Though there are many names in existence there are bound to be repeats; even at a diverse school like North.

For boys at North, the most common names are Matthew (13), Dylan (10), Ethan, William and Logan (8 of each).

The most popular name at North, Matthew, comes from the Hebrew name “Matityahu”, which means ‘gift of God’. The name has always been popular due to its biblical origin. 

“It’s really frustrating [having a popular name],” junior Matthew Murphy said. “In almost every single one of my classes there’s a Matthew. Anytime someone says ‘Matthew’, both of us turn around.”

Dylan is a Welsh name, relating to the Celtic word for ‘sea’. It became popular in the 1960s, when singer Bob Dylan became more well known. Senior Dylan Rule shares his name with 10 other students, and he’s gotten pretty used to it.

“This school has a lot of Dylans,” Rule said. “On the first day the teacher said ‘Dylan’, and both of us raised our hand.”

Ethan, William and Logan have all been ranked in the top 20 names in the past year. 

Ethan has Hebrew origins, with William and Logan having German and Scottish origins, respectively.

The top three names among girls at North are as follows. Olivia, Mackenzie, and Alyssa. 

Olivia is not only the number two name at North, but also the number two baby girls name of 2017. There are 10 people at North named Olivia.

“Having a common name can get really annoying,” sophomore Olivia Branstetter said. “People are always saying ‘Olivia’ and I obviously always think it’s about me.”

A large number of people are named after others, such as previously named Bob Dylan. This was the case with Branstetter.

“My mom says I was named after Olivia Newton-John,” Branstetter said. “And my dad said I wasn’t. But I choose to believe her.” 

Like Logan, the name ‘Mackenzie’, originated in Scotland. It means “born of fire”, and is used both as a boy’s or a girl’s name. There are 8 Mackenzies at North.

When most North students were born (between 1999-2003), Alyssa fluctuated between the 12th and the 14th most popular name. There are currently 6 students by the name Alyssa at North.

“I actually like my name,” sophomore Alyssa Romery said. “The way my parents named me was by picking my nickname first. My nickname is AJ, so they just kind of worked backwards.”

Name repeats may cause slight classroom issues, but most agree that they wouldn’t want to have any other name. 

“I like my name,” Rule said. “I think it fits me.”