Everything in this world is transient, and fashion especially. Moreover, the fashion for names. What was incredibly popular with our grandparents looks really vintage and dust-covered today. Where did the wonderful Ebenezers and Jebedais, Wilhelminas and Lucilles go? Unfortunately, their number is decreasing every year.
On the other hand, there is also a reverse process. For example, back in the nineties, only the most stubborn fans of ancient mythology knew the name “Hermione”, and in the 21st century the number of girls with this name in the USA and the UK is approaching several thousand. What is there to say? Just look at the NFL rosters in, say, 1992 and 2022 – and compare how much the naming trends have changed.
There is a popular thread in the AskReddit community whose topic starter once asked the question: “What first name is not used anymore?” To date, the thread boasts over 30.7K upvotes and roughly 31.3K comments with several thousand incredibly diverse first names.
Bored Panda has compiled for you a list of the most popular comments of this thread: from the ancient and even fictional Gilgamesh and Nyarlathotep to Kermit and Dorcas, undeservedly forgotten in recent years. In general, feel free to scroll to the very end (there are real gems at the end, just trust us!), like your favorite ones and if we missed something, be sure to write these names in the comments!
More info: Reddit
#1 Kermit
My grandfather’s name was Kermit. He went by KW. His best friends growing up were Ernie and Elmo (Elmo went by Bogue).
Image source: jemmaline, Purple Slog
#2 Adolf
Adolf
Image source: dwc1970, Brazucany.TV
#3 Gay
Gay.
Have 2 great aunts named Gay.
Image source: wowcoolbeans, Les Chatfield
#4 Isis
Isis. Poor Egyptian woman..
Image source: MarkHoppusJr, Lars Larsson
#5 Experience And Patience
I was at a rural graveyard recently and a woman’s name was Experience, she was buried next to her sister Patience.
Image source: roadtrip-ne, Tim Green
#6 Agamemnon
Nobody has the name Agamemnon anymore.
I plan to fix that some day.
Image source: driku12, Xuan Che
#7 Gaylord
Gaylord
Image source: Dontneedanything, Cristian Ungureanu
#8 Judas
Judas
#9 Ursula
Ursula, sea-witch straight up ruined that name
Image source: The_Ethernopian, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
#10 Garnet Commodore
Had a Great Grandfather named Granite Commodore. I look forward to my son assuming this bad a*s name.
Edit: His name was Garnet Commodore. I typed this comment via mobile, didn’t proofread. I come back 6 days later and this f****r blew up. My highest rated comment ever was a complete mistake. s**t.
#11 Flavius
Flavius. Though my sister insists she’s going to name one of her children that when she has them. My mother says there’s no way she’s allowing that
Edit: firstly, holy s**t I did not expect this many upvotes
Secondly, my comment about my sister naming one of her children Flavius isn’t serious, she says it to get a rise from my mother. It’s just a family inside joke.
Lastly, yeah I get that it’s still a popular name in Romania, 100 people have already told me that.
Image source: saareadaar, Biblioteca comunale di Trento
#12 Heathcliff
Never met a Heathcliff
Image source: anon, American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
#13 Hortense
Hortense
Image source: anon, Atelier Nadar
#14 Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar.
Image source: I_Seen_Things, Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP
#15 Storm
I went to school with 2 different boys named Storm while I was growing up. Different schools, but they both had mullets and wore NASCAR shirts. Never again will we live in such a magical time.
Image source: CheddarChe, Benjamen Benson
#16 Grover
Grover, unfortunately.
Image source: Mutt1223, vonguard
#17 Gilgamesh
I dunno about you, but I haven’t seen many people named Gilgamesh lately.
Image source: Mixtape_, Gwil5083
#18 Llewellyn
Llewellyn. I believe there was no registry of this name being used for newborns last year.
Image source: Llewellyns11, lmcreglow
#19 Jeeves
Jeeves. But I think it has a strong correlation to butlers and no parent wants to condemn their child to a life of butler-hood. Hell, even Jerry Seinfeld had a bit on that name.
Edit: TIL there was a series of short stories about a man named Reginald Jeeves. I always thought Jeeves was a first name. In fact, I’ve only ever heard of it used as the main identifier and never as a surname. The more you know. I still stand by my answer though.
Image source: PixelatedGamer, BBC Television
#20 Rutherford
I can tell you that there certainly are children in the UK school system right now with the following names, which were suggested in posts here:
Amadeus, Ethel, Reginald, Roger, Maurice, Mercedes, Wilhelmina, Julius, Mildred, Myra, Myrtle, Beulah, Cora, Isis and Osama.
No Adolf, Rutherford, Orenthal or Judas though.
Image source: moon_monkey, misskprimary
#21 Eustace
Eustace.
Image source: InVultusSolis, Cartoon Network
#22 Gertrude
Gertrude?
Image source: That_Effin_Guy, GlaxoSmithKline plc
#23 Jessica, Ashley, Heather, Jennifer
I see a lot of people suggesting “old lady names” but they are the super popular ones. My daughter’s preschool classmates and my high school friends children have names like Cora, Louisa, Mabel, Millie, Maeve, Evelyn, Dorothy/Dottie, Matilda, Gertrude, Pearl.
Not a single Jessica, Ashley, Heather, Jennifer, or any of those over-saturated 80s baby names.
Image source: imtellingyoustories, Allison Meier
#24 Gary
Gary. Once a very common name, only four babies were called Gary last year in the UK.
Just doesn’t have a ring to it, little baby Gary.
Image source: kitjen, Paramount Global
#25 Ebenezer
Ebenezer
Image source: TipsAtWork, Elliott Brown
#26 Manly
Was at a church and saw a grave to “Manly Powers.” I’ve never met a “Manly” before. All of us guys decided to have our picture taken with the grave while we flexed our muscles.
Image source: historymajor44, Pantelis pan
#27 Dorcus
Dorcus, it was my great-grandmother’s name.
Image source: pope0476, takato marui
#28 Mildred And Edith
Mildred and Edith
Image source: anon, Bliss Papers
#29 Orenthal
Orenthal
Image source: doctor-rumack, Charles LeBlanc
#30 Caillou
Caillou
Image source: runic_blades, Cookie Jar Entertainment
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