You Should Never Name Your Daughter This
please don't!
We know Tuesday can sometimes feel like a second Monday, so let’s shake things up with a dash of joy and a sprinkle of inspiration. Ready to dive in?
But, before we do that, here’s your task for the day:
📌 Take five minutes to do something totally random and fun – doodle, dance, or even try a new snack!
Now, let’s get started…
Names that didn’t go well
If you're a new parent or someone who's just started the search for the perfect baby name, you’ve probably noticed the trend: everyone is looking for something unique, fresh, or even a little retro.
But what happens when a name that was once all the rage fades into obscurity?
Well, this got a lot of people talking after Colleen Slagen, also known as @namingbebe on TikTok, posted a video highlighting baby names that were huge in the 1980s but are no longer in the spotlight today. Let’s take a dive into this trend and why it’s so interesting.
Colleen’s TikTok video got everyone thinking about how quickly names can become outdated. She looked back at the top 100 girl names from 1986 and pulled out the ones that had completely disappeared from the ranking charts. Some of these names, once synonymous with the '80s, haven’t even cracked the top 1,000 in recent years. And let me tell you, the list is full of names that will hit you right in the nostalgia.
Take “Jennifer,” for example. At its peak, Jennifer was everywhere - it's the name you probably associate with every other girl in your school or workplace in the '80s. But now, it barely scrapes the 500th spot in the name rankings.
Alongside Jennifer, names like “Jessica,” “Ashley,” and “Stephanie” have experienced the same fate, disappearing from the top ranks altogether. The sheer volume of these names in the past makes it almost impossible to imagine a time when they’re not on the list.
Now, if you’re wondering where some of these names stand today, Colleen even gave us a breakdown. “Brittany” is still hanging on, but at a much lower position - 848 on the list. The first name that’s officially out, though, is “Heather” (sorry, Heathers!). “Tiffany” is also on its way out, along with “Erica” and “Courtney,” which no longer rank in the top 1,000. Other names like “Shannon,” “Tara,” and “Crystal” have also fallen off the radar, and “Brandy” and “Dana” are barely holding on.
Colleen’s breakdown doesn’t just stop at the names that are out of style; she also highlights names that still have some staying power. Surprisingly, “Andrea” is still holding strong at 155. And if you’re wondering about “Lindsay,” well, both spellings have dropped off the list entirely. Colleen playfully refers to these names as “creatures of the '80s.”
There’s also an interesting psychology behind naming trends, as pointed out by experts like Laura Wattenberg, founder of Namerology. She told The Atlantic that parents today are increasingly thinking of names like businesses think about branding.
In other words, names have become a competitive marketplace where standing out is key to success. It’s no longer just about naming your child after a beloved relative or sticking to traditional picks. Parents are choosing names that they think will help their kids stand out in a crowded world.
For example, right now, we’re seeing a resurgence of “cool-girl grandma names” like “Eleanor,” “Maude,” and “Edith.”
This all goes to show how fluid baby name trends can be and why it’s so fascinating to track how names evolve over time. The names that were once all the rage in the '80s - Jennifer, Jessica, Ashley, and the rest - are now a snapshot of a past era. But as history has shown, what’s old is new again, and these “creatures of the '80s” might just make a return in the future.
So, whether you’re naming your child or just curious about the ebb and flow of trends, it's fun to think about how names can shape our identity and how quickly they can fall in and out of fashion.
What names will your kids carry? Let us know in the comments!
Anyway, that’s it for today. Let’s meet again tomorrow👋
