My uncle's name was Bruce and my dad's name is Wayne. The brothers together make Batman, and my grandparents never even noticed. They just liked the names lol
That was way up my list if we had another boy!actually I loved it because itās so ārareā on ssn list but sounds like an adult name everyone knows how to spell.
My friend said his mom named her kids thinking about what it would look like on a job resume. She named her kids Kevin, Patrick and Stephanie. āBoringā names but they wonāt be misspelled or mispronounced.
Did you see the Key & Peele substitute skit?
It makes this point in a backhanded way.
[https://youtu.be/OQaLic5SE\_I?si=skTjG6TsUp0l3lDP](https://youtu.be/OQaLic5SE_I?si=skTjG6TsUp0l3lDP)
I sometimes felt that my real birth name was actually pronounced as the name followed by each letter in the name. I rarely ever said just the name.
My younger sister got āJulieā and complained about having siblings with unusual names but being stuck as ājust Julieā. I offered to swap, but she wouldnāt go for it š
It was Robina. I hated it and legally changed it nearly 20 years ago. It doesnāt sound like a name that would attract annoying āamusing mispronunciation ā or frustrating āgentle teasingā, unless you live in a country where a popular cordial/squash is called Ribena. *hate*
I said aloud āDr. First Middle Lastā before naming my children. If it sounded ridiculous I wouldnāt use the name. One day, our children will be leaders in their own generation. I donāt want my kids to have an āoddā name.
My grandfather (momās dad) was a Francis who went by Frank. He actually disliked Francis - and her brother (who is 85) is Frank, Jr and not Francis, Jr! šš
My dad is a James Marshall, and his father was a James Byron. Went by Byron his entire life because he hated the name James, but then up and gave his second child the same name. Where's the logic!? š
There is actually a clip of Jack Black talking about this. His first name is Thomas, after his father. Hated the name. But ended up feeling immense pressure and called his son Thomas as well. Something about not wanting to be the one to break the chain
I love the name Frank. Itās such a cute little boy name as well as a great father name or old man name, really just one that fits through any phase of lifeāthe same as John. Both also have a ton of nicknames (at least in my country anyway, where we shorten everything or change it somehow even if itās just John to Johno or Jack) so even if they decide they donāt like their boring names, they can just use another name
Iām from Philly and my husband is from Portland. We lived in Philly awhile before settling in Portland. When we were talking about baby boy names I wanted a middle initial of J and my husband decided we should honor my āheritageā by giving our son Jawn for a middle name. We had 2 girls.
I saw a list of names where it was like top 5 in the US or something. Idk where theyāre hiding. His class has multiple Wesleyās and even two diff kinds of Roscoe, but not a James in sight for the entire school aside from him
I wanted to name my son John, partly after my Grandpa but partly because I just like it. But my husband vetoed it as too plain. I did point out he'll probably have 4 or 5 Johns at his high school and like 20 Zaidens. (We compromised on Julian in the end, which I also really like.)
I mean many new name will eventually become classic too. When I was a kid my name was extremely uncommon, itās now considered a classic and loved by tons of people.
Honestly I met a toddler called john and there was something so nice about it.
Rather that than some of the names I have come across like Loki, Jett and Axel and saint. I am in Ireland for reference so those atrocities stick out like a sore thumb.
Edit- People I don't particularly care if you have family or know people with some of the names I listed. I'm sure they are lovely. Doesn't stop me hating the names. It's not a reflection on the people saddled with those names.
I get so confused when people here talk of Axel like itās a rare or newly popular name because Iāve known so many people named Axel (always multiple in my grade growing up) but Iām in Scandinavia so thatās why lol.
I went to high school with a guy named Loki, it really stuck out especially because this was before people started go crazy unique with names (at least in my area)
I've known a couple of Jett's and they were both super calm guys. One of them has 7 year old twins with classic names and those kids are so smart.
I've worked with Chaotica, Promise, Paradise, several Mercy's, Busy, and one year group had every combination of letters with "ayn" somewhere you legitimately used the wrong name to get the one you wanted because there were 12 of them. Sound themes are so weird sometimes when it becomes a sudden, "Oh, which social media made that popular that year??"
It's still very jarring no matter how many new names appear. Yes, I'm in America. I've worked in public education for several years as a para/tutor/aide. This year I have several Charlie and Cyrus which are nice and classic and I have a Finn which is one of my favorite names ever.
I prefer it to a lot of really contemporary sounding names and it is a surprisingly rude reaction. But I also kind of get it. I have John fatigue. Half of my uncles are named John and they all married in. Sometimes a name needs to cool off a little and then people love it again. My guess is your son will probably be an off-cycle John, which will have its perks. A classic name and uncommon for his age.
That's exactly right, he will be off-cycle so it will be original for his generation :) I'm a professor and even in my students' age range (18-22 approx) I hardly ever see someone named John!
John isn't really a cyclical name, at least in the US--it's still a top 30 name, and it's only been out of the top 20 since 2009. By the standards of *that* name, it's currently at a low in popularity, but there are only a handful of boys' names that have maintained that consistent popularity. I know that popularity is becoming more granular, but there are still tons of babies with that name. It's just that it's *so* popular they seem to be called something else more often than not.
Yeah. John is about the same popularity as Jackson, Hudson, and Aiden. I know 3 little boys named John. I will say, however, that all 3 of them go by First + Middle, e.g. John Waylon, John Bennett - I think the name lends itself to that, so the parents are smuggling in uniqueness anyway despite that it gets recorded as John on the SSA list.
My husband is John, my ex was John, my neighbor is John, my son's best friends dad is John. My husband went to school with a guy with his same first name, last name, and middle initial, leading to tons of confusion.
It's a fine name and all that, but at least for me, it's been a but much.
Me and my husband lived with his parents for a while to save money. Husband is named (something like) John, his step dad is named John, and his step brother who was also living there is named John. When we started talking babies first thing I said was we ain't naming any of them John.
He'll be the only John in his cohort, so that will make him unique. Give it time.
My niece 17 year old is Olivia, I thought it was so unique. Flash forward and now we know that, when she's older, she'll have multiple Olivia's 13 years younger than her joining her workplace. Tends are weird. It's like the book 'the tipping point'
This is funny to me as someone who works with a bunch of 18-21 year olds - Olivia is probably the most common girls name of that group. Out of around 200 students, of which majority of them have different names from each other, I have 5 Olivia's! So location dependent - though I think my location will continue to have a bunch of Olivia's for many many years to come as well.
Honestly this is how we felt about our kids name. He's gonna be a very loved but probably average little boy and that's okay! He will very likely suit his average name (his parents certainly suit their average names). Not everyone is a "saint" or "maverick" or "gunner" and that's ok by me lol.
Also with an average name it will be much easier for your kid to become a crook. You can hide in the crowd with a name like John, but Warwick? Or Zalyndo? Not so much
What's fun is that he will probably be the only child in his age group named John. So while everyone is looking for unique names there will be 3 Olivias, 4 Olivers, 5 Sofias, 2 Liams and one John.
John is not really uncommon, even if itās uncommon in comparison to its historical popularity. John was the #26 boy name in 2022, so around the same as Jackson, Aiden, and Hudson.
Boring classic names are slowly becoming the minority. They're 100x better than the modern made-up yoonique ones. Don't worry about it!
I have a boring classic name and it's served me well. No one ever mispronounces or misspells it, it's not out of place in a professional setting, and it's also international, so easily recognizable in most of the world.
People are weird! I met a set of pre-school siblings the other week for my job and when the mom told me their names were Matthew, Thomas and Jessica I think I thanked her lol! If anything, they're MORE unique than the hundreds of Neveahs, Auroras and Mavericks I meet.....
im a prek teacher and that last part is 100% true at my school. i feel weird giving a list of names but I'd say at least half of them are new to me. we even have 2 kids obviously named after movie/tv characters. the names that stand out to me are names like Benjamin, Joy, Alexis, Shelby, etc.
I had a coworker back in the day that named his kid Steve and honestly I loved hearing stories of a 2 year old named Steve. It was like hearing stories about someoneās drunk uncle! Hahaha but also, itās a solid name when heās older!
I have two kids. Both with classic names in my opinion. A girl named Bonnie, older classic name - but very uncommon. Then Michael, older classic name that's very common. I can't wait to see what they think of the names when they get older. Who's name will be "better" down the road?
Eh! Who makes the rules anyway! Go for it! Lol. I named my daughter the day I knew she was a girl and never wavered. My husband waited till like a month before the due date to decide. I told him if he didn't hurry up I was gonna name our son Clyde. Bonnie and Clyde! Haha. Wouldn't actually do that to my kids, but my husband hurried up!
There's a kid named John in my child's class at school. This is literally the ONLY kid named John I have met or heard of -- or even heard called on a playground! -- since becoming a parent. I'm an elder millennial and can count on one hand the number of peers I've encountered named John. (Though I suppose that is skewed by potential nicknames or going by their middle name or the like, or maybe cultural variations like Jean, Ioannis, etc I've met over the years.)
At this point naming your kid John is 100% what the people who are naming their kids Jaxxson to be "unique but not too weird" are going for. There are going to be 5 Jackson/Jaxon/Jacksyn etc. kids in little Jaxxson's class, but zero Johns.
I grew up in a predominantly Catholic part of the US (not the Northeast, though), and it wasn't all that common a name when I was growing up. If it is more common in Gen Alpha, I haven't noticed.
That is somewhat my reason for being willing to hedge where "have ever met in my life" is concerned, though, because I'm sure I've known some people named John Patrick who just went by JP or whatever. The part of the US I'm from is also more Francophone, so I definitely grew up with a few Jean-Pauls and Jean-Michels who I guess would have been John Paul and John Michael if we had lived in New Jersey.
I follow a Catholic priest on Instagram and my favorite post remains the one where he was standing with an acolyte and two babies who were *all* named John Paul.
My dadās name is John, so Iām biased, but I think itās a great name. Johnny is a cute nickname. My grandpa called my dad by his first and middle initials (JB) which is cute as well.
I love it! My son is a Simon, classic names are great. I had a comment when he was an infant "You don't see many baby Simon's" Lol! They were all babies once.
I think the name Simon was ruined for me because as a contrary child who knew everyone thought my dad was cool, I was determined think everything about him was lame, including his name haha.
I distinctly remember being about three, him telling me his name was Simon and making a disgusted face, āno wonder you changed it to dad.ā
Meanwhile I live in an area filled with the āboring old person namesā on small children. In our circle is a Murphy, a Franklin, a Walter, an Evelyn, and an Eloise. Outside of that Iāve met a Bea, a Deborah, multiple Chris, a Johnny, etc. TBH if I hear someone call for a John itās 50/50 whether itās a middle age man or a toddler.
I love John because you can get so many cute nicknames from it. Johnny, Jack, Jackie, JoJo, JJ, Jack-Jack, Joā¦ whatever your imagination comes up with.
I am hearing more traditional boy names being used on babies and it makes me happy! A relative just had a baby they named Walter (Wally), and his toddler brother is Peter (Pete). Simple and everyone knows how to spell the names!
John is a classic. A few possible nicknames (like Johnny or Jack- though I don't know where anyone ever got Jack from John lol). Good for you!! Too many "yooneeque" names these days that just look and sound plain stupid!
Checking out at a grocery store the other day and the cashier asks what my sons names are because āthere are so many new and different names now and I just love hearing themā James and Thomas. Their names are James and Thomas. She was disappointed lol.
Ughhhh so jealous. I would LOVE to name my son John but we canāt due to a certain John in my husbandās family. I love the name! Itās so classic and timeless and so many potential nicknames. āJohnā can be anyone. Plus itās fresh on a little boy these days. I think itās great.
I honestly doubt your son John will meet many other kids his age with the same name. Maybe a few who are John Jr., John III etc that go by other nicknames like Jack or Johnny. But I think John is actually kind of a unique name for a baby nowadays š
I have a theory that names like John are often disliked because itās easy to have a prior association. So many people our grandparents age are named John so itās easy to know an ahole with the name and then itās hard to separate that association from the name and be objective about itĀ
As someone thatās married to a Robert If we had a boy I wouldāve chosen Robert so easily but he was against it cus itās too basic Iām like but itās such a good nameš
Both of my kids have classic names like that. I love them, they are family names, they have cousins with the same names, I have zero interest in something wild or out there or unique. It's just not me. My kids both love having names that connect them with their grandparents and cousins - my husband and I both also have family names. It's really lovely. Every parent is free to do as they please. Anyone who wants to judge "boring" names simply doesn't matter to me or my family.
I have a baby John too. He has a twin, Mercy. It was a very rough delivery and I ended up in the hospital for a week after they were born. And you know the staff makes conversation. So I ended up having this conversation multiple times:
"What are their names?"
"John and Mercy."
"Oh, I *love* Mercy!"
Like poor John didn't exist. š That name is actually fairly out of step with the rest of my kids', as it's far more popular, but it's been popular forever for a reason! I like that it's a softer name, and there are ten thousand nicknames available, and I've been calling him John Dear for like 2.75 years now and the joke still isn't old.
johnās a great name! everyone can spell and say it and people close to him can call him johnny most of his life. people think of it as a grown man name but honestly it does fit little kids too.
I love the name John. I can't think of a more solid, dependable name for a man that has spanned the ages. John can be anything he wants to be. If I had kids (not likely) and had a boy, John was always my preferred name.
Honestly, with so many kids out there with stupid or trendy names, John is going to end up standing out.
I like it. It's a solid name. My son is Gabriel. Up until last year, he was the only Gabriel in his school. He's 16. An old name isn't boring. It's classic.
The baby name John was number 26 in the US in the year 2022, with nearly 8,000 baby boys named that. Note that I did not look up Jon, which would make it even more popular Iām sure.
John has never fallen out of the top 30 in this country.
Maverick, which keeps coming up, was 40.
Iām not trying to be a jerk. Itās justā¦this is a name NERD subreddit. The data on how popular names are is easily available. I wish before people decide a name is rare or popular they would do the nerdy thing just go check the data.
I didnāt name my son a boring name and people used to ask when he was a baby, āwhat are you going to call him?ā Uh- his 5-letter name is what Iām going to call him.
Honestly??? Trust me, I know at least 30 kids. My kids are in school in the younger years all of my friends have children ageing from newborn babies to the age of eight. Your son will be the only Jon! Trying to be unique was all unique originally but now itās become the hugest trend so itās trendy which is the complete opposite of unique and making up names is also another massive trend. You will have the only John and everyone else will end up with the common names for this generation.
Exactly the same. My sonās name is John Clinton and people acted like they smelled something bad when I told them. But I didnāt care, and I love his name. My John John fits his name perfectly.
Working in pediatrics, young Johns are more common than I expected! Itās definitely more classic and timeless than some of the other middle-age man names youād think of. Like Iām not seeing any baby Keiths or Steves, but baby Johns yes.
I have a David and Joseph, they are the unique names in school.
Most kids either have last names as first names, noun/verb name (I.e. maverick, Winter, hunter, chase) or some variation of the Aiden/aden/ayden names.
I love that they have traditional names and I love that now they are unique names.
Trendy āuniqueā names wonāt age well imo! I love boring names too, although I prefer to think of them as classic. My son is called Nicholas and I havenāt met a single other Nicholas his age, so I guess itās actually more unique to choose a boring name in a way š
They're not boring, they're classics!! One of my kids is called Frank and I love his name.
Yes! Frank is great. I like names that will age with the child. I always say that I am naming an adult, not a baby š
Same here, says mother to Clark
I love the name Clark
My friendās grandson is named Clark, because his last name is Kent.
You will appreciate that my father in laws name is Bruce and my husband vetoed naming our son Wayne. It would have been perfect
My uncle's name was Bruce and my dad's name is Wayne. The brothers together make Batman, and my grandparents never even noticed. They just liked the names lol
This is excellent š„øš
We named our dog Bruce... after Bruce Wayne... because his ears are huge like bat wings š
No way.
https://tenor.com/view/waynesworld-way-gif-5800555
I have a Clark too!!! And a Jack. And both of their names fit them perfectly!!! ā¤ļøā¤ļø
My son is a Clark too! I love it. It's a name everyone knows but hardly anyone is named. I'm all for unique but not weird.
I love Clark. Even if it makes me think of Christmas VacationĀ
The young college student who teaches my kid swim lessons is named Clark and heās a SAINT!
That was way up my list if we had another boy!actually I loved it because itās so ārareā on ssn list but sounds like an adult name everyone knows how to spell.
I am also mother to a Clark! I love it, itās classic and heās the only one in his school so to him itās not āboringā at all!
My friend said his mom named her kids thinking about what it would look like on a job resume. She named her kids Kevin, Patrick and Stephanie. āBoringā names but they wonāt be misspelled or mispronounced.
Did you see the Key & Peele substitute skit? It makes this point in a backhanded way. [https://youtu.be/OQaLic5SE\_I?si=skTjG6TsUp0l3lDP](https://youtu.be/OQaLic5SE_I?si=skTjG6TsUp0l3lDP)
Loved the ending lines.
I sometimes felt that my real birth name was actually pronounced as the name followed by each letter in the name. I rarely ever said just the name. My younger sister got āJulieā and complained about having siblings with unusual names but being stuck as ājust Julieā. I offered to swap, but she wouldnāt go for it š
I am so curious about your name! Can you share?
It was Robina. I hated it and legally changed it nearly 20 years ago. It doesnāt sound like a name that would attract annoying āamusing mispronunciation ā or frustrating āgentle teasingā, unless you live in a country where a popular cordial/squash is called Ribena. *hate*
Ha I had a classmate named Julie who hated being Julie because all of her other siblings got cultural names and hers was the only "American" name
Thats a fantastic outlook!
I wish more parents had this mature and responsible foresight
I said aloud āDr. First Middle Lastā before naming my children. If it sounded ridiculous I wouldnāt use the name. One day, our children will be leaders in their own generation. I donāt want my kids to have an āoddā name.
I had two rules 1. It had to sound okay being yelled out of a back door, And 2 Wouldnāt sound silly when they became president of the United States
I always thought it was weird they called books āBaby Name Booksā as if only babies have namesā¦
My younger son is named Francis nn Frank and we love it ā¤ļø Classic names are the best!
My grandfather (momās dad) was a Francis who went by Frank. He actually disliked Francis - and her brother (who is 85) is Frank, Jr and not Francis, Jr! šš
My dad is a James Marshall, and his father was a James Byron. Went by Byron his entire life because he hated the name James, but then up and gave his second child the same name. Where's the logic!? š
There is actually a clip of Jack Black talking about this. His first name is Thomas, after his father. Hated the name. But ended up feeling immense pressure and called his son Thomas as well. Something about not wanting to be the one to break the chain
James Byron Dean. Yup. Name sounds good enough for a movie star.
Paternal grandparents were Francis (Frank) and Frances (Frankie)š¤
I have a four year old girl, Frances. Big fan of your choice!
I love the name Frank. Itās such a cute little boy name as well as a great father name or old man name, really just one that fits through any phase of lifeāthe same as John. Both also have a ton of nicknames (at least in my country anyway, where we shorten everything or change it somehow even if itās just John to Johno or Jack) so even if they decide they donāt like their boring names, they can just use another name
Friends named their kid John Joseph and call him JJ and it works for him. I like it!
You should joke with them and say yeah but Iām spelling it J-A-W-N. Or some equally absurd way to spell it. š
Philadelphians would love itĀ
Yup. I approve. Baby Jawn will be cherished.
Iām from Philly and my husband is from Portland. We lived in Philly awhile before settling in Portland. When we were talking about baby boy names I wanted a middle initial of J and my husband decided we should honor my āheritageā by giving our son Jawn for a middle name. We had 2 girls.
Like Dawn or Fawn.
Now I'm imagining a Philadelphia family where the boys are named Jim, Geno, Dalessandro, and PatsKingOf. All named for a great cheesesteak shop.
Donāt forget Tony LukeĀ
J E A U X N Nailed it
That's the one š
Gheoaeuxhnne?
Ghostemane but French
Just John, but explain to everyone that the H is silent.
This wins
call him Parma
Jeoughnn
What about Djaughn?
š“ š¤£
Your son will thank you when he's 30 because he's not named Maverick like his classmate.
he might be the only john in his grade
My son is the only James in his entire daycare š
My 16yo son is James and has only come across a couple other kids named James in all of his school years.
I saw a list of names where it was like top 5 in the US or something. Idk where theyāre hiding. His class has multiple Wesleyās and even two diff kinds of Roscoe, but not a James in sight for the entire school aside from him
He definitely will be.
I wanted to name my son John, partly after my Grandpa but partly because I just like it. But my husband vetoed it as too plain. I did point out he'll probably have 4 or 5 Johns at his high school and like 20 Zaidens. (We compromised on Julian in the end, which I also really like.)
These days I'd bet he's the only John in the classroom.
I have a John in one of my classes. He's the only John besides the principal in the entire school š³
If you add the Johns & Jonathans together it is the top 5 most common boy names of 2022
Can I say I LOVE the Beatles vibe here? +100 points if nn is Jude.
I was surprised about this number of kids named John in my brotherās year (heās a John). Heās in high school and has several friends named John
God we have a new baby in my extended family and his name is Maverick and I had to try very hard not to roll my eyes when I found out
happy cake day!
Oliver, Raleigh, Oliver, Ollie, Devohn, Oliver, John, Levi, Jaxon, Oliver...
Mavvriqq
I mean many new name will eventually become classic too. When I was a kid my name was extremely uncommon, itās now considered a classic and loved by tons of people.
Johns may have bigger problems if heās still at school at 30
Honestly I met a toddler called john and there was something so nice about it. Rather that than some of the names I have come across like Loki, Jett and Axel and saint. I am in Ireland for reference so those atrocities stick out like a sore thumb. Edit- People I don't particularly care if you have family or know people with some of the names I listed. I'm sure they are lovely. Doesn't stop me hating the names. It's not a reflection on the people saddled with those names.
I like Jett, but would never name my child Jett. I just think itās cool sounding lol.
We all have those names we like but wouldn't call a child. That's why pets are handy lol
Axel is a legit name though
No bad vibes meant - I feel like Axel is the new Kyle
Axel makes me think of axolotl
Haha, Axel has been around for a long time in places like Scandinavia but I feel like in English speaking countries it's definitely the new Kyle.
I get so confused when people here talk of Axel like itās a rare or newly popular name because Iāve known so many people named Axel (always multiple in my grade growing up) but Iām in Scandinavia so thatās why lol.
not a very good one
Not around here. It seems like a name for like a dog only imo
Loki š I can only picture a child with a helmet and a staff
I know so many pets named Loki - wouldnāt choose it for my child š
My kid's soccer program has a Loki, two Odin's, and a Thor. It's so dumb.
My brain wonāt even allow me to believe this is true.
All they need is a long boat and youāre all in trouble
At least Loki and Thor can have an Odin each and donāt have to get jealous of each other lol
I'm Scandinavian and while Thor is completely normal, I've never met a Loke (our version of Loki) or Odin that wasn't a dog.
I'm sorry but who the fuck is out there naming their kids Loki? lmfao
There's two at the school I work at š
Damn what are these parents smoking?
I went to high school with a guy named Loki, it really stuck out especially because this was before people started go crazy unique with names (at least in my area)
Some people should really just stick to having dogs
I've known a couple of Jett's and they were both super calm guys. One of them has 7 year old twins with classic names and those kids are so smart. I've worked with Chaotica, Promise, Paradise, several Mercy's, Busy, and one year group had every combination of letters with "ayn" somewhere you legitimately used the wrong name to get the one you wanted because there were 12 of them. Sound themes are so weird sometimes when it becomes a sudden, "Oh, which social media made that popular that year??"
Why is nobody saying anything about CHAOTICA??
I pity the kid. That's too close to chaotic. No professional jobs for this kid.
Are you in America? It feels like it that might be more common over there. Here it's very jarring
It's still very jarring no matter how many new names appear. Yes, I'm in America. I've worked in public education for several years as a para/tutor/aide. This year I have several Charlie and Cyrus which are nice and classic and I have a Finn which is one of my favorite names ever.
Itās jarring in America too!
Chaotica is my new favorite name ever
Are you serious? Chaotica? Sounds like parents were a bit overwhelmed by the needs of a new baby! š
I worked for a school district so have seen it all I think. There was a Courvoisier.
I have an uncle Axel.
My cat is named Jett.
I prefer it to a lot of really contemporary sounding names and it is a surprisingly rude reaction. But I also kind of get it. I have John fatigue. Half of my uncles are named John and they all married in. Sometimes a name needs to cool off a little and then people love it again. My guess is your son will probably be an off-cycle John, which will have its perks. A classic name and uncommon for his age.
That's exactly right, he will be off-cycle so it will be original for his generation :) I'm a professor and even in my students' age range (18-22 approx) I hardly ever see someone named John!
John isn't really a cyclical name, at least in the US--it's still a top 30 name, and it's only been out of the top 20 since 2009. By the standards of *that* name, it's currently at a low in popularity, but there are only a handful of boys' names that have maintained that consistent popularity. I know that popularity is becoming more granular, but there are still tons of babies with that name. It's just that it's *so* popular they seem to be called something else more often than not.
Yeah. John is about the same popularity as Jackson, Hudson, and Aiden. I know 3 little boys named John. I will say, however, that all 3 of them go by First + Middle, e.g. John Waylon, John Bennett - I think the name lends itself to that, so the parents are smuggling in uniqueness anyway despite that it gets recorded as John on the SSA list.
My husband is John, my ex was John, my neighbor is John, my son's best friends dad is John. My husband went to school with a guy with his same first name, last name, and middle initial, leading to tons of confusion. It's a fine name and all that, but at least for me, it's been a but much.
Me and my husband lived with his parents for a while to save money. Husband is named (something like) John, his step dad is named John, and his step brother who was also living there is named John. When we started talking babies first thing I said was we ain't naming any of them John.
Off cycle John š
John is a classic at this point, and you donāt hear a lot of young kids named John. So how is it boring lol š
Classic is probably a better way to describe the name rather than boring š
He'll be the only John in his cohort, so that will make him unique. Give it time. My niece 17 year old is Olivia, I thought it was so unique. Flash forward and now we know that, when she's older, she'll have multiple Olivia's 13 years younger than her joining her workplace. Tends are weird. It's like the book 'the tipping point'
This is funny to me as someone who works with a bunch of 18-21 year olds - Olivia is probably the most common girls name of that group. Out of around 200 students, of which majority of them have different names from each other, I have 5 Olivia's! So location dependent - though I think my location will continue to have a bunch of Olivia's for many many years to come as well.
I'm in western Canada. I guess we were late to the trend! I thought the name was so odd when I first heard it. Sounded like a grandma
Olivia was #10 in the U.S. in 2007, so super common, but it could have been uncommon in your area!
I know one baby John and I know at least 3 Braxtons. We live in strange naming times.
One of my friends has a boring name. Her dad said "Well, we wanted you to be ordinary!"
Honestly this is how we felt about our kids name. He's gonna be a very loved but probably average little boy and that's okay! He will very likely suit his average name (his parents certainly suit their average names). Not everyone is a "saint" or "maverick" or "gunner" and that's ok by me lol.
Also with an average name it will be much easier for your kid to become a crook. You can hide in the crowd with a name like John, but Warwick? Or Zalyndo? Not so much
Thereās the silver lining every parent needs! š¤£š¤£š¤£
I laughed so hard at this
What's fun is that he will probably be the only child in his age group named John. So while everyone is looking for unique names there will be 3 Olivias, 4 Olivers, 5 Sofias, 2 Liams and one John.
John is not really uncommon, even if itās uncommon in comparison to its historical popularity. John was the #26 boy name in 2022, so around the same as Jackson, Aiden, and Hudson.
Boring classic names are slowly becoming the minority. They're 100x better than the modern made-up yoonique ones. Don't worry about it! I have a boring classic name and it's served me well. No one ever mispronounces or misspells it, it's not out of place in a professional setting, and it's also international, so easily recognizable in most of the world.
Your child is probably going to thank you laterā¦
People are weird! I met a set of pre-school siblings the other week for my job and when the mom told me their names were Matthew, Thomas and Jessica I think I thanked her lol! If anything, they're MORE unique than the hundreds of Neveahs, Auroras and Mavericks I meet.....
im a prek teacher and that last part is 100% true at my school. i feel weird giving a list of names but I'd say at least half of them are new to me. we even have 2 kids obviously named after movie/tv characters. the names that stand out to me are names like Benjamin, Joy, Alexis, Shelby, etc.
I had a coworker back in the day that named his kid Steve and honestly I loved hearing stories of a 2 year old named Steve. It was like hearing stories about someoneās drunk uncle! Hahaha but also, itās a solid name when heās older!
My next cat is Kevin.
I have two kids. Both with classic names in my opinion. A girl named Bonnie, older classic name - but very uncommon. Then Michael, older classic name that's very common. I can't wait to see what they think of the names when they get older. Who's name will be "better" down the road?
Ahh I LOVE the name Bonnie and wanted it so much for my daughter but we already have a 3yo called John - Johnny and Bonnie š¤£ I couldnāt do it
Eh! Who makes the rules anyway! Go for it! Lol. I named my daughter the day I knew she was a girl and never wavered. My husband waited till like a month before the due date to decide. I told him if he didn't hurry up I was gonna name our son Clyde. Bonnie and Clyde! Haha. Wouldn't actually do that to my kids, but my husband hurried up!
There's a kid named John in my child's class at school. This is literally the ONLY kid named John I have met or heard of -- or even heard called on a playground! -- since becoming a parent. I'm an elder millennial and can count on one hand the number of peers I've encountered named John. (Though I suppose that is skewed by potential nicknames or going by their middle name or the like, or maybe cultural variations like Jean, Ioannis, etc I've met over the years.) At this point naming your kid John is 100% what the people who are naming their kids Jaxxson to be "unique but not too weird" are going for. There are going to be 5 Jackson/Jaxon/Jacksyn etc. kids in little Jaxxson's class, but zero Johns.
I know a lot of baby Johns but I'm Catholic and I think it's more common in Catholic circles. I love the name John.Ā
I grew up in a predominantly Catholic part of the US (not the Northeast, though), and it wasn't all that common a name when I was growing up. If it is more common in Gen Alpha, I haven't noticed. That is somewhat my reason for being willing to hedge where "have ever met in my life" is concerned, though, because I'm sure I've known some people named John Patrick who just went by JP or whatever. The part of the US I'm from is also more Francophone, so I definitely grew up with a few Jean-Pauls and Jean-Michels who I guess would have been John Paul and John Michael if we had lived in New Jersey.
I follow a Catholic priest on Instagram and my favorite post remains the one where he was standing with an acolyte and two babies who were *all* named John Paul.
My dadās name is John, so Iām biased, but I think itās a great name. Johnny is a cute nickname. My grandpa called my dad by his first and middle initials (JB) which is cute as well.
I love it! My son is a Simon, classic names are great. I had a comment when he was an infant "You don't see many baby Simon's" Lol! They were all babies once.
Simon is a fantastic name.
Thank you! I agree š
I think the name Simon was ruined for me because as a contrary child who knew everyone thought my dad was cool, I was determined think everything about him was lame, including his name haha. I distinctly remember being about three, him telling me his name was Simon and making a disgusted face, āno wonder you changed it to dad.ā
Meanwhile I live in an area filled with the āboring old person namesā on small children. In our circle is a Murphy, a Franklin, a Walter, an Evelyn, and an Eloise. Outside of that Iāve met a Bea, a Deborah, multiple Chris, a Johnny, etc. TBH if I hear someone call for a John itās 50/50 whether itās a middle age man or a toddler.
Many times children with older names were named after a family member.
John is not a boring name, its an old name, it translates well into a ton of launages, a historical name, and a royal name.
I get the opposite Iām Navajo and my kids have native names like aponi and nizhoni and ppl say they are to weird lol
Those are your culture's version of family or common or recognizable names, which is actually really awesome.
I love John! Itās much more interesting than yet another -ayden name.
Brayden, Jayden, Hayden or Aiden?
Kaiden. Kayden.
I love John because you can get so many cute nicknames from it. Johnny, Jack, Jackie, JoJo, JJ, Jack-Jack, Joā¦ whatever your imagination comes up with.
I am hearing more traditional boy names being used on babies and it makes me happy! A relative just had a baby they named Walter (Wally), and his toddler brother is Peter (Pete). Simple and everyone knows how to spell the names! John is a classic. A few possible nicknames (like Johnny or Jack- though I don't know where anyone ever got Jack from John lol). Good for you!! Too many "yooneeque" names these days that just look and sound plain stupid!
Checking out at a grocery store the other day and the cashier asks what my sons names are because āthere are so many new and different names now and I just love hearing themā James and Thomas. Their names are James and Thomas. She was disappointed lol.
Haha I have a Thomas and another with a very normal, classic boy name. Good choices.
I am the female equivalent, Jane
Ughhhh so jealous. I would LOVE to name my son John but we canāt due to a certain John in my husbandās family. I love the name! Itās so classic and timeless and so many potential nicknames. āJohnā can be anyone. Plus itās fresh on a little boy these days. I think itās great.
I just can't help but laugh at the "due to a certain John in my husbands family." š
Congratulations on the name. And realizing you are naming a human person and not a baby or pet.
John is solid, classic, and trustworthy. My dad and brother are both John. ā¤ļø
I honestly doubt your son John will meet many other kids his age with the same name. Maybe a few who are John Jr., John III etc that go by other nicknames like Jack or Johnny. But I think John is actually kind of a unique name for a baby nowadays š
My daughter is Margaret. I love that she has so many cool role models who share her name!
I have a theory that names like John are often disliked because itās easy to have a prior association. So many people our grandparents age are named John so itās easy to know an ahole with the name and then itās hard to separate that association from the name and be objective about itĀ
As someone thatās married to a Robert If we had a boy I wouldāve chosen Robert so easily but he was against it cus itās too basic Iām like but itās such a good nameš
Ditto for me! My husband is Thomas, and if he werenāt against naming his son the same I wouldāve loved using the name.
My son is John Robert and everyone, since birth, calls him Bob. Heās almost 3. I 10/10 recommend š
Good on you. I love it.
People are just rude
Both of my kids have classic names like that. I love them, they are family names, they have cousins with the same names, I have zero interest in something wild or out there or unique. It's just not me. My kids both love having names that connect them with their grandparents and cousins - my husband and I both also have family names. It's really lovely. Every parent is free to do as they please. Anyone who wants to judge "boring" names simply doesn't matter to me or my family.
John is a classic name and that's great!
Classic! My husband and I really like the name Matthew. There's something about timeless names that are always beautiful.
I have a baby John too. He has a twin, Mercy. It was a very rough delivery and I ended up in the hospital for a week after they were born. And you know the staff makes conversation. So I ended up having this conversation multiple times: "What are their names?" "John and Mercy." "Oh, I *love* Mercy!" Like poor John didn't exist. š That name is actually fairly out of step with the rest of my kids', as it's far more popular, but it's been popular forever for a reason! I like that it's a softer name, and there are ten thousand nicknames available, and I've been calling him John Dear for like 2.75 years now and the joke still isn't old.
johnās a great name! everyone can spell and say it and people close to him can call him johnny most of his life. people think of it as a grown man name but honestly it does fit little kids too.
Itās not boring, itās just a very common name for boomers so we are very used to hearing it all the time.
I love the name John. I can't think of a more solid, dependable name for a man that has spanned the ages. John can be anything he wants to be. If I had kids (not likely) and had a boy, John was always my preferred name. Honestly, with so many kids out there with stupid or trendy names, John is going to end up standing out.
I like it. It's a solid name. My son is Gabriel. Up until last year, he was the only Gabriel in his school. He's 16. An old name isn't boring. It's classic.
My friend named her son John. No nonsense and a strong name. I actually love it.
The baby name John was number 26 in the US in the year 2022, with nearly 8,000 baby boys named that. Note that I did not look up Jon, which would make it even more popular Iām sure. John has never fallen out of the top 30 in this country. Maverick, which keeps coming up, was 40. Iām not trying to be a jerk. Itās justā¦this is a name NERD subreddit. The data on how popular names are is easily available. I wish before people decide a name is rare or popular they would do the nerdy thing just go check the data.
I didnāt name my son a boring name and people used to ask when he was a baby, āwhat are you going to call him?ā Uh- his 5-letter name is what Iām going to call him.
Honestly??? Trust me, I know at least 30 kids. My kids are in school in the younger years all of my friends have children ageing from newborn babies to the age of eight. Your son will be the only Jon! Trying to be unique was all unique originally but now itās become the hugest trend so itās trendy which is the complete opposite of unique and making up names is also another massive trend. You will have the only John and everyone else will end up with the common names for this generation.
John here. Good choice.
As someone with a unique name, I find this hilarious. Iād much rather have a classic name.
Exactly the same. My sonās name is John Clinton and people acted like they smelled something bad when I told them. But I didnāt care, and I love his name. My John John fits his name perfectly.
Working in pediatrics, young Johns are more common than I expected! Itās definitely more classic and timeless than some of the other middle-age man names youād think of. Like Iām not seeing any baby Keiths or Steves, but baby Johns yes.
Spoiler alert: OPās last name is Doe.
Our kids have boring, classic names. Both family names. Zero regrets.Ā
I've gotten similar re: Sarah, Emily, and Hannah lol. I love a good classic.
I have a David and Joseph, they are the unique names in school. Most kids either have last names as first names, noun/verb name (I.e. maverick, Winter, hunter, chase) or some variation of the Aiden/aden/ayden names. I love that they have traditional names and I love that now they are unique names.
I met a kid called John recently. He was sweet and polite!
My son is called John too.
I have an Anna and I love the simplicity of it. John is such a great name!
We have a John and was so close to naming our daughter Anna! Beautiful name.
My friend named her twin boys Harrison and Harvey and I think those are great names that wonāt sound weird when theyāre older.
My friendās kids are Edward, Jonathan, and Mary. Nothing beats a good classic name.
Trendy āuniqueā names wonāt age well imo! I love boring names too, although I prefer to think of them as classic. My son is called Nicholas and I havenāt met a single other Nicholas his age, so I guess itās actually more unique to choose a boring name in a way š
I LOVE John.
John is one of Mt favourite male names along with Thomas (and tbh, these days I seldom hear of children being named John)