Why Have These Beautiful Baby Names Fallen Off in Popularity Lately?

The names Charlotte and Oliver remain in the top spot when it comes to the most popular baby names in Australia for 2021, but a new study shows a number of our most-loved names have fallen off lately, and we can’t help but wonder why.

New research from McCrindle has analysed the birth data from babies born in 2020 and 2021, or as they’re being called now, Generation Alpha (cool name huh?). The annual report hypothesises parents today are taking name inspo from social media, pop culture, and celebrity influence, and thus a handful of more traditional names are no longer ranking as they once did.

A decade ago, the name Sarah sat at 22nd place while Dylan was at 36th place. In 2020, these names dropped 69 and 61 places respectively, and are now at risk of falling off the top 100 list entirely. But they’re not the only names to have done so.

According to the data, Maddison, Lara, Summer and Claire have seen the steepest decline when it comes to girls’ names, and for boys, it’s Matthew, Luke, Riley and Daniel. As for why? We have a compelling theory. How many kids did you have in your class with these names? Likely you know at least two Sarahs, and maybe even three Lukes. In 2021 and beyond, the prediction is parents will want to choose more unique and diverse names to avoid double-ups.

It’s not to say that old-world names don’t still have a place in society today — Charlotte, Olivia, Grace, Noah, William and Thomas are traditional names that are still in the top 10 for boys and girls — but that we can expect to see some variations on these, for example: choosing Luka instead of Luke.