Revealed: The baby names on the brink of extinction

2022-12-19

Revealed: The baby names on the brink of extinction – including Britney, Bill and Harold

Baby names on the brink of ‘extinction’ in UK include nostalgic 70s-era names
Barbie, Farrah and Gail all made the list of monikers on the decline for newborns
For boys, gentlemanly picks like Harold, Quinton and Rhett were unpopular
READ MORE: The most popular baby names in England and Wales revealed

Barbie, Gail, Maximillian and Rashid are all names on the brink of extinction, according to UK parenting resource BabyCentre.

Experts say that monikers on the decline this year – those not registered by parents at all in 2022 – also include nostalgic picks such as Shania, Tegan, Kamran and Nigel.

And despite dwindling in popularity since the 1960s – Karen, now renowned as a meme label for over-the-top, demanding customers – is still hanging on with just one registration, in a drop from four last year.

For boys, Donald is seeing a similar fate, with just one registration this year compared to six in 2021.

Barbie, Gail, Maximillian and Rashid are all names on the brink of extinction, according to UK parenting resource BabyCentre (stock image)

Girls’ names which have already hit zero registrations prominently had ‘a 70s and 80s American vibe’, BabyCentre UK’s Managing Editor Sarah Redshaw said.

This included iconic starlet names like Farrah, Stacey, Kelly, Barbie ‘or even Britney this year, despite Ms Spears’ continuing popularity’.

‘Equally though, baby boomer names like Sheila, Deirdre and Shirley also fell from grace,’ Sarah added. She also explained the gradual downfall of Karen, which ‘is only just hanging on’.

Girls’ names on the brink of extinction in 2022

Barbie
Britney
Carrie
Deirdre
Farrah
Gail
Gayatri
Katrina
Kelly
Lindsey
Shania
Sheila
Shirley
Stacey
Tegan

‘We could very well see it drop off completely next year,’ Sarah continued.

When it came to boys’ names, the more vintage gentlemanly Cliff, Nigel and Harold weren’t registered at all. Rhett Brent, Quinton and Giles were also gone.

‘These names might have fallen out of fashion, but they could make a great choice for your newborn,’ Sarah advised. ‘They’re familiar but it’s unlikely there will be another boy or girl with the same name in your child’s class.’

One name which is enjoying its time in the spotlight is Dwayne, which, despite having no registrations in 2021, appeared four times this year.

Maude – an alternative spelling of Maud – also appeared once in 2022, after zero registrations last year.

Piers however, is still under fire, after being declared ‘endangered’ by BabyCentre in 2021 and saw no registrations in 2022.

Meanwhile, it was earlier this year revealed that Noah and Olivia were the most popular names for boys and girls in 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Oliver dropped to second place having been the most most popular boys’ name for eight years, while Olivia topped the girls’ list for the sixth year in a row .

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also shows that Henry replaced Jack in the top 10 names for boys, while Freya, Florence and Willow replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia for girls.

Experts say that monikers on the decline this year – those not registered by parents at all in 2022 – also include nostalgic picks such as Shania, Tegan, Kamran and Nigel (stock image)

Mothers over the age of 35 were more likely to give their babies traditional names such as Thomas, while younger mothers were more likely to use shortened versions, such as Tommy.

Boys’ names on the brink of extinction in 2022

Baxter
Bill
Brent
Clement
Cliff
Giles
Harold
Kamran
Maximillian
Nigel
Quinton
Rashid
Rhett
Saul
Wallace

Olivia was the top girls’ name in every English region and Wales, except in the East Midlands where Amelia was the most popular girls’ name.

Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine English regions.

New entries to the top 100 included Lara, Beatrice and Sara for girls, and Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan for boys.

James Tucker, of the ONS, said: ‘Noah has replaced Oliver as the most popular name for boys in 2021, moving Oliver into second place and ending an eight-year reign at the top.

‘Olivia remained the most popular girls’ name in 2021, having held the top spot since 2016. Interestingly, Noah was not top in any of the English regions, but has risen up the ranks in most regions since last year to take first place overall.

‘While Noah and Olivia are enjoying their places at the top, some names could be in danger of falling out of favour.

‘Leslie has had relatively little popularity in recent years with fewer than seven boys named each year since 2018. Others such as Clifford, Nigel and Norman have not fared much better with 10 or fewer boys being named.

‘Girls’ names such as Glenda and Kerry, that were more common before, are also becoming endangered and we have seen less than five girls being named each year since 2018.’

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