These traditional baby names are dying out in the UK

18 July 2019, 12:13

Some of the nation's favourite names could go extinct. Picture: Getty Images

By Naomi Bartram

Nineties names are disappearing in England and Wales, as more unusual names and spellings take over.

If you’re welcoming a baby into the world this year, you’ll soon be faced with the tricky task of deciding what to name them.

But while monikers such as Hunter, Reuben and Luna have had a sudden surge in popularity over the past few months, many more traditional names could become extinct.

According to the Office for National Statistics, parents are no longer choosing nineties names, which is causing them to completely die out.

To find their results, they looked at government data available on baby names in England and Wales as far back as 1996, they then compared the numbers to names given to babies born in 2017.

And apparently, Shannon and Kirsty are among the least popular for girls, while parents are less unlikely to name their son’s Craig or Jordan.

See the full list below…

Extinct baby girl names:

1. Kirsty

2. Shannon

3. Danielle

4. Gemma

5. Jodie

6. Lauren

7. Jadie

8. Rhiannon

9. Ashleigh

10. Chelsea

11. Leanne

12. Samantha

13. Hayley

14. Rachel/Rachael

Extinct baby boy names:

1. Craig

2. Jordan

3. Kieran

4. Scott

5. Ashley

6. Shane

7. Shaun

8. Sean

9. Andrew

10. Christopher

11. Curtis

12. Dean

13. Connor

14. Callum

According to experts who've dived into naming trends, the reason these names are declining in popularity is because parents are opting for 'virtue in rarity' – which is more unusual names with different spellings.

So, which names are replacing the old ones? Well according to parenting site Bounty, the usual favourites are still at the top, but there are also some new trends emerging.

With Peaky Blinders rising in popularity, Tommy, Ada, Arthur and Esme all seeing a surge in popularity as well as retro names such as Beryl, Maud and Quentin.

Despite a rise in 80s names, both of last year’s most-popular names are still the most popular, with Olivia leading the way for girls and Muhammed the most-popular choice for boys.

Sophia has remained the second-most popular female name, and Ava, Freya and Isabella are also popular girl choices for 2019.

Noah, George, Oliver and Charlie are also up there for boys.