Unpopular baby names of 2024: Here’s what’s at risk of going extinct
Not all baby names continue to grow in popularity — and some could even be on the verge of extinction.
Experts at BabyCenter recently identified and analyzed the top 500 baby names for each gender from data submitted by parents about babies born in 2022 and 2023.
From there, the company analyzed the data on Jan. 1 to figure out which names saw the steepest year-over-year declines.
BabyCenter found several baby names that may be on their way out in 2024.
"The names we’ve seen falling out of popular use in this report contain some surprises, and some that we fully expected to see falling out of fashion," Rebekah Wahlberg, a baby name trends specialist at BabyCenter, told FOX Television Stations.
Baby girl names that are going extinct
According to BabyCenter, girls' names that were popular when millennials were born have fallen from grace in the past decade – especially Amanda, Angela, Brooke, Diana, and Michelle.
File: Three month old baby boy with attitude. (Credit: Getty Images)
These were all in the top 100 in the 1980s and '90s but declined in popularity in 2023.
"It's unexpected to see nature-themed names like Eden, Oaklee, and Brooke falling out of fashion at a time when names from the natural world are flourishing," Wahlberg continued.
Baby boy names that are going extinct
Meanwhile, names ending with ‘-aden’ were popular for boys throughout the 2000s, but many aren't as highly favored anymore.
For example, Aidan fell from No. 253 in 2022 to No. 346 in 2023, Raiden fell from No. 286 to No. 433, and Jaiden fell from No. 325 to No. 426.
"A decade ago, five names with the ‘-aden’ sound (Aiden, Caden, Jayden, Brayden, Cadence) held spots in the top 100. But Aidan (alternate spelling), Raiden, and Jaiden now find themselves grouped together among those most falling out of favor," Wahberg said, adding, "Names with a big presence – either because of their deep meaning or because of the history behind them – are generally popular. But Princeton, Julius, Orion, and Maximus, despite fitting in with the trend, aren't making the impact you might expect."
Are ‘last names turned first names’ going out of style?
According to BabyCenter, last names-turned-first names are on the outs among both boys and girls.
Baylor, Bradley, Brady, Clayton, Hendrix, Preston and Reid are down for boys, and Oaklee, Mckenzie, Raegan and Sawyer are down for girls.
But, Laura Wattenberg, the creator of Namerology, recently announced several baby names that will be trending in 2024 – and for boys, she said surname-styled names will continue to be popular.
"Parents will be looking for new choices that push the style envelope," she said. "Swift surnames like Cade and Hayes are up-and-coming styles."
Baby girl and boy names at risk of going extinct
Baby name predictions
Toward the second half of 2023, BabyCenter said it saw a big rally in registrations for the names Levi and Ezra, pushing them into the top 10 names for boys.
"Levi rose from No. 12 to No. 7, and Ezra rose from No. 25 to No. 9 – a huge leap. This year we expect to see the energy behind those names continue," Wahlberg revealed.
She continued, "We also wouldn't be surprised to see more celestial-themed names join the top 100. Orion is an outlier that's falling, but among girls, Luna, Aurora, and Nova have been skyrocketing."
Top trending baby names of 2024
Wattenberg tracked pop-culture baby names and what’s rising in the official statistics in 2024.
"Names don't exist in a vacuum," Wattenberg told FOX Television Stations, adding, "Even a celebrity name will only take off if it's a style that parents are already looking for."
She revealed that parents are looking for names with an "unconventional sound or rhythm" such as names ending in -a like Koa, Luca and Ira, and girls' names ending in -o like Halo, Juno and Indigo.
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Wattenberg said she’s also expecting a rise in modern nature names including Wren, Juniper, Aurora and Dove for girls.
Cute old-fashioned names like Millie, Josie, Winnie and Nellie will continue to make a comeback as well, according to the naming expert.
For boys, Wattenberg said that neo-cowboy names like Stetson and Colter and surname-styled names will continue to be popular.
Names from the popular television series "Yellowstone" including Dutton and Tate fit the trends for both neo-cowboy and swift surnames.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.