The 20 once-beloved baby names on the brink of extinction in the UK - so, is yours at risk of dying out?

Daily Mail​

15 hours ago

Whether it's Susan or Shakira, Ryan or Rahul, there's a huge diversity of names in the UK.
But some non-Anglo monikers are at risk of disappearing from birth records altogether, experts have warned.
While names naturally go in and out of fashion, those that originate from overseas are dying out at speed, analysis reveals.
'What we're seeing here is different - entire linguistic origins are fading from UK birth records,' Anna Pyshna, spokeswoman for Preply, said.
'This is happening even as more children are being born to non-UK-born mothers, pointing to a deeper loss of language diversity, not just changing trends.
'Assimilation plays a part, but our research shows that mispronunciations and negative reactions also push parents to choose names that feel more familiar.'
The team have compiled a list of the top 20 non-British names that are at risk of extinction.
So, is yours one of them?
Birth records for the last two decades reveal that the Sanskrit name Kieron is the boys' name most at risk of extinction.
This s followed by the Indian name Rahul and the African American name Tyrese.
Other endangered non-Anglo boys' names in the UK include the Urdu name Faizaan, the Arabic name Husnain and the Hindi name Sachin.
Meanwhile for girls the Arabic name Shakira is at highest risk.
This is followed by the Scandinavian name Kirsten and the Arabic name Rianna.
Others on the list include the Native American name Shania, the Indian name Nisha and the Spanish name Tia.
Analysis also revealed that between 2003 and 2023, births to non-UK-born mothers rose by 63 per cent.
However, non-British baby names increased by just 22 per cent.
Right: Singer-songwriter Shakira has an Arabic name that is now endangered in the UK. Left: Country music star Shania Twain has a Native American name that's also at risk
This indicates that many foreign-born mothers are increasingly choosing Western-style names for their children.
The findings showed that while Arabic-origin names rank highly in baby name data, their visibility is largely driven by a heavy concentration in just a few names.
The names Muhammad, Mohammed and Mohammad were given to 7,097 boys in 2023, making up over 75 per cent of all boys with Arabic-origin names.
The next most common, Yusuf, was used only 651 times.
Data showed that the origins of girl names with the largest declines were Somali, Marathi, Welsh, Norwegian, Shona and Mexican.
Meanwhile the origins of boy names with the largest declines were Turkish, Galician, African American, Aramaic and Caribbean.
Interviews with 1,000 people in the UK with non-Anglo names revealed that nearly one in three have faced bullying or discrimination directly tied to their name.
Meanwhile over half have had their names deliberately avoided or changed without consent – mostly in the workplace.
'We believe that no one should have to compromise their heritage to be heard or accepted,' Ms Pyshna added.
'By helping people pronounce names correctly, we can support cultural confidence and keep diverse naming traditions alive.'
Preply, an online language learning marketplace, has also released a new pronunciation guide to help people confidently pronounce names correctly.
Despite the findings, recent research also reveals that baby names in Britain have become more culturally and linguistically diverse over the last 20 years.
Analysis of the top baby names from 2004, 2014 and 2024 found today's most popular baby names come from a much wider range of countries and languages than they used to.
The favourite baby names at the turn of the millennium were predominantly of English, Hebrew and Latin origin.
Now, two decades later, Italian, Arabic, Norse, and even Scottish-Spanish names also top the list.
Experts say parents now have a much broader frame of reference, and that there's a 'real shift' away from traditional choices.
HOW DOES YOUR NAME IMPACT HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU?
A number of studies have found that our names change the way people judge our personality, age and more.
In a study published May 8, scientists at Syracuse University in New York asked 500 university students to rate 400 popular names spanning 70 years.
Questions came in the format: 'Imagine that you are about to meet Samantha. How competent/warm/old do you think she is when you see her name?'
Scientists used their results to assess which names were perceieved as being competent, warm, or a combination of the two.
Below are the results:
Warm and competent names
Ann, Anna, Caroline, Daniel, David, Elizabeth, Emily, Emma, Evelyn, Felicia, Grace, James, Jennifer, John, Jonathan, Julie, Kathleen, Madeline, Mark, Mary, Matthew, Michael, Michelle, Natalie, Nicholas, Noah, Olivia, Paul, Rachel, Samantha, Sarah, Sophia, Stephen, Susan, Thomas, William
Warm but less competent names
Hailey, Hannah, Jesse, Kellie, Melody, Mia
Competent but less warm names
Arnold, Gerard, Herbert, Howard, Lawrence, Norman, Reginald, Stuart
Names of low warmth and competence