These names ruled the ’90s. Now parents are leaving them behind

NewsThese popular ’90s baby names are fading faster than you might thinkA new study found that several baby names popular in the late 1990s have fallen sharply in England and Wales, with Courtney showing the largest drop among girls’ names analyzed. (Brandon Wade/AP Images for Dreft)AP Images for DreftThe 1990s are back in fashion, but some of the decade’s biggest baby names may not be coming along for the ride.Names such as Courtney, Shannon and Danielle have fallen sharply since their days near the top of the baby-name charts, according to a new analysis from Nuby. The baby-products company studied 30 years of government naming data from England and Wales, The New York Post reported.Courtney had the biggest drop among the girls’ names in the study. It ranked No. 17 in 1998 but fell to No. 2,278 in 2025. That is a decline of 2,261 places. Shannon was not far behind. The name dropped 2,127 spots, moving from No. 11 in 1996 to No. 2,138 in 2025. Danielle fell 1,434 places, from No. 20 in 1996 to No. 1,454. Lauren, Megan, Jade, Katie, Bethany, Rebecca and Amy rounded out the study’s list of 10 girls’ names with the largest drops. Lauren, once the fifth-most-popular girls’ name in 1996, ranked No. 1,166 in 2025. Megan ranked third in both 1998 and 1999 but fell to No. 816. The drop was not as steep among boys’ names. Connor had the largest decline in that group, falling 288 places from No. 11 in 1998 to No. 299 in 2025. Callum went from No. 8 in 1998 to No. 251 in 2025. Jordan, which ranked No. 10 in both 1997 and 1998, fell to No. 248. Lewis, Jake, Matthew, Ryan, Luke, Daniel and Samuel completed the boys’ top 10. Nuby produced its rankings by reviewing names that reached the top 20 between 1996 and 1999. Researchers compared each name’s best position during those four years with its ranking in 2025. Read how Nuby conducted the baby-name analysis [uk.nuby.com]The underlying information comes from the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics. Its dataset includes counts and rankings for boys’ and girls’ names registered in England and Wales from 1996 through 2025. That means the declines should not be treated as a ranking of American baby names. Olivia is holding strong in the United States. Olivia and Liam were America’s most popular baby names for 2025, marking the seventh straight year that both held the top spot, according to the Social Security Administration. The federal rankings are based on applications for Social Security cards submitted at birth. Here are the 10 declining girls and boys names with rankings and methodology from Nuby. The 10 declining girls’ names in the studyCourtneyShannonDanielleLaurenMeganJadeKatieBethanyRebeccaAmyThe 10 declining boys’ names in the studyConnorCallumJordanLewisJakeMatthewRyanLukeDanielSamuelChris Pugh covers trending news and national breaking stories, focusing on the moments, conversations, and cultural flashpoints shaping the national news cycle. Chris worked as a digital reporter for...This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.