These are the baby names which are going extinct – and we’re stunned by some of them

DON’T expect to meet many Caroles in years to come. It’s just one of the once popular baby names given to zero children in England and Wales in the most recent year counted. Baby name expert and co-creator of Nameberry, Pamela Redmond Satran, says: “There are some real surprises on the list, names quite common […]

DON’T expect to meet many Caroles in years to come.

It’s just one of the once popular baby names given to zero children in England and Wales in the most recent year counted.

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Baby name expert and co-creator of Nameberry, Pamela Redmond Satran, says: “There are some real surprises on the list, names quite common among grown-up women that are off the table for this generation for babies.

“Carole, the name of Kate Middleton’s mother, is one example I’m surprised to see as literally extinct.

“Same with Carolyn, Debra, Justine, and Lee.”

Using the latest Office of National Statistics data from 2019, it’s possible to see which monikers have not only fallen in popularity, but actually vanished from usage.

While names like Gary and Gemma are losing steam, Pamela points out that there were still 1,200 boys named Gary and 2,000 girls named Gemma in the latest records, which means they’re decades away from disappearing.

She says: “The names most likely to become extinct are those of the current generation of grandparents, born in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. 

“It usually takes at least four generations for a name to come back into style, though some, like Bertha and Herman, Myrtle and Morton never make it.”

We recently revealed that the list of most in-demand baby names of 2021 so far is dominated by retro choices like Ottilie, Maeve, Atticus and Ezra.

So parents on a quest to pick something truly unique for their little one might do better to get inspiration from names that have dropped from records completely.

Pamela says: “The list includes some clunkers for both genders: It’s hard to imagine a modern baby named Hepzibah or Cuthbert, though a few decades ago we might have said the same for Hester or Clyde, names that are now hipster darlings.”

Fancy yourself as a trendsetter? Get inspired below…

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