A baby name expert has revealed the least popular boys names in the country – including classics that are dying out.
Baby name consultant SJ Strum claims that traditional British names are dying out, with parents increasingly adding ‘modern twists’ on conventional monikers instead.
The name Roger – which has German heritage – was among some of the most disliked baby names in England and Wales.
Less than ten babies were given the name by their parents or guardians in 2024, despite it being hugely popular in the past, according to research by Etsy.
It’s also bad news for Phils and Wolfgangs – which were both unpopular names last year.
Other names on the list are Steve, Colin and Craig, while Derek, Gareth and Tyrone shortly followed behind as some of the most disliked male name options for new parents.
Baby name consultant SJ Strum claims that traditional British names are dying out and that parents are increasingly adding ‘modern twists’ on conventional monikers
SJ Strum author of Baby Name Envy, told the Metro: ‘Name trends are constantly evolving over time, and these names in particular have seen a big decline in recent years.
‘Notably, many of these we often think of as “Dad” names, as a result of them being so popular in the 80s and 90s.
‘Now, new parents are searching for more playful and creative names that have unique meanings. We’re also seeing an “upcycling” trend emerge, with more people putting a twist on traditional names.
For example, “Steve”, which was once popular for men, is now being adapted to “Stevie” for a baby girl.’
Etsy’s research found that parents can be ‘put off’ by certain baby names if they are overused or if a friend has already taken it to name their child.
The company also found that Brits are 25 per cent more likely to name their baby after their grandmother rather than their grandfather.
Less than 20 boys were named Phil, Wolfgang and Sameer last year, proving to be an unpopular choice for parents
Donald, Barry, Bill, Dale, Gordon, and Esteban are other monikers that parents have fallen out of love with, according to the language learning software Babbel.
The company analysed all the baby names recorded between 1914 and 1994 in the UK and reported the monikers that haven’t made the cut since the mid 90s.
Nigel, Melvyn, Norman, Rodney, Trevor, and Horace are also proving to be very unpopular choices.
Instead, mothers and fathers are now choosing to name their sons Muhammad, Luca and Bodhi.
Muhammad was crowned the most popular baby name for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with over 4,600 namings.
Luca was the biggest gainer year-on-year in 2023 versus the year prior, growing from 2,625 namings to 3,195.
Of the top 100 names given to boys, Bodhi saw the highest one year leap. It jumped from 637th to 100th.
It comes after an expectant mother who named her first child after a videogame character has admitted she ‘hates’ the moniker and now ‘cringes’ whenever she hears it.
A woman, believed to be from the US, took to social media to express her regret after ‘going along’ with her husband’s choice to name their first born son after a fictional character.
Now expecting her second child, the mother confessed she ‘desperately wishes’ she had turned down his suggestion four years ago, adding that she had only agreed at the time because she didn’t have a moniker of her own in mind.
Taking to Reddit, she wrote: ‘Currently pregnant with a baby girl due in the summer and so me and my husband are the in the middle of choosing a name for her.’
It was only when the two began searching for a girl’s name that it ‘really hit’ how much she despised the title.
She explained: ‘While in the search for a girl name it has really hit me how much I hate my four-year-old son’s name.
‘His name was chosen by my husband and because I didn’t have a name I really liked we went with his favourite choice.’
Inspired by one character in the online fantasy game, Huge Mortal Kombat, her husband suggested they name their son Raiden.
A woman, believed to be from the US, took to social media to express her regret after ‘going along’ with her husband’s choice to name their first born son after a fictional character. (stock image)
Continuing, she wrote: ‘My son’s name is Raiden. Yes, I know!
‘And on top of that we aren’t huge mortal kombat fans either! My husband just feels it sounds ‘badass’ and I desperately wish I would’ve said no four years ago but here we are.
‘I cringe whenever I hear any ‘ayden/aiden’s’ out in the world knowing we contributed to that stupid trend.’
In an attempt to bypass the ‘cringe’ sound in the latter part of the moniker, the mother admitting to calling their son ‘Ray.
‘When we meet people I tell them his name is Raiden but we call him Ray,’ she said.
So upset by the name, she asked Redditors whether it would be ‘ridiculous’ to legally change the four-year-old’s moniker.
‘Would it be ridiculous to change his legal name to Ray at this point?
‘Is the name Raiden as awful as I think it is? Help,’ she asked desperately.
The poster added that her husband was convinced she was being ‘dramatic’ in calling it ‘awful’, and that he was still fond Raiden.
‘He feels we should let our son decide if he likes it or not but he’s willing to change it to Ray since I’ve been expressing how much I dislike it,’ she said.
She questioned whether her sudden dislike for the moniker was related to being pregnant. ‘I can see me being dramatic about it right now,’ she said.
Many of those responding did not take kindly to the unique name, with one even describing it as a ‘cautionary tale’ to never use the reasoning of ‘it sounds badass’ to name a baby.
One replied: ‘The honest answer is yeah, Raiden is as awful as you think it is. It has violent connotations, and also sounds like radioactive gas.
‘Sorry. Keep calling him Ray, that’s gorgeous! I’d just introduce him as that from now on and leave the rest out.’
‘Your husband is not allowed to name your daughter,’ a second joked.
‘It’s absolutely ok to keep using Ray and not tell anyone your son’s full name unless they need to know (teachers, pediatrician, etc),’ a third responded, adding that they thought it was ‘fine to legally change his name to Ray’.
‘Raiden is very bad, but you did well to choose a name with a solid nickname. Don’t be too hard on yourself,’ they reasoned.
Despite disliking the name, few thought it was a good idea to change it. ‘At this point, it’s not your name anymore. He’s not a cat that you can just rename. It doesn’t matter if you regret his name, his name is Raiden,’ a commenter lamented.
A teacher, familiar with a broad spectrum of names, said the moniker wasn’t ‘great’ but reassured the poster that it wasn’t ‘the worst name I’ve seen’.
Another had a more optimistic take on the name. ‘I am biased because I’m obviously a Mortal Kombat fan but I think it’s cool lol. Just leave him. Raiden is also the Japanese thunder god.’
An agreeing second wrote: ‘I like it too! Don’t know what it says about me that I agree with the husband’s initial thought that it sounds ‘badass’.’
