[*Amy*]

OK y'all, I need some feedback here. DH and I are still having trouble coming up with a boy name we can both agree on!! I've really loved the name Owen since the beginning of this pregnancy, and DH actually likes it too. We're worried that it might be on the verge of trendy, though, which we both want to avoid (both of us having the most popular names of the early 70s: Jason and Amy!).

Social Security ranks it around #60, which seems safe, but it's hard to translate that to "real life."

So I'm just wondering, amongst your friends and your kids' playmates, how many boys named Owen do you know?

 

[BananaBreadGirl]

I don't know little ones with that name. I would at least say it is not a very common name.

http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyage...=f&exact=false
(NameVoyager disagrees with me and shows a distinct trend though)

 

[teachma]

I love the name Owen-- it was to be my daughter's name if she was a boy! Names are trendy by area or community, in my opinion. For example, some of the most trendy names in my community right now seem to be Alexis/Alexa, Carly, Eli and Ethan...but I'm not sure they'd rank super-high on the SS lists. It's definitely hard to get a feel for what a name looks like nation-wide. I'm going by my community on this baby's name. He will be Ezra, and my daughter's preschool (ages 2-5) does not have a single Ezra in attendance right now.

Nor does it have an Owen, if that helps you out!!

 

[MelW]

I've seen several (three or four?) babies named Owen in the past few years, but not so many that I think of it as really trendy or common. Working in labour and delivery and doing the postpartum visits in my new job I get a pretty good sense of name trends as they start.

 

[Peony]

I know a couple but wouldn't call it trendy. It has increased in popularity in recent years but that is usually the fate of good names! Name popularity changes vastly from region to region. Owen may be be in the 60's, but you could run into a few or none at all in your area. I have one DD named Madeline and I swear that there are 500 of them in my small town, I run into them everywhere.

My other DD is Gabrielle, and we rarely run into them.

 

[mischievium]

Here's a good website to check popularity by state/ region.

 

[Justmee]

Not in your ddc, but I think it's a great name

 

[pottermama]

My son's name is Owen. When we chose the name I didn't know ANY Owen's that were younger than 50. It was also a family name so I was excited. Flash forward 7 years and I know 6 or 7 Owens. I still love the name and it definately depends on where you live.

 

[*Amy*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mischievium Here's a good website to check popularity by state/ region.

That is so cool! So yes, it does look like it's moving toward more popular in general, we live in Indiana where it's #39. But hey, like I said, my name was #1 or #2 for much of the 70s, and it didn't ruin my life or anything.

 

[Murph12334]

i know 2 - it's not too trendy i don't think

a cute name!

 

[MI_Dawn]

The only Owen I know is Stephen King's son.

 

[wobblykate]

Having been a Katie in school (there were four of us in my class) I understand not wanting to give your child a terribly common name. I think Owen is well-liked and somewhat popular, but it's unlikely there will be more than one or two others he'll know, would be my guess. It's not quite to the Aiden level. My DH once had 3 Aidens in his class (Ayden, Aiden, Aidan). Jordan is also getting there. We had 3 Jordans at our wedding alone (2 Jordans and a Jordon).

GL! Be forewarned that sometimes the namexplosion doesn't occur until right after you name your kid!! I think Henry (a name I love) is headed that direction.

 

[prettypixels]

Honestly, I love the name Owen... but I do think it is up and coming, so as long as you know that...

Hey I named my daughter "Bella" trying to be different, then the Stephenie Meyer books came out. (Very popular, lead character is Bella.) You just can't win sometimes!

 

[scrapadoozer]

It seems to be very popular in the New England area. I know many, many little boys named Owen...and I don't get out much.

 

[acp]

I love Owen too, but I definitely think it's trendy, especially in certain communities. I know at least 3, and other mothers who have come close to naming their babies Owen.
I don't think it's trendy the way Aidan or Liam or Jacob is, but it probably won't be a "unique", unusual name either.
Still, I don't think that has to be a reason not to choose it. The reality is that there is such a larger variety of names that parents are choosing these days, that even the ones that seem more common or trendy probably aren't going to doom your child to having their last initial tacked onto their name at the end or having numerous other kids of the same name in their class.

Also, I'd echo what Wobblykate said - usually the name explosion happens right AS you're naming your child. My mom had never heard of another Amanda when she chose my name. I never had another in my class at school, but it certainly wasn't unusual starting when I was born, and later became VERY common. When I look now at the soc sec website, it was right around the year I was born (1975) that it shot up in popularity....

 

[wobblykate]

: some sort of collective baby-naming unconscious.

 

[lilgreen]

I know three. Two were in the same class together last year (gr.2), one was just born last year. I've spoken to a very busy midwife who lumps Owen into the trendy category. I do agree, however, that it can be regional. This is in Canada.

BTW - I do love the name, regardless!

 

[jennifercp8]

I love the name - my new nephew is named Owen, as is a good friend's DS (about 6 months old). I don't think I have had any students with the name, though.

 

[secondimpression]

I'm an Emily, which ranks pretty high on most popular names of all time and has been #1 for the last 11 years running. It was #18 the year I was born and I've always known other Emily's in my age bracket. The only time I ever had another Emily in one of my classes though was 3rd grade...but when I played on the field hockey team in high school there were 4 of us. Jared and Maria were #60 the year I was born and I've never met anyone with those names.

There are pluses to having a "common" name, you certainly never have to live up to a whacky name your parents made up and no one seems to have these preconcieved notions of what you should be like.

I think Owen is a bit trendy right now, but nothing like all the boy names that end in -aden. And how cool would it be to be the only kid in your class with a name that starts with "O"?

I like the name Owen, but would never name a child that. But that's because I have a cat named Olin and who wants to be named after the family pet?

 

[4Blessings]

Sorry, absolutely hate the name Owen.
We know one college-aged and three elementary-aged Owens.

Just cannot shake hearing the name in the movie Throw Momma from the Train .