Alexa, Stan and Harvey: the baby names that have fallen out of favour with parents

Just last week we told you the most popular baby names of 2018 so far. And while there are set to be plenty of Liams and Emmas scribbled in little coats, there are some other names that have fallen out of favour with parents of late.

While many of the monikers once few high in the popularity stakes, they have been shunned more recently because they don’t fit into the modern world.

According to new research by parenting site ChannelMum.com Katie, Alexa, Stan, Harvey and Ollie are among those names being ditched by mums and dads to be.

Other names on the not-being-chosen list include Felicia, Christian, and Lauren.

So why the plunge in popularity?

Turns out it’s all down to celebrities and modern technology giving these perfectly nice names a bad, well, name.

Case in point Alexa. This pretty moniker was the UK’s 21st most popular girl’s name in 2016, but it has seen a plunge in parents choosing it thanks to mums-and-dads to be not wanting their little one to share the same name as Amazon’s digital assistant.

It would be a little annoying if your speaker switched on every time you yelled at your toddler, right?

Other popular names being dropped by millennial mums and dads include Stan because of the hashtag #Stan which is used online to mean ‘stalker-fan’.

It’s the Internet that is having an impact on the perfectly nice Ollie too. Once the 69th most popular name for a boy, the moniker is falling out of favour thanks to a bizarre online phenomena which sees humans eat the American ‘Ollie’ brand dog food.

And now three in five parents won’t pick it for their son.

Girls name ‘Felicia’ is being also shunned for baby girls because it is the subject of cruel Internet Meme ‘Bye, Felicia’ – with over half of young parents not considering it for this reason.

The name Ryan, has also taken a dip in popularity. While it was all the rage in the 90s, an association with a certain budget airline has seen parents turn their back on the moniker.

More seriously, the name Harvey is being struck off the must-name list by 34% of parents on the back of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Other boys’ names falling out of favour include Christian thanks in part due to the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon, but also because it is seen as ‘too religious’ in multi-cultural Britain.

When it comes to girls’ names, Katie and Cait are becoming less popular for a number of reasons, possibly hinting at links to controversial columnist Katie Hopkins, the ‘I Am Cait’ TV show following Caitlyn Jenner and the decline of Kate Middleton fever in favour of soon-to-be royal Meghan Markle.

Lauren has also plunged in popularity because it is linked to a number of reality TV stars.

The survey of 1,434 parents also revealed that 83% of parents reject baby names because they remind them of someone they don’t like, while 81% will rule out a name that doesn’t fit with their surname.

Almost three quarters (70%) have also ditched a name because their child’s initials would spell out something rude. Snarf snarf.

Commenting on the findings SJ Strum, ChannelMum.com baby name expert, said: “Although Alexa was a popular choice a few years ago, the rapid proliferation of Amazon Alexas is killing it off. No one wants a daughter and a device with the same name.

“And this problem will only grow. If Facebook ever launches its rumoured AI personal assistant M, it will end the popularity of Emma, which is shortened to Em.

“And ‎Samantha, Harmony and Solana are all definite no-nos as they’re all brands of sex robot. These are problems no parent faced a few years ago.”

UNPOPULAR GIRLS’ NAMES:

Alexa – The popularity of Amazon Alexa is making this a tricky choice for modern parents. You can’t have a child and a device answering to the same name

Felicia – As ‘Bye, Felicia’ is a millennial insult and internet-breaking Meme

Katie / Cait – Whether it’s Katie Hopkins, the popularity of TV show ‘I Am Cait’ or worries over being a ‘copyKate’ to Kate Middleton, fewer parents are picking this pretty choice.

Scarlett – Being ditched for the even more on-trend and millennial pink Violet

Lauren – With way too many reality TV star connections, it’s no longer an aspirational choice

UNPOPULAR BOYS’ NAMES:

Stan – Hashtag #Stan means ‘stalker fan’ in millennial slang

Ollie – It’s the name of a popular American pet food brand and is now a YouTube internet phenomenon with humans scoffing their dog’s dinners

Christian – Whether it’s Grey or a nod to religion in multi-cultural Britain, the popularity of this name is on the slide

Harvey – Weinstein, say no more

Ryan – Ryan where? This was once of the UK’s most popular names but is plunging in popularity, as parents don’t want their kids linked to a budget airline.

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