New parents are always on the hunt for trendy or unique baby names, and some even turn to retro names from decades past. But not every name stands the test of time. Colleen Slagen, known as @namingbebe on TikTok, sparked a buzz online with a video highlighting baby names that were huge in the '80s but have since fallen out of favor.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Sam Rana
"I looked through the top 100 girl names from 1986 to find which ones don't even rank in the top 1,000 today," Slagen started her video. "That is the sign of a time-stamped name and I think some of the ones that do still rank in the top 1,000 are going to surprise you." She starts by mentioning the name "Jennifer," which is ranked at 502 in a list that appears in the backdrop of Slagen's video. She also mentions that this name used to be popular until 2008. The names "Jessica," "Ashley" and "Stephanie" faced the same fate as "Jennifer."
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Olia danilevich
"Brittany is pretty low at 848, but the first name that is officially out is Heather—sorry, Heathers. Tiffany is also on her way out the door, both Erica and Courtney no longer rank okay and Andrea ranks surprisingly high at 155," Slagen continues. "Lindsay, we have two spellings in the top 100 and they are both out! Shannon at 44, Tara and Crystal, out, Casey is at 946 almost out and lastly Brandy and Dana, no shade to anyone with these names." She also mentions how her own first name no longer ranks in the top 1000 names either. Slagen hilariously dubs these names as "creatures of the 80s."
The TikTok community was equally surprised to hear about the drop in popularity of certain names. @sassy_girl_aj wrote, "As an Andrea, I am tired of people using my spelling by pronouncing about 10 different ways." @shanshanono commented, "Shannon here born in ‘91. Never knew any other Shannon’s and it would seriously blow my mind if this name ever became popular." @acfhxd12 joked, "I met a toddler Amanda recently and they called her Mandy. I was so surprised. Such an 80s vibe." @moseleymarketplace recalled, "1985 Jessica here. Every girl in my class was either Jessica, Jennifer, or Ashley." @mom..mom..mommy added, "Heather here. never loved my name and now it ages me. Imagine having to put Heather on a resume today."
Image Source: TikTok | @user121916333
Another naming expert and the founder of Namerology, Laura Wattenberg, had a chat with The Atlantic where she disclosed the psychology of parents naming their kids these days. “Parents are thinking about naming kids more like how companies think about naming products, which is a kind of competitive marketplace where you need to be able to get attention to succeed.” Jessie Paquette, another baby name expert told Vox that naming babies goes through a cycle, like fashion trends. "We’re seeing Eleanor, Maude, Edith—cool-girl grandma names," she mentions. Who knows, a few years later, the unpopular names might make a comeback again.
You can follow Colleen Slagen (@namingbebe) on TikTok for more videos on baby names. For interesting stories like this visit thedailynet BEST OF THE INTERNET section.
This article originally appeared last year.
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Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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