Boys' baby name loved by millennials now virtually extinct as it 'sounds tired'

27 September 2023 , 12:37

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A name that used to be popular is at risk of going extinct (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/Image Source)

It's no secret that baby name trends come and go. What once was storming the charts of the most popular monikers could suddenly be nosediving straight out of the top 100 without warning.

And while there are some names that seem to always remain in favour with mums and dads, there are a few that are going to end up so rarely used that they may eventually be considered extinct.

And there's one name in particular that has lost popularity of late in the UK, despite it having previously been a big hit with millennial parents, according to baby name experts from Nameberry.

The name in question? Kieran. The baby name pros told Metro that it's a "millennial classic" but it's started to "sound tired" on babies that are being born today. The name itself is of Irish origin and is said to mean "little dark one". A quick look at BabyCentre's name charts shows that the moniker has dropped 81 places this year, currently ranking at number 633 on the list of most popular names for 2023. While it might not be beloved in the UK, it seems parents in the US are a bit keener due to its strong sound, with it ranking in the 400s over there.

Nameberry's Sophie Kihm told the publication that baby name trends follow a '100-year rule' meaning that if a name falls out of favour in your lifetime, it likely won't become popular again for 100 years. She explained: "Names tend to go out of fashion after they've been stylish for a while. Often, it can be measured in generations. Names tied to parents' parents' generation (the grandparents of the baby) are usually considered to be among the least fashionable choices one could use for a baby, like Brenda and Gary today."

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So it's for this reason that currently, names from the 1920s that were popular are making a comeback, as they feel youthful once again 100 years later. Examples of this might include Felix, Olive, and Otis. However, there are one or two exceptions to this rule in cases of extremely classic baby names, which are ultra-traditional and never seem to go out of style.

Sophie added: "Particularly for boys, who were historically passed down family names, the classics have remained relatively stable. Names like James, Thomas, Henry, George, William, and Alexander have never left the top 30 in England and Wales. They still cycle up and down in usage, but these traditional (often royal) names feel evergreen because of tradition. Girl names were historically more ornamental, and thus more susceptible to trends."

Courtney Pochin