Baby name expert shares top 80s girl names that simply 'didn't age well'

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.

"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."

"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."

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.