Like dinosaurs, movie-rental stores, and flip phones, a number of baby names could soon be gone forever. BabyCenter®, the #1 pregnancy and parenting digital resource, has identified 14 names that not a single BabyCenter member has chosen for a newborn so far in 2017 – a sure sign that the names are endangered. Although all of these names have topped the U.S. charts during the past century, they’re now on the brink of extinction.
“Unlike an endangered animal, it’s easy to save an endangered baby name from extinction. All it takes is for a family to choose one of these names for their baby,” says Linda Murray, BabyCenter Global Editor in Chief. “Many parents-to-be tell us they’re looking for a unique baby name. Well, look no further than our endangered names list. These names have become one-of-a-kind yet still have the ring of familiarity.”
Endangered Baby Names 2017
Girls
Bette / Bettie
Blanche
Erma / Irma
Krista
Myrtle
Olga
Rhonda
Boys
Carroll
Dick
Homer
Lowell
Roosevelt
Rudolph
Willard
Threatened Baby Names 2017
Like certain creatures in the Amazon, these threatened names are at risk of becoming endangered in the near future.
Surprisingly, some of them belong to well-known stars. Sorry, Gwen Stefani, Peyton Manning, Kate Middleton, and Bradley Cooper: You’re among the names that have dropped most in our popularity rankings since last year, with Gwen plummeting 71 percent, Peyton 55 percent, Kate 52 percent, and Bradley 48 percent.
“There’s a tipping point at which a name can become so common or associated with a specific person that parents stop using it,” notes Murray. “BabyCenter has seen this over the years with celebrity and sports star names, as well as names from hit TV shows or movies. One recent example is from the movie Frozen. The name Elsa has tumbled 57 percent this year, as parents let it go.”
Names on this year’s threatened list:
Girls
Adrianna
Amelie
Brynn
Cadence
Elliana
Elsa
Giselle
Gwen
Gwendolyn
June
Kate
Liv
Penny
Savanna
Vera
Boys
Alec
Bradley
Cade
Camden
Colin
Cristian
Dillon
Dominick
Joe
Jonah
Juan
Martin
Peyton
Phillip
Shane