Millennial mom learns the hard way that her generation's trendy names are now officially 'old people names'

Baby names offer a fascinating glimpse into different eras and cultures. While some names have stood the test of time, many others are no longer relevant. A mom named Steph Pase (known as @stephpase on TikTok), shared the moment she realized that the names she thought were trendy and relevant were considered old by younger generations.

Pase, who has two young children aged six and eight, realized through a conversation with her youngest that some of the names that were extremely trendy in her youth have now become old. "You know what I find wild, I have an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old, and the names that they say, like their friends' names, I can't even pronounce," the mom observed in a video. "I said to my 6-year-old do you have anyone in your year called Sarah or Alex or Jack or Daniel? My daughter laughed and said, 'These are old people's names.'"

The mom then listed a few more names she considered common: "How about Ryan, Steph, Michelle?" she asked, only to realize that all of these names were alien to her daughter. She explained that her daughter's reaction made her realize she was now part of the generation considered "old." "It was just wild that we were that generation now," she added.

According to the Social Security Administration, the top baby names in 2023 were Liam for boys and Olivia for girls. Other popular names included Mateo, which has also gained traction in recent years. Additionally, names like Lainey for girls and Thiago for boys have seen a significant rise in popularity. The Social Security Administration noted that many popular names are timeless classics, so why do we notice so many unusual names around us? One explanation is that unique names tend to stand out more compared to names like Michael, which has consistently ranked in the top ten across generations since Gen X. 

Many took to the comment section to talk about the ever-changing baby names. "It's because people our age are having babies and we don't want to call our kid's names after people we went to school with," wrote @Katie. "My kid's names in my son’s class - boys: Hector, Jude, Charles, Jasper, Frank. Girls: Beatrix, Ginny, Lottie, Claudia, Amelia. Most are very traditional!" added @GraceMarina. "As a primary school teacher, every year it gets further and further from the names I know, yet the kids don’t know any different!" remarked @elisekatherine5. Others in the comments noted that they’re now seeing many names from the past making a comeback. "I'm loving the resurgence of early 1900s names! My son is Alfred (Alfie), and my daughter is Heidi. We've come across Arthur, George, Sebastian, Emerson, Reuben, Robbie, Theodore," commented @Martha Galea.

You can follow Steph Pase (@stephpase) on TikTok for more parenting content.