These baby names are 'at risk' of going 'extinct' in 2023: report

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30 December 2019, North Rhine-Westphalia, Oberhausen: The feet of a baby can be seen in a crib. On 30.12.2019 the statistics of the hobby name researcher Bielefeld on the most popular first names in 2019 were published in Ahrensburg (Schleswig-Holste (Getty Images)

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The popularity of a baby name can fluctuate with time, but some names are reportedly at risk of "going extinct" in 2023 – at least that’s what one parenting resource is suggesting in a new report.

BabyCenter, an online media company under the Everyday Health Group – Pregnancy & Parenting (EHG P&P), released a baby name report titled "Baby names at risk of extinction in 2023" on Jan. 24, which analyzed naming trends in the top 500 boy and girl baby names.

The top 500 lists – also known as its State of Baby Names initiative – were created from responses BabyCenter received from parents who welcomed newborns in 2021 and 2022, according to the report’s disclosed methodology.

Researchers at BabyCenter then analyzed the top 500 baby names for each gender to determine which names had the "steepest year-over-year declines" and their popularity rankings in 2022.

Boy names that have dropped in popularity rankings

For boys, BabyCenter reported that baby names that start with the letter "K" seem to be "falling out of favor," including Khalid, Kian, Kyle and Kobe.

Here’s a look at the top 10 boy baby names that had the steepest year-over-year decline (from 2021 to 2022) along with their respective rank number in 2022, ethnic origin and meaning, according to Baby Center’s findings. 

1. Arjun — rank no. 492 (down 164 spots) Arjun is a name of Indian origin that means "bright" or "shining."
2. Walter — rank no. 486 (down 162 spots) Walter is a name of German origin that means "powerful warrior." The name has moved up 272 spots in 2023 so far.
3. Royce — rank no. 492 (down 138 spots) Royce is a name of English origin that means "son of the king." The name has moved up 381 spots in 2023 so far.
4. Khalid — rank no. 492 (down 138 spots) Khalid is a name of Arabic origin that means "immortal" or "eternal." The name has moved up 278 spots in 2023 so far.
5. Rory — rank no. 464 (down 127 spots) Rory is a name of Scottish origin that means "red king."
6. Nehemiah — rank no. 499 (down 110 spots) Nehemiah is a name of Hebrew origin that means "comforted by God." The name has moved up 285 spots in 2023 so far.
7. Kameron — rank no. 437 (down 107 spots) Kameron is a name of Scottish origin that means "crooked nose." It’s an alternative form of the name Cameron. The name has moved up 223 spots in 2023 so far.
8. Wade — rank no. 444 (down 94 spots) Wade is a name of English origin that means "from the river crossing."
9. Kane — rank no. 393 (down 93 spots) Kane is a name of Gaelic origin that means "tribute" or "warrior." The name has moved up 179 spots in 2023 so far.
10. Kian — rank no. 384 (down 93 spots) Kian is a name of Irish origin that means "ancient."

Some names that appear in BabyCenter’s boy baby names "at risk of extinction in 2023" list have had an upward trajectory when factoring in the publication’s current name rankings, which have been updated for January 2023. However, not all of the "at risk" names have received an updated name ranking at the time of publication.

Girl names that have dropped in popularity rankings

For girls, BabyCenter reported that baby names Hayden, Ariyah, Mira, Kate and Katherine had some of the steepest popularity declines from 2021 to 2022.

Here’s a look at the top 10 girl baby names that had the most drastic year-over-year decline along with their respective rank number in 2022, ethnic origin and meaning, according to Baby Center’s findings. 

Just like with BabyCenter’s list of "at risk of extinction" baby names for boys, some baby girl names have had an upward trajectory in 2023 thus far.

1. Hayden — rank no. 487 (down 204 spots) Hayden is a name of English origin that means "hay valley."
2. Ariyah — rank no. 449 (down 129 spots) Ariyah is a name of Hebrew origin that means "lion." It’s a spelling variation of the names Aria and Aryeh. (up 358 spots in 2023 so far)
3. Mira — rank no. 449 (down 129 spots) Mira is a name of Latin origin that means "wonderful." The name has moved up 232 spots in 2023 so far.
4. Kate — rank no. 502 (down 129 spots) Kate is a name of Greek origin that means "pure." It’s an alternative form of the name Catherine. The name has moved up 306 spots in 2023 so far.
5. Katherine — rank no. 432 (down 127 spots) Katherine is a name of Greek origin that means "pure" or "virginal." This spelling is more popular than Catherine, which ranked as the 475th most popular girl name on BabyCenter’s 2022 name popularity chart.
6. Hana — rank no. 456 (down 126 spots) Hana is a name of Japanese origin that means "flower" or "blossom." The name has moved up 260 spots in 2023 so far.
7. Leia — rank no. 343 (down 122 spots) Leia is a name of Hebrew origin that means "weary." The name has moved up 126 spots in 2023 so far.
8. Joy — rank no. 432 (down 112 spots) Joy is a name of French origin that means exactly what the noun suggests – "joy." The name has moved up 236 spots in 2023 so far.
9. Vanessa — rank no. 408 (down 111 spots) Vanessa is a name of Greek origin that means "butterfly." The name has moved up 317 spots in 2023 so far.
10. Alayah — rank no. 421 (down 102 spots) Alayah is an anglicized name of Arabic origin that means "sublime."

To see the entire "Baby names at risk of extinction in 2023" report, visit babycenter.com.

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