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Not all baby names continue to grow in popularity — and some could even be on the verge of extinction.
The baby name experts at BabyCenter, headquartered in San Francisco, California, have been tracking monikers that have been on the decline and are no longer popular among new parents.
Based on their research, the team compiled a list of over 40 names that might not be seen as much in 2024 as they have been in years past.
Rebekah Wahlberg, baby name trends specialist at BabyCenter, organized some of the key data and divided the names into specific categories.
Take a look at the specifics.
‘Aden’-sounding names
“There was a surge in boys’ names in the early 2000s that ended with the sound ‘aden’ as the trend gained popularity,” Wahlberg wrote in her research.
As of 2024, many of these boys’ names have decreased in popularity and have fallen from their top spots on the list of most popular baby names.
The name Aidan, for example, fell 93 spots from 2022 to 2023, while the name Raiden dropped 147 spots from its initial ranking.
Jaiden fell even further, with a 151-spot decrease, Wahlberg said.
Last names that became first names
This once-popular trend has not been seen as much as it once was among new parents.
“Among boys and girls, common last names that became popular as first names have been declining in popularity,” Wahlberg said.
Some of these once-popular names that are on the outs include Mckenzie, Oakley, Reagan and Sawyer, for girls.
Mckenzie is actually one of the fastest falling names, dropping 184 spots on the list of most popular baby names, the group reported.
Boys’ names that are on the outs in this category include Baylor, Bradley, Brady, Clayton, Hendrix, Preston and Reid.
Reid was also named one of the fastest dropping boys’ names — falling 143 spots.
Millennial names
Not all ’90s trends are back, especially certain girls’ names that have not been trending.
Once-popular ‘80s and ’90s girls’ names such as Amanda, Angela, Brooke, Diana and Michelle have dropped in ranking, according to BabyCenter.
Brooke is the name that has dropped the most for girls, falling 198 spots.
Wahlberg noted that the once-popular name for boys, Bradley, did not face a resurgence in 2023 but has continued to drop further down the list.
“This once-popular boy’s name has now featured on this list for a second year in a row, first falling 77 spots from 2021 to 2022, and now falling another 104 spots in 2023,” the baby name expert reported.
Another boy’s name that may face extinction is Julius, which fell a total of 189 spots.
The data are pulled from the top 500 baby names for each gender based on information submitted by BabyCenter parents who welcomed babies born in 2022 and 2023.
The names facing extinction are a result of the names that saw the “steepest year-over-year declines” as of Jan. 1, 2024.
