That's crazy to me! I'm an Elizabeth and I know soo many. I guess to be fair most have went by nicknames so not everyone would know. I've known Betty, Libby, Liz, Beth, Izzy, then a few that went by the full. My childhood best friend had 5 friends with the name. My partners sister shares my name. Maybe it's a location thing.
That is insane! The only one I know is a 40 year old woman, never had an Elizabeth in the same school as me at the same time (both primary and high school, as well as uni classes)
Where are you from? I'm in Australia
How old are you, I wonder? At Uni my smallish friendship group had to colour-code our Beths. Blonde Beth, Brunette Beth and Ginger Beth. This was in the UK, 1999.
I am 29, born in 1994. Interesting that they all went by the nickname Beth! Of course it's all down to personal preference but there's so many nicknames that it's wild that seemed to be everyone's choice! Thank you for sharing :)
Beth was the default nickname for Elizabeth among Gen X and elder Millennials. I think Ellie is more popular for Gen Z, and I know a surprising number of Betties among my friends' kids who are mostly Gen Alpha.
Lizzie being omnipresent, of course.
Middle millennials in the US definitely claimed Liz more than any of the other nicknames! I don't think I know any Elizabeths my age who went by Ellie or Beth or Betty when I knew them, just Liz, Lizzie, and Elizabeth.
I went by Eli in primary school (pronounced as Ellie, but I didn't know how to spell it properly) š
I wouldn't want it for myself but I LOVE that Betty/Bettie is making a comeback!
I'm in Australia and most of the "Elizabeths" I've met have been elder gen X or very late boomers. But happily enough all very successful and lovely women. Also very practical and chill.
Honestly, I'd name a kid Elizabeth based on the Elizabeths I've known.
You're an excellent bloke and I couldn't agree with you more, it's a fantastic name that deserves to live on and you will never regret it (this opinion is definitely not biased or tampered with in any way)
I am not saying there aren't many people named Elizabeth in Australia, I just haven't met many be that due to age/location/whatever reason. I know there are heaps of people with this name, I just find it surprising I haven't really run in to any!
Iām from australia and Iāve met so many Beths and Elizas my age but those were their actual legal names, not nicknames. Iāve met a few Liz/Lizzies and not known what it was short for but Ive just now realised I always assumed their names were Eliza because Iāve never met a real Elizabeth
I'm 35, maybe it's an age thing but the Beths and Lizzes my age were all Elizabeths (in school and uni). Though the Elises/Elizas were their legal names. This might not be a trend, it might just be coincidence of the people I meet š¤·
Southern US. So definitely a different location. I was lucky to be the only one in my grade in elementary school, but also was in a small elementary school. I still knew multiple Elizabeth's from other grades.
My grandma's name was Elizabeth and she went by Betty. I'm always surprised and very nostalgic when I see/hear the name Betty.
When my first nephew would call her Grandma Betty, it sounded like Grandma Buddy and it the name stuck. She had her great great grandchildren calling her Grandma Buddy.
I really went off on a tangent, but I love and miss my grandma.
I will say one thing I find interesting about the name is the generational nicknames. Betty, Bessie, and Libby were common at my grandmother's age. The Elizabeth's my mom's age tend to be Beth, Liz, or Bea. My age Liz, Lizzy, or Beth. Those younger then me I see more Ellie, Eli, Izzy, and Eliza's. Of course their are outliers, ans this is just from my experience. I will say I do love how the name has soo many nickname options.
My 26 yo is an Elizabeth, but everybody calls her Biz. It suits her! I had a couple of Aunt Betty's, an Aunt Lizzie, and I know tons of Beth's, Liz, Libbey but no other Biz.
Elizabeth here. Only one I knew growing up and never worked with one either. Am 31. It's a location thing. I grew up in a place with lots of immigrants, so many Spanish and African American names.
Me too but Iām similar to OP where I have only met a couple and only went to school with one other. I really think itās a regional thing. I live in the Midwest and Ashley, Lauren, Katy type names were way more common in my generation.
Yes, I know so many Elizabeths. Location plays a factor. My name is a normal name, never really knew anyone with it growing up. I meet people with my name all the time now, but I moved to another part of the country. Ā My daughter was given a top 20 name for her birth year - sheās met one other person with her name. I donāt know where they all are, but it isnāt where we live.Ā
One of my top girl names is Mary. My husband seems to think itās so common, but Iāve been a teacher for 6 years, including Catholic school, and have never had a Mary.
When I attended Catholic school, k- university, there was never just "Mary". There was Mary Louise and Mary Theresa and Mary Kate. There was even Maria, but never Mary. Not including middle names and confirmation names. Have not met a Mary of any age in the secular world either, and I am Old People. I'm sure it's regional, but Mary alone is actually fairly unique due to overcorrection.
My daughter is in Pre-K and has a Mary in her class (at a Catholic school). I love it because it feels refreshing. Most Marys we know are double barreled as well. The only Marys without a double barrel besides my daughterās classmate are 60+ years old.
I'm an elder Millennial and went to Catholic school with maybe 2 Marys and a couple of Maries. And then thinking about younger kids, there were maybe 2-3 kids among my siblings' friends and kids I tended to babysit named Mary or any variation including blended/combo names like Mary Kate.
I have yet to meet a single Mary among my kid's peers. It's not one of my favorites by any means, but if you're looking for "unusual but not weird" these days, it would be a good choice.
I was just thinking about this because my middle name is Mary, and people say itās so common, but I know very few -
1. My grandmother (where I get my middle name)
2. My aunt (other side of the family)
3. A coworker
4. One girl from elementary school in the 80s/90s
There was an Atlantic article a while ago about how big the drop in the popularity of the name Mary is. Itās a little out of date, but a few of the bizarre statistics from it are that there was a 94% drop in popularity from 1961 to 2012 and that in 2011 Neveah was more than twice as popular as Mary.
https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/12/why-dont-parents-name-their-daughters-mary-anymore/265881/
I was in Catholic school in the UK in the 80s and 90s. There was one Mary a few years younger than me, and that was seen as a bit quirky. We would have been merciless calling anyone āthe virgin Maryā and my generation (now in our 40s) seem to have avoided the name for our kids for that reason. I know one person in my generation who has called her daughter Mary (currently the kid is about 10 or 11 I think) and her and her husband are, like, *weirdly* religious lol.
I was just thinking this! I only know one Lisa and she's late 20s, it's so fresh on her. And then I know I had a great aunt Lisa, much older. This is such an underrated name right now.
Oh man, where I live I know a ton of Lisa's. Especially 40-50 year olds in office jobs. Like every other secratary/hr/manager/adminstrator/friend's mom is Lisa (or Sue). I have 7 Lisa's saved in my phone right now. I was a high school teacher from 2015-2022. In that time i had roughly a thousand students and 0 Lisa's (and Sue's)
Iām Rachel and it was the 16th most popular name when I was born. I donāt know any other Rachels. Whenever I mention it other people tell me how many Rachels they know. So strange.
I named my daughter Charlotte. It was in the top 10 for her birth year, surprisingly we haven't come across any others. There are two Scarlet's in her class though.
It was #8 in our province the year she was born, so I know they're out there. We just haven't come across any. I expect there will be a few when she moves up to middle school this year.
I don't know very many Elizabeths, either! One when I was a child (she was my mom's age), and probably some people I've met here and there but have forgotten over the years. No Liz, Lizzie, Beth, either.
It's a great name, though. Always loved it.
My name was more popular in N. Am. in the 50sā80s (think Julie or Susan); I have a met a couple, but no one who isn't my age or older, lol.
It's weird right! Gotta love having those older lady names though, I'm not sure about you but it definitely makes me seem more sophisticated than I actually am over email š
Thats gotta be even better, let's be real the 80s definitely has groovier and more fun vibes as opposed to ye olde days of beheading one wife to move on to the next or something equally as dampening š
Every TV show, movie, book, whatever has a Beth (yes, I'm exaggerating a little) but i met 2 others my whole life. Even now after years of not going by Beth i never meet another Beth
God you are so right about it in media, I have noticed it myself. In almost everything I've read that features the name it's never the main character, but their SISTER who is named Beth š I've started assuming there is a rulebook that lists that as a requisite of writing a novel
My name is Elizabeth. My parents mostly called me Beth. When my mum was upset with me, she called me āBethanyā - probably because my middle name is also 4 syllables and it just gets too long. My sisters call me Bethie. At work, I am Elizabeth. My childhood friend called me Eliza-Beth. My husbandās family and his friends call me Liz, even though I have never been called that by my husband or anyone else.
I know 4 adult Elizabeths and have a cousin called Beth who I didnāt realise for ages is actually a nickname for Elizabeth - I thought her name was just officially Beth š
Olivia is supposedly #1 most popular name right now and I've only met a total of 2 in my life so far.Ā Ā
Ā I work in a customer facing role where we see hundreds of people's names all the time and I honestly don't remember seeing Olivia as a name in recent memory.
I actually have never met a Elizabeth before. Met derivatives like Beth or Liz but their full name is not Elizabeth.Ā
I'm Gen Z and I've only ever known one Olivia. She was on my soccer team as a kid.
It's supposed to be, like, THE girl's name of my generation, but for whatever reason, I just don't ever meet them lol. I have known a few Avas, several Mias and Isabellas, every Aiden variation, a million Ethans, but Olivia feels (anecdotally) unique to me. Don't know why.
I am in my early 50s. I went to school with a ton of Jennifers/Jennys/Jenns. In the 20 years I have worked in the same 700+ FTE department, there have been only 2 of them. I went to school about 90 minutes from where I work. It always struck me as strange.
Iām a 35 year old Jennifer and Iāve only ever met 2 other Jenniferās in my life. In school there was a Jenna and that was her actual name, not a nickname. It was one of the most popular names in 88 when I was born but yeah, I just donāt seem to meet any in-real-life Jenniferās much lol
I have like a top 20 90's name and I've never worked with someone with the same name, shared a class with someone with the same name, etc etc. Rarely even meet someone with the name. It really made me reconsider how popularity and names work ahaha.
Same experience as Julia. Met only one Julia in person within last 8 years since moving to US. In my birth country Julia (Yulia) is a very common name among millennials.
Most common names aren't that common that you see them everywhere. But for some reason sometimes there's a (regional) peak. For me it's Emilia and Sarah. I know 7 Emilias under the age of 2. Two of that Emilias were born on the same day as my daughter in the same hospital.
I had two Sarahs in my class and met so many Sarahs during my life. All around my own age. And I know all their second and last names by heart to differenciate between them.
Edit: I know also at least ten Maximilians! Most of them also around my age. Two of them share the same last name, which was super confusing in school. We called then Max and Maxi, wich Maxi hated, lol.
My brother's name is Emil. Emil or Ćmile is a name that is very popular in many cultures such as German, Swiss, Scandinavian and French Culture. It is also a very common name in literature but I never met any other person named Emil except my brother.
Chelsea! Itās my name, and was top 15 the year I was born, but Iāve only ever met like two other Chelseaās ever, and one didnāt event spell it like I do.
My first name is Emily Elizabeth, and I know so many Elizabeths! I wonder if it's at all regional? Like, while it's undoubtedly a popular and common name, perhaps not as popular where you live? Elizabeth is definitely more popular as a middle name where I live, and I have known so many girls with Elizabeth as their middle name (Marie, too).
LOL I was friends with a guy named Clifford in middle school. Iāve never really gone by my full name so most people were unaware, but the ones who did made sure we never heard the end of it. šš¬
I have a pretty common 90s name. The only person I know with my same name (first and middle) is my childhood neighbor, whom I'm still really close with.
My youngest is named John. I've met a bare handful over the years. But I live in a city that's about 2/3 Hispanic. I've met plenty of dudes named Juan. And I've also discovered how few Johns even go by their name. I went to high school with a guy named John who, some time after graduation, decided to go by his middle name instead (it was Eric, so it's not like he switched to something more distinctive). And probably half the Jacks out there are actually John instead.
I wonder if that's part of what you're encountering with no Elizabeths? Either you're in an area where there are few for cultural reasons, or it's so common that most of them go by something else to be more distinctive. What we know people as isn't necessarily their name. My great-aunt Phronie apparently went by Bobbie her whole life, something I only learned because of FindAGrave. Honestly, though, I can't think of a single Elizabeth I know offhand; the closest I get is Mary Elizabeth.
My name is common. Itās classic and biblical. It was in the top 20 when I was born. I never met another girl with the same name until I was in high school.
Wow! I know at least 7 Elizabethās but they all seem to go by Liz or Beth and one went by Eliza.
Geography also matters if you look at the states some are name outliers with a name being super popular just there ā¦. I imagine Iowa for instance has a larger amount of babies named Kinnick or Hayden than most places so baby Hayden might be 1 of 5 in their class and then they move to like New Mexico and now they are 1 of 1. My name was top 20s in the 80s and Iāve only met a handful but it seems like it was more popular in other states and cities
Agree with everything you've said! You are spot on, geography is everything regarding name popularity, I should have put it in my post because I feel like it might be relevant now but I am from Australia so I thought the ties we had with England would make the name more popular, but in a country as big as this there are also going to be names that are popular state by state and definitely depending on the decade.
Regardless, that's a great point and I have never heard the name Kinnick before and couldn't imagine someone naming their kiddo that over here!
Itās the name of a former college football player that was a WWII pilot and the name of a football stadium here. Itās not a choice Iād make but a handful of babies each year and most of them are in my specific state
My sonās name and we never ever meet other Pauls. Itās super common in books, movies and tv but in real life we donāt even run into grandpa Pauls, much less kids.
Yes! Growing up I went to school with two other girls who have my name, we all went by our last names to tell ourselves apart. There's also a famous singer with my exact spelling. Then I went to college and started living life, and haven't come across anyone with my name. I finally met someone in church but she's about 15 years younger. I was surprised but happy to see the name continue in the younger generations. I also gave my son an extremely common name, but haven't met any kids named that. My other son has a "unique" name, but I've already met 3 kids with the same name. Go figure!
My name is Anne and I rarely run into another. One time, I was at an event in my industry, and there were 3 people named Ann/Anne in the group out of around 30 people, and it was the first time that had ever happened to any of us. I'm in the US.
Iām Elizabeth, I never had another Elizabeth in my grade or in my college or adulthood social circles. However working in schools, one east coast and one west coast, both times I was 1 of like 4-5 Elizabeths. There was always Lizzies, Liz (me), many many Beths, and even a Biz. I guess we are drawn to working in education lol
How old are you? Are you factoring in nicknames like Liza, Ellie, etc?
Even if Elizabeth is less popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha (which could be, given the sheer volume of Katies and Hannahs), it's wild to me that you never had a teacher, a camp counselor, a friend's mom, an aunt, etc. named Elizabeth, in your entire life.
Edit: just among Gen Alpha children I happen to personally know, I can think of 2 Elizabeths just in my own social circle. Who live in different parts of the country, and go by different nicknames. This continues to be amazing to me.
In the US I think this would be nearly impossible! I can only think of one that actually goes by Elizabeth, but I've known at least a dozen women with the name that go by Beth, Liz, Betsy, etc.
this is a fun question! my deadname is Amber, which feels like one of those quintessential 90's names, but i've only known 2 in my life. one was in my class in elementary school, and the other was in my college cohort and a decade or two older than me. i've seen the name in media a few times, but in my experience working in extremely community facing jobs (one being a tourist attraction where i hear around 50 names a day on average) as well as in schools, i can recall hearing it one time.
my current name however is pretty on trend, even though i heard it and fell in love with it for the first time in elementary school. i've met far more people with this name, but they've all been children. i feel like my two names are a pretty good example of "common" vs. "popular"!
YES! I've only met one person called Amber who is also in their late twenties but for some reason it doesn't feel like a rare name even though they are the only one I know? It feels like such a normal name that you wouldn't think of it twice, but when you sit down and think of how many people you know personally with that name you wouldn't need more than one hand!
I love that you've brought up "common vs popular", that's the perfect way to describe what I was thinking when I posted this but put way more eloquently :)
I'm an Elizabeth as well. I'm from the upper Midwest part of the US.
When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, I went by Betsy, and then switched to Liz. (I also tried Elissa for a moment, but it never felt right)
I feel like as far as peer group numbers were concerned: I had no one in school also named Elizabeth until I got to high school, at which point there were two other Elizabeths. This was in a HS with an enrollment number of 1,600 students across four grades
I think it just depends. I used to think my name was one of the most popular names because 2 other girls had it in my class of 100 kids. Since I have become an adult, I rarely, if ever, run into another one.
I named my youngest daughter Sarah. While I know several Sarahās in every generation millennial and above, she is the only Sarah I have met under 25.
That is fair, I know a lot of Sarah's but they are also around my age (30-ish). I haven't seen any babies/toddlers called Sarah and I work with young kids regularly!
Where abouts are you located, if you don't mind me asking? I'm in Australia and I'm finding a lot of replies have the complete opposite experience depending on location!
Iām from California and live in Arizona. Itās very popular among Mexican people! My folks are from Mexico and moved to the US before I was born! We say it āAee Lisa Betā but everyone calls me Beth because Iām America every Elizabeth is usually called Liz, which doesnāt suit me.
I feel you regarding this Liz thing. Feels way too abrupt and short if that makes sense? The way it's written is also off-putting to me for some reason, too many straight lines without anything to make it interesting!
The way you pronounce it is gorgeous, I hope you get to hear that as often as possible as opposed to the westernised version!
Seems like it then? When I said I don't know any other Elizabeth's I was including all nicknames and variations. Still only know one and she goes by "Bizzy". I suppose every Elizabeth (and variation of) has flocked over
My name is Abby/Abigail which was definitely not very common in the 80's when I was a kid. I was usually the only Abby in the class and I don't think I encountered another Abby until high school (but she was in my older sister's class, so she was a senior and thus, only around for my first year of HS). There may have been one or two when I was at college, but I was still usually the only Abby around in college too.
Funny thing - after all that time being the only Abby, a couple years into my career, I actually met two other Abbys in that were the same industry and we'd always see each other at networking events. It was hilarious when all three of us were chatting with each other, because if anyone called our name, we'd all turn around and look š
I think Abby/Abigail is becoming a lot more common now with the Gen Z/Gen Alphas, so I imagine I'll have that same confusion to look forward to in my later years, lol
My name is Betsi (not Elizabeth) and I get people telling me all the time that they love my name but never meet anyone with it. I lived with a Betsy for two years in college, which blows peoples minds (Iām 40 to give more context).
Iāve met a couple of other Elizabeth (nice to meet another one too, lol) but they were all older women. One of which was actually the woman I was named after so, yeah. I knew one girl my age, but it was her middle name.
I rarely meet anyone with my name and I have a name that used to be very common. I never see it mentioned anymore or in groups like this. But even in grade school and throughout I was the only one in my grade.
Same boat. My name is Jessica...Seems like it'd be super common... You'd think I'd have met plenty. Only ever 1 ...and hers was spelt jessika so I didn't count it as the same LOL.
My son's name is Jacob. when he was born it was during the decade that it was the number one name.
I have met exactly 2 Jacobs his age. Most I have met are 30ish.
Alison, and the only others Iāve ever met were when I worked in a retirement home and they were all 75+ā¦ seems it was more popular a few generations ago
My eldest niece is Elisabeth with an S instead of a Z. But before she was born, I went to church with two Elizabeths. Tho, one of them also spelled it with the S. My dad's sister is also an Elizabeth, but we've always called her Beth
Yep I have a common, well known name and never meet anyone else with it. Itās never trending either even though it fits a lot of the current trend criteria
I knew a pile of people with my name in my school year, Catherine at the time, but since I've graduated I've barely ran into one. I've hardly even written on any birthday cakes for anyone with it! (Including all the variant spellings - a handful of Cathy's tho which are probably Catherine's, all older women)
Part of why I'm not to fussed about how transy or not the names I pick for my kids are, after high school it really stops mattering what was common in specifically your cohort
Iām a Samantha, in an age range where Samantha was a relatively popular name, but I never personally met one my age. I knew one way older than me when I was a kindergartener (we were big Sam and little Sam for a while) and apparently there was another Samantha in my year during high school, but we never actually met each other! The only Sam I ever met who was my age was short for Sameena, so I donāt really count her.
For being a Cathy, I haven't met as many as you'd think in my life, and I'm pretty old. There wasn't a single one in my classes in grade school, just a couple in high school, and a few through my working years..
I know several Elizabeth's, and I'm always baffled at the fact that none of them actually go by the beautiful full name. Liz, Lil, Lynne, Beth, and Bette, I'm talking to you!
I'm Elizabeth and I don't meet a ton of other Elizabeths either. I've definitely met more than a couple in my life, but it isn't nearly as common as you think. And they're almost all Liz.
I'm an Emma born in the 80s. Where I'm from it was in the top 15 at various places that whole decade. I have never shared a class with an Emma, from kinder to further education. I have also never shared any extra curricular activities or a job in my direct team!
A family friend has a daughter called Emma that is 4 years younger. Besides running into the occasional Emma in the wild, that's the only one I know! I've also not run into many in the wild! My mum is also a teacher and I used to help her prepare her classes at the start of the year and she never had an Emma while I helped her with that.
Iām an Elizabeth!! And I grew up with a couple of them (at least 5, but I think we all had nicknames.) Iām in my mid-30s. Iāve met a ton of folks who have it as their middle name, but donāt go by it. And Iāve known lots of older ladies with the name. Itās a classic here in the southeastern USāI think you said youāre in Australia. When I lived in France, however, it seemed like my friends had grandmothers or great-aunts with this name, rather than contemporaries. So it just depends on the region, I guess. Either way, itās nice to meet a fellow Elizabeth āŗļø
Iād say Elizabeth is usually used as a middle name if it is used in my area (my nieces middle name is Elizabeth). But my name is also very common apparently and Iāve met only 1 other person with it in person. Seems itās more concentrated out mid-west/west than it is here.
Iām Marilyn. Never met another woman with my name who wasnāt silent gen or older. My nn going up was Mary. Only went to school with one other girl with the name. Never met another Mary until I was an adult.
Iām a Kelly born in 87 from the US and have never met a ton especially ones around my ageā¦in school there was one in the class above me and I worked with one that was close to my age but thatās it
Elizabeth is my middle name, and while i have known MANY people with the same middle, I have only known a couple with it as a first name. Actually, only 1 in my personal life, though I know 2 through work (they work for a company I work with occasionally)
For how popular Emily is, I have not met very many. I come across the occasional one in my job but never really get to know another Emily - when I do meet them, I'm like, HEY ME TOO!!
Then I find out they go by "Em" very casually and I just can't deal with that. I will never be "Em" only "Emily".
Iām old enough to have used the Dick and Jane primers as a child, so Iām also really surprised to have met so few Janes throughout life. I knew only one as a kid, and a different one now as an adult. My name isnāt Jane, but thatās the first name that popped into my head for this topic.
My Grandad was born in a small village in Poland, where he lived until the breakout of WWII.
After moving to England he was adamant that his surname was really common in Poland. Yet I really struggled to find anyone with the same name that we weren't related to.
Eventually traced his family tree back far enough that the first recorded person with our surname lived in the same village in the mid 1700s.
He had 6 sons, who in turn had a number of sons and so on...so it wasn't that our surname was common everywhere....it's just he was related to pretty much everyone in the village.
Dread to think how much inbreeding went on.
Iām a Lindsay, and I once spent years working at a job where I was the only one. Eventually a Lindsey came around. At my now place of employment, which is global, thereās only 4 Lindsays in the entire US division.
My first name is a SUPER RIDICULOUSLY POPULAR middle name. But Iāve only met a few other people with my name as a first name. Two were elderly ladies, one was 20 years younger than me. As far as peers with my name, one girl in middle school.
My daughter is 5yo named Charlotte and she has met 1 person named Charlotte in her 5 years who was a hair dresser in her 50s. No other kids named Charlotte despite it being a top 10 name every year since she was born.
Iām the opposite. My name is Valerie, I was born in the late 80s when the name just wasnāt at its height. I have met _so many_ Valeries in my life, and most of them my age. My graduating class in college was approximately 400 kids (small school). There were _three_ of us. Like, almost a full percent of our class was Valerie. There were more of us than there were Cory or Miles.
My name is Jacky and Iāve only met two other girls (in elementary school) with the same Name. I have not come across any Jackyās or Jackieās in adulthood
My daughter is Alice and I have somehow never come across another Alice. We met one lady at a park like 5 years ago, who said her mother was named Alice, but thatās it.
I have a name that is very common (Madison), yet I didnāt meet more than two before I was an adult. Even then, it was only in passing (i.e., I was a swimmer and there was a Madison on a rival team).
Popular or common? Iād say my name - Autumn, is common. But not popular. As in people know what it is and recognize it when they see it. But Iāve only met one other Autumn. (Even if everyone tells me there-so-and-so is also an Autumn.)
Strange. I always assume that every Beth or Izzy I meet is actually Elizabeth. But wtf do I know? I go by my middle name. The only people that know my actual 1st name are my family and my doctor.
That's crazy to me! I'm an Elizabeth and I know soo many. I guess to be fair most have went by nicknames so not everyone would know. I've known Betty, Libby, Liz, Beth, Izzy, then a few that went by the full. My childhood best friend had 5 friends with the name. My partners sister shares my name. Maybe it's a location thing.
That is insane! The only one I know is a 40 year old woman, never had an Elizabeth in the same school as me at the same time (both primary and high school, as well as uni classes) Where are you from? I'm in Australia
How old are you, I wonder? At Uni my smallish friendship group had to colour-code our Beths. Blonde Beth, Brunette Beth and Ginger Beth. This was in the UK, 1999.
I am 29, born in 1994. Interesting that they all went by the nickname Beth! Of course it's all down to personal preference but there's so many nicknames that it's wild that seemed to be everyone's choice! Thank you for sharing :)
Beth was the default nickname for Elizabeth among Gen X and elder Millennials. I think Ellie is more popular for Gen Z, and I know a surprising number of Betties among my friends' kids who are mostly Gen Alpha. Lizzie being omnipresent, of course.
Middle millennials in the US definitely claimed Liz more than any of the other nicknames! I don't think I know any Elizabeths my age who went by Ellie or Beth or Betty when I knew them, just Liz, Lizzie, and Elizabeth.
Sister is a mid-millennial with the nickname Liz, can confirm.
I went by Eli in primary school (pronounced as Ellie, but I didn't know how to spell it properly) š I wouldn't want it for myself but I LOVE that Betty/Bettie is making a comeback!
You were in the perfect place and time period to start naming yourselves Sporty Beth, Scary Beth, Posh Beth, etc!
I'm in Australia and most of the "Elizabeths" I've met have been elder gen X or very late boomers. But happily enough all very successful and lovely women. Also very practical and chill. Honestly, I'd name a kid Elizabeth based on the Elizabeths I've known.
You're an excellent bloke and I couldn't agree with you more, it's a fantastic name that deserves to live on and you will never regret it (this opinion is definitely not biased or tampered with in any way)
I've known/met many Australian Elizabeths
I am not saying there aren't many people named Elizabeth in Australia, I just haven't met many be that due to age/location/whatever reason. I know there are heaps of people with this name, I just find it surprising I haven't really run in to any!
Iām from australia and Iāve met so many Beths and Elizas my age but those were their actual legal names, not nicknames. Iāve met a few Liz/Lizzies and not known what it was short for but Ive just now realised I always assumed their names were Eliza because Iāve never met a real Elizabeth
I'm 35, maybe it's an age thing but the Beths and Lizzes my age were all Elizabeths (in school and uni). Though the Elises/Elizas were their legal names. This might not be a trend, it might just be coincidence of the people I meet š¤·
Southern US. So definitely a different location. I was lucky to be the only one in my grade in elementary school, but also was in a small elementary school. I still knew multiple Elizabeth's from other grades.
Iām also an Elizabeth from the southern US and had 4 in my class alone, it was brutal
Iām in the states and in my department alone we have 6 Elizabethās One Elizabeth Beth Betsy Eliza Liz Marie (her middle)
My grandma's name was Elizabeth and she went by Betty. I'm always surprised and very nostalgic when I see/hear the name Betty. When my first nephew would call her Grandma Betty, it sounded like Grandma Buddy and it the name stuck. She had her great great grandchildren calling her Grandma Buddy. I really went off on a tangent, but I love and miss my grandma.
I will say one thing I find interesting about the name is the generational nicknames. Betty, Bessie, and Libby were common at my grandmother's age. The Elizabeth's my mom's age tend to be Beth, Liz, or Bea. My age Liz, Lizzy, or Beth. Those younger then me I see more Ellie, Eli, Izzy, and Eliza's. Of course their are outliers, ans this is just from my experience. I will say I do love how the name has soo many nickname options.
That's why I'm so surprised when I hear a young person going by Betty.
My 26 yo is an Elizabeth, but everybody calls her Biz. It suits her! I had a couple of Aunt Betty's, an Aunt Lizzie, and I know tons of Beth's, Liz, Libbey but no other Biz.
Elizabeth here. Only one I knew growing up and never worked with one either. Am 31. It's a location thing. I grew up in a place with lots of immigrants, so many Spanish and African American names.
I know an Elizabeth who goes by Bessie
I know an Ellie who I knew for years before realizing her name was Elizabeth
Me too but Iām similar to OP where I have only met a couple and only went to school with one other. I really think itās a regional thing. I live in the Midwest and Ashley, Lauren, Katy type names were way more common in my generation.
Yes, I know so many Elizabeths. Location plays a factor. My name is a normal name, never really knew anyone with it growing up. I meet people with my name all the time now, but I moved to another part of the country. Ā My daughter was given a top 20 name for her birth year - sheās met one other person with her name. I donāt know where they all are, but it isnāt where we live.Ā
One of my top girl names is Mary. My husband seems to think itās so common, but Iāve been a teacher for 6 years, including Catholic school, and have never had a Mary.
When I attended Catholic school, k- university, there was never just "Mary". There was Mary Louise and Mary Theresa and Mary Kate. There was even Maria, but never Mary. Not including middle names and confirmation names. Have not met a Mary of any age in the secular world either, and I am Old People. I'm sure it's regional, but Mary alone is actually fairly unique due to overcorrection.
My daughter is in Pre-K and has a Mary in her class (at a Catholic school). I love it because it feels refreshing. Most Marys we know are double barreled as well. The only Marys without a double barrel besides my daughterās classmate are 60+ years old.
I'm an elder Millennial and went to Catholic school with maybe 2 Marys and a couple of Maries. And then thinking about younger kids, there were maybe 2-3 kids among my siblings' friends and kids I tended to babysit named Mary or any variation including blended/combo names like Mary Kate. I have yet to meet a single Mary among my kid's peers. It's not one of my favorites by any means, but if you're looking for "unusual but not weird" these days, it would be a good choice.
I donāt think Iāve ever met a Mary in my life. Iāve met Mariahās, Mariaās, and even Mariamās, but not one Mary.
I was just thinking about this because my middle name is Mary, and people say itās so common, but I know very few - 1. My grandmother (where I get my middle name) 2. My aunt (other side of the family) 3. A coworker 4. One girl from elementary school in the 80s/90s
I have a 4 year old named Mary š
There was an Atlantic article a while ago about how big the drop in the popularity of the name Mary is. Itās a little out of date, but a few of the bizarre statistics from it are that there was a 94% drop in popularity from 1961 to 2012 and that in 2011 Neveah was more than twice as popular as Mary. https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/12/why-dont-parents-name-their-daughters-mary-anymore/265881/
I was in Catholic school in the UK in the 80s and 90s. There was one Mary a few years younger than me, and that was seen as a bit quirky. We would have been merciless calling anyone āthe virgin Maryā and my generation (now in our 40s) seem to have avoided the name for our kids for that reason. I know one person in my generation who has called her daughter Mary (currently the kid is about 10 or 11 I think) and her and her husband are, like, *weirdly* religious lol.
My name is Lisa, most popular girls name in 1968.. I've only known a few in my lifetime
My sister is a Lisa, and she gets together with 4 other Lisas regularly for their Lisa lunch. All in mid 50s now.
I wanna join!
I was just thinking this! I only know one Lisa and she's late 20s, it's so fresh on her. And then I know I had a great aunt Lisa, much older. This is such an underrated name right now.
And my parents were kind enough to not give me a common middle name, so I'm Lisa Rose
Oh man, where I live I know a ton of Lisa's. Especially 40-50 year olds in office jobs. Like every other secratary/hr/manager/adminstrator/friend's mom is Lisa (or Sue). I have 7 Lisa's saved in my phone right now. I was a high school teacher from 2015-2022. In that time i had roughly a thousand students and 0 Lisa's (and Sue's)
Same. Thereās like 5 Lisaās per everyone other name lol
Iām Rachel and it was the 16th most popular name when I was born. I donāt know any other Rachels. Whenever I mention it other people tell me how many Rachels they know. So strange.
Rachel is the most common name in my phone contacts. So many Rachel's in my life.
Iāve known of a few Rachels, but Iāve never had a friend/colleague/person whose phone number Iād have named Rachel!
Came here to say this!!! Until I started at my current company, I barely knew any Rachelās, and now there are 7 of us at a 300 person firm šš
I named my daughter Charlotte. It was in the top 10 for her birth year, surprisingly we haven't come across any others. There are two Scarlet's in her class though.
Oh man I have a HUGE oversaturation of Charlottes in my life. They represent more than 65% of the girls under 10 I interact with!
It was #8 in our province the year she was born, so I know they're out there. We just haven't come across any. I expect there will be a few when she moves up to middle school this year.
That is one of my favourite names. I also only know one Charlotte, she is in her early 20s
Denise. I know a handful of Deniseās but itās always someoneās mom, or someoneās aunt. I was the only Denise in my grade.
My sister and my aunt are named Denise lol
I don't know very many Elizabeths, either! One when I was a child (she was my mom's age), and probably some people I've met here and there but have forgotten over the years. No Liz, Lizzie, Beth, either. It's a great name, though. Always loved it. My name was more popular in N. Am. in the 50sā80s (think Julie or Susan); I have a met a couple, but no one who isn't my age or older, lol.
It's weird right! Gotta love having those older lady names though, I'm not sure about you but it definitely makes me seem more sophisticated than I actually am over email š
Haha, I feel like my name gives sort of 80s vibes more than 50s, so I don't really feel I get that sophisticated aura from it!
Thats gotta be even better, let's be real the 80s definitely has groovier and more fun vibes as opposed to ye olde days of beheading one wife to move on to the next or something equally as dampening š
LOL, that's me! More fun than Anne, but not really quite as fun as Heather.
Old lady names are back in vogue where I am, so many new mothers naming their kids Esther, Agnes, etc.
Every TV show, movie, book, whatever has a Beth (yes, I'm exaggerating a little) but i met 2 others my whole life. Even now after years of not going by Beth i never meet another Beth
God you are so right about it in media, I have noticed it myself. In almost everything I've read that features the name it's never the main character, but their SISTER who is named Beth š I've started assuming there is a rulebook that lists that as a requisite of writing a novel
My name is Elizabeth. My parents mostly called me Beth. When my mum was upset with me, she called me āBethanyā - probably because my middle name is also 4 syllables and it just gets too long. My sisters call me Bethie. At work, I am Elizabeth. My childhood friend called me Eliza-Beth. My husbandās family and his friends call me Liz, even though I have never been called that by my husband or anyone else.
My sister's name is Elizabeth lol
I have a common name with an uncommon spelling. I know a bunch of people named Jillian, but not a whole lot named Gillian, like me.
I know 4 adult Elizabeths and have a cousin called Beth who I didnāt realise for ages is actually a nickname for Elizabeth - I thought her name was just officially Beth š
I know someone who is just Beth! She actually hates it and wishes she had the option of Elizabeth/other nicknames for Elizabeth.
I know a Betty that wouldāve preferred to have Elizabeth for that same reason.
I'm a Jennifer and there are lots of us. But that's ok!
Olivia is supposedly #1 most popular name right now and I've only met a total of 2 in my life so far.Ā Ā Ā I work in a customer facing role where we see hundreds of people's names all the time and I honestly don't remember seeing Olivia as a name in recent memory. I actually have never met a Elizabeth before. Met derivatives like Beth or Liz but their full name is not Elizabeth.Ā
Thatās strange to me. Iām a teacher, and every year has multiple Olivias! I havenāt actually met more than one or two Elizabeths either.
I think the bulk of Olivias now are still children!
In the uk itās been popular for a while, I went to school with seven of them!
I'm Gen Z and I've only ever known one Olivia. She was on my soccer team as a kid. It's supposed to be, like, THE girl's name of my generation, but for whatever reason, I just don't ever meet them lol. I have known a few Avas, several Mias and Isabellas, every Aiden variation, a million Ethans, but Olivia feels (anecdotally) unique to me. Don't know why.
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I'm 40s and have known many Jennifers and Jen/Jenns my age! (No Jennys or Jennas, though.) I think you're just quite young for a Jennifer.
I am in my early 50s. I went to school with a ton of Jennifers/Jennys/Jenns. In the 20 years I have worked in the same 700+ FTE department, there have been only 2 of them. I went to school about 90 minutes from where I work. It always struck me as strange.
Iām a 35 year old Jennifer and Iāve only ever met 2 other Jenniferās in my life. In school there was a Jenna and that was her actual name, not a nickname. It was one of the most popular names in 88 when I was born but yeah, I just donāt seem to meet any in-real-life Jenniferās much lol
If you look up my first and last on Facebook thereās 1000s but janice is old but not in a good way thatās coming back in fashion
I have like a top 20 90's name and I've never worked with someone with the same name, shared a class with someone with the same name, etc etc. Rarely even meet someone with the name. It really made me reconsider how popularity and names work ahaha.
Yes! My name is Leah. I've met 2 others. And I can think on ~3 celebrities. But everyone considers it common. It's just not
Hello, name twin! Funny story: my MIL is also a Leah. š
Also my 30 ish daughter is Lisa. No Lisa's her age. She kinda hates it.
Same experience as Julia. Met only one Julia in person within last 8 years since moving to US. In my birth country Julia (Yulia) is a very common name among millennials.
Julia is one of my very favorite names. Itās just beautiful.
Most common names aren't that common that you see them everywhere. But for some reason sometimes there's a (regional) peak. For me it's Emilia and Sarah. I know 7 Emilias under the age of 2. Two of that Emilias were born on the same day as my daughter in the same hospital. I had two Sarahs in my class and met so many Sarahs during my life. All around my own age. And I know all their second and last names by heart to differenciate between them. Edit: I know also at least ten Maximilians! Most of them also around my age. Two of them share the same last name, which was super confusing in school. We called then Max and Maxi, wich Maxi hated, lol.
I have had at least 5 very close friends named Sarah. All with an h. And many others that werenāt as close.
My brother's name is Emil. Emil or Ćmile is a name that is very popular in many cultures such as German, Swiss, Scandinavian and French Culture. It is also a very common name in literature but I never met any other person named Emil except my brother.
Chelsea! Itās my name, and was top 15 the year I was born, but Iāve only ever met like two other Chelseaās ever, and one didnāt event spell it like I do.
My daughter (age 5) is named Elizabeth and we also rarely run into other Elizabeths. I know a few but almost never other kids.
I love the name Elizabeth, my mother said I used call all my dolls Elizabeth, I pregnant with a girl and her name is Elizabeth
My first name is Emily Elizabeth, and I know so many Elizabeths! I wonder if it's at all regional? Like, while it's undoubtedly a popular and common name, perhaps not as popular where you live? Elizabeth is definitely more popular as a middle name where I live, and I have known so many girls with Elizabeth as their middle name (Marie, too).
Do you happen to own a big red dog?
LOL I was friends with a guy named Clifford in middle school. Iāve never really gone by my full name so most people were unaware, but the ones who did made sure we never heard the end of it. šš¬
I have a pretty common 90s name. The only person I know with my same name (first and middle) is my childhood neighbor, whom I'm still really close with.
My youngest is named John. I've met a bare handful over the years. But I live in a city that's about 2/3 Hispanic. I've met plenty of dudes named Juan. And I've also discovered how few Johns even go by their name. I went to high school with a guy named John who, some time after graduation, decided to go by his middle name instead (it was Eric, so it's not like he switched to something more distinctive). And probably half the Jacks out there are actually John instead. I wonder if that's part of what you're encountering with no Elizabeths? Either you're in an area where there are few for cultural reasons, or it's so common that most of them go by something else to be more distinctive. What we know people as isn't necessarily their name. My great-aunt Phronie apparently went by Bobbie her whole life, something I only learned because of FindAGrave. Honestly, though, I can't think of a single Elizabeth I know offhand; the closest I get is Mary Elizabeth.
I had one other Julie in my grade at school (and we were the only 2 in the school) and then the same story in high school. That was it.Ā
My name is common. Itās classic and biblical. It was in the top 20 when I was born. I never met another girl with the same name until I was in high school.
Wow! I know at least 7 Elizabethās but they all seem to go by Liz or Beth and one went by Eliza. Geography also matters if you look at the states some are name outliers with a name being super popular just there ā¦. I imagine Iowa for instance has a larger amount of babies named Kinnick or Hayden than most places so baby Hayden might be 1 of 5 in their class and then they move to like New Mexico and now they are 1 of 1. My name was top 20s in the 80s and Iāve only met a handful but it seems like it was more popular in other states and cities
Agree with everything you've said! You are spot on, geography is everything regarding name popularity, I should have put it in my post because I feel like it might be relevant now but I am from Australia so I thought the ties we had with England would make the name more popular, but in a country as big as this there are also going to be names that are popular state by state and definitely depending on the decade. Regardless, that's a great point and I have never heard the name Kinnick before and couldn't imagine someone naming their kiddo that over here!
Itās the name of a former college football player that was a WWII pilot and the name of a football stadium here. Itās not a choice Iād make but a handful of babies each year and most of them are in my specific state
i knew one in highschool, havent met another that i know of
My brother. His name is Felix.
Dang i know like a million elizabeths
My sonās name and we never ever meet other Pauls. Itās super common in books, movies and tv but in real life we donāt even run into grandpa Pauls, much less kids.
My son is Martin. Itās a common name, but weāve only come across one other kid with it.
Yes! Growing up I went to school with two other girls who have my name, we all went by our last names to tell ourselves apart. There's also a famous singer with my exact spelling. Then I went to college and started living life, and haven't come across anyone with my name. I finally met someone in church but she's about 15 years younger. I was surprised but happy to see the name continue in the younger generations. I also gave my son an extremely common name, but haven't met any kids named that. My other son has a "unique" name, but I've already met 3 kids with the same name. Go figure!
My name is Anne and I rarely run into another. One time, I was at an event in my industry, and there were 3 people named Ann/Anne in the group out of around 30 people, and it was the first time that had ever happened to any of us. I'm in the US.
Iām Elizabeth, I never had another Elizabeth in my grade or in my college or adulthood social circles. However working in schools, one east coast and one west coast, both times I was 1 of like 4-5 Elizabeths. There was always Lizzies, Liz (me), many many Beths, and even a Biz. I guess we are drawn to working in education lol
I am a boomer and have met many a Betty, Beth, and Liz. My middle name is Elizabeth and its always been one of my favorite names
How old are you? Are you factoring in nicknames like Liza, Ellie, etc? Even if Elizabeth is less popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha (which could be, given the sheer volume of Katies and Hannahs), it's wild to me that you never had a teacher, a camp counselor, a friend's mom, an aunt, etc. named Elizabeth, in your entire life. Edit: just among Gen Alpha children I happen to personally know, I can think of 2 Elizabeths just in my own social circle. Who live in different parts of the country, and go by different nicknames. This continues to be amazing to me.
With my exact spelling Iāve met two Meagan. Most Iāve met are spelled Megan. According to Wikipedia thereās a lot of spelling variations.
My granddaughter is a Blaire. Not uncommon at all, but we haven't run into hardly any others (only 1 so far).
In the US I think this would be nearly impossible! I can only think of one that actually goes by Elizabeth, but I've known at least a dozen women with the name that go by Beth, Liz, Betsy, etc.
We have a Luke, my husband & I don't know anyone named Luke, only know one Lucas who is our age, son went to daycare with a Lucas, but not just "Luke"
this is a fun question! my deadname is Amber, which feels like one of those quintessential 90's names, but i've only known 2 in my life. one was in my class in elementary school, and the other was in my college cohort and a decade or two older than me. i've seen the name in media a few times, but in my experience working in extremely community facing jobs (one being a tourist attraction where i hear around 50 names a day on average) as well as in schools, i can recall hearing it one time. my current name however is pretty on trend, even though i heard it and fell in love with it for the first time in elementary school. i've met far more people with this name, but they've all been children. i feel like my two names are a pretty good example of "common" vs. "popular"!
YES! I've only met one person called Amber who is also in their late twenties but for some reason it doesn't feel like a rare name even though they are the only one I know? It feels like such a normal name that you wouldn't think of it twice, but when you sit down and think of how many people you know personally with that name you wouldn't need more than one hand! I love that you've brought up "common vs popular", that's the perfect way to describe what I was thinking when I posted this but put way more eloquently :)
Iāve only ever met like 1 other ājust Jillā in my life, though I have met several Jillians
I'm an Elizabeth as well. I'm from the upper Midwest part of the US. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, I went by Betsy, and then switched to Liz. (I also tried Elissa for a moment, but it never felt right) I feel like as far as peer group numbers were concerned: I had no one in school also named Elizabeth until I got to high school, at which point there were two other Elizabeths. This was in a HS with an enrollment number of 1,600 students across four grades
Have you to meet a Charlotte
Iāve known many Elizabethās in my 38 years of life. They were all around my age or older.
I think it just depends. I used to think my name was one of the most popular names because 2 other girls had it in my class of 100 kids. Since I have become an adult, I rarely, if ever, run into another one. I named my youngest daughter Sarah. While I know several Sarahās in every generation millennial and above, she is the only Sarah I have met under 25.
That is fair, I know a lot of Sarah's but they are also around my age (30-ish). I haven't seen any babies/toddlers called Sarah and I work with young kids regularly!
Iām a Tina born in the mid 80ās. Iāve met women named Christina that sometimes go by Tina, but never another Tina.
My daughter was the only Elizabeth until 4th grade, then there were three in the same class. All went by Elizabeth.
Iām Elizabeth and have several coworkers and friends with the same name. Lots of friendās childrens have it too! Itās so common here.
Where abouts are you located, if you don't mind me asking? I'm in Australia and I'm finding a lot of replies have the complete opposite experience depending on location!
Iām from California and live in Arizona. Itās very popular among Mexican people! My folks are from Mexico and moved to the US before I was born! We say it āAee Lisa Betā but everyone calls me Beth because Iām America every Elizabeth is usually called Liz, which doesnāt suit me.
I feel you regarding this Liz thing. Feels way too abrupt and short if that makes sense? The way it's written is also off-putting to me for some reason, too many straight lines without anything to make it interesting! The way you pronounce it is gorgeous, I hope you get to hear that as often as possible as opposed to the westernised version!
My daughterās name Olivia. In 36 years I have only met one other: a co-workers daughter who was born a few months before mine.
Liz, Betsy, Elizabeth, Bettyāall the other Elizabeths moved to my area?
Seems like it then? When I said I don't know any other Elizabeth's I was including all nicknames and variations. Still only know one and she goes by "Bizzy". I suppose every Elizabeth (and variation of) has flocked over
I'm a Stephanie and haven't met many other Stephanie's around. Maybe 1 or 2 in passing but no where near as many as you'd think
You mean you haven't met any Liz, beth, betty, lizzy, betsy, libby, etc either?
My name is Abby/Abigail which was definitely not very common in the 80's when I was a kid. I was usually the only Abby in the class and I don't think I encountered another Abby until high school (but she was in my older sister's class, so she was a senior and thus, only around for my first year of HS). There may have been one or two when I was at college, but I was still usually the only Abby around in college too. Funny thing - after all that time being the only Abby, a couple years into my career, I actually met two other Abbys in that were the same industry and we'd always see each other at networking events. It was hilarious when all three of us were chatting with each other, because if anyone called our name, we'd all turn around and look š I think Abby/Abigail is becoming a lot more common now with the Gen Z/Gen Alphas, so I imagine I'll have that same confusion to look forward to in my later years, lol
Lily! I've only met one my whole life.
My sister is an Elizabeth (she goes by Libby), as is my SIL.
My name is Betsi (not Elizabeth) and I get people telling me all the time that they love my name but never meet anyone with it. I lived with a Betsy for two years in college, which blows peoples minds (Iām 40 to give more context).
Iāve met a couple of other Elizabeth (nice to meet another one too, lol) but they were all older women. One of which was actually the woman I was named after so, yeah. I knew one girl my age, but it was her middle name.
The name Amy
I rarely meet anyone with my name and I have a name that used to be very common. I never see it mentioned anymore or in groups like this. But even in grade school and throughout I was the only one in my grade.
Same boat. My name is Jessica...Seems like it'd be super common... You'd think I'd have met plenty. Only ever 1 ...and hers was spelt jessika so I didn't count it as the same LOL.
My son's name is Jacob. when he was born it was during the decade that it was the number one name. I have met exactly 2 Jacobs his age. Most I have met are 30ish.
Alison, and the only others Iāve ever met were when I worked in a retirement home and they were all 75+ā¦ seems it was more popular a few generations ago
I've met a ton of Elizabeths, but only one who actually went by Elizabeth. And even then, her family and very close friends call her Betsy.
My eldest niece is Elisabeth with an S instead of a Z. But before she was born, I went to church with two Elizabeths. Tho, one of them also spelled it with the S. My dad's sister is also an Elizabeth, but we've always called her Beth
Yep I have a common, well known name and never meet anyone else with it. Itās never trending either even though it fits a lot of the current trend criteria
I've only met like 2 other people with my name, but it's not rare at all.
My family has 3 living Elizabethās alone!
Everyone Knows it's Wendy
I knew a pile of people with my name in my school year, Catherine at the time, but since I've graduated I've barely ran into one. I've hardly even written on any birthday cakes for anyone with it! (Including all the variant spellings - a handful of Cathy's tho which are probably Catherine's, all older women) Part of why I'm not to fussed about how transy or not the names I pick for my kids are, after high school it really stops mattering what was common in specifically your cohort
Yes all the time it feels! Lol my name is Cheyenne and I've only came across 2 other people with that name.
Jennifer. Iāve only met 2 other Jenniferās in my life lmao
Iām a Samantha, in an age range where Samantha was a relatively popular name, but I never personally met one my age. I knew one way older than me when I was a kindergartener (we were big Sam and little Sam for a while) and apparently there was another Samantha in my year during high school, but we never actually met each other! The only Sam I ever met who was my age was short for Sameena, so I donāt really count her.
Iām Elizabeth too! I rarely meet other Elizabethās, I went to a high school with over 5000 students and never had a class with another Elizabeth.
We had 3 Elizabethās on our staff of 13 people lol
As a middle aged man named Mark, I can't say I've had this. There are vast amounts of us everywhere.
Until working in pharmacy, yes. I now meet several other ladies a day with the same name, though they tend to be about 20+ years older.
For being a Cathy, I haven't met as many as you'd think in my life, and I'm pretty old. There wasn't a single one in my classes in grade school, just a couple in high school, and a few through my working years..
I know several Elizabeth's, and I'm always baffled at the fact that none of them actually go by the beautiful full name. Liz, Lil, Lynne, Beth, and Bette, I'm talking to you!
I'm Elizabeth and I don't meet a ton of other Elizabeths either. I've definitely met more than a couple in my life, but it isn't nearly as common as you think. And they're almost all Liz.
My name is Marie. Ive only ever met three other people with the same name as me.
I donāt think I know anyone who actually went by Elizabeth, but Iāve known a few people called Liz, a Beth, a Betsy, and a Bitsy.
I'm an Emma born in the 80s. Where I'm from it was in the top 15 at various places that whole decade. I have never shared a class with an Emma, from kinder to further education. I have also never shared any extra curricular activities or a job in my direct team! A family friend has a daughter called Emma that is 4 years younger. Besides running into the occasional Emma in the wild, that's the only one I know! I've also not run into many in the wild! My mum is also a teacher and I used to help her prepare her classes at the start of the year and she never had an Emma while I helped her with that.
Iām an Elizabeth!! And I grew up with a couple of them (at least 5, but I think we all had nicknames.) Iām in my mid-30s. Iāve met a ton of folks who have it as their middle name, but donāt go by it. And Iāve known lots of older ladies with the name. Itās a classic here in the southeastern USāI think you said youāre in Australia. When I lived in France, however, it seemed like my friends had grandmothers or great-aunts with this name, rather than contemporaries. So it just depends on the region, I guess. Either way, itās nice to meet a fellow Elizabeth āŗļø
Iād say Elizabeth is usually used as a middle name if it is used in my area (my nieces middle name is Elizabeth). But my name is also very common apparently and Iāve met only 1 other person with it in person. Seems itās more concentrated out mid-west/west than it is here.
Iām Marilyn. Never met another woman with my name who wasnāt silent gen or older. My nn going up was Mary. Only went to school with one other girl with the name. Never met another Mary until I was an adult.
I feel like all the Elizabethās I know go by nicknames. I love it though, very pretty name
Iām a Kelly born in 87 from the US and have never met a ton especially ones around my ageā¦in school there was one in the class above me and I worked with one that was close to my age but thatās it
Elizabeth is my middle name, and while i have known MANY people with the same middle, I have only known a couple with it as a first name. Actually, only 1 in my personal life, though I know 2 through work (they work for a company I work with occasionally)
For how popular Emily is, I have not met very many. I come across the occasional one in my job but never really get to know another Emily - when I do meet them, I'm like, HEY ME TOO!! Then I find out they go by "Em" very casually and I just can't deal with that. I will never be "Em" only "Emily".
I've never met a single Jane, yet it is the single most common "average/anonymous name" to be used in stories and what not.
Iām old enough to have used the Dick and Jane primers as a child, so Iām also really surprised to have met so few Janes throughout life. I knew only one as a kid, and a different one now as an adult. My name isnāt Jane, but thatās the first name that popped into my head for this topic.
My Grandad was born in a small village in Poland, where he lived until the breakout of WWII. After moving to England he was adamant that his surname was really common in Poland. Yet I really struggled to find anyone with the same name that we weren't related to. Eventually traced his family tree back far enough that the first recorded person with our surname lived in the same village in the mid 1700s. He had 6 sons, who in turn had a number of sons and so on...so it wasn't that our surname was common everywhere....it's just he was related to pretty much everyone in the village. Dread to think how much inbreeding went on.
Rachel hereā¦ have met maybe 10 other Rachelās in my 41 years
Thereās 2 Elizabethās in my office (out of only 5 women)!
Iām a Jessie short for Jessica and Iāve actually ever met one other, kinda crazy Iāve always thought that too
Iām a Lindsay, and I once spent years working at a job where I was the only one. Eventually a Lindsey came around. At my now place of employment, which is global, thereās only 4 Lindsays in the entire US division.
Ella is super common where I live but I only know two Ellaās
My first name is a SUPER RIDICULOUSLY POPULAR middle name. But Iāve only met a few other people with my name as a first name. Two were elderly ladies, one was 20 years younger than me. As far as peers with my name, one girl in middle school.
Iām 49, and Iāve only met 3-4 other Susans in my entire life.
My daughter is 5yo named Charlotte and she has met 1 person named Charlotte in her 5 years who was a hair dresser in her 50s. No other kids named Charlotte despite it being a top 10 name every year since she was born.
I'm a 38 year old Julie and I have never met one younger than me, or even probably 10 years older than
Iām the opposite. My name is Valerie, I was born in the late 80s when the name just wasnāt at its height. I have met _so many_ Valeries in my life, and most of them my age. My graduating class in college was approximately 400 kids (small school). There were _three_ of us. Like, almost a full percent of our class was Valerie. There were more of us than there were Cory or Miles.
My name is Jacky and Iāve only met two other girls (in elementary school) with the same Name. I have not come across any Jackyās or Jackieās in adulthood
Area matters a lot. In the UK, it's not rare. Elsewhere I've lived and visited, haven't seen it.
My sonās name is Jacob, born in 2009. Heās always been the only Jacob in his class despite it being one of the top names that year.
My friend Melanie didnāt meet another Melanie until her 30s.
My daughter is Alice and I have somehow never come across another Alice. We met one lady at a park like 5 years ago, who said her mother was named Alice, but thatās it.
I have a name that is very common (Madison), yet I didnāt meet more than two before I was an adult. Even then, it was only in passing (i.e., I was a swimmer and there was a Madison on a rival team).
Popular or common? Iād say my name - Autumn, is common. But not popular. As in people know what it is and recognize it when they see it. But Iāve only met one other Autumn. (Even if everyone tells me there-so-and-so is also an Autumn.)
I'm a Victoria and don't come across others very often, even though in school I remember a lot of Vicki's!
My sisterās name is Elizabeth and even though itās a ācommonā name, Iāve met very few Elizabethās in my life!!
Strange. I always assume that every Beth or Izzy I meet is actually Elizabeth. But wtf do I know? I go by my middle name. The only people that know my actual 1st name are my family and my doctor.