For decades, a handful of names dominated new births in the United States. If you were born during the height of some of these name booms, there may have been three of you in a single class alone.
In 2026, though, parents now seem to be searching for names that never used to crack the Social Security Administration's top 10 list of baby names, meaning a number of once-common American names are endangered. AnyWho has assembled a list of common names that are falling out of style using SSA historical databases and NameAlmanac to show just how far some have fallen from their peaks.
1. Karen - The 1950s No. 3 Girls' Name
Karen peaked in 1965, when it was the third most popular name for baby girls across America. In fact, more than 32,000 newborns claimed the moniker that year. Six decades and many memes later, Karen has fallen to 1,251st in popularity. This makes it one of the steepest falls in the database of names.
2. Lisa - 1960s Chart-Topper
In the 1960s, Lisa was a chart-topper for eight straight years from ’62 to ’69. Tens of thousands of babies were given the name annually. Today, it sits at a meager 984th, making it one that parents associate more with grandparents than newborns.
3. Jessica - 1980s No. 1 Name
While Jessica may have ruled the back half of the 1980s, hitting its single highest birth count in 1987, it holds the top spot no more. In 2026, it is on a steady slide, down to spot number 575 among all girl names.
4. Jennifer - The Name that Defined the 1970s
No name rocked the 1970s quite like Jennifer, which topped the charts for a 14-year period from 1970 to 1984. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and the name has since fallen to a placement of 546.
5. Amanda - The Peak-1987 Name
Amanda spent an astounding two decades topping the name list and even peaked at second choice in 1987. However, it now stands at 495, making it one of the mid-tier names
6. Ashley - The Definitive 1980s-90s Girls' Name
At one point, Ashley was a standout name to give your baby. It hit first place in 1991 and stayed within the top 10 for most of the decade, during and before. While still relatively commonplace today at a placement of 124, its current popularity is a far cry from its heyday.
7. Christopher - The 1980s Boys' Standard
Boy names aren’t excluded from this list, and Christopher is a prime example of a slide in popularity. In the 1980s, Christopher was one of the go-to name choices. It was only beaten out by Michael for much of the decade. Nowadays, though, it’s a little rarer with a popularity placement of 61st.
8. Madison - The 2000s Breakout Girls' Name
Madison really hit its stride in the 2000s as one of the standout popular names. The movie “Splash” and a generation of parents who grew up on it could be to blame. However, this once-popular girls’ name has since fallen to 45th among its competitors.
9. Jacob - The Reigning 1990s-2000s Boys' Name
Jacob has been a longstanding choice among boys’ names and remained a top pick for around 13 years from 1999 to 2012, making it one of the longest-running options. Now, though, it’s cooled a bit. It only ranks 40th in popularity.
10. Ava - The 2025 Favorite
Ava has been a top 10 staple since around 2005, but the newest data from the Social Security Administration seems to show that it’s finally dropped from its placement, edged out by Eliana in 2025. It’s not gone too far and will likely return, but it marks the most recent name on this list to have slid in popularity.
Keeping your name in style
No name is destined to stay at the top of the popularity list forever. Even the most inescapable names will eventually make room for the next popularity wave. If one of these names belongs to you, don’t worry. You may just pop back up in the rankings in a decade or two.
This story was produced by AnyWho and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.