A classic baby girl's name is in danger of going extinct - and many people think Amazon could be to blame.
The top baby name trends come and go, and while some of the most unpopular baby names might seem like they'll never return (like this list of baby names going extinct in 2024), chances are that just like Ugg boots they'll be back in fashion at some point.
Often, pop culture and celebrity baby names can determine what parents more widely are choosing for their new arrivals. But we've noticed one baby name trend that seems to be influenced by something more surprising - a popular Amazon product. There's one baby girl's name that's fallen dramatically out of favour after a certain smart speaker was introduced to the market.
Yep, that's right, it's 'Alexa'. Greek in origin, Alexa is a beautiful name that means "defender of man". But given that we've all got used to people shouting "Alexa!" at a piece of home technology, it's no surprise that many parents aren't keen to have their little ones associated with the moniker.
Amazon Alexa was first announced in November 2014 and, according to Baby Centre, the name Alexa has dropped dramatically in use since then. It hit its peak of 3,408 babies per million with the name Alexa in 2015, but since has fallen to just 352 babies named Alexa per million in 2022 (the latest data available).
It's been widely reported that Amazon named its voice-computing technology Alexa as a homage to the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, which was one of the largest centres for knowledge and learning in ancient times. But also because it needed a distinct combination of phonemes, so the speaker wouldn't be activated unnecessarily.
Unfortunately, this decision means that many parents have abandoned the name Alexa, likely deciding that it would be a nuisance to hear their child's name called all the time when people direct requests at a piece of technology. (But also because, let's face it, who wants to be associated with a smart speaker?)
For some who have already been Christened Alexa before Amazon's invention, the "appropriation" of their name is a harsh blow. The Washington Post interviewed several women called Alexa about the issue, one of whom said, "I can't even look at Amazon stuff anymore without wanting to kick the package over". She added that she has since opted to go by 'Lex' instead.
However, if you're set on the name for your little one then we've got good news: you can now change your Amazon device's 'wake word' by using the Amazon Alexa app or simply saying "Alexa, can you change your wake word?"
You can't change it to anything you like, but the set choices are 'Amazon,' 'Echo,' and 'Computer.' Thankfully, none of them are real names!
Looking for more baby name inspiration? Check out this fun Tinder baby name app and then scroll through a list of over 200 unique baby names. Check out these cool baby names and some cute baby names too.
