The Least Popular Baby Names in the UK That Have Become 'Extinct'
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| The Least Popular UK Baby Names That Have Become 'Extinct' - and More At Risk |
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Every parent is aware of how difficult it can be to choose a name for their little bundle of joy, and browsing the A-Z of names doesn't help much either.
Baby names follow trends, just like everything else, so while some have become more popular, others are quickly fading away.
The most well-liked baby names as well as those in danger of extinction have been identified by the language experts at Babbel by studying records of baby names from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Although there may have been more than one Jodie or even a Jordan in your class, you might be surprised to learn that there aren't many baby Jordans or Jodies around these days. In Wales and England, some of these baby names are actually on the verge of extinction. We must quickly save these names, so please call David Attenborough.
Cosmopolitan UK compared some of the most popular names in 1996 (the earliest detailed government data on baby names in England and Wales goes) with the number of times they were given to babies born in 2020 (the most recent data set we have) to determine which names have found themselves falling further and further down the popularity list. We regret to inform you that some names from the 1990s appear to have fallen out of favor significantly.
What are the 'Extinct' baby names in UK - Overview
Both Horace and Nigel are on the endangered list and won't be on the list of baby names in 2020.
It has also been determined that Graeme, Iain, Leigh, Melvyn, and Royston are extinct.
Along with Bertha, Beverley, Carol, Carole, Doreen, Gail, Gertrude, Gillian, Glenys, Glynis, Hilary, Jeanette, Jill, Kay, Kerry, Lesley, Lindsay, Lyndsey, Lynne, Lynsey, Mandy, Maureen, Muriel, and Phyllis, the list of female names for girls also includes names like these.
There were a lot more names that Babbel regarded as "endangered," defined as those that appeared in the top 100 between 1914 and 1994 but had 10 or fewer babies using the name in 2020.
The at-risk names for girls were Annette, Beryl, Brenda, Carolyn, Cheryl, Dawn, Debbie, Debra, Denise, Diane, Donna, Doris, Edna, Freda, Geraldine, Gladys, Gwendoline, Hilda, Janet, Janice, Jean, Jordan, Kirsty, Lindsey, Lorraine, Lynda, Lynn, Marian, Marion, Marjorie, Marlene, Maud, Mildred, Norma, Pamela, Pauline, Sheila, Shirley, Suzanne, Thelma, Tracey, Tracy, Toni, and Yvonne.
The names Barry, Cecil, Clarence, Claude, Clifford, Cyril, Dale, Donald, Gary, Garry, Glen, Glenn, Gordon, Graham, Howard, Keith, Leslie, Neville, Norman, Rodney, Stewart, Stuart, and Trevor were hardly ever used for boys in 2020.
Ted Mentele, Editor in Didactics at Babbel, commented on the findings, saying: "Naming practices form the basis of all language as well as the basis of identity. The fact that these names' etymological roots can be traced to various languages and cultures from all over the world demonstrates how languages have influenced one another over time.
Baby-names going extinct in UK: Boys' names
Craig - 98% drop
705 baby boys born in 1996 were named Craig, but just 16 were given the name in 2020.
Scott - 97% drop
1,632 baby boys born in 1996 were named Scott, but just 41 were given the name in 2020.
Kieran - 97% drop
2,882 baby boys born in 1996 were named Kieran, but just 97 were given the name in 2020.
Jordan - 96% drop
5,750 baby boys born in 1996 were named Jordan, but just 223 were given the name in 2020.
Shaun - 96% drop
773 baby boys born in 1996 were named Shaun, but just 31 were given the name in 2020.
Ashley - 96% drop
1,874 baby boys born in 1996 were named Ashley, but just 66 were given the name in 2020.
Shane - 96% drop
846 baby boys born in 1996 were named Shane, but just 31 were given the name in 2020.
Sean - 95% drop
1,594 baby boys born in 1996 were named Sean, but just 74 were given the name in 2020.
Curtis - 94% drop
757 baby boys born in 1996 were named Curtis, but just 42 were given the name in 2020.
Connor - 93% drop
5,009 baby boys born in 1996 were named Connor, but just 335 were given the name in 2020.
Andrew - 93% drop
2,676 baby boys born in 1996 were named Andrew, but just 176 were given the name in 2020.
Dean - 93% drop
719 baby boys born in 1996 were named Dean, but just 52 were given the name in 2020.
Matthew - 93% drop
7,426 baby boys born in 1996 were named Matthew, but just 492 were given the name in 2020.
Bradley - 93% drop
2,557 baby boys born in 1996 were named Bradley, but just 167 were given the name in 2020.
Callum - 92% drop
4,281 baby boys born in 1996 were named Callum, but just 332 were given the name in 2020.
Baby-names going extinct in UK: Girls' names
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Kirsty - 99% drop
1,202 baby girls born in 1996 were named Kirsty, but just 8 were given the name in 2020.
Shannon - 99% drop
4,649 baby girls born in 1996 were named Shannon, but just 15 were given the name in 2020.
Gemma - 99% drop
1,261 baby girls born in 1996 were named Gemma, but just 11 were given the name in 2020.
Jodie - 99% drop
1,354 baby girls born in 1996 were named Jodie, but just 14 were given the name in 2020.
Lauren - 99% drop
6,299 baby girls born in 1996 were named Lauren, but just 77 were given the name in 2020.
Danielle - 98% drop
2,641 baby girls born in 1996 were named Danielle, but just 42 were given the name in 2020.
Jade - 98% drop
2,750 baby girls born in 1996 were named Jade, but just 61 were given the name in 2020.
Leanne - 97% drop
616 baby girls born in 1996 were named Leanne, but just 17 were given the name in 2020.
Chelsea - 97% drop
1,735 baby girls born in 1996 were named Chelsea, but just 43 were given the name in 2020.
Ashleigh - 97% drop
1,081 baby girls born in 1996 were named Ashleigh, but just 30 were given the name in 2020.
Amy - 97% drop
5,206 baby girls born in 1996 were named Amy, but just 167 were given the name in 2020.
Rebecca - 97% drop
5,828 baby girls born in 1996 were named Rebecca, but just 198 were given the name in 2020.
Rhiannon - 96% drop
654 baby girls born in 1996 were named Rhiannon, but just 24 were given the name in 2020.
Samantha - 96% drop
1,854 baby girls born in 1996 were named Samantha, but just 64 were given the name in 2020.
Megan - 96% drop
4,948 baby girls born in 1996 were named Megan, but just 201 were given the name in 2020.
What are the 'At Risk' baby names in the UK?
Many more names are regarded as at risk, which means that fewer than 10 babies will bear them in 2020 even though they were among the top 100 baby names between 1914 and 1994.
Old-fashioned names for boys on this list include Rodney, Cecil, and Clarence.
Barry, Claude, Clifford, Cyril, Dale, Donald, Gary, Garry, Glen, Glenn, Gordon, Graham, Howard, Keith, Leslie, Neville, Norman, Stewart, Stuart, and Trevor were the least popular boy's names in 2020.
In 2020, there weren't many baby Beryls and Gwendolines, but there were still some.
What are the most popular baby names in the UK?
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In Wales and England, Oliver and Olivia were the most widely used baby names. The top boy's name has been Oliver for the past eight years, and the top girl's name has been Olivia for the last five.
Ivy has climbed 221 spots since 2010 to currently hold the sixth-most popular girls' name in England and Wales. Grace and Freya were replaced by Ivy and Rosie, who made their first appearance in the top 10.
Over the past 20 years, Arthur and Noah have both seen an increase in popularity. In 2019 and 2017, they both climbed over 200 spots to reach the top five boys (Figure 1). Archie replaced Charlie and debuted in the top 10 in 2020. Since 2005, Charlie has not placed in the top 10 until now.
Milo (80th) and Otis (96th) made the biggest jumps into the top 100 boys' names in England and Wales in 2020, each moving up 28 positions from 2019.
Maeve, the largest new entry into the top 100 girls' names in England and Wales for 2020 (94th), has climbed 124 positions since 2019.
Baby-names by age of mother
The patterns from 2019—when older and younger mothers tended to choose different names—persisted in 2020.
Mothers 35 years of age and older continued to favor more conventional names for their daughters, while younger mothers preferred names that were more contemporary.
Younger mothers continued the trend with boys' names, picking less conventional or condensed variations of conventional names.
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