Top 10 UK girl and boy names going extinct in 2026 – check if yours is listed

While there are many headlines about popular baby names and emerging trends, less attention is paid to names falling out of use. In 2026, baby name trends in the UK are changing rapidly, as parents are moving away from some previously popular names in favour of more classic or distinctive alternatives.

Every year, countless parents add their babies’ names to the BabyCenter app, which monitors naming trends influencing daycare lists nationwide. The specialists at BabyCenter analysed their data to discover which names among the top 1,000 experienced the largest decline from 2024 to 2025 – and what this indicates about the naming trends parents are currently moving away from.

The pros found that baby name trends in 2026 are heavily influenced by cultural and societal shifts. 

Parents are steering clear of trendy spellings and names inspired by locations, choosing instead timeless classics that endure. 

The experts found that names that start with “D” and “K” are being left behind – Danielle, Dylan, Kenna, and Kinley are down for girls, while Dominic, Dev, Kylian, and Karim are down for boys.

Unique spellings aren’t trendy anymore as unconventional spellings of well-known names, such as Charleigh, Alivia, Maddison, Emmitt, and Mohamad, are falling out of favour.

Boy names ending in “y” are falling fast, too. Huxley, Grady, Rey, Corey, and Harry are on their way out of the top 1,000.