The 90s baby names that have plummeted in popularity

The 90s may be back in fashion, but they seem to be going out of fashion in the baby name charts.

Trends from the decade have been making a comeback this year, from fashion and interiors to music and pop culture. So, here at Nuby, we wanted to find out if 90s baby names were making a comeback too.

We analysed 30 years of baby name data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), covering 1996 to 2025. The ONS has provided a continuous time series of baby-name rankings from 1996 onwards. We found that Courtney, Shannon and Danielle have fallen thousands of places since their peak popularity in the 90s.

Courtney had the biggest fall out of the girls’ names analysed, dropping 2,261 places from its highest ranking in the 90s 17th in 1998 to 2,278th in 2025. Shannon has had a similar fall, dropping 2,127 places from 11th in 1996 to 2,138th, while Danielle has dropped 1,434 places, from 20th in 1996 to 1,454th.

Lauren, which was once a top five name in the 90s, has also suffered a dramatic decline. It ranked 5th in 1996 but has now fallen 1,161 places to 1,166th in 2025.

Another name that has fallen from a top 10 spot in the 90s is Megan, which was the third most popular girls' name in both 1998 and 1999 but now ranks 816th.

Millennials will have grown up with names such as Courtney, Shannon and Danielle among the most popular names in the school playground. However, our current generation of babies is far less likely to grow up having friends with those names.

Not every name popular in the 90s has disappeared from the charts. Olivia, the most popular girls' name in England and Wales in 2025, has stood the test of time. It ranked 24th in 1996 before climbing into the top five by 1999, and now sits at number one in 2025.

Charlotte has also remained a firm favourite, ranking 25th in 2025 after reaching its highest position of 6th in both 1998 and 1999.

The research found that the boys' names analysed haven't experienced as dramatic a downfall as the girls' names.

Connor has fallen the most places among the boys’ names analysed from 11 ^th in 1998 to 299 ^th in 2025, which is a drop of 288 places. Callum, once ranked 8th in 1998, now sits at 251st, while Jordan has dropped from 10th in both 1997 and 1998 to 248th in 2025.

Lewis, Jake and Matthew have also fallen significantly from their 90s rankings.

Although many 90s popular names have fallen down the rankings, two boys' names have gone in the opposite direction.

Oliver, the 6th most popular boys' name in 2025, only reached 19th at its highest point in the 90s, in 1999. It has therefore climbed 13 places. George has also risen in popularity, moving from 17th in 1998 to 7th in 2025, a rise of 10 places.

"The 90s are having a huge comeback, so we were surprised to see just how dramatically some of the decade’s most popular baby names have fallen down the baby name charts. Our research shows that this is more noticeable among the girls' names we analysed, with Courtney, Shannon and Danielle now thousands of places lower than where they once sat in the charts. Instead, parents today seem to be leaning towards more vintage and floral names, with Isla, Florence, Lily and Poppy all featuring in 2025’s top 10. For parents-to-be expecting a 2026 or 2027 baby, who want a name that no other children in the class will have, choosing a name like Lauren, Courtney or Shannon could be a way to give a classic 90s name a new lease of life.”

James Russell-Watson, Head of Marketing at Nuby

Methodology: 

Nuby analysed 30 years of baby name data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), covering England and Wales from 1996 to 2025. The ONS has provided a continuous time series of baby-name rankings from 1996 onwards.

We looked at names that reached the top 20 between 1996 and 1999, comparing each name’s highest ranking during this period with its 2025 ranking. The 10 girls’ and 10 boys’ names with the largest drops were included. A lower numerical ranking indicates greater popularity, so a larger difference represents a greater fall in popularity.