Some names seem so ubiquitous that it is hard to imagine they will ever be anything other than everywhere in the popular consciousness. As noted in a May 2025 report from Yahoo! Life, these names might fall by the wayside for some time but undergo a resurgence in popularity decades later, a phenomenon known as the 100-year rule of naming. For instance, so-called "grandparent names" like Hazel, Elijah, and Winifred are becoming more common among today's new parents. However, the history of popular names shows that such endurance is far from given.
When the baby boomer generation's parents returned from World War II, an array of social factors influenced the names they would give their children, including the names of beloved presidents and popular actors. From models to actors to singer-songwriters, many famous baby boomers had the most popular names of their day, from Jerry Hall to Bob Dylan to Pat Benatar.
However, for some names, between the boomer years and now, other figures have emerged with the same names that caused these monikers to lose their luster. An unpopular television show character, a kidnapper, a murderer, another unsavory character, or simply a dramatic downturn in fortune on the public stage can all contribute to a name losing popularity.
To determine which baby boomer names have since lost popularity, Stacker consulted the Social Security Administration's baby names database. We compiled a list of 974 names given to at least 5,000 baby boomers (or, using the Pew Research Center's definition, babies born between 1946 and 1964). We then selected 20 names from this list that were given to fewer than 75 babies born in 2021.
The names are ranked in this story according to their popularity among baby boomers, or the total number of babies given these names between 1946 and 1964. Many names that have gone out of style are considered gender-neutral, though the Social Security Administration considers sex and gender binary variables, using only male and female designations.
Click through to look at the 20 popular boomer names that have gone out of style.
