Endangered Baby Names
Updated Mon Dec 16 2024
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Endangered baby names are names that are on the edge of extinction, but that haven't totally fallen off the cliff.
Statistically, the endangered names on the list were given to 50 or fewer baby boys and baby girls in 2023. None have fallen below the Social Security Administration's five baby cutoff for recording a name, but they're headed in that direction.
Our criteria for names we consider endangered are names that have decreased radically in popularity over the years. NOT on this list are names that have always been rare or unique names we see heading for greater popularity.
Many of these endangered baby names are short forms that were put directly on the birth certificate during the heyday of their more popular formal counterparts. Nickname names such as Brad, Matt, Meg, and Laurie, once the height of coolness, have slipped onto the endangered list.
Most of the names on the endangered list have fallen so far out of fashion that they're unlikely to return for several generations. But there are some attractive names here that don't deserve to be so unpopular, in our opinion: Kerry, Leigh, Geoffrey, and even Wilbur may be gems deserving of a little polish.
Names currently on the endangered list are ordered by this month's popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Wilbur
Origin:
English, GermanMeaning:
"wild boar"Description:
Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last truly popular more than a century ago. A recent year saw it given to 42 boys.
- Rowena
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"white spear; famous friend; fame and joy"Description:
A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of one of the Hogwarts houses, Rowena is a retro feeling choice with literary charm.
- Lorna
Origin:
English literary nameDescription:
One of those names like Pamela, Vanessa and Wendy, Lorna was invented for a particular literary character--the protagonist of the 1869 novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore--and then perpetuated as the name of a shortbread cookie. The author claimed to have based it on the Scottish place-name, Lorn. In baby name limbo for quite some time, it was chosen by Judy Garland for her younger daughter, Lorna Luft. Lorna Simpson is an important contemporary American artist.
- Hal
Origin:
Diminutive of Harold or Henry, English, Scandinavian, GermanMeaning:
"army ruler or estate ruler"Description:
Could Hal be the Jack, Max, or Gus of the future? It just might happen in the new nickname environment, especially with Cal and Cy feeling cool, and with the interest in vintage, cowboy-esque choices, considering Hal ranked in the US Top 1000 in the first half of the 20th century.
- Ethel
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"noble maiden"Description:
Ethel is a name we once declared as 'So Far Out They'll Probably Always Be Out,' but with the return of other names on that list and with its new starbaby cred via Lily Allen, its soft sound and admirable meaning, we're not so sure.
- Rusty
Origin:
Short form of RussellDescription:
Though as a formal name Rusty is a little, well, rusty, it spent half a century among the Top 1000, departing only in 1995. Only 45 baby boys received the name in the US in one recent year and it's difficult to imagine it as the winning choice of many modern parents. Whether you want an informal name or a spin on a traditional name or even a word name or a name that means red, there are simply too many better options.
- Suzette
Origin:
French diminutive of Susannah, HebrewMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Suzette has a kind of clunky retro charm – so kitsch it's almost cool again.
- Mimi
Origin:
Diminutive of Mary, Miriam, and othersDescription:
Sweet, nicknamey name belonging to the tragic heroines of both La Bohème and Rent. Mimi might feel too slight for many parents to use on the birth certificate, but as a short form, it's one of the cutest of the cute baby names.
- Ted
Origin:
Diminutive of Theodore or Edward, Greek or EnglishMeaning:
"gift of god; rich guard"Description:
Like Ed, Eddie and Teddy, Ted is rarely used as an independent name – in the US, at least. In the UK, Eddie ranks just outside the Top 200, Teddy ranks just outside the Top 30, and Ted is a Top 200 pick.
- Cyril
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"lordly"Description:
A British-accented Greek name with an intellectual image that has been off the U.S. charts since 1966, but was a Top 300 name at the turn of the last century. We have the feeling Cyril's ready for a comeback.
- Gail
Origin:
Hebrew, short form of AbigailMeaning:
"my father rejoices"Description:
Gail was a mid-twentieth century favorite, which has been far surpassed by its original form, Abigail and nickname Abby. Spelling variations include Gale and Gayle, the latter represented by TV journalist and Oprah bestie Gayle King. Gail was most popular in the 1950s, when it was in the Top 40, and could rise again, possibly as a middle.
- Elva
Origin:
Icelandic and Danish form of Alf, anglicized form of Ailbhe, IrishMeaning:
"bright, light, white; elf"Description:
Elva is a multicultural choice, being both an anglicization of the Irish Ailbhe and an feminine form of the name Alf, meaning "elf". Popular in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, it remaining in the charts until the '70s, but it has not been given since. The alternative form Alva has faired slightly better, while in Ireland, Ailbhe remains the preferred spelling. Nevertheless, Elva combines the sounds of Elsa, Ella, Eva, and Ever and may also appeal to those expecting a baby at Christmas.
- Fawn
Origin:
Nature nameMeaning:
"a young deer"Description:
The doe-eyed Fawn is as gentle and soft as the baby deer it represents. And much like that baby deer, it carries with it the potential of new life. Fawn was featured at the bottom of the Top 1000 throughout the '60s and '70s — around the same time that Bambi came into play. But unlike Bambi, Fawn maintains relevance in the 21st century, thanks to its warmth and ties to the natural world. We would love to meet more baby girls named Fawn.
- Fergus
Origin:
Scottish and IrishMeaning:
"man of force"Description:
In Celtic lore, Fergus was the ideal of manly courage, making it a charming, slightly quirky Scottish and Irish favorite.
- Jill
Origin:
Diminutive of Gillian or JulianaMeaning:
"youthful"Description:
Probably due to its nursery rhyme association, Jill has the perpetual air of a rosy-cheeked tot -- even though it is one of the oldest names on the roster, a medieval variation on the Roman Julia. The pairing of Jack and Jill to connote a generic boy and girl goes back at least to the fifteenth century. But can knowing Jill's history keep it from sounding like a cute mid-twentieth century invention? There may be some possibility of Jill making it back up the hill.
- Merle
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"blackbird"Description:
Originally a nickname for someone who loved to sing or whistle, Merle is sleek but gentle, with a hint of great grandpa about it..
- Wilma
Origin:
Diminutive of WilhelminaMeaning:
"resolute protection"Description:
In the US, Wilma is appears to be eternally fossilized in Bedrock as Fred Flintstone's wife, but in Sweden it's a Top 10 hottie. It did have its moment in the US--from 1912 to 1940 it was a Top 100 name. One notable namesake: track and field star Wilma Rudolph.
- Ginger
Origin:
English diminutiveDescription:
Originally a unisex nickname for a redhead -- red hair is called "ginger" in Britain -- or for the name Virginia, Ginger perennially wears pink gingham and spike heels.
- Cherry
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"cherry"Description:
With other fruity names like Clementine, Olive and Plum ripe for the picking, sweet Cherry remains remarkably underused: just 27 baby girls received the name in 2017, down from 343 at its peak in 1948. The unsavory slang meaning no doubt goes a long way towards explaining its fall from grace.
- Ernie
Origin:
Variation of Ernest, English from GermanMeaning:
"serious, resolute"Description:
Can Ernie shed the rubber ducky association and make its way onto the vintage revivals list? Years ago we may have said no, but celebrity chef Stephanie Izard made a strong case for Ernie when she gave the name to her son in 2016. Princess Eugenie uses Ernie as a nickname for son Ernest, born in 2023 - showing that Ernie could be the next Augie.