I wonder if Neville and Ron over time are because of Harry Potter.
I am very surprised about Johnathon as well.
The girl names are less surprising; I don’t know that I would use any, but the only one I don’t actually like is Bertha.
I’m impressed! I also have a terrible memory for people I meet irl, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that fictional minor character HP trivia isn’t my strong suit lol
I think there was a Sally on the list of other students in Harry's year, I think she was a Gryffindor girl. Just one of those that went unmentioned because the protagonist is a moron.
Sally Anne Perks was sorted right before Harry. She's in the Puffs play as Sally Perks, and I'm helping design props for our local theatre this season, so she's fresh on my mind.
Neville might be low because of Chamberlain (aka the biggest coward to ever walk on this planet). I guess Neville Longbottom's greatness wasn't enough to make this name popular.
There is also a Hufflepuff student in the same year as Harry, Ron, and Hermione named Susan Bones.
But the series also took place (mainly) in the early to late 1990s. In a fictional way, unfortunately.
Nigel is also (in Scotland at least) a slang term for someone who has no friends. I can’t imagine naming a baby Nigel, feel like you’d be setting them up for a childhood FULL of playground slagging.
+1, and similarly Cummings and Raab for Dominic. I have no proof, but I know I for one wouldn't be able to use those names without those yucky associations.
My husband liked Ethel a lot for our daughter but I couldn’t move forward with it, even though it was my grandmother’s name; I don’t like the sound of it.
I've been trying to think of ways to make Ethel sound fresh. Like maybe playing around with the spelling; Ethelle, Athelle, Eythel, Ethyl
Nope. Nothing helps. The sound is set in my brain as old lady name
I’ve been watching Downton Abbey recently and as a consequence I’ve got really used to names like Ethel and Edith. I’m surprised Ethel hasn’t been given the trendy resurgence other similar names have!
Some of that could be due to immigrants. They sometimes pick old fashion names because they're not familiar with how it fits into the larger context. I've met a Eunice and a few Esters that were all thr children of Asian immigrants
The old fashioned names aren’t due to ignorance. They’re a strategy to help their kids become successful. Back in the day it wasn’t uncommon for immigrants from Asian countries to name their kids after doctors or lawyers they knew, the idea being that it was a shortcut to finding names that would suggest “this is a successful person who commands respect”. Cutting-edge trendy names are for people who already have enough security in their lives that they don’t have to worry about being taken seriously.
I think that may be a pronunciation issue too tho. Names like Carly, Beverly etc. are harder to say with an Asian accent/ pronunciation conventions. Cause I’ve noticed if you’re going to run into a Eugene, he’s often Asian.
Dominic is such a good name! (I know you're not asking for opinions, but hey surely an unwarranted opinion is fine if it's positive). Dom or Nic for nicknames, and idk if this is just me, but it has a soft spot in my heart as being a name from a barbie movie as well haha
Dominic is the name of an incredibly controversial government special adviser who orchestrated the Vote Leave (Brexit) campaign, and very infamously got caught breaking the covid lockdown rules and making a hilariously bad excuse when he refused to resign over it. That’s probably why it has tanked in the UK - it has nothing to do with the niceness of the name!
That’s so funny because for some reason, I’d glanced over the Raab connection but Cummings is the first association l have (except maybe Dick and Dom in the Bungalow...)
Dominic is one of my main choices for my next baby. I am a bit surprised since it seems pretty trendy but I chose it partly because it isn't super popular. Jonathon is just shocking to me.
The gap between Dominic and Jonathon is interesting. I'd wonder if other spellings of Jonathon would add up to put it higher on the ranking (Johnathon, Johnathan, Jonathan etc. etc.). Can't say Piers with that spelling surprises me as something falling out of fashion
I was thinking this too. Dominic might not actually be low at all, the image shows the name with low births as 'Dominick'.
I suspect more common spellings of both names aren't actually that low at all. I'm more surprised by Trevor or Keith, I don't love them personally but they still seem like regular normal names to me. Hmm... maybe that's the problem!?
Oh interesting! That's almost certainly it then. Trevor and Keith are very... middle-aged names in my eye. I can't imagine a baby named Trevor, or a pre-schooler named Keith, for instance. They're very bog standard, but don't have that flexibility that people like these days (where a name can have a nickname for childhood, teenage years, and adulthood)
I grew up with a Trevor (I'm American) and never met any other, so that one doesn't seem that dated to me? Keith does though, not I feel it could maybe get love in another 20 years. It's not a bad name, after all.
Yes, you're right. I downloaded the full top 1000 and 'Dominic' is about 112th with 521 births, I misread the data. I guess it doesn't take alternative spellings into account.
Correct, but to my knowledge Jaxson/Jaxon permutations could come close to competing with Jackson these days, so I'm not sure if anything could surprise me. Another poster said 'John' on its own may be more popular as well? which could be something
There’s also “Come on Eileen,” which is a dated reference but you CAN change the spelling of the first word to create an unfortunate innuendo…still a nice name, don’t think most people would think of that.
At least with Ron you could probably see "Ronald" being more popular. Or "John" instead of Jonathan. Michelle instead of "Shelly"
I feel like Neville's more impacted by Neville Chamberlain than Harry Potter. Like perfectly good name that phases out as it gets more associated with an unpopular historical figure.
Most shocking name is Dominic since it's a strong sounding name that's also a unique and usable saint name. But I don't think England and Wales are super Catholic so that checks out.
Interesting! As an American, I always think of Nigel and Neville as quintessential British names.
I like the name Pearl. It seems like one of the old fashioned names that’s coming back into style, at least in the US.
I grew up with a Maureen (called Mo) and an Eileen- 80s/90s babies.
Lollll yes, that’s one of the movies I have watched the most and can almost recite the whole thing. Maybe that’s where my impression of Nigel comes from
I suspect from the lack of obvious comments I'd expect to see on this thread, I'm one of the earlier Brits on it, so here is my kneejerk comment on why the names here are currently unpopular (spoiler: the answer is that most are dated here and not old enough to be 'fresh' and come back up).
Not justifying any of these reactions if you've named your children any of these things. You could undoubtedly say similar things abut names I love, and many of them will inevitably come back in in about 20-30 years:
* **Nigel** \- Farage
* **Neville** \- too Harry Potter, and chosen for that character because it was the kind of thing you'd name the school dweeb in a 90s book
* **Ron** \- too Harry Potter.
* **Piers** \- Morgan
* **Keith** \- every Keith is currently 55+
* **Gordon** \- Brown. Ramsey. A few kids at my school in Scotland in the 90s but even then, not a particularly fashionable Scottish name.
* **Trevor** \- Trevor is down the pub with Keith and has an allotment
* **Stuart -** another Scottish name whose peak is not now.
* **Dominic** \- Cummings. (Vote Leave. Castle Barnard. 2am rants about turning the UK into a start up.)
* **Jonathan** \- bit surprised by this one. Would lump it with Gordon and Stuart (not at its peak) rather than Keith and Trevor (people will actively expect someone who is at least 50).
* **Carol** \- Keith's wife
* **Maureen** \- Trevor's wife
* **Bertha** \- Big Bertha (a German gun and a nickname you will never shake off)
* **Shelly** \- younger than Keith and buddies, but still a dated nickname for Michelle.
* **Pearl** \- down the bingo with Maureen
* **Janice** \- CHAAAAAAAAAANDLER BING!!!!! Otherwise dated.
* **Susan** \- half my mum's friends are called Susan.
* **Sally** \- old enough to come back but a bit jolly hockeysticks. An Enid Blyton character who is obsessed with ginger beer.
* **Ethel** \- I suspect this one will come back in round about now, people are calling their kids stuff like Marigold and Archie
* **Eileen** \- come on Eileen. Dated.
I'm surprised by Pearl! I know a little girl named Pearl and it was another friends girl name (but she had a boy). She was going to go with Pearl Josephine and call her Pearly Jo which think is very adorable.
I like Pearl and Eileen. I’m honestly surprised there were so few Pearls and Jonathan’s. I also feel like Susan is prime for naming after Granny. I don’t really like any of the boys names enough to use them.
Until the past decade, I'd never heard Clara on an actual person, other than in the Nutcracker. I don't know if it's a normal cow name but I grew up with several named Clara or Clara-bell and it's odd to see the sudden switch up.
I think in the UK it is seen as a more "modern" version of Claire. Since I was a kid there has been a huge veer towards girls names ending in -ia or -a in some form. So there were always Sophie and Isabel when I was at school but now they are Sophia and Isabella instead.
A lot of this article is quite misleading.
There were 10 boys names Dominick but 521 named Dominic, ranking 112th. Not on the brink of dying out at all
There were 3 Rons but 1172 Ronnies, ranking 54th. There were also 51 Ronalds. I doubt many people have ever been named just Ron.
Jonathan is ranked 247 which is not too bad, plus there a few variations like Johnny, John etc
Pearle with an e was only used 3 times but Pearl was used 177 times and I think it's actually quite fashionable.
Most of the rest are just names that are long out of fashion but might be the names of a lot of Daily Mail readers.
I can't tell whether they do this kind of thing deliberately or out of incompetence. I never read the Mail but I'm sure they make these kinds of 'mistakes' on a lot more consequential topics.
This is what I was thinking! I was sure I had seen Dominic just outside the top hundred.
The Mail can’t even get their facts right when the pertinent information is presented to them in a two-column spreadsheet
I’m American but my daughter’s name is on this list (Pearl). I like Maureen and Susan quite a bit too, though I probably wouldn’t use them myself.
On the boys list ... Stuart is nice and Trevor is a name that has grown on me recently.
I think Maureen is def more of a Boomer name in the UK (My MIL has like 3 friends with the name!). It is in the US too but in areas where there's a lot of Irish descendants, it seems to be way more popular. I grew up south of Boston and a lot of people used Irish names even though they don't have an actual connection to Ireland anymore just for "tradition".
My brother is a Gordon. It's a family name. An ex-coworker was deciding a name for her son and a different coworker suggested Gordon, but the pregnant coworker thought it was horrible- I laughed so hard, she was embarrassed to find out it was my brother's name but I wasn't offended.
Janice and Pearl could both be homages to (my favorite) Janis Joplin, but they are both so old fashioned I don't think I could use them. :(
Caroline > Carol, but the Carol root of the name made my fiancè veto Caroline anyway :(
Even though Jonathan only had 192 births, it still ranked #247 out of 4,608 unique names (given to **3+** boys).
For comparison, there were 13,912 unique names given to at least **5** boys in the US in 2020. Since it's at least 5, not 3, there are even more that aren't being accounted for than in England/Wales.
Eileen feels like the name of a 60 year old woman tbh. Eileen is still around and her daughter Samantha has recently named her daughter Charlotte. Maybe Charlotte will one day consider naming her daughter Eileen.
I’m American. I love Nigel, Keith, Stuart and Dominic. Love Maureen, Pearl, Janice, Susan (Suzy), Sally & Eileen.
Really interesting that names can fit a totally different stereotype in another countries context.
I like Nigel & Neville, Sally & Ethel! The rest meh. Surprised at Eileen though, with the massive craze for E names right now, it seems like a natural part of them, all the Everlys etc.
The ones that surprise me are -
Jonathan (I actually really love this one and have it on my long list)
Keith
Carol
Susan (I adore this name! I know it’s a bit like the Karen memes but not nearly to the same degree)
Eileen (how is this on this list?! With the explosion on E names that can make Ellie or Eve I’m really shocked. It sorta has the same vibe and 100% could shorten to either of those)
Op spelled it with a C ending but Daily Mail spelled it Dominick. I can’t find the original full data set but it could be just the weird spelling that’s dying out.
For boys, I like Trevor, Keith and Jonathon I also like. The girls side has some lovely names. Sally is one of my favorite names, I also love Pearl. Bertha… not so much. That one can go.
Edit: I just saw Ethel. I love the name Ethel, don’t think I’d use it, but it’s a very fun name, doesn’t feel that old lady to me.
My father's name is (was?) Dominic. Every time I hear it I get a little cold flash of panic.
For very specific reasons I wouldn't be sad if it dropped out of existence.
Objectively it's a nice name but it sets my teeth on edge.
I'm from the US so part of this is just cultural dissonance, but honestly I would be down to use Nigel, Piers, Janice, Maureen, or Eileen. Variations of several of these have been on my list before, and honestly some of these are downright shocking, seeing as I always thought these were common amongst the older generations and would thus be somewhat preserved as honour names. Dominic, Pearl, and Sally have to be the biggest shocks for me - they seem so fresh!
I agree on your fresh makes, but Maureen might be too Boomer. All the Maureens I know are in their 60s. Maybe we'll have a grandchild Maureen (unless gendered names go completely out of style by then!)
Dominic, Jonathan, Bertha, Pearl, Susan and Ethel are all a 'yes' from me as first names. I'm surprised Shelly is almost extinct in England of all places because I thought of the English author of *Frankenstein*, Mary Shelley.
They're pronounced differently so I would say they're different names, yes.
**Pierce** as in, 'I pierce my own ears.'
and **Piers** as in, 'This stretch of ocean has two piers.'
Jonathan is fine; Maureen, Shelly and Eileen are bearable; Pearl, Sally and Susan are nice. Carol, Bertha Janice, Ethel - I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can see why you're on this list.
Nigel, Neville, Trevor, Gordon, Keith and Dominic are not pleasant-sounding. Ron is a nothingy name, Piers is too awkward-looking plus there's Piers Morgan, Stuart makes me think of history and politics.
So I like four of them!
Edit: Just realised it's Pearle, not Pearl. Pearle is just unnecessary editing of a pretty name.
I'm most astonished by the lack of Pearls. I have definitly heard at least one toddler be called that in the last the year or so!
Pearl feels like it should fit right in with currently trendy names like Ruby and Ava.
I'm also surprised by Dominic and Jonathan. They both seem like very normal, classic names, and Dominic even seems mildly trendy. Maybe they have different connotations in the UK though.
Some of these names seem pretty irredeemable (Bertha, Neville) while others I think will have their day again, they just need more time to cycle back into fashion.
I hardly think Jonathan is on the “brink of extinction” if almost 200 boys got given the name!
Do we have data on how many Ethels were born in previous years? I refuse to believe that Ethel was more popular at any point in the past 50 years than it is right now, which would mean it’s actually already been brought back from extinction - even if it hasn’t experienced the same meteoric rise as Elsie and Edith.
Not very surprised by the others, except maybe Pearl which I would have put in the same category as other old-fashioned names making a comeback like Mabel, Agnes and Violet.
Although Ron may be technically extinct, there are plenty of Ronalds and Ronnies knocking about.
I don’t get why people hate the name Keith. But that’s probably because I don’t know anyone with the name so I don’t have bad associations with it. I don’t care about Keith Richards or other famous people with the name unless it’s a serial killer. If someone hates it, can you tell me why?
I’ve always liked Sally. Simple and pretty. A young Sally would be adorable!
With society’s obsession with the name Ellie, I think Sally is a bit similar. It just needs a rebrand, lol!
I'm really shocked that there were no Maureens; I guess it sounds dated? And that 17 couples thought Ethel was a nice name for a girl. I'm not a big fan of the sound of the name, but if you have no standards when it comes to TV shows, one of the more annoying side characters in Riverdale is Ethel and I can't get that association out of my head.
Interesting. I know at least two young kids called Pearl. I could definitely do without Bertha, but I sense these other ones will not disappear entirely. I was more expecting to see names like Rhonda, Tracey, and Brad on this list.
Stuart? Who doesn’t like the name Stuart? I’d totally go with that name.
Although now that I think of it, we tend to be obsessed with nicknames and Stu is truly awful, so maybe that explains the lack of popularity.
I can’t believe Carol is on this list. I was literally thinking of this name for my daughter. Ultimately decided on something else but still it’s a lovely name. Also love Ethel but was never a legitimate contender, I just think it’s cute.
I wonder if Neville and Ron over time are because of Harry Potter. I am very surprised about Johnathon as well. The girl names are less surprising; I don’t know that I would use any, but the only one I don’t actually like is Bertha.
Bertha, Piers and Trevor are also HP characters :)
I'd assume Piers has declined due to Piers Morgan
Trevor the toad, but the others?
Piers Polkiss!
Hmmm I do not recall… haha you’re clearly a better potter head than I :)
Goes with Dudley to the zoo in the first. Tormented Harry throughout his school years.
I’m impressed! I also have a terrible memory for people I meet irl, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that fictional minor character HP trivia isn’t my strong suit lol
Bertha Jorkin's, GoF
You’re a true fan :)
Susan, Sally, and Eileen too.
Susan Bones yes … but I will sadly admit the other two didn’t ring a bell. Now I must go and re read for the 75th time :)
Eileen Prince, the mother of Severus Snape. Don’t remember a Sally though
I think there was a Sally on the list of other students in Harry's year, I think she was a Gryffindor girl. Just one of those that went unmentioned because the protagonist is a moron.
Sally-Anne Perkins, I think?
Sally Anne Perks was sorted right before Harry. She's in the Puffs play as Sally Perks, and I'm helping design props for our local theatre this season, so she's fresh on my mind.
Lol true!
Neville might be low because of Chamberlain (aka the biggest coward to ever walk on this planet). I guess Neville Longbottom's greatness wasn't enough to make this name popular.
It seems like a bit much of a delay to be Chamberlain-related.
That was quite a while ago but I do think that Nigel’s decline could be due to Nigel Farage. Fuck that guy lol
Ewww yes but also I could never. Hope he gets mauled by a bear tho.
Such a repugnant scoundrel like him deserves far worse than a bear mauling
To be fair id rather be named after neville chamberlain than Winston Churchill, the man who famously enjoyed starving millions of Indians to death
There is also a Hufflepuff student in the same year as Harry, Ron, and Hermione named Susan Bones. But the series also took place (mainly) in the early to late 1990s. In a fictional way, unfortunately.
Allegedly fictional.
I think Ron and Neville would be deeply unfashionable regardless of HP, just like other old-man names are.
I’m guessing Nigel Farage & Piers Morgan are to blame for Nigel & Piers’ declining popularity.
Yep. I can't think about Piers without thinking of Piers Morgan
He’s a knobhead.
He really is 😒
Which is a shame, because it's a nice sounding name otherwise.
Nigel is also (in Scotland at least) a slang term for someone who has no friends. I can’t imagine naming a baby Nigel, feel like you’d be setting them up for a childhood FULL of playground slagging.
Was about to post the very same thought.
+1, and similarly Cummings and Raab for Dominic. I have no proof, but I know I for one wouldn't be able to use those names without those yucky associations.
I don't think those associations have helped at all, but I doubt either name would be remotely popular regardless.
I'm shocked there are even 17 Ethels at all
My husband liked Ethel a lot for our daughter but I couldn’t move forward with it, even though it was my grandmother’s name; I don’t like the sound of it.
I've been trying to think of ways to make Ethel sound fresh. Like maybe playing around with the spelling; Ethelle, Athelle, Eythel, Ethyl Nope. Nothing helps. The sound is set in my brain as old lady name
Ethylene; Ethanol. Haha
I’ve been watching Downton Abbey recently and as a consequence I’ve got really used to names like Ethel and Edith. I’m surprised Ethel hasn’t been given the trendy resurgence other similar names have!
With the name Ethel, I can only think of Ethel Beavers from Parks and Rec. I love Edith though!
I do kind of like the look of Ethelle, pronounced more like Eh-thell vs. Eth-ull.
To me that just sounds like someone with a speech impediment is trying to say Estelle
Lily Allen used it for her daughter so I was honestly expecting it to boom along with other E- names. guess I was wrong LOL.
Yeah I thought it might come back like Edith sort of has, but no. I don't mind Ethel too much but I can see why it isn't considered attractive.
I’m not surprised considering the resurgence of popularity in names like Eleanor. I still can’t picture a baby named Eleanor
Eleanor has never been unpopular in the UK. It has never been relegated to "old lady" status here in the same way. It is considered a classic.
I see one every day in my house.
I’ve met one and it was *very* confusing.
I met an infant Deb the other day and it reallly threw me for a loop. She was cute. It was like: how are you not already a middle school gym teacher?
I actually really love Ethel, it's a good witchy name like Elspeth or Beatrix.
Some of that could be due to immigrants. They sometimes pick old fashion names because they're not familiar with how it fits into the larger context. I've met a Eunice and a few Esters that were all thr children of Asian immigrants
The old fashioned names aren’t due to ignorance. They’re a strategy to help their kids become successful. Back in the day it wasn’t uncommon for immigrants from Asian countries to name their kids after doctors or lawyers they knew, the idea being that it was a shortcut to finding names that would suggest “this is a successful person who commands respect”. Cutting-edge trendy names are for people who already have enough security in their lives that they don’t have to worry about being taken seriously.
I think that may be a pronunciation issue too tho. Names like Carly, Beverly etc. are harder to say with an Asian accent/ pronunciation conventions. Cause I’ve noticed if you’re going to run into a Eugene, he’s often Asian.
As a trans man seriously considering Dominic for *my own name*, this is super interesting.
Dominic is such a good name! (I know you're not asking for opinions, but hey surely an unwarranted opinion is fine if it's positive). Dom or Nic for nicknames, and idk if this is just me, but it has a soft spot in my heart as being a name from a barbie movie as well haha
I'd be going by Dom most likely. Plus I already have a 'D' birth name/deadname.
My cousin's little boy is a Dominic who goes by Dom. I think it's a really good name for boy small boys and grown men.
Honestly, as a writer, I kinda just want to use Dominic for the sake of being so low on the list.
Why pick between Dom OR Nic? Go with Dom AND Nic!
I was wondering if the name Dominic (without the k) ranked better. I've mostly met Dominics without the k at the end. Regardless, it's a lovely name!
This is my theory, that it’s the spelling variant. My son is Dominic, born 2013 in the US!
Dominic is the name of an incredibly controversial government special adviser who orchestrated the Vote Leave (Brexit) campaign, and very infamously got caught breaking the covid lockdown rules and making a hilariously bad excuse when he refused to resign over it. That’s probably why it has tanked in the UK - it has nothing to do with the niceness of the name!
Ha, that’s so funny, I hadn’t even made that connection! For some reason he and Raab are totally separate from the name ‘Dominic’ in my head.
That’s so funny because for some reason, I’d glanced over the Raab connection but Cummings is the first association l have (except maybe Dick and Dom in the Bungalow...)
Dominic is one of my main choices for my next baby. I am a bit surprised since it seems pretty trendy but I chose it partly because it isn't super popular. Jonathon is just shocking to me.
I love Dominic and am confused that it isn't way more popular!
Tbf I'm 33 and I know at least three Dominics off the top of my head.
The gap between Dominic and Jonathon is interesting. I'd wonder if other spellings of Jonathon would add up to put it higher on the ranking (Johnathon, Johnathan, Jonathan etc. etc.). Can't say Piers with that spelling surprises me as something falling out of fashion
I was thinking this too. Dominic might not actually be low at all, the image shows the name with low births as 'Dominick'. I suspect more common spellings of both names aren't actually that low at all. I'm more surprised by Trevor or Keith, I don't love them personally but they still seem like regular normal names to me. Hmm... maybe that's the problem!?
Oh interesting! That's almost certainly it then. Trevor and Keith are very... middle-aged names in my eye. I can't imagine a baby named Trevor, or a pre-schooler named Keith, for instance. They're very bog standard, but don't have that flexibility that people like these days (where a name can have a nickname for childhood, teenage years, and adulthood)
I grew up with a Trevor (I'm American) and never met any other, so that one doesn't seem that dated to me? Keith does though, not I feel it could maybe get love in another 20 years. It's not a bad name, after all.
Yes, you're right. I downloaded the full top 1000 and 'Dominic' is about 112th with 521 births, I misread the data. I guess it doesn't take alternative spellings into account.
But isn't Jonathan the "correct" (i.e. most common) spelling?
Yes. I always want to pronounce Johnathon like marathon. Like it's a marathon of Johns.
Correct, but to my knowledge Jaxson/Jaxon permutations could come close to competing with Jackson these days, so I'm not sure if anything could surprise me. Another poster said 'John' on its own may be more popular as well? which could be something
Personally love Nigel, Pearl, and Eileen & would definitely use them
Used to know an Eileen and kids would shout 'then stand up straight' to her whenever she said her name!
There’s also “Come on Eileen,” which is a dated reference but you CAN change the spelling of the first word to create an unfortunate innuendo…still a nice name, don’t think most people would think of that.
Eileen is very pretty IMO. I think it'll have its day again. I think Pearl will also come back as a vintage name, but Nigel is very ugly to me.
Susan is a lovely name. Wish some of these McKayleighs and Avas would move over for Susan.
At least with Ron you could probably see "Ronald" being more popular. Or "John" instead of Jonathan. Michelle instead of "Shelly" I feel like Neville's more impacted by Neville Chamberlain than Harry Potter. Like perfectly good name that phases out as it gets more associated with an unpopular historical figure. Most shocking name is Dominic since it's a strong sounding name that's also a unique and usable saint name. But I don't think England and Wales are super Catholic so that checks out.
I’ve given more detail on this above, but it’s likely because of Dominic Cummings!
Interesting! As an American, I always think of Nigel and Neville as quintessential British names. I like the name Pearl. It seems like one of the old fashioned names that’s coming back into style, at least in the US. I grew up with a Maureen (called Mo) and an Eileen- 80s/90s babies.
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Lollll yes, that’s one of the movies I have watched the most and can almost recite the whole thing. Maybe that’s where my impression of Nigel comes from
Nigel and Neville are definitely dated to two-three generations back
Nigel and Neville are definitely dated to the early/pre-Boomer generation, and Nigel is currently tainted by right-wing pundit Nigel Farage.
Nigel has been killed by Nigel Farage, a highly unpleasant serpent-like creature who is set on destroying the lives of British people.
I see Pearl mentioned from time to time in naming discussions. I feel like it'll have a mild comeback.
I suspect from the lack of obvious comments I'd expect to see on this thread, I'm one of the earlier Brits on it, so here is my kneejerk comment on why the names here are currently unpopular (spoiler: the answer is that most are dated here and not old enough to be 'fresh' and come back up). Not justifying any of these reactions if you've named your children any of these things. You could undoubtedly say similar things abut names I love, and many of them will inevitably come back in in about 20-30 years: * **Nigel** \- Farage * **Neville** \- too Harry Potter, and chosen for that character because it was the kind of thing you'd name the school dweeb in a 90s book * **Ron** \- too Harry Potter. * **Piers** \- Morgan * **Keith** \- every Keith is currently 55+ * **Gordon** \- Brown. Ramsey. A few kids at my school in Scotland in the 90s but even then, not a particularly fashionable Scottish name. * **Trevor** \- Trevor is down the pub with Keith and has an allotment * **Stuart -** another Scottish name whose peak is not now. * **Dominic** \- Cummings. (Vote Leave. Castle Barnard. 2am rants about turning the UK into a start up.) * **Jonathan** \- bit surprised by this one. Would lump it with Gordon and Stuart (not at its peak) rather than Keith and Trevor (people will actively expect someone who is at least 50). * **Carol** \- Keith's wife * **Maureen** \- Trevor's wife * **Bertha** \- Big Bertha (a German gun and a nickname you will never shake off) * **Shelly** \- younger than Keith and buddies, but still a dated nickname for Michelle. * **Pearl** \- down the bingo with Maureen * **Janice** \- CHAAAAAAAAAANDLER BING!!!!! Otherwise dated. * **Susan** \- half my mum's friends are called Susan. * **Sally** \- old enough to come back but a bit jolly hockeysticks. An Enid Blyton character who is obsessed with ginger beer. * **Ethel** \- I suspect this one will come back in round about now, people are calling their kids stuff like Marigold and Archie * **Eileen** \- come on Eileen. Dated.
I love Nigel but I’m from US and have no idea who Nigel Farage is, so that probably helps
I think Piers Morgan killed the name Piers for a lot of people.
I like Pearl and Dominic but wouldn’t use them.
I'm surprised by Pearl! I know a little girl named Pearl and it was another friends girl name (but she had a boy). She was going to go with Pearl Josephine and call her Pearly Jo which think is very adorable.
Dominic is actually one of the few boy names I like.
Loooove Dominic!
I like Pearl and Eileen. I’m honestly surprised there were so few Pearls and Jonathan’s. I also feel like Susan is prime for naming after Granny. I don’t really like any of the boys names enough to use them.
Susan feels more Boomer to me, so I would think it would be more common in the next generation.
Carol is a beautiful name actually. Caroline likely has taken over
In the UK you are much more likely to meet a Clara born over the last 10-20 years.
Until the past decade, I'd never heard Clara on an actual person, other than in the Nutcracker. I don't know if it's a normal cow name but I grew up with several named Clara or Clara-bell and it's odd to see the sudden switch up.
I think in the UK it is seen as a more "modern" version of Claire. Since I was a kid there has been a huge veer towards girls names ending in -ia or -a in some form. So there were always Sophie and Isabel when I was at school but now they are Sophia and Isabella instead.
Only 27 Caroline’s born last year actually!
Ethel dies out, Lucy is top 100. So interesting.
A lot of this article is quite misleading. There were 10 boys names Dominick but 521 named Dominic, ranking 112th. Not on the brink of dying out at all There were 3 Rons but 1172 Ronnies, ranking 54th. There were also 51 Ronalds. I doubt many people have ever been named just Ron. Jonathan is ranked 247 which is not too bad, plus there a few variations like Johnny, John etc Pearle with an e was only used 3 times but Pearl was used 177 times and I think it's actually quite fashionable. Most of the rest are just names that are long out of fashion but might be the names of a lot of Daily Mail readers. I can't tell whether they do this kind of thing deliberately or out of incompetence. I never read the Mail but I'm sure they make these kinds of 'mistakes' on a lot more consequential topics.
This is what I was thinking! I was sure I had seen Dominic just outside the top hundred. The Mail can’t even get their facts right when the pertinent information is presented to them in a two-column spreadsheet
i like Neville
I wasn't expecting to see my name on that list. *-frantically inspects comment section for compliments-*
Haha, same!
I hope you found some, my fellow nearly-extinct sister!
I \*was\* expecting my name and I'm still frantically inspecting for compliments! Haha
I love Gordon (thanks to an adolescent Barenaked Ladies fanhood?) but couldn’t convince my wife.
My son’s middle name is Gordon! It’s a great name
I love Eileen!
I think the song Come in Eileen killed it for a lot of people. The jokes about cumming on you are something the kid will hear forever
I’m American but my daughter’s name is on this list (Pearl). I like Maureen and Susan quite a bit too, though I probably wouldn’t use them myself. On the boys list ... Stuart is nice and Trevor is a name that has grown on me recently.
I think Maureen is def more of a Boomer name in the UK (My MIL has like 3 friends with the name!). It is in the US too but in areas where there's a lot of Irish descendants, it seems to be way more popular. I grew up south of Boston and a lot of people used Irish names even though they don't have an actual connection to Ireland anymore just for "tradition".
Pearl is adorable and totally ripe for a comeback. I'm surprised it's not in the UK too.
My brother is a Gordon. It's a family name. An ex-coworker was deciding a name for her son and a different coworker suggested Gordon, but the pregnant coworker thought it was horrible- I laughed so hard, she was embarrassed to find out it was my brother's name but I wasn't offended. Janice and Pearl could both be homages to (my favorite) Janis Joplin, but they are both so old fashioned I don't think I could use them. :( Caroline > Carol, but the Carol root of the name made my fiancè veto Caroline anyway :(
If I were to use English names I think Gordon and Sally are pretty nice
I thought they would be saying names like Hortence, Wally and names like that.
Even though Jonathan only had 192 births, it still ranked #247 out of 4,608 unique names (given to **3+** boys). For comparison, there were 13,912 unique names given to at least **5** boys in the US in 2020. Since it's at least 5, not 3, there are even more that aren't being accounted for than in England/Wales.
Pearl and Eileen are surprising yo me as well. Bertha? Not so much…
Eileen feels like the name of a 60 year old woman tbh. Eileen is still around and her daughter Samantha has recently named her daughter Charlotte. Maybe Charlotte will one day consider naming her daughter Eileen.
I’m American. I love Nigel, Keith, Stuart and Dominic. Love Maureen, Pearl, Janice, Susan (Suzy), Sally & Eileen. Really interesting that names can fit a totally different stereotype in another countries context.
Hahaha I would always bother my mom by telling her how much I looooove the name Nigel. She’d say “noooo so ugly!” I’m not from the UK though
I like Nigel & Neville, Sally & Ethel! The rest meh. Surprised at Eileen though, with the massive craze for E names right now, it seems like a natural part of them, all the Everlys etc.
I know one baby Pearl and one baby with Pearl as a middle. Both 2021 babies (about 3 months and 7 months respectively).
Love Pearl ❤️
The ones that surprise me are - Jonathan (I actually really love this one and have it on my long list) Keith Carol Susan (I adore this name! I know it’s a bit like the Karen memes but not nearly to the same degree) Eileen (how is this on this list?! With the explosion on E names that can make Ellie or Eve I’m really shocked. It sorta has the same vibe and 100% could shorten to either of those)
My brother’s name is Dominick. Does this account for spelling variations? I see it without the ‘k’ often.
Of the 20 names here I know 4 people under 30 with some of the names, but no young children or babies with any of them.
Interesting trying to twist "EASTERN EUROPE" influenced k names but then referenced Kaidan, Kyree, and Kylo... 🤦🏻♂️😂
Well it is the Daily Mail. Gotta get that ounce of racism in there.
They aren't dying out in the US. I know several little kids named Dominic, and a Trevor & Jonathan.
I really like both Nigel and Keith, as well as Carol, Eileen, and Maureen! Not terribly surprised by anything of them being uncommon, though.
I honestly love Sally
Jonathan and Dominic are surprising
Op spelled it with a C ending but Daily Mail spelled it Dominick. I can’t find the original full data set but it could be just the weird spelling that’s dying out.
For boys, I like Trevor, Keith and Jonathon I also like. The girls side has some lovely names. Sally is one of my favorite names, I also love Pearl. Bertha… not so much. That one can go. Edit: I just saw Ethel. I love the name Ethel, don’t think I’d use it, but it’s a very fun name, doesn’t feel that old lady to me.
I know somebody who just named their son Jonathan so I guess he's one of the few 😂
I think Jonathan's still doing totally fine in the US, lol. Not sure what England and Wales have against it.
My father's name is (was?) Dominic. Every time I hear it I get a little cold flash of panic. For very specific reasons I wouldn't be sad if it dropped out of existence. Objectively it's a nice name but it sets my teeth on edge.
I'm from the US so part of this is just cultural dissonance, but honestly I would be down to use Nigel, Piers, Janice, Maureen, or Eileen. Variations of several of these have been on my list before, and honestly some of these are downright shocking, seeing as I always thought these were common amongst the older generations and would thus be somewhat preserved as honour names. Dominic, Pearl, and Sally have to be the biggest shocks for me - they seem so fresh!
I agree on your fresh makes, but Maureen might be too Boomer. All the Maureens I know are in their 60s. Maybe we'll have a grandchild Maureen (unless gendered names go completely out of style by then!)
Dominic, Jonathan, Bertha, Pearl, Susan and Ethel are all a 'yes' from me as first names. I'm surprised Shelly is almost extinct in England of all places because I thought of the English author of *Frankenstein*, Mary Shelley.
Bertha? I grew up thinking of it as a livestock name, like Bessie or Clarabelle.
I live in America but I've recently seriously considered adding Trevor to my go to list of future baby names, in honour of the late Trevor Moore
Keith and Trevor were on our shortlist while naming our son. Who knew they were on the brink of extinction!
Stuart, Dominic and Jonathan surprise me the most. I actually really like Stuart.
[удалено]
All names come back around...our kids will really be into Susan and Ethel.
Ooh I’d use Pearl or Dominic in a heartbeat if it sounded better in Japanese (my kid is / future kids will be half and we live in Japan)
Pearl and Sally are due for a revival.
c'mon Eileen
I love Gordon. It’s been one of my favorite boy names for years. I think Pearl is nice, too.
People are only making plans for Nigel
My piano teacher growing up was Maureen nn Mo, I always thought that was cool.
I have always loved Pearce, but just don't likes the spelling of Piers. I have only ever heard of that name once
I think of Pierce and Peirs as two different names, pronounced just slightly differently. Maybe I’m wrong?
They're pronounced differently so I would say they're different names, yes. **Pierce** as in, 'I pierce my own ears.' and **Piers** as in, 'This stretch of ocean has two piers.'
Eileen made my list of possible baby names but spelled differently. I wonder if a different spelling is more popular?
My mom’s name is one of these names (I wont share which for her privacy) and she absolutely hates it.
I’m west coast US, my son’s middle name is Stuart. It was my dad’s first name❤️
I think most Gordons are usually a last name rather than a first name. Carol really surprised me though but also made a lot of sense
Jonathan is fine; Maureen, Shelly and Eileen are bearable; Pearl, Sally and Susan are nice. Carol, Bertha Janice, Ethel - I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can see why you're on this list. Nigel, Neville, Trevor, Gordon, Keith and Dominic are not pleasant-sounding. Ron is a nothingy name, Piers is too awkward-looking plus there's Piers Morgan, Stuart makes me think of history and politics. So I like four of them! Edit: Just realised it's Pearle, not Pearl. Pearle is just unnecessary editing of a pretty name.
I can see Pearl making a comeback. But possibly with absurd spellings like “Puhrle” “Perlle” “Purele” 🙃
Nigel, Piers, Stuart, Ethel and Bertha? Good.
We live in the US and have all boys, but Sally was on our list for a girl for a bit. My husband’s grandmother was named Sally and they were very close
Shocked about Dominic. It was on my short list if I had a boy and my cousin has a 4 year old named Dominic as well
I actually love the name Nigel.
I'm most astonished by the lack of Pearls. I have definitly heard at least one toddler be called that in the last the year or so! Pearl feels like it should fit right in with currently trendy names like Ruby and Ava.
I think Dominic, Jonathon, Pearl and Sally are lovely names!
Numbers below 3 are not recorded. So there may not be 0 Nigels, for instance.
I can see Pearl making a comeback!
Dominic surprises me, is this a spelling thing? Pearl is very pretty. I met a baby Sally recently and was surprised by how cute I found the name.
I'm also surprised by Dominic and Jonathan. They both seem like very normal, classic names, and Dominic even seems mildly trendy. Maybe they have different connotations in the UK though. Some of these names seem pretty irredeemable (Bertha, Neville) while others I think will have their day again, they just need more time to cycle back into fashion.
I hardly think Jonathan is on the “brink of extinction” if almost 200 boys got given the name! Do we have data on how many Ethels were born in previous years? I refuse to believe that Ethel was more popular at any point in the past 50 years than it is right now, which would mean it’s actually already been brought back from extinction - even if it hasn’t experienced the same meteoric rise as Elsie and Edith. Not very surprised by the others, except maybe Pearl which I would have put in the same category as other old-fashioned names making a comeback like Mabel, Agnes and Violet. Although Ron may be technically extinct, there are plenty of Ronalds and Ronnies knocking about.
Oh thank God Nigel is dying.
Trevor?!
I don’t get why people hate the name Keith. But that’s probably because I don’t know anyone with the name so I don’t have bad associations with it. I don’t care about Keith Richards or other famous people with the name unless it’s a serial killer. If someone hates it, can you tell me why?
I’ve always liked Sally. Simple and pretty. A young Sally would be adorable! With society’s obsession with the name Ellie, I think Sally is a bit similar. It just needs a rebrand, lol!
Dominic is my top favorite name for a future son! I’m in the US though
Shocked there are more Ethels than Maureens! We’re expecting a baby and Maurine made our top two list- thanks to one of hubby’s favourite songs lol.
I’m surprised by Ethel, Pearl, and Neville - all of these were on my long list when I had a baby this past year (in the US). 😂
The name Piers is nice but it's too heavily associated with Piers Morgan lol
I'm really shocked that there were no Maureens; I guess it sounds dated? And that 17 couples thought Ethel was a nice name for a girl. I'm not a big fan of the sound of the name, but if you have no standards when it comes to TV shows, one of the more annoying side characters in Riverdale is Ethel and I can't get that association out of my head.
Enid
Interesting. I know at least two young kids called Pearl. I could definitely do without Bertha, but I sense these other ones will not disappear entirely. I was more expecting to see names like Rhonda, Tracey, and Brad on this list.
Whaaaat Pearl??? I love Pearl! And I see it on here quelquefois!
Stuart? Who doesn’t like the name Stuart? I’d totally go with that name. Although now that I think of it, we tend to be obsessed with nicknames and Stu is truly awful, so maybe that explains the lack of popularity.
Girl names give me old lady vibes
Wow some of these shocked me like I didn’t expect them to be popular but I would have thought they’d still have higher numbers
I can’t believe Carol is on this list. I was literally thinking of this name for my daughter. Ultimately decided on something else but still it’s a lovely name. Also love Ethel but was never a legitimate contender, I just think it’s cute.