Tribe of Jennifers

3136 Views 137 Replies 78 Participants Last post by swampwitch, Jan 8, 2007

Flor

Discussion Starter · Jun 6, 2005

I have noticed that there are A LOT of Jennifers/Jens on these boards. Tell me about growing up with the most common name in America (at the time of my birth). Personally, it annoys me to hear "poor Apple, everyone will make fun of her in school. . ." when I never really liked my name. So common. Shared it with at least 10 other girls so we were just called by our last names: Jensmith, Jenmiller, Jensoto, etc.
When I was about 10 , my mom said she should have named me "Willow." She also claims that she didn't know another Jennifer when I was born.
The sad thing is, that sometimes I meet new people, then forget their names and then learn their name is . . .Jennifer. So, JEn, tell me all about it.

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MomBirthmomStepmom

· #2 · Jun 7, 2005

I'm Jenni, (yes, just Jenni, not Jennifer), does that count?? :LOL My parents thought they were being clever, I suppose...lol So not only was my name a variation of the most popular girls name (the time I was born), but it was also spelled oddly (EVERYONE tries to spell is Jenny or Jennie)... So yeah, it sucks! lol

homemademomma

· #3 · Jun 7, 2005

sigh- another jennifer here. everybody i know is named jennifer! at least i have an uncommon last name. i lashed out and named my ds something off the wall i guess to retaliate against my boring name lol

emblmrgrl

· #4 · Jun 7, 2005

I'm a Jennifer Nicole! I too gave my kids with uncommon names to try and prevent them being in class with 14 other kids named the same thing.

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Flor

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 7, 2005

I did the same thing-- found an old latin name. I was always envious of those girls in my classes with more exotic name. And I sometimes got called Jennifer Caprioti (sp?) or Jennifer Lopez ( I have a mexican last name) so it didn't really protect me from playground taunts. One of my best friends is Jennifer, too, of course.

MomBirthmomStepmom

· #6 · Jun 7, 2005

I grew up with one of the most commen last names in the world. SOoooooo commen, and soooooo annoying! lol When I married, I got a less commen last name, but now I have to spell both my first and last names...lol

My daughter has a very commen first name, (I should've known better...lol), however her last name is not commen. My step-son also has a very commen name, and my SO and I have agreed to not go so commen with our children together...lol

yummy-mummy

· #7 · Jun 8, 2005

I like using "Jenn"

DH and I are picking out baby names right now, and my one steadfast rule is that it *cannot* be a top-10 name. I hated being in a class with four other Jennifers.

I think baby name books such as Beyond Jennifer and Jason are hilarious. And I had to buy The Baby Name Wizard because of this entry under Jennifer: "Hi, Jen! Looking up your name? Yep, Jennifer is the most common name for today's expectant mothers..." :LOL

And has anyone else been called "Jenny from the block" just a few too many times? Sigh.

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Flor

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 9, 2005

Wow. So far no one has said they loved having a nice, plain, ole fashion name. I do get nervous for Caius when his pediatrican calls him "Kay-us"? for the 100th time (It's a long "i" sound, like Caillou), but I don't feel sorry for all those celebrity babies with interesting names. People will remember their names. I feel like I have to reintroduce myself to people all the time because the name "Jennifer" just doesn't stick inthe brain.

Jenni, I was a "Jenni" when I was younger, too. Spelled it like that, too. I had a friend that went by Jenna, I liked that, too.

Did people always ask you if your name was spelled with two n's or two f's? I always rolled my eyes because what Jennifer spells her name with two f's? I figured it was just a misspelling that people have seen before. Then, I met a little girl named Jeniffer! Did her parents just not know? lol.

I had a boss once who got tired of distiguishing between the two Jens at work so she called the other one "Jen" and I had to be "Nifer"

: !

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poppywise

· #9 · Jun 9, 2005

Yes, another 'one-Jennifer-among-many' here! I always had multiple Jennifers in my classes growing up. You can see my reaction with my kids' names below in my siggie! Nothing common there...

It's funny because my son has 3 Sophias in his class right now and so he ends up calling them by their last names, which are not nearly as 'pretty' sounding as the name Sophia [which I do like, BTW]

I always went by Jennifer and then the shorter Jen once I got to college. Never been a Jenny, though.

MomBirthmomStepmom

· #10 · Jun 9, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flor
Jenni, I was a "Jenni" when I was younger, too. Spelled it like that, too. I had a friend that went by Jenna, I liked that, too.

At least is was a choice for you...lol I always hated having a nickname as a full name. I always felt that Jennifer's at least had a more grown-up name to grow into, ya know? I'll be grandma Jenni...lol Seriously, everyone hears Jenni, and thinks 'little girl'... GUess it's not so bad, I still look and sound like a kid, so why not have a kids name too? lol

Ellie'sMom

· #11 · Jun 9, 2005

Another Jennifer here! I've always been a Jenny except in work-type situations. My best friend in highschool was also named Jenny. I actually don't mind my common name now, though I hated it when I was younger. Dd's given name is Elizabeth, and Ellie is way more common than anticipated, but she will have to learn to live with it. Builds character, right? :LOL The new babies should be an interesting experiment since one will have an unusual name (August) and one will have a more common one (Benjamin).

My mom, too, claims to have known about no other Jennifers. I was named after her childhood dance teacher. I wonder if she even talked to anyone else having babies at the time?

Oh, and that beyond Jennifer and Jason book was particular funny when I was in highschool and dating a guy named Jason. We always joked that if we ever had a kid we would have to name her Moonunit or somesuch.

Ellie'sMom

· #12 · Jun 9, 2005

and I did go to college with a woman who went by "Nif." I also worked with a Jennifer who was called "Fern." I thought Fern was a great option!

MomBirthmomStepmom

· #13 · Jun 9, 2005

I also dated a Jason in high school...lol Funny, he was the only Jason I ever knew until last year when my SO's ex-wife started dating a Jason...lol

I personally have only ever known about 3 other Jennifer's/Jen's/Jenny's... Odd, it's SUCH a popular name, but I knew many more LIz's and Lisa's than Jenny's...lol

My DD will more likely than not be one of many with her name in her classes growing up, but at the time, I also knew noone with that name or that was having a child they planned on naming that... *shrugs*

cielle

· #14 · Jun 9, 2005

I'm one too. My mom also uses the line about not knowing any other Jennifer's. So I guess no one was using it in the late 60s and then in exploded in the early 70s. We had multiple Jennifers in my HS class but I didn't know many others in college and I know only one other Jennifer now.l

Flor

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 9, 2005

In a college sociology class, I read some statistic like in 1975 5% of white girls were named Jennifer or something. I wish I could track down that statistic. Common boy names like Michael (dh and dss) sseem like they take an even bigger chunk of the population.

jenP

· #16 · Jun 9, 2005

What a fun tribe! Just today I was at the midwife's office and three of the four people in the waiting room were Jennifer!
My mom also didn't know anyone else who had named their child Jennifer and thought she was giving me a unique name.
I don't mind, I like the name, and it suits me as it is from for the celtic for "fair" and I sure am that (fluorescently white, I mean.) I've always been Jen. Never been a Jenny.
I wonder which year had the most Jennifers? I was born in 1968.

Nice to meet you all!

Jen

cielle

· #17 · Jun 9, 2005

According to the government, it was #4 in 1968 and #1 in 1973 (when I was born):

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

It was #1 from 1970 to 1984! Some of our moms had to have known other Jennifers! :LOL

Flor

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jun 9, 2005

I was 1976! 6 years of it being number 1 and she didn't know a Jennifer????

MomBirthmomStepmom

· #19 · Jun 9, 2005

2

I'm 1982, and I always knew Jennifer (and forms of) was #1 that year, and the years surrounding it. My gramdmother babysat a little girl named Jennifer, and my mother has said I was named after this little girl, but has never mentioned knowing other Jennifer's *shrugs* lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenP
I don't mind, I like the name, and it suits me as it is from for the celtic for "fair" and I sure am that (fluorescently white, I mean.)

This is me too!!! I always say my skin tone is 'casper'...lol Jenni always fit me in that sense as well, so I never really minded on a whole

What is everyone's middle names? Anything interesting or unique in there?

I got stuck with the 'family middle name' ( we ALL have it on my mother's side...lol boys and girls), which I always thought was a unique name, until I got older and realized EVERYONE and their uncle had that middle name...lol

My middle name is Leigh

I've always liked it, but to be honest, like Jenni more, and well Jenni Leigh, furthers my b!tching about having a 'little girl name' :LOL

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MomBirthmomStepmom

· #20 · Jun 9, 2005

And in some of the moms defenses...lol

I have a little girl named Emily, born in 2001. The name Emily (according to the above posted link), was #1 from 1996 on until 2004. I only ever in my life knew 1 Emily, and I went to grade school with her (nothing to do with my choosing her name)..

So, I can see it being possible that some of our moms didn't know other Jennifer's/Jenny's etc...lol

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