15 baby names now on the verge of extinction
These 15 once-popular baby names are on the verge of becoming completely extinct. They were only given to five babies each in 2013, which is the lowest number counted by the Social Security Administration in the United States.
Alpha – The first letter of the Greek alphabet reached its peak in 1880 reaching Number 301. It dropped off the Top 1000 in 1944 and has steadily declined since.
Barbra – While the spelling of Barbara hangs in the Top 1000, the shortened version of Barbra is about to vanish.
Claudine – A popular name in the first half of the 20th century that continued to rise in the 1970s due to the singer Claudine Longet, the once-popular -ine ending girl’s names have fallen out of fashion.
Thisbe – The doomed young lover whose tale inspired Romeo and Juliet is about to vanish from modern baby name books.
Sheba – Only five baby girls were named Sheba in the US in 2013. The original “Bathsheba” is not even recorded.
Elmo – Elmo is the short form of Guglielmo, the Italian of William. With its modern day associations with a ticklish Sesame Street character, Elmo looks to fall off the list.
Nanette – A fashionable name in the 50s, the name Nanette has quickly become unfashionable in the new millennium.
Sondra – The exotic sister to Sandra ranked in the Top 1000 from the 1920s to the 1980s but now looks to be forgotten.
Zelma – It nearly broke the Top 200 in 1902 but has since fallen off the list.
Icarus – It seems nobody wants to be associated with the mythological Greek character of Icarus who flew too close to the sun.
Inigo – It’s the medieval Spanish version of Ignatius but doesn’t seem to be as popular.
Llewellyn – A common name in Wales that appeared on the US list for six decades until the 1940s.
Remus – With his twin brother Romulus, he was the legendary founder of Rome but the unpleasant sounding first syllable have kept him permanently off the Top 1000.
Sherwood – The heyday was during 1897 to 1963 but hasn’t been heard from since.
Waldo – It once reached as high as Number 347 in 1881 and remained on the list until 1941 but soon became victim of anti-German sentiment.
Related links:
Lost names: the monikers that have become extinct
95-year-old grandma honoured to be bridesmaid for her granddaughter
English overtakes French as the world’s sexiest accent