# Didja Ever Notice.... (An Observation About Peoples' Names) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 3, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320 "2001-11-03T16:37:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/21 "2001-11-03T20:03:30Z")
My name is Martin. Although I have never been terribly fond of it, I find it rather apt. ---
**Author:** ![LoverBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@LoverBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoverBoy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/22 "2001-11-03T20:12:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zoogirl \* > Mr zoogirl is Randy, and we run into quite a few around the same age. Hey! What a coincidence! I am too. And my name is Rob. ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/23 "2001-11-03T20:18:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Her nickname is “Beccasaurus Rex.” No kidding! We call my daughter Dianasaurus Rex. “The Dianasaur” for short. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/24 "2001-11-03T20:21:12Z")
My name is Lea, which is infrequent enough, but nobody ever spells or pronounces it right, because it sounds like Leah and looks like either Leia or Lee. My sisters (both 19) are Amanda (we call her Mandy) and Grace. I know tons of Amandas, but no other Graces that age. (Also, religious types are always telling her what a beautiful name she has. :D) My brother’s name is Patrick, though he narrowly avoided being named Colin. (If he were a girl, he would have been Emily.) So we’ve all got pretty traditional names. My mom has a weird name, though – I’ve never heard of anyone else with that name… ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/25 "2001-11-03T20:38:15Z")
I know WAY too many Daves, Mikes and Ricks. ---
**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/26 "2001-11-03T21:01:30Z")
I don’t have a problem running into too many Sarahs. I really like my name too - I think it’s classic. I like older, classic names too. My favorite girls’ names are Natalie and Hannah. For boys I like Noah and Elijah. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/27 "2001-11-03T23:23:28Z")
This is one of the things I especially like about living in Quebec. I like French names. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/28 "2001-11-03T23:28:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Persephone \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Her nickname is “Beccasaurus Rex.” > > No kidding! We call my daughter Dianasaurus Rex. “The Dianasaur” for short. 😃 \*\* My youngest is known as “Joshua, the Hun” or “Attila, my son” ---
**Author:** ![fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fish_in_the_sky)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/29 "2001-11-04T00:08:54Z")
I’m 22 and my first name is Sonya. I don’t think I’ve once met another Sonya (or Sonia, or Sonja) in real life. I’m the only Sonya (Sonia, Sonja) at my school of ~800 students. And I like it that way. ---
**Author:** ![CandyBoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@CandyBoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandyBoi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/30 "2001-11-04T01:15:37Z")
My name is Michael. I’m rather offended that you did not mention me on your little list 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/31 "2001-11-04T01:27:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nacho4Sara \* > \*\*I don’t have a problem running into too many Sarahs. I really like my name too - I think it’s classic. > \*\* Really? A whopping SIX PERCENT of my school’s student body is named Sarah (in a fit of boredom I went through the directory and counted). There are so many of them that it’s pretty rare to hear anyone refered to as just “Sarah”, it’s usually either their full name, surname, or a nickname. Elizabeth/Liz/Liza/Beth and Catherine/Kate/Katie are probably as popular as Sarah, but the variant possibilities help to avoid confusion. Then again, I go to a private school. With the exception of scholarship students like me the student body is primarily upper class, so it’s unsurprising that we’d have a higher rate of traditional names than the general population. Oh, in regards to the popularity of “Michael”, I had a friend who had only dated guys named Mike. She didn’t do it on purpose, it’s just that every guy she ended up with was named Mike. She finally broke her Mike streak with – get this – a guy named Micah. ---
**Author:** ![Skwerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Skwerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwerl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/32 "2001-11-04T01:29:49Z")
No list of white teenage girl names is complete without Sara(h). ---
**Author:** ![Lateralus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@Lateralus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lateralus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/33 "2001-11-04T01:30:34Z")
I relate to your OP, and my given name is Edward, but I go by Eddie. Not heard too often I’m sure. In my English class last year there were **six** , count 'em **six** , Sarahs in a class of 30. I despised it, but whenever I didn’t know someone’s name saying Sarah gave me a pretty good shot at getting it right 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ferggie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Ferggie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferggie)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/34 "2001-11-04T01:36:37Z")
When I graduated high school in 1996, my class was full of Matts. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/35 "2001-11-04T02:32:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FireUnderpantsBoobs \* > \*\*That happens to me too - “Carrie Ann” by the Hollies. \*\* Urrgh…I know _exactly_ how you feel. I’m Terri-Anne, so around one-third or so of new people I meet think they’re being wildly witty and original by singing that. I keep a special supply of rotten tomatoes to throw at them 🙂 That said, I do like my name; I’ve only met a few other TA’s in my life. That’s the upside. The downside is, a lot of the time, people only remember that I have a hyphenated first name, not exactly what goes either side of the hyphen. I’ve had Mary-Anne, Kerry-Anne, even Mary-Lou on one notable occasion. ---
**Author:** ![to\_catch\_a\_painted\_pony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@to\_catch\_a\_painted\_pony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/to_catch_a_painted_pony)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/36 "2001-11-04T03:24:59Z")
Remember when the names were Ethel, Eleanore, Patricia, Gwenolyn? Me neither, but it must have happened once. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/37 "2001-11-04T03:58:13Z")
I know 2 Patricia’s. I know Sonia’s and Sonya’s. The name I think is cursed to follow me everywhere I go is Carlos(or Charles, Charlie, Karl, whatever translation of that name in any language). Funny thing is, Carlos is one third of my name(it’s an invented name). Also, now that I am in college, the name Matt(Matthew) seems to be the other common name I run into. I didn’t know it was a common name in the states until it was my turn to live in one. My dad also named me. Well, someone else picked up the name, but he chose the spelling and he registered me. And I thank him for choosing the spelling because otherwise the name wouldn’t be as pretty(IMHO). ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/38 "2001-11-04T04:22:49Z")
Sandra and Brad here, but we call each other Beck (kinda like dude only cooler), and any kid of ours will officially be called Beck, boy or girl. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/39 "2001-11-04T04:23:05Z")
My name is Ginger. I’ve only actually met one other one in my life, so I can’t really complain about my name being common. I also have a very odd last name. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320/40 "2001-11-04T04:33:38Z")
My name is Amy, pretty popular in the mid 70s… my parents were a few years behind, I was born in 1980. My brother, born in 1983, is Marc. My sister, born in 86, is Emily. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/didja-ever-notice-an-observation-about-peoples-names/91320.md?page=3)