Naming a baby is one of the most monumental decisions you’ll have to make in life. As long as you avoid Australia’s list of banned baby names, the options are endless. Parents these days are naming their kids after everything from celebrities and cities to flowers, family members and even food (looking at you, little Kale). While the top baby names in Australia vary slightly each year, some once-popular classics have taken a serious nosedive – and are at risk of vanishing from the next generation.
McCrindle’s latest ranking of the most popular baby names in Australia was extra special as it marked the final chapter of Generation Alpha (born 2010-2024). To close the chapter, the research firm has dug into the longer-term data to reveal which names have seen the biggest decrease in popularity over the past 15 years.
Chances are, you’ve met a Jake or Jessica at some point – but those two names have seen the largest drop in popularity from 2010 to 2025, slipping 276 and 270 places respectively. Other boys’ names that have also seen a big decline in rank include Tyler, Matthew, Hayden, Mitchell, Blake, Dylan, Connor, Nicholas and Luke. Meanwhile, that list also includes Chelsea, Alyssa, Tahlia, Sarah, Holly, Madison, Maddison, Hayley, Lilly and Lara for girls.
Baby names tend to follow generational cycles, and many of the names at risk of disappearing were hugely popular in the 1990s and early 2000s – which explains why your school roll had at least three Matthews and a couple of Sarahs. But today’s parents are ditching these overly familiar, traditional Anglo names in favour of something more unique – think globally inspired, gender-neutral and suited to a more digital age. Just please tell us you don’t actually know a baby called Siri?!
However, history has proven that once-favourite names can make a nostalgic comeback – so we may not have seen the last of these at-risk names just yet!
The top 10 boys’ names on the decline in Australia right now
- Jake
- Tyler
- Matthew
- Hayden
- Mitchell
- Blake
- Dylan
- Connor
- Nicholas
- Luke
The top 10 girls’ names on the decline in Australia right now
- Jessica
- Chelsea
- Alyssa
- Tahlia
- Sarah
- Holly
- Madison
- Maddison
- Hayley
- Lilly