Help - is Riley the new Madison?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-21-2004
Help - is Riley the new Madison?
17
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 1:15pm

We love the name Riley but have heard it is becoming very trendy and even noticed it was #4 on the most popular girls names for 2004.

We have thought about naming her Riley Mills and then calling her by her middle name which would be Mills (a family name). I just wonder if that is too strange for a little girls name (Mills)? I would love everyones thoughts..please be honest. Thanks so much!

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Avatar for alsatia23
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 1:54pm

I don't think Riley will be the next Madison, but I could be wrong.


Mills is cute for the mn as it's a family name, I don't think I like it as a given name though.







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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2003
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 2:27pm

My opinion is that Riley is indeed super-trendy, as evidenced by the number 4 rating on the 2004 list. Typical isn't it? You love a name...everyone else loves it, too! These people manage to get pregnant before you and steal your favorite name!

If you are going to call your baby Mills because you're worried that Riley is too trendy and trendiness bothers you (and let me tell you, it bothers me!), then I think you should pick out another name. I know it's hard to give up a name you've liked for a long time, but I think you should open up your options. There are lots of wonderful names out there, and there are lots of wonderful people here on this board who would love to help you come up with something you love just as much.

And Mills? It seems unusual to call a little girl that, but not freakishly weird. Still, I think there might be better solutions out there for you.

Good luck!

Cara

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-28-2003
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 6:11pm

Riley is getting more and more popular. I loved it 4 years or so ago, now that I am hearing it constantly it has worn out its welcome so to speak. it certainly isn't a classic name, so I think that it will sound dated in the next decade.

That said, I really like Mills as a mn if it is a family name. I would just recommend using a more feminine fn to go with it, not something as unisex as Riley. Good luck!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-21-2004
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 7:39pm
Thanks everyone. It is good to get others opinions.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2003
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 7:56pm
Riley is more of a boy name to me so I would not use it with Mills. People need to know if its a boy or girl so balance a unisex name with a feminine one. IMHO. Good Luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2003
Sun, 01-09-2005 - 9:38pm
I like family names, but I do think Mills is a little to masculine for a girl. Unless you want to call her Mlllie.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2004
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 3:37am

Riley may not be the new Madison or Jessica or Jennifer, but it could be the new Emma or Michelle. :) I really avoid trendy names, too, and I know it's frustrating when one of your favorite names gets very popular. Like my own name, Kira, after being somewhat unusual for some time, is now blowing up in popularity.

Mills is really cutting edge - I think it takes courage to name a child something that might cause people to say "Huh?" at first. In our community, it would be an especially adventurous name because the local junior high, where my two older sons attend, is called Mills Middle School. :) I admit that Mills isn't my style - but people would get used to it, and "male-sounding" names are certainly rising in popularity for girls.

When I was pregnant with my oldest son, now 13, I planned to name him Tierney if he turned out to be a girl. People thought I was nuts. But now, whoops, there's Tierney rising on the charts. So, your choice of Mills may be nothing less than visionary. Or she may have a unique name all her life.

Just my two cents. Best of luck to you!

Kira

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2003
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 10:48am

I love the name Riley and think that it is really cute.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-01-2003
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 12:53pm

I don't think it'll ever reach Madison in popularity, I only know a handful in various age ranges starting with about 16. I know literally dozens of Madison's from 14 down to 1.

but Mills is not a good name to call a little girl. it's fine for a middle name since it's a family name, but not something she should go by.

with Riley being so unisex - it's actually drifted more toward the boys in the last 2-3 years - I would think she should have a more feminine middle name with it than Mills.

good luck

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 1:24pm

I've been studying names for 12+ years and if I had to pick a "new Madison," it would be Riley.

I've answered you before, but I'll tell you again. I love Mills. It's bold, fresh, pretty, and will grow up well. If you do actually call her Mills, you WILL get some bad comments, but I've found with the experience of my children, the good always outweighs and outlasts the bad in my mind.

I think Mills would be a pretty first name with a long feminine mn---

Mills Annelise, Mills Annabeth, Mills Elisa, Mills Emily, Mills Penelope, Mills Olivia, Mills Erica, Mills Vivian, Mills Vanessa, Mills Alexandra, Mills Amanda, Mills Natalia, etc.

Keep us posted. Ginger

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