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Everything in this world is transient, and fashion especially. Moreover, the fashion for names. What was incredibly popular with our grandparents looks really vintage and dust-covered today. Where did the wonderful Ebenezers and Jebedais, Wilhelminas and Lucilles go? Unfortunately, their number is decreasing every year.

On the other hand, there is also a reverse process. For example, back in the nineties, only the most stubborn fans of ancient mythology knew the name "Hermione", and in the 21st century the number of girls with this name in the USA and the UK is approaching several thousand. What is there to say? Just look at the NFL rosters in, say, 1992 and 2022 - and compare how much the naming trends have changed.

There is a popular thread in the AskReddit community whose topic starter once asked the question: "What first name is not used anymore?" To date, the thread boasts over 30.7K upvotes and roughly 31.3K comments with several thousand incredibly diverse first names.

Bored Panda has compiled for you a list of the most popular comments of this thread: from the ancient and even fictional Gilgamesh and Nyarlathotep to Kermit and Dorcas, undeservedly forgotten in recent years. In general, feel free to scroll to the very end (there are real gems at the end, just trust us!), like your favorite ones and if we missed something, be sure to write these names in the comments!

More info: Reddit

#1

30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group My grandfather's name was Kermit. He went by KW. His best friends growing up were Ernie and Elmo (Elmo went by Bogue).

jemmaline , Purple Slog Report

StrangeOne
Community Member
3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Grandpa's name is Ernie. He's more like Bert.

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    #2

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Adolf

    dwc1970 , Brazucany.TV Report

    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wonder why the name went out of fashion? Did someone with that name ruin it for everyone else?

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    #3

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Gay. Have 2 great aunts named Gay.

    wowcoolbeans , Les Chatfield Report

    Squirrelly Panda
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The old definition of gay is happy. So Gay, the name, used to be akin to naming a child Joy.

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    #4

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Isis. Poor Egyptian woman..

    MarkHoppusJr , Lars Larsson Report

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    #5

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group I was at a rural graveyard recently and a woman's name was Experience, she was buried next to her sister Patience.

    roadtrip-ne , Tim Green Report

    Mad Dragon
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My friend’s 10-year-old daughter is named Patience.

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    #6

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Nobody has the name Agamemnon anymore. I plan to fix that some day.

    driku12 , Xuan Che Report

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    #9

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Ursula, sea-witch straight up ruined that name

    The_Ethernopian , Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ursula was fabulous though. I see nothing wrong with having that name simply because of her.

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    #10

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Had a Great Grandfather named Granite Commodore. I look forward to my son assuming this bad a*s name. Edit: His name was Garnet Commodore. I typed this comment via mobile, didn't proofread. I come back 6 days later and this f****r blew up. My highest rated comment ever was a complete mistake. s**t.

    anon , Hedning Report

    #11

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Flavius. Though my sister insists she's going to name one of her children that when she has them. My mother says there's no way she's allowing that Edit: firstly, holy s**t I did not expect this many upvotes Secondly, my comment about my sister naming one of her children Flavius isn't serious, she says it to get a rise from my mother. It's just a family inside joke. Lastly, yeah I get that it's still a popular name in Romania, 100 people have already told me that.

    saareadaar , Biblioteca comunale di Trento Report

    kim morris
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I very much wanted to name my first born son "Robin", was told no in very stern terms by my ex. So he was named Something Benjamin. Then my FIL told me to change his middle name, because it sounded "too Jewish". I am not making this up. Second son. My inlaws came to the hospital, and again told me to change HIS name, because it would be confused with his great-uncle, who was 80something at the time. Nevermind that her children were named after her brother, her other brother, her husband, and her cousin. SO glad they're both dead now.

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    #12

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Never met a Heathcliff

    anon , American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Report

    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home, I'm so cold, Let me in your window, Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home, I'm so cold, Let me in your window."

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    #13

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Hortense

    anon , Atelier Nadar Report

    Jefferson Selvy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The name of one of King Charles II's mistresses (there were many).

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    #14

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Nebuchadnezzar.

    I_Seen_Things , Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP Report

    #15

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group I went to school with 2 different boys named Storm while I was growing up. Different schools, but they both had mullets and wore NASCAR shirts. Never again will we live in such a magical time.

    CheddarChe , Benjamen Benson Report

    Bill Tinsley
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I used to know a girl named stormi. I currently work with two different girls named autumn and winter. Winters best friend from childhood is named spring.

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    #16

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Grover, unfortunately.

    Mutt1223 , vonguard Report

    Blitzø
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I always think of Grover from the PJO series- love him

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    #17

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group I dunno about you, but I haven't seen many people named Gilgamesh lately.

    Mixtape_ , Gwil5083 Report

    Beck
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Good thing because he was evil to the smurfs.

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    #18

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Llewellyn. I believe there was no registry of this name being used for newborns last year.

    Llewellyns11 , lmcreglow Report

    #19

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Jeeves. But I think it has a strong correlation to butlers and no parent wants to condemn their child to a life of butler-hood. Hell, even Jerry Seinfeld had a bit on that name. Edit: TIL there was a series of short stories about a man named Reginald Jeeves. I always thought Jeeves was a first name. In fact, I've only ever heard of it used as the main identifier and never as a surname. The more you know. I still stand by my answer though.

    PixelatedGamer , BBC Television Report

    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Being pedantic here. Jeeves isn't a butler, he is a valet.

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    #20

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group I can tell you that there certainly are children in the UK school system right now with the following names, which were suggested in posts here: Amadeus, Ethel, Reginald, Roger, Maurice, Mercedes, Wilhelmina, Julius, Mildred, Myra, Myrtle, Beulah, Cora, Isis and Osama. No Adolf, Rutherford, Orenthal or Judas though.

    moon_monkey , misskprimary Report

    StrangeOne
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sounds more like a last name.

    Oleg Tarasenko
    BoredPanda Staff
    Premium
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well, Rutherford Hayes would say: "Not exactly" :)

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    Pammy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Roger? Really? My father's name was Roger, and I know several others.

    Brenda
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Episode of CHEERS where Carla's family wanted her to name her son after the parents fathers. Problem; the dads were named Adolf (Hitler) and Benito (Musolini). Can you Imagine 🤔

    Lisa H
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm American and, um.... Osama? Really?

    Verena Abt
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Julius? My son's eight, he's called Julius. What's wrong with Julius?

    Tacocat
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know a Myra, a Juda, a Mercedes, and a few Julius.

    Jude Corrigan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I could never name a child Myra. Quite a pretty name was forever ruined by Myra Hindley.

    Seabeast
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One of my relatives has Myra as a second name, but I've never met anyone who has it for a first name.

    Anne Reid
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My middle name is Ethel, after my grandma. Who didn’t want me to have it, saying it was an old lady’s name when she got in in 1901 so there was no reason to give it to me in 1975. Mom didn’t listen, obv.

    Magnifico Giganticus
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Adolf Orenthal... Sounds like a good, solid name!

    Michelle C
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The lieutenant governor of Maryland is Boyd Rutherford. I’ve never seen it used as a first name, with the exception of late President Rutherford B. Hayes.

    Hill Branda
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Rutherford would be a great name for a young scientist or an author.

    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had a great uncle Maurice, great aunt Myra and church friend name Beulah. The youngest just turned 95. Not come across any of those names while teaching so far.

    Lorraine R
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ethel Barrymore, Roger Rees, Maurice Roeves, Mercedes McCambridge, Queen Wilhelmina, Julius (Groucho) Marx.

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    #21

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Eustace.

    InVultusSolis , Cartoon Network Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Stupid Dog! You made me look bad! Ooga Booga Booga!"

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    #23

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group I see a lot of people suggesting "old lady names" but they are the super popular ones. My daughter's preschool classmates and my high school friends children have names like Cora, Louisa, Mabel, Millie, Maeve, Evelyn, Dorothy/Dottie, Matilda, Gertrude, Pearl. Not a single Jessica, Ashley, Heather, Jennifer, or any of those over-saturated 80s baby names.

    imtellingyoustories , Allison Meier Report

    Bill Tinsley
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Shakespeare created the name Jessica. Factoid of the day

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    #24

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Gary. Once a very common name, only four babies were called Gary last year in the UK. Just doesn't have a ring to it, little baby Gary.

    kitjen , Paramount Global Report

    Sami B
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My dad and brother are both named Gary, but it's more common in the US. Of course, my brother is in his 40s, so I'm not sure how popular it is with newer generations.

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    #25

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Ebenezer

    TipsAtWork , Elliott Brown Report

    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "'Eezer Goode 'Eezer Goode He's Ebeneezer Goode!" Who remembers that song? Apparently it contains references to drugs, who knew?

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    #26

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Was at a church and saw a grave to "Manly Powers." I've never met a "Manly" before. All of us guys decided to have our picture taken with the grave while we flexed our muscles.

    historymajor44 , Pantelis pan Report

    Ian Webling
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We had a chap called Simon Manley in school. He was very short. One day in geography class, the teacher was out and he was jumping from desk to desk. My neighbour looks at me and says, "One small step for man, one giant leap for Manley."

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    #27

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Dorcus, it was my great-grandmother's name.

    pope0476 , takato marui Report

    Lorraine R
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Are you sure it wasn't the Biblical name Dorcas, which means 'gazelle'?

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    #28

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Mildred and Edith

    anon , Bliss Papers Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My late grandmother was Mildred and my late aunt was Edith. Both were awesome.

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    #29

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Orenthal

    doctor-rumack , Charles LeBlanc Report

    Sami B
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I worked with an Orenthal in the late '00s. He was probably in his late 30s or early 40s. I'm pretty sure he went by his initials, though I can't recall now for sure.

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    #30

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Caillou

    runic_blades , Cookie Jar Entertainment Report

    Chucky Cheezburger
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh gawd...this show...just never should have been made.

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    #31

    Wilhelmina

    Icarium13 Report

    Pascale Pierloot
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Queen Wilhelmina, grandmother to the current Dutch King, Willem Alexander.

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    #33

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Linda. It's a weird name for a baby. Great for getting hr jobs, though.

    anon , Daniel Benavides Report

    censorshipsucks
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You guys are mad. Almost every other child in Africa is called Linda.

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    #35

    The name Lucille, unfortunately. I thinks it's just beautiful sounding. It sounds so pure, and it calls to mind the concept of... bright, white light, somehow.

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    Amy Watkins
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It also calls to mind Negan's deadly barbwire wrapped bat from The Walking Dead!

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    #36

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Balthazar

    evolve20 , Howard Lifshitz Report

    #37

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Chauncey. EDIT: Everyone knows exactly 1 person/gerbil named Chauncey.

    pasher71 , Keith Allison Report

    Hill Branda
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Chauncy Glover is an anchorman on a Houston news station.

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    #39

    Ozymandias. Fun fact: MY name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair. Oh, Moses isn't that common either. EDIT: Apparently Moses (and multiple variations of it) are quite common.

    Moses_The_Wise Report

    Pan Narrans
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ozymandrias is the Greek version of what we would call Ramses II. And Ramses is still in use.

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    #40

    Ulyssess

    mma-b Report

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    #41

    Most "Al" names. I've never met an Alfred, Albert, Alvin, or Alphonse in my life. Edit: Everybody and their f*****g grandmother knows an Alfred/Alfredo except for me. Edit 2: This comment was a f*****g mistake. Edit 3: It's been a good run but f**k inbox replies.

    Valentinexyz Report

    Blitzø
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Met a kid named "Alfredo" once- yes, like the pasta.

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    #42

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Xerxes Edit: Apparently it's a lot more common than I realized.

    ColdBeef , A.Davey Report

    #43

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group I once knew a kid named Knickerbocker, went by Nick. Bonus comment: my dentist is named Dann, not short for Daniel, just Dann with 2 n's.

    jcmib , Damien Report

    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I tried to make the feeble joke "So he's your d-e-n-n-t-i-s-t?" (without the hyphens), but the damn autocorrect won't let me misspell "dentist"!

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    #44

    30 Names That Have Completely Lost Their Attractiveness, According To Folks In This Online Group Ethel.

    anon , joey zanotti Report

    #45

    Megatron. A shame that Family Guy has played such a role in its decline.

    s-razlet3 Report

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    #46

    Booker. I really wish this one was still used. EDIT: This was in reference to Booker DeWitt, sorry to disappoint the five time world champion.

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    #47

    Nyarlathothep

    Vancleave053 Report

    Jefferson Selvy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Who wants to name their kid after eldritch horrors?

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