In the 1980s you could barely move for Garys, Craigs and Christophers.
But Office of National Statistics data for England and Wales suggests all three names could be on their way to extinction – while names from a century ago, or straight out of an Enid Blyton book, seem to be on the rise.
In 1996, 705 boys were named Craig. Last year, it was just nine.
Similarly in 1996, 235 boys were given the name Gary – last year, a mere eight.
But going in the opposite direction are old-fashioned names such as Bertie.
Back in 1996 it was usually reserved for the PG Wodehouse comic character, and was given to just six boys. Last year it was 233.
With girls it is a similar story. Susan had already been falling out of favour in 1996, when there were 82. By last year that number had plummeted to 10, a rise from the mere six in 2018.
Susan had already been falling out of favour in 1996, when there were 82. By last year that number had plummeted to 10, a rise from the mere six in 2018. Elizabeth is also falling out of favour, while Lily and Ivy enjoy a resurgence
Bertie and Jaxon are seeing a surge in poularity among boys, while Craig, Gary and Simon steeply decline
Venerable Iris meanwhile, was given to just eight girls in 1996 – and an astonishing 741 last year.
And Ivy is proving as unstoppable as its plant namesake: just 15 girls were given the name in 1996, dipping to just seven two years later.
Yet last year it was the sixth most popular girls’ name, given to 1,997, actually a decline of a couple of hundred from the year before.
Lily similarly is up from 651 in 1996 to 2,290 last year, making it the fourth most common girls’ name. Second most common Amelia, 2,663, was given to only 929 in 1996
Similarly solid traditional boys names are near the top of the boys’ table – with second place taken by the 4,382 Noahs. There were only 96 of them christened in 1996.
In third place last year was Oliver, 3,536, compared to just 307 in 1996. Leo, at fifth, was at 3,416 compared to 149 in 1996.
And Arthur was sixth with 3,387, compared to only 129.
And Oscar has been on a rollercoaster ride – 307 in 1996, hitting a high of 4,511 in 2013, and last year still at 2,632, ninth most popular.
Alfie has risen over the period from 372 to 2,111, although that is down from a 5,566 peak in 2008.
Other surprisingly big falls for those still used to their class registers of decades ago include Matthew, down from 7,426 in 1996 to 394 last year, Simons from 656 to 93, and Christophers from 3,483 to 269.
Richards fell from 1,089 to 96, Johns from 1,649 to 334, and Roberts from 2,644 to 359.
Susan was already going out of fashion in 1996 with just 82.
By last year it was 10, actually an increase on the lonely 6 in 2018.
All names new and old are however in the shade of Muhammad – with that single spelling of the Islamic classic given to 4,661 boys last year, making it the most popular name, with a rise of almost 500 on the previous year.
In 1996 there had been only 441 Muhammads.
It is the first time a single spelling of the name has topped the charts – although when different spellings are taken into account, it has been the favourite for more than a decade.
Last year an additional 3,069 boys were called Mohammed, Mohammad, Muhammed or Mohamed.
That means one in every 40 boys, a total of 7,730, was given the name Muhammad or one of its synonyms, with its popularity of course explained by it being that of the faith’s foundational prophet.
There is no similarly straightforward obvious choice for Islamic girls names.
And remaining at the top of the female charts last year was Olivia, with 2,906, only around 500 more than way back in 1996.
