As we head into 2023, it’s time to say goodbye to some of the most familiar names of our past, including Barbie, Kelly, and Bill.
These are just a few of the unpopular baby names on the brink of extinction, according to BabyCentre UK – names that were not registered by parents at all in 2022 (in the UK at least).
Goodbye classic 80s starlet names
On the girls’ unpopular baby names front, some of the most popular names of the 70s and 80s didn’t even get a single shout-out at the baby registry including Barbie, Carrie, and Farrah, all pretty iconic celebrities back in our childhood.
Britney, Kelly, and Stacey also failed to inspire parents in 2022. Oddly enough, these names were all top of the charts at one stage or another. The 80s role call is crying right now.
Here’s the full list:
Girls’ name on the brink of extinction
Grandpa names given the boot
Moving to the boys’ names on the brink of extinction, we’ve got some seriously old-school studs that will soon join the ranks of other relics from our past like rotary phones and cassettes. These unpopular baby names include Harold, Giles, and Nigel.
There are a few surprise contenders too such as Baxter and Quinton, plus Maxmillian. Max is quite popular, but apparently, no one s choosing the full name.
Check out the full list:
- Baxter
- Bill
- Brent
- Clement
- Cliff
- Giles
- Harold
- Kamran
- Maximillian
- Nigel
- Quinton
- Rashid
- Rhett
- Saul
- Wallace
Names no one loves from last year
In addition to the names above, there are a few other names that have seen a steady decline over the years. These all made it to the ‘brink of baby name extinction in 2021.’
These include:
- Brian
- Barry
- Cecil
- Clive
- Colin
- Gareth
- Gary
- Geoff
- Greg
- Gordan
- Karl
- Norman
- Melvyn
- Roy
- Amanda
- Angela
- Ainsley
- Carol
- Cindy
- Debbie
- Donna
- Doris
- Elaine
- Edna
- Janet
- Karen
- Linda
- Norma
- Marlene
- Tammy
- Tanya
What names will rise?
Names like Isla, Amelia, Olivia, and Charlotte are sitting pretty at the top of the girls’ lists with Leo, Jack, Noah and Henry taking the top four for boys.
But we can expect a few new names to enter the list in 2023. We don’t know for sure, but here are a few ones our baby-naming expert is predicting.
Rising baby names of 2023
BOYS
- Elio
- Sterling
- Archer
- Cosmo
- Apollo
- Soren
- Zayn
- Koa
GIRLS
- Wednesday
- Everly
- Ivy
- Harper
- Esme
- Remi
- Myla
- Sadie
Baby name trends to watch
Maximalist names
Go big or go home. This appears to be a theme with baby naming already for some celebs such as Nick Cannon who has gone with some serious heavy hitters like Rise Messiah and Legendary for his kids’ names this year. Others to expect: Amadeus, Cassiopeia, Lysander, Ottoline, Wolfgang and Wednesday.
Neo-Cowboy names
Neo Cowboy names combine the ruggedness of old-school cowboy names with a more modern appeal like Brando, Tex, and Wilder. Others to watch: Hawkins, Abbott, Boone and Jones.
Golden names
Sunny, energetic and bright names like Apollo, Aurelia, Sunny, Orla and Elio.
Blue-Green names
Another colour trend are baby names inspired by the cool tones of blue and green including Bluebell, Caspian, Fern, Forrest, Ivy and Sky.
Punchy “i” names
Short, sweet, fresh and a little bit funky, punchy “i” names tend to be just three to five letters and end with the mandatory “i” such as Leni, Esti, Joni, Kiki and Rafi.
X-factor names
X-names have always been a little bit trendy and hipster-ish. In 2023, expect the ‘x’ to predominately feature at the end such as Beaux, Dixie, Felix, Fox and Hendrix.
What to read next
- Naming Trend Alert! 38 Strong Baby Names for your Little Warrior
- Ready or Not, Here are the Crazy New Baby Name Trends of 2022
- Baby Name Tribes Revealed. Which of These 13 Tribes Does Your Baby Name Fit into?
- 2021 Baby Names Trends Expected to Take Off this Year
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