that popular, or were a trend like 10+ years ago, and people are just saying it's trendy to insult it. I don't see why trendy is used as an insult on this website, because it means that it is widely liked. Most elsewhere, I find trendy is a generally positive thing.
Another thing is the trend of being "unique". It used to be that most people wanted to give their children very popular and widely considered acceptable names, but it seems people more increasingly since then have decided they want their child to be different and special, and so they try to give them a special name. They want their kid to have a name that's different and noteworthy, or at least one they won't share with a bunch of other kids in their class, which I can understand.
Another factor I've noticed is occasional snobbery about having different opinions than other people. I mean like people priding themselves being different by not being like the others and liking more uncommon names, because as previously mentioned, people like to be different. Some people might just not like specific trends, which is fine, but it seems like some also go out of their way to prove that they're not like the others. I think it's a little silly to hate on something just because other people like it. I don't really like the name Scarlett, but not because it's popular, I just don't like it. They might not like the name for other reasons, but they use its popularity or seeming "trendiness" to reason their dislike for the name. The thing is, a lot of the names I see people calling "trendy" aren't even that popular, or were a trend like 10+ years ago, and people are just saying it's trendy to insult it. I don't see why trendy is used as an insult on this website, because it means that it is widely liked. Most elsewhere, I find trendy is a generally positive thing.
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I think a lot of people said it. Very popular names will automatically be associated with a time period.
I am at the age where a lot of people around me are having kids, and some of my friends have said that they would like their children to have something that is slightly original without being too weird. I know so many parents who make it their goal to chose something OUT of the top 100 for that specific reason. It's the idea to not have a common name that will blend too much in the crowd, but not have something too ''out-there'' either, so the kid is not teased. People love to be a bit different than the masses.
Overall, I kind of agree that having a common name is not the worst thing in the world though. Sure it tells of your age and generation, but at the same time, why deny the time you were born? It is what it is.
I am at the age where a lot of people around me are having kids, and some of my friends have said that they would like their children to have something that is slightly original without being too weird. I know so many parents who make it their goal to chose something OUT of the top 100 for that specific reason. It's the idea to not have a common name that will blend too much in the crowd, but not have something too ''out-there'' either, so the kid is not teased. People love to be a bit different than the masses.
Overall, I kind of agree that having a common name is not the worst thing in the world though. Sure it tells of your age and generation, but at the same time, why deny the time you were born? It is what it is.
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I just think most of them are bad.
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Trendy names date a person. When we hear of someone named Brittany, we assume they were probably born late 1980s- mid 1990s, for example. Ageism still exists today when people discriminate against you based on your age and your name can be a clue.
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I personally prefer names with pedigree that can't be tied to a brief, specific period of use.
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Many people don't like that trends are so fast and they wouldn't want to have a name that was in style one year and out of style the next, because you can't just change your name as easily as you change your clothes.
To me it's more of an aesthetic thing, and I think some names have a trendy aesthetic even if they're not 'trendy' in the sense of going through a fast trend cycle. Think cheerleaders, pop stars, the aesthetic of "the popular mean kids" in a high school movie -- that's what I'm thinking of when I describe a name as trendy, and it's just not an aesthetic that I like personally. It's not objectively bad in real life (regardless of what it would signify in a movie), it's just not my thing.
To me it's more of an aesthetic thing, and I think some names have a trendy aesthetic even if they're not 'trendy' in the sense of going through a fast trend cycle. Think cheerleaders, pop stars, the aesthetic of "the popular mean kids" in a high school movie -- that's what I'm thinking of when I describe a name as trendy, and it's just not an aesthetic that I like personally. It's not objectively bad in real life (regardless of what it would signify in a movie), it's just not my thing.
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It may also be because a trendy name may date more quickly and be far more easily pinned to a particular time frame.
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Thank you.
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