Baby name consultant SJ Strum says ten everyday dad monikers are ‘falling off a cliff’ when it comes to new arrivals and reveals the reasons why in our exclusive chat
It’s one of the most important decisions an expectant parent can make but choosing the name of your new arrival can prove tricky too. From names inspired by favourite TV characters to truly unique monikers, there of thousands of choices out there making the decision a difficult one.
Consultant SJ Strum is on hand to help mums and dads-to-be name their babies and with Father’s Day around the corner she’s shared the ten ‘dad’ names on the brink of extinction. And topping the unhappy list is a very familiar name.
“They’re just not fun and exciting to modern parents choosing names today,” said SJ. “Names like this go out of style and have a huge hiatus from the charts so you might not hear of another baby with that name for many decades but suddenly the name will become fresh and new again.”
READ MORE: ‘I named my baby Evie before the Peppa Pig announcement – now I’m scared she will be oinked at’
According to SJ, the top ten dad names on the risk of extinction are:
1. Steve
2. Colin
3. Craig
4. Derek
5. Gareth
6. Tyrone
7. Phil
8. Wolfgang
9. Sameer
10. Roger
The previously popular names were given to just 20 British children combined in 2024 and SJ can explain why. “Names all go in a cycle and while we all know a Steve and a Gareth, if you track their popularity it fell off a cliff after the ’90s,” she said. “They haven’t aged well.
“That’s because we have a lot of associations with these names, whether our dad, our dad’s mates, a bit geography teacher,” added the baby name consultant. “There’s something about: ‘Will you change Phil’s nappy? Will you give Derek a bottle? that just doesn’t sounds right.”
The baby name consultant said a change in the way we name our children was another factor for common dad names declining in popularity. “If your dad was called Steve, the first born son was traditionally called Steve but that tradition has died out over the last few years,” she said. “Parents are looking for something a bit different and unique and special for their babies.”
But SJ insists that decades on, the unpopular monikers WILL make a comeback, just like the ‘grandma’ names such as Betty, Mabel and Gigi rising in popularity today after a hiatus of 100 years or more. “These names have become vintage cool,” she says. “So we will definitely see these dad names come back up but it won’t be for a long time.”
As well as a new found love for vintage names, today’s parents look to their own personalities and interests for inspiration. “At the moment it’s all about the Wild West country names,” said SJ. “Beyonce’s bringing out her country hit and people love the TV show Yellowstone. Everyone’s wearing the cowboy hats and boots and that style just blends into names.
“I’m seeing Cassidy, Harlow and Billie for a girl on a lot of lists, Dusty too and I absolutely love it.
Another huge trend is for fantasy or celestial names like Luna and Cosmo. “A lot of parents nowadays are most spiritual,” said SJ. “These names invoke mysticism and power.”
The leading baby name expert’s top tips for choosing a name for your new arrival include agreeing on your name’s style and criteria before you start discussing it. “Do we want vintage or modern, do we want a long or a short name, do we want a name that honours somebody in our family?” said SJ, who is the author of a bestselling guide called Baby Name Envy.
The writer’s second piece of expert advice is turning to a particular aesthetic or a passion. “If reading or travel is your passion, take a look at names within that theme,” she advised.
But despite careful planning, sometimes unexpected events can throw a spanner in the works when it comes to naming your children. The recent arrival of Peppa Pig’s little sister Evie has left mums of baby Evies wondering if they had made the right decision and people called Alexa have accused Amazon of ruining their name with their popular digital assistant.
“I had somebody write into the consultancy, she had an Elsie and an Anna,” said SJ of the hugely popular kids’ movie Frozen. “Somebody else wrote in with a Harry and Meghan. What are the chances?”
The baby name consultant is working with Etsy, the home of personalised gifts. “Seeing your name on a piece of personalised homeware or something you can wear is such a beautiful gift and Etsy is the home of these,” she said.
Etsy is partnering with a selection of UK sellers ahead of Father’s Day to offer a 50% discount on select products when personalised with one of the top 10 near-extinct names
