100 least popular baby names that have fallen out of favour in the last 30 years - is your name on the list?

The once-popular names have dramatically fallen out of favour

A baby being held by its mum
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ellie Hutchings
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published
in News

Sorry Bill, Kirsty and Nicole - these names may have been popular in the past but they've fallen out of favour in recent decades, according to research.

Baby names come in and out of fashion, and it can be hard for parents to keep up with the latest trends. Because while you might expect the most unpopular baby names to be a combination of unique baby names or old fashioned baby names, you might be surprised by how familiar some of the least-used names are.

Language learning software Babbel has shown this, after looking at baby name records from the Office of National Statistics. The researchers analysed all the baby names recorded between 1914 and 1994 in the UK to compile a list of names that were previously in the ONS top 100 most popular baby names - but haven’t made the cut since '94.

The list is split into 50 boys' names and 50 girls' names, and some of the monikers that appeared might surprise you. It turns out that Bill, Iain and Stuart have all fallen out of favour for boys, while Kirsty, Lesley and Nicole have all fallen in popularity for girls.

However, if any of these options take your fancy, they might make a great choice if you're on the hunt for a name that will stand out on the class register...

Boys' names

  1. Arlyn
  2. Ashton
  3. Barry
  4. Bill
  5. Cecil
  6. Chad
  7. Clarence
  8. Claude
  9. Clifford
  10. Corby
  11. Cyril
  12. Dale
  13. Dariyan
  14. Donald
  15. Drake
  16. Duran
  17. Elison
  18. Esteban
  19. Finch
  20. Gary
  21. Glenn
  22. Gordon
  23. Graham
  24. Horace
  25. Howard
  26. Huxon
  27. Iain
  28. Jeffrey
  29. Joules
  30. Keith
  31. Kielan
  32. Kobe
  33. Leigh
  34. Leslie
  35. Melvyn
  36. Neville
  37. Neymar
  38. Nigel
  39. Norman
  40. Quinten
  41. Rodney
  42. Royston
  43. Stewart
  44. Stuart
  45. Trevor
  46. Turner
  47. Tyde
  48. Uri
  49. Yuri
  50. Zekiel

Girls' names

  1. Aerith
  2. Alexa
  3. Angela
  4. Annette
  5. Andrea
  6. Ashley
  7. Bertha
  8. Beryl
  9. Beverly
  10. Bloom
  11. Carol
  12. Cheryl
  13. Dawn
  14. Delphina
  15. Doreen
  16. Edna
  17. Freda
  18. Gail
  19. Gillian
  20. Gladys
  21. Hilary
  22. Hilda
  23. Janice
  24. Jill
  25. Julianne
  26. Kay
  27. Kerry
  28. Kirsty
  29. Kristen
  30. Kyomi
  31. Lesley
  32. Lindsey
  33. Lorraine
  34. Lynne
  35. Mandy
  36. Marlene
  37. Maureen
  38. Muriel
  39. Nicole
  40. Norma
  41. Nyala
  42. Phyllis
  43. Shelia
  44. Shirley
  45. Tasmin
  46. Thelma
  47. Toni
  48. Tracey
  49. Vinisha
  50. Yvonne

If you're still searching for that perfect baby name, why not give our baby name generator a whirl or this Tinder for baby names app? You can also find inspiration in the oddest of places, from country music to these priceless millionaire baby names!

Ellie Hutchings
Ellie Hutchings
Family News Editor

Ellie is GoodtoKnow’s Family News Editor and covers all the latest trends in the parenting world - from relationship advice and baby names to wellbeing and self-care ideas for busy mums. Ellie is also an NCTJ-qualified journalist and has a distinction in MA Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and a first-class degree in Journalism from Cardiff University. Previously, Ellie has worked with BBC Good Food, The Big Issue, and the Nottingham Post, as well as freelancing as an arts and entertainment writer alongside her studies. When she’s not got her nose in a book, you’ll probably find Ellie jogging around her local park, indulging in an insta-worthy restaurant, or watching Netflix’s newest true crime documentary.

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