A host of once-beloved baby names are teetering on the edge of extinction, according to a startling new analysis. A report from NameKun, a firm specialising in global name trends, has identified ten classic names that have suffered a catastrophic decline in use, with some falling by more than 90 percent from their mid-20th century peaks.
The Vanishing Names
The list of endangered names features a distinct generational shift. For girls, the names in rapid decline are Lauren, Karen, Sheila, Brenda, and Gladys. For boys, the most at-risk names are Galvin, Roderick, Gary, Neville, and Dale. The majority of these names enjoyed their highest popularity between the 1950s and 1970s, but have since plummeted, either vanishing from the Top 1,000 lists or becoming exceptionally rare choices for newborns in the UK and US.
Experts point to powerful cultural shifts as the primary driver. Names that were once commonplace are now widely perceived as old-fashioned, heavily influencing the decisions of modern parents. The name Karen serves as a potent example, having acquired an additional social stigma in recent years as a slang term for a perceived entitled or demanding individual.
A Closer Look at the Data
The decline for some names has been nothing short of dramatic. Gary, for instance, reached its zenith in 1954, ranking as the 9th most popular name nationally. That year, over 38,000 boys were given the name. By 2021, however, that number had collapsed to a mere 150 newborns, marking a drop of over 99%.
Similarly, Brenda was a Top 20 name in the early 1960s, but by 2017, only a few hundred girls were named Brenda. Lauren, which rose to prominence later in the 1980s and 90s, had slipped to #170 for girls by 2018, showcasing how even more recent trends can fade.
Other names on the list are now exceptionally uncommon. Neville is so rarely used that in 2024, The Bump ranked it at #21,752 overall. Roderick and Galvin are in a similar predicament, with Galvin's 2024 rank dropping to #5,764. For names like Sheila and Gladys, the picture is even starker; Sheila now accounts for less than 0.1 percent of newborn girls, and Gladys has not been in the Top 300 since 1958.
The Future for Classic Names
The data paints a clear picture: these classic names are simply not making the cut for most contemporary parents. The combination of evolving naming trends and specific cultural associations has rendered them nearly obsolete for new births. While they hold a place in history, their future looks increasingly limited, with experts warning they could soon disappear from birth certificates altogether. This serves as a fascinating reminder of how societal tastes and language directly shape something as personal as what we name our children.
