Some baby names are plummeting in popularity, while others are making a comeback. (Source: Seven Sharp)
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The popularity of baby names often ebb and flow, but there are some that may be in a decline to extinction.
The top names have changed over the years. The early 50s saw Christine and John top the charts. 1960 was Susan and David, while Lisa and Jason were the top names for 1970.
Sarah and Daniel became the most popular in the 80s, Jessica and Matthew in 1990, and then the turn of the century saw Jessica remain at the top spot along with Joshua.
Sophie and Liam were the most popular in 2010, while Isla and Oliver were the top names for 2020.
The top two Māori pēpi names - Aroha for kōtiro and Ariki for tama.
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And the most popular gender-neutral name is Riley.
The popularity of baby names often ebb and flow, but there are some that may be in a decline to extinction. (Source: 1News)
So which names are on the way out?
Russell Burnard from the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, told Seven Sharp there were a couple of standouts.
"Barbara for example was a name that was really popular through the 30s to the 50s but hasn’t been in our top 100 since late 1988.
"For male names, Kevin was really popular through the 40s to the 60s but hasn’t been on our top list since 1999."
Burnard said there were some names that had stuck at the top of the list for a long time.
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"Mary and John are the most popular names that have ever been registered with us and there’s more traditional names – the Williams, the Thomas’s - that continue to be popular over time."
What about the likes of Jeremy and Hilary?
"Jeremy was last in our top 100 in 1999 and was most popular – it was 24th on our list – in 1977," Burnard told Seven Sharp, earning a smile from presenter Jeremy Wells who himself was born in 1977.
Hilary, meanwhile, has never been on the top 100 list.
“It’s good to have a unique name!” fellow presenter Hilary Barry exclaimed.
Burnard said parents had become much more innovative in terms of the names they use as opposed to 30 to 50 years ago.
While parents have a mostly free rein when it comes to naming their children, there are some rules.
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"You can’t have really long names, there's a 100 character limit, you can’t have names that are offensive, you can’t use characters, symbols, numbers in your name," Burnard said.
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