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Shockingly Rare Names for Boys

January 14, 2021 laurawattenberg 2 Comments

Shockingly Rare Names for Boys

January 14, 2021 LauraWattenberg 2 Comments
Photo of surprised baby
Image: Adobe/Tatyana Gladskih

Let’s talk about a rare boy’s name. Really rare. A name that isn’t ranked in the current top 1000, or even the top 2000. A name rarer than Theophilus, or Dinero, or Supreme. A name like Brad.

Among grown men, of course, Brad is hardly a curiosity. It was a top-100 name in the 1970s, as well as a nickname for the perennial hit Bradley. But the name has fallen out of use and has all but vanished.

We don’t talk much about names like Brad. Most reports on name trends focus on the top names, or what’s hot and new. We seldom hear about what babies are not named, barring a dramatic news-driven shift like the demise of the name Isis. Yet all the while, whole generations of names are quietly slipping away, leaving us with a skewed perception of what an “ordinary” baby name is.

Brad is just one of many names that most of us still hear as “ordinary,” but that have become statistically extraordinary. To help reset our perspectives, here are 14 more boys’ names that have become surprisingly rare—and some of the names that now outpace them.

NAMERANKRARER THAN…
Duane#2058Leviathan, Reef
Jed#2082Zeppelin, Alias
Stuart#2241Lenin, Daemon
Laurence#2265Artist, Valor
Ted#2442Xion, Cree
Geoffrey#2451Quest, Job
Jamaal#2489Navy, Slate
Rick#2608Omega, Chosen
Brad#2987Lucifer, Tuff
Dana#3484Ollivander, Cashmere
Dirk#3570Cache, Zaxton
Cliff#4000Maze, Exodus
Bret#4627Nation, Cage
Bart#12305Kodak, Prestige

Read More: Shockingly Rare Names for Girls

LauraWattenberg
LauraWattenberg

Namerology founder and "Baby Name Wizard" author Laura Wattenberg is a globally recognized name expert, known for her scientific approach to understanding name trends and culture.

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2 Comments

  • Nicwoo January 18, 2021 at 8:20 am

    Hmmmm. I wonder where we might see the convention play out for influential entertainment in print or pop medias. Will creating characters that are relatable take less or more time? Would ironies for names be intentional or perhaps further projection? And would it be confusing in the entertainment setting if these newer names are words themselves too? Brad seems like a “thing” word that’s not as competitive (?) as what’s coming down the line! 🙂

  • Craig January 29, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    I’m going to guess the reason Bart dropped of is the association with Bart Simpson.

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