Modern parents are shifting the trend and parting ways with popular yet common baby names

Every name has a story behind it. Parents pick names for their children with a lot of consideration and care. Often, the process of naming starts even before the pregnancy. People take it so seriously that they are willing to pay $350 to a consultant for a handful of baby name suggestions, as per Vox. Though everyone approaches the whole experience uniquely, certain patterns definitely influence the decision. These patterns could be related to a movie that has done exceedingly well at the box office or a popular personality. Throughout the 90s, Diana ranked amongst the Top 100 names for baby girls as per Baby Center. Interestingly, these were the years when Princess Diana's influence was at its zenith. 

Similar influence can also be noted on the present-day parents albeit in an opposite way. The same site produced a list of the names set to go extinct in 2024. This extinction can also be traced to a shift in cultural attitude. Amanda, Brooke, Diana and Michelle are some girl names that will go into oblivion in 2024.

Names like Amanda and Diana have aristocratic roots. As years have passed, the people's reaction to concepts like monarchy has soured. In its research, Statista concluded that younger people are more likely to oppose monarchy. These young people are the ones who are becoming parents and would not give a name that has an association with a concept they don't believe in. 

Parents are stepping away from "mainstream" names for their children. They want their babies to stand out and feel unique. Hence, they go for names not present in every nook and corner, such as Paisley, Leilani and Ayla, all of which were featured in the Top 50 most popular baby names of 2023. Jessica—who goes by @DreamBabyNames on TikTok—wanted to avoid a common name by any means because of her personal experience. She vented out her frustration in an interview with Vox, "I always say to my mom, 'You carried me for nine months and you come up with Jessica? After all that work?'" It could be the reason why names like Brooke and Michelle have fallen from grace. 

Also, in the case of boys, some very popular names of the past seem to no longer be in contention for new parents. Names ending with "-aden" enjoyed a lot of popularity in the 2000s but, unfortunately, have not stood the test of time. "Aidan fell from No. 253 in 2022 to No. 346 in 2023; Raiden fell from No. 286 to No. 433 and Jaiden fell from No. 325 to No. 426." Rebekah Wahlberg writes in her report, per Live Now Fox. Aidan might have won Carrie's heart in "Sex and the City," but seems like the people are still in Mr. Big's corner.

People are also doing away with traditions and practices of the past. Wahlberg explained, "Last names-turned-first names are becoming less popular for both boys and girls Baylor, Bradley, Brady, Clayton, Hendrix, Preston, and Reid are down for boys; and Oaklee (typically spelled Oakley as a surname), Mckenzie (typically spelled MacKenzie as a surname), Raegan, and Sawyer are down for girls. A special mention goes to Bradley, which made this list for the second year in a row it fell 77 spots from 2021 to 2022, and then another 104 spots in 2023." Old-fashioned or trendy influences on names might change, but they will continue to be a treasury of stories.