Just as fashion trends go out of style (we’re looking at you, shoulder pads and leg warmers), once-popular baby names also fade from glory. Of course, it’s easy to understand how it can happen, especially if we’re talking about less-than-sexy ones like Myrtle or Irving. But when the names are ones you recall fondly (and still kind of like!), you might feel a bit wistful at their sad decline.
So while it may seem like the top 10 baby-name trends get all the glory, the parenting experts at BabyCenter also work to pinpoint the downturns in this field. In fact, they’ve just released their report on the baby names that are going extinct in 2025and the results might surprise you.
Curious to see if your name is in free fall? Read on to find out which baby names are on the chopping block. As for mine, I’ll be OK if it goes the way of the dodo. (How many more Jennifers do we need?)
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How were the declining baby names determined?
BabyCenter measured the fall in baby-name popularity by using the top 1,000 boy and girl names submitted by BabyCenter parents whose infants were born in 2024. From this pool, the experts then examined which names suffered the biggest decreases year over year compared with 2023, explains Rebekah Wahlberg, a specialist in baby-name trends at BabyCenter.
“We analyze those names registered by real parents on BabyCenter’s site in order to avoid sharing a load of random ones that aren’t in common use or relying on names that were just part of casual baby name browsing,” Wahlberg adds. The result: a truly accurate picture of the names that moms and dads are choosing today.
Which baby names are declining in popularity?
Truth: Many of the baby names that fell in popularity last year aren’t the quirky ones you might expect. Instead, some pretty mainstream monikers are leaving both the girls’ and boys’ lists in 2025. Here are the ones you’ll see a lot less of in the coming year.
Royal names
News of the British royals continues to reign in celebrity tabloids, but their names have dropped pretty significantly in popularity this year. Catherine, Anne, Phillip, Albert and Edward all fell more than 100 spots from their ranked positions on BabyCenter last year, with Catherine plummeting more than twice that221 spots.
This was a head-scratcher for Wahlberg. “The decline in the popularity of royal family names is an intriguing phenomenon, as they’ve historically been very popular,” she says. “And given the amount of royal-family stardom, which typically helps a name grow in popularity, it’s unexpected to see the trend reverse.”
Names from the ’80s and ’90s
Remember all the kids named Chelsea, Kelsey, Kendra and Alexis? These millennial girl faves were already on a downward spiral, and they have continued to descend rapidly, per the report. But the biggest drop of alla whopping 320 spotsgoes to Jamie, which ranked among the top 100 baby names for girls from 1974 to 1996. And even Taylor, as a boy name, lost his status in the top 100, crashing 199 spots.
But Taylor for a girl must still be trendy, thanks to Taylor Swift, right? According to Wahlberg, this pop icon’s name is actually singing the blues. “Even Swift’s megastardom can’t keep the name in vogue,” she says. “Taylor is on the decline for girls and has been for nearly a decade, ranking No. 330 last year, down 80 spots from 2023.”
Names ending with -aden
This trend was super popular a while back, with Cadens, Braydens and the like flooding the playgrounds. Alas, names ending with -aden have run their course. Jaden was one of the most popular, peaking at No. 62 in 2002. But this time around, he’s fallen quite a bit162 spots. Among the other -aden names dropping out of the top 1,000 for boys are Zaiden, Ayden and many versions using K, like Kaden, Kayden and Kaiden.
“Names are more varied now than they ever have beenand with so many fun and interesting options, old classics, like royal family names, and even newer fads (like -aden and millennial names) just aren’t as attractive to new parents anymore,” explains Wahlberg.
Certain nicknames
Cutesy nicknames seem so sweet, but even these monikers are slipping in the rankings. This isn’t true across the board, however, as the ever-popular Ellie and Liam are still going strong in the top 10 for 2024. But other nicknames, including those for popular vintage names, are leaving the stage, including Liv (short for Olivia), which fell 257 spots, and Billy (from William), which dropped 167 spots. Katie and Belle are two other female nickname names that have dwindled, while Andy, Louie and Danny are petering out on the boys’ side.
What’s on the rest of the list? We’re so glad you asked! See below for the top 15 rapidly dropping names for girls and boys.
Girl names going out of style in 2025
- Jamie (down 320)
- Katie (down 290)
- Remy (down 277)
- Liv (down 257)
- Analia (down 245)
- Karina (down 243)
- Belle (down 242)
- Erin (down 231)
- Bristol (down 230)
- Lilia (down 230)
- Catherine (down 221)
- Faye (down 213)
- Remington (down 205)
- Kelsey (down 187)
- Anne (down 180)
Boy names going out of style in 2025
- Jamal (down 433)
- Esteban (down 283)
- Cannon (down 268)
- Emery (down 241)
- Taylor (down 199)
- Kareem (down 193)
- Idris (down 187)
- Camilo (down 185)
- Matthias (down 179)
- Danny (down 176)
- Aziz (down 170)
- Louie (down 170)
- Andy (down 167)
- Billy (down 167)
- Phillip (down 167)
Which baby names are gaining momentum in 2025?
Lots of exciting baby names are popping up in 2025, says Wahlberg, who’s always keeping an eye out for new trends. “French names like Raphael and Louisewhich are in the top five names in Franceare on the rise in the U.S., and we expect to see that continue,” she says. “And boy names that start with E, like Emrys and Emmett, are also gaining ground.”
And some parents are getting extra creative with their baby names in 2025, creating their own unusual monikers. “We’re watching parents invent new girl names that end in -lynn and -lee, like Avalynn and Wrenlee,” says Wahlberg. These interesting mashups may soon be a staple on these yearly baby-name listsyou heard it here first!
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Sources:
- BabyCenter: “Baby names at risk of going extinct in 2025”
- Rebekah Wahlberg, specialist in baby-name trends at BabyCenter; email interview, Jan. 23, 2025
The post You Might Not See These Baby Names After 2025—Is Yours on the List? appeared first on Reader's Digest.
