There are plenty of lists showing the most popular baby namesin the UK and beyond, but what about the least popular names? It can be difficult to make such a list because the names that are not being used simply don’t show up in the statistics. There have, though, been studies looking at formerly popular namesthat have fallen out of favour though and may even be in danger of going extinct.
We also have those names that, strictly speaking, are among the least popular names in the UK because they do not occur very often but are actually more unique and unusualthan actively disliked. Some of those could grow in popularity over time (especially if celebs get involved) while the least popular baby names now could come back into fashion as the cycle goes round.
Here’s our list of 150 of the LEAST popular baby namesin the UK…
Least Popular girls’ names in the UK
Least popular girl names that have gone extinct
Language learning platform Babbel analysed a century of baby-name records from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and found the names that were once popular – meaning they appeared on top 100 lists between 1914 and 1994 – but no longer appear. For girls, these ‘extinct’ names include:
1. Bertha
German origin meaning ‘bright, glorious, famous’.
2. Beverley
Variation on Beverly, of English origin meaning ‘dweller near the beaver stream’.
3. Carol
German origin, meaning ‘woman’.
4. Carole
A variation of Carol
5. Doreen
The Irish version of Dora, meaning ‘gift’.
6. Gail
Shortened version of Abigail, from Hebrew meaning ‘Father’s joy’.
7. Gertrude
From old German, meaning ‘spear maiden’.
8. Gillian
From Greek, ‘soft haired’. Also a derivation of Julian, meaning fair-skinned.
9. Glenys
Of Welsh origin, ‘holy, pure’.
10. Glynis
Variation of Glynis.
11. Hilary
From Latin, meaning ‘cheerful’.
12. Jill
A short form of Gillian, from the Latin name Juliana meaning ‘youthful’, also a Roman family name.
13. Kay
From old English, meaning ‘key’.
14. Kerry
Irish, meaning dark-haired. Also the name of an Irish county. Can be used as a unisex name.
15. Lesley
A variation of Leslie, meaning garden of holly.
16. Lindsay
Unisex name of English origin meaning ‘island of linden trees’.
17. Lyndsey
Variant spelling of Lindsay/Lindsey
18. Lynne
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian word name meaning ‘pretty’. Could also be a shortening of Lyndsey or variation of Linda.
19. Lynsey
Variant spelling of Lindsay/Lindsey
20. Mandy
Of Latin origin. Originally a short version of Amanda, meaning fit to be loved. Now a name in its own right.
21. Maureen
The anglicised version of the Irish Maire, which derives from Mary, meaning ‘bitter’.
22. Muriel
Irish for bright sea. Also the Arabic word for myrrh (one of the gifts brought by the Three Wise Men).
23. Phyllis
A girl's name of Greek origin meaning ‘green bough’.
Least popular girl names that are dying out
Babbel also identified the girls’ names that were ‘dying out’, with 10 or fewer being given the name in the UK. These included:
24. Annette
From Hebrew, meaning graceful and merciful.
25. Beryl
Of Greek origin origin, beryl refers to the precious gemstone.
26. Brenda
Old German for ‘glowing sword’ or Irish for ‘glowing’.
27. Carolyn
Variation of Caroline. Also possibly a combination of Carol, meaning woman, and Lynn, meaning pretty, originating in the US for this spelling.
28. Cheryl
Modern invented combination of Cherry and Beryl, or variation on the French Cherie.
29. Dawn
Old English from dawn/daybreak.
30. Debbie
Shortening of Deborah (Hebrew, ‘Bee’), became a name in its own right.
31. Debra
Variation of Deborah (Hebrew, ‘Bee’).
32. Denise
Feminine version of the French name Denis. Roots in Greek, from the god Dionysus who was god of wine, revels and excess.
33. Diane
French form of Diana, from Latin (‘Divine’) and the Roman goddess Diana, associated with the moon, virginity, and hunting.
34. Donna
Italian, meaning ‘lady’.
35. Doris
Greek, ‘Gift from God/Gift of the ocean’. In Greek mythology, she was the wife of Nereus and mother of the sea nymphs.
36. Edna
Various meanings; Hebrew for ‘Rejuvenation’ or Irish for ‘Kernel’. Also a short form of Edwina - itself a feminine form of Edwin, which means prosperous friend
37. Freda
Of German origin meaning ‘peaceful’.
38. Geraldine
Old German for ‘spear ruler’. Also the feminine form of Gerald.
39. Gladys
Welsh, meaning ‘delicate flower’.
40. Gwendoline
Of Welsh origin, meaning ‘white ring’.
41. Hilda
German for ‘battle maid’. The extended form is Hildegard.
42. Janet
Originally the Scottishform of Jane, meaning favoured by God.
43. Janice
A feminine form of John, meaning favoured by God.
44. Jean
Scottish form of Jeanne, which is the French feminine form of John, meaning favoured by God.
45. Jordan
Hebrew, ‘to flow down’. The name of the major river in the Holy Land.
46. Kirsty
Scandinavian version of Christine. ‘A Christian’.
47. Lindsey
Old English: from the island of linden (or lime) trees. Also, from the marsh of Lincoln.
48. Lorraine
From the region of eastern France of the same name.
49. Lynda
Of Spanish origin, ‘Pretty’.
50. Lynn
Shortening of Lynda (‘Pretty’) or of Welsh origin, meaning ‘Lake’.
51. Marian
From the root name Mary, meaning ‘bitter’.
52. Marion
Also from the root name Mary, meaning ‘bitter’.
53. Marjorie
A form of Margaret, meaning pearl.
54. Marlene
Combination of the Biblical namesMary and Magdalene.
55. Maud
Variation of the German Matilda, ‘battle mighty’.
56. Mildred
Old English, ‘gentle giant/gentle strength’.
57. Norma
Based on the Latin word for pattern or model. But also the feminine version of Norman, ‘man from the north’.
58. Pamela
Invented by the Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sidney, probably based on the Greek words for ‘all’ and ‘honey’ so meaning sweet.
59. Pauline
French feminine version of Paul, meaning ‘small’.
60. Sheila
The Hebrew derivation means ‘longed-for’. A Gaelic version is a form of Cecilia, meaning ‘unseeing’.
61. Shirley
Old English, ‘from the bright clearing’. Originally a boy’s name until switching in the 19th Century.
62. Suzanne
French variation of Susan, meaning ‘lily’.
63. Thelma
Of Greek origin, meaning ‘wish’.
64. Tracey
Variation of Tracy, ‘Girl from Thrace’.
65. Tracy
‘Girl from Thrace’. Frist introduced to Britain by the Normans.
66. Toni
Latin, ‘flourishing’, ‘worthy of praise’. Can be unisex but Tony is more common for boys.
67. Yvonne
The French feminine form of Yves, which is Ivor in English, meaning ‘yew/archers’.
Unique and unusual girl names
These ones have not dropped in popularity but are more unusual namesthat few people have used. There are literally hundreds of unique baby namesand ones that are so rare they were given to three or fewer baby girls in the UK, including:
68. Aerith
A character in the video game Final Fantasy. The name was invented by the developers as a translation of the original Japanese nameEarisu.
69. Bloom
An unusual floral name
70. Cyan
From the colour.
71. Delphina
Greek, ‘of Delphi’.
72. Evita
Spanish variation of Eve. The nickname of Argentinian former first lady Eva Peron.
73. Fox
As in the animal.
74. Gray
The colour grey (using the American spelling).
75. Kyomi
Japanese, meaning ‘pure and beautiful’.
76. Loveday
From a day when enemies or litigants would come together to try to make peace. Relatively common in medieval England and survived longer in Cornwall.
77. Malibu
From the Californian beach city.
78. Nyala
African origin, a spiral horned antelope.
79. Ottilie
Of French origin meaning ‘prosperous in battle’.
80. Pebbles
Invented word name. Stage name of singer Perri Reid and the toddler in the Fintstones but sounds more like a nickname.
81. Quratulain
From Arabic, Name of the Palistani-American singer Quratulain Balouch, also known as QB.
82. Rune
Old English/Old Norse, ‘secret’, the letters of various Germanic alphabets.
83. Stevie-Lou
A name combination but not one picked by many people.
84. Tessie
Diminutive of Theresa, Greek for ‘to reap or gather’.
85. Umi
Of Japanese origin, meaning ‘sea’.
86. Vinisha
Of Indian origin. Vinisha Umashankar received the Children's Climate Prize in 2020 by the Children's Climate Foundation in Sweden, for her invention of a solar cart.
87. Wyllow
Alternative spelling of Willow, like the tree.
88. Yuki
A unisex nameof Japanese origin, meaning ‘snow’.
Least popular boys’ names in the UK
Least popular boy names that have gone extinct
These are the boy names that were once popular but have now gone ‘extinct’…
89. Graeme
A Scottish variation on Graham – ‘gravelly homestead’.
90. Horace
Of Latin origin, ‘Keeper of the hours.’
91. Iain
Scottish and Gaelic variation of John, meaning ‘God is gracious’.
92. Leigh
An old English name meaning ‘fern clearing’, can also be used as a unisex name.
93. Melvyn
Variation of Melvin – English and Scottish meaning ‘council protector’.
94. Nigel
Latin, meaning ‘dark’.
95. Royston
Originally a place-based family name, from the town in Yorkshire.
Least popular boy names that are dying out
And these are the boys’ names that were once popular but are now in danger of ‘dying out’…
96. Barry
Celtic origin for ‘spear-born’ or from the French for ‘gate, barrier’.
97. Cecil
A Welsh boy’s name, meaning ‘sixth’.
98. Clarence
From Clare – both an Irish county and an English aristocratic family name.
99. Claude
Latin, meaning ‘crippled’.
100. Clifford
Old English from the steep edge of a ford/cliff.
101. Cyril
A boy's name of Greek origin meaning ‘lord/lordly’.
102. Dale
An old English name, ‘From the valley or dale’.
103. Donald
A name of Scottish origin, meaning ‘proud ruler’.
104. Gary
Of English and German origin, meaning ‘spear carrier’.
105. Garry
A variant of Gary.
106. Glen
Welsh, ‘from the valley’.
107. Glenn
A variation on Glen.
108. Gordon
‘Large fort’. Originally derived from English, the name is now strongly associated with Scotland.
109. Graham
Boy’s name of English origin, ‘From the grand home’.
110. Howard
Of Norse and German origin, meaning ‘high guardian, watchman’.
111. Keith
Scottish for ‘wood’. Was originally a family name before becoming a boy’s given name.
112. Leslie
A unisex Scottish name, meaning ‘garden of holly’.
113. Neville
Of Norman origin, meaning ‘new place’.
114. Norman
Old German, ‘man from the North’, associated with the Normans and Normandy.
115. Rodney
Of English origin referring to Roda's Island - originally a place in the marshes of Somerset.
116. Stewart
Of English origin, ‘official of the royal household/steward’.
117. Stuart
French version of the English name Stewart, ‘official of the royal household’.
118. Trevor
Irish, meaning ‘cautious’. There is also a Welsh version spelled Trefor, meaning ‘from the big village’.
Unique and unusual boy names
These are some more unusual boys’ namesthat were given to three or fewer babies…
119. Arlyn
More common as an English surname, meaning ‘hare land’.
120. Bronte
Greek origin meaning ‘thunder’. The surname of the novelist Bronte sisters.
121. Cyprian
Of Greek origin, meaning ‘man from Cyprus’.
122. Drake
English, meaning ‘Dragon’. More noted as a surname (Sir Francis Drake) and from the Canadian musician.
123. Finch
Of English origin, meaning ‘to swindle’ but also the name of the bird.
124. Gruff
May be an invented word name, or a diminutive of Welsh name Gruffudd.
125. Huxon
May be an invented name, possibly related to Huxton, which is an English family name.
126. Izac
Somewhere between Isaac and the Polish spelling of Izak, from the Hebrew ‘to laugh’.
127. Joules
Probably a variation on Jules (French form of Latin Julius; ‘youthful, soft). Joules are also a unit of energy.
128. Kielan
Known as a surname but could be an Irish-derived name meaning ‘slender’.
129. Lowe
Could be a variation of Loew or Lowell, ‘young wolf’.
130. Muse
In Greek mythology the Muses were goddesses of literature, science, and the arts.
131. Newton
More usually a surname, meaning ‘new town’. Famous holders include physicist Sir Isaac Newton and singer and actor Wayne Newton.
132. Othello
The Moorish prince from Shakespeare’s play of the same name.
133. Phaedon
A lesser-used Greek given name, ‘Giver of light’.
134. Quinten
Seems to be a take on Quentin or Quintin – Latin for ‘fifth’
135. Rozario
Spanish and Portuguese variant of Rosario, typically a surname.
136. Spike
Generally a nickname, as with director Spike Lee, but comedian Mike Myers did name his son Spike.
137. Tyde
Seems to be a variation on Tide, which isn’t exactly a common name in the first place.
138. Vitaly
Vitalii was a given name in Roman times and there are several variants – including Vitali (as in Ukrainian politician and former boxer Vitali Klitschko).
139. Wynter
A variant spelling of Winter.
140. Yuvi
Generally used as a nickname for Yuval, the modern Hebrew form of Jubal (meaning ‘ram’s horn’).
Boys and girls names that it might be best to avoid going forward…
And here are a final 10 baby names that have plunged in popularity due to unfortunate connotations…
141. Alexa
Short for Alexandra, meaning ‘defending men’ but now inexorably linked to Amazon's virtual assistant.
142. Daenerys
There were large numbers of baby girls named Daenerys after the character in Game of Thrones. Some people regretted it when the character took a turn for the murderous.
143. Delta
The variants of the Covid-19 virus have given Greek letters of the alphabet some new connotations. Thankfully, not many parents were calling their children Omicron.
144. Felicia
A feminine form of the Latin Felix, meaning ‘lucky’. Unfortunately though, ‘Bye Felicia’ became a viral meme, taken from the comedy film Friday, generally used as a dismissive send-off for someone you don’t like.
145. Isis
A once fashionable name taken from the Egyptian goddess. Unfortunately it became linked with extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
146. Karen
The Danish form of Katherine, meaning pure. However, has become pejorative slang for a demanding or entitled woman.
147. Khaleesi
Daenerys’ title in Game of Thrones and, like Daenerys, became a briefly popular choice for girls – before that controversial final season of the show.
148. Dexter
It’s Latin for ‘right-handed’ and linked to being good at handywork but it’s also now very much connected to the fictional serial killer from the show of the same name.
149. Siri
A Norse diminutive of Sigrid. It wasn’t as popular as a baby name as Alexa but now suffers the same issue due to the name of Apple’s digital assistant.
150. Stan
The short form of Stanley, meaning ‘near the stony meadow’. Has also entered the slang lexicon as a ‘stalker fan’ though. This can sometimes just mean an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan but is frequently used pejoratively.
