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Wales Online

National

Neil Shaw

Man doesn't care his 'cool' name is extinct and thinks it will make a comeback

Bertha Doreen Mandy Phyllis

A man with an 'extinct' name says he hopes it will make a comeback - as he still believes it is "cool". Graeme Currie's first name was highlighted in a 2022 study as being extinct - which, it is claimed, means it has died out in recent years.

But the retail assistant doesn't believe that makes it uncool - and says he is more than happy with his name. Graeme, 34, said: “I think more people should be named Graeme. I think it’s a kind of cool name.

“I was noticing a lot of younger people had different names and it was like Graeme seemed to be rarer. I think it’s always good to encourage the older names like Graeme, Guy and Greg.”

Graeme was one of seven male names labelled as extinct in 2020 by Babbel. The language experts analysed the last century of records from the Office for National Statistics, comparing parents' 2020 choices with the 100 most popular names between 1914 and 1994.

Extinct girl’s names included Bertha, Doreen, Mandy and Phyllis. Graeme said that he had noticed less babies were being given his name and that it represented a societal shift.

He said: “It’s getting a bit rarer these days, I think names like David are more popular. To be honest, I guess society is moving on in a way. I think names are a good thing that show a part of history.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve felt lonely, but I guess the only good side [of having an extinct name] is that you don’t get confused with other Graeme's. I believe the name Graeme sets you on a good path. I feel the same with a lot of older names, it sets you out in a certain way.

“I quite like it, I think it’s actually quite a cool name – but my brother’s nickname for me is Grey Hair and I think that’s the association with Graeme. Sometimes I get called Grams or Grammy, I like those nicknames, but my brother likes his name for me.

“I think people notice my second name more, the only thing they comment on with my first name is the spelling.”

According to the research, the names which have become extinct since 1994 are Graeme, Horace, Iain, Leigh, Melvyn, Nigel and Royston for boys.

And for girls, the list includes Bertha, Beverley, Carol, Carole, Doreen, Gail, Gertrude, Gillian, Glenys, Glynis, Hilary, Jeanette, Jill, Kay, Kerry, Lesley, Lindsay, Lyndsey, Lynne, Lynsey, Mandy, Maureen, Muriel, Phyllis.

There were many more names Babbel considered to be 'endangered', which were those featured in the top 100 between 1914-1994 but 10 or fewer babies with the name recorded in 2020.