• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Experts reveal 10 popular baby names that are set to go extinct

Home> News

Published 19:30 13 Nov 2025 GMT

Experts reveal 10 popular baby names that are set to go extinct

These monikers have seen a decline in popularity in recent years

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

There are ten baby names supposedly headed for extinction, and some of these doomed monikers will definitely come as a surprise.

Obviously parents have around nine months to chose what to name their child, but even if they knew years in advance it can still prove to be a difficult task as a lot of people want their child to have a unique moniker.

But people find inspiration from almost anywhere. My parents, for example, chose Niamh despite the fact I have next-to-no direct Irish heritage and they just simply liked it.

My mom actually first heard of the unique name from Niamh Cusack, an Irish actress known for starring in movies like Hereafter, In The Land Of Saints and Sinners, and Testament of Youth.

Advert

Uniqueness wise, I can assure you there were very few Niamhs in northern England in the late 1990s.

Nowadays, people will often turn to the internet for inspiration, and NameKun is one site you might look at.

Parents may struggle to find the perfect name for their newborns (Getty Stock Image)
Parents may struggle to find the perfect name for their newborns (Getty Stock Image)

According to NameKun, some of the most popular boy names in the US at the moment include Michael, John, and David, while some favored girl names are Sarah, Jennifer, and Jessica.

Meanwhile, across the pond in the UK, names like Noah, Oliver, Muhammad, Olivia, Amelia, and Lily are some popular baby name choices, says AOL.

Of course, not all names remain popular though, and these ten specifically have seen a dramatic decline.

Lauren in the UK, for example, was the second most popular name in 1994. However, as of last year it didn't even make the top 100 most popular names.

In fact, Lauren reportedly dropped to 934th place with just 34 Laurens born that year in 2024.

It's not good news for Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham... (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
It's not good news for Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham... (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Then there's Karen; one which probably comes as less of a surprise to you in light of the viral 'Karen' term often referring to a middle-aged woman who complains to the manager about things, usually for racially-charged reasons.

Per the Office of National Statistics (ONS), Karen was the third most popular girl name in the UK in 1964, but the same can't be said now. Sorry, Karen Gillan!

There's also Sheila. The name was the peak of popularity for baby girls in the 1930s but by 1996 only ten girls received the name in England and Wales, according to AOL.

Other names to have plummeted in popularity drastically include Roderick, Brenda, Gladys, Galvin, Dale, Gary and Neville — which is particularly bad news for former Manchester United soccer star, Gary Neville...

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock

Topics: Community, News, Parenting, UK News, US News, History

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Expert reveals the most powerful male names in the US in ‘striking’ new study
  • Experts reveal the exact temperature to set your fridge to prevent food poisoning
  • Experts reveal the six ways to know if you were raised by a narcissist
  • Experts reveal why millennials are abandoning organized religion and what they're doing instead

Choose your content:

9 mins ago
24 mins ago
an hour ago
  • Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
    9 mins ago

    James Van Der Beek's GoFundMe passes $2million as late actor's cancer treatment left his family 'out of funds'

    The actor's family made the announcement on February 11 that he had died

    Celebrity
  • Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
    24 mins ago

    Olympic scandal erupts over gold-winning ice skating duo as ISU responds to judging backlash

    Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates were handed a silver medal during their free dance in the Winter Olympics

    News
  • ARNAUD FINISTRE / AFP via Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Three killed including two tourists in horror avalanche at popular ski resort

    Two British nationals have died

    News
  • Instagram/lindseyvonn
    an hour ago

    Doctor warns Olympian Lindsey Vonn could face 'lifelong consequences' and amputation after horror ski crash

    Vonn could be seen screaming on the slopes during live coverage of the games

    News