A UK study has found names such as Alexa, Stan and Ollie are falling out of style because they have been recontextualised by the modern world.
Alexa has fallen in popularity because millennial parents associate it with the popular Amazon gadget. Turns out most parents would rather not have adaughter with the same name as their digital assistant (especially after their digital assistant started laughing at them).
Ollie used to be a popular name but is now associated with the American brand of dog food of the same name. Now, three in every five parents say they won't name their son Ollie for that reason.
Felicia is also fallen in popularity, largely due to the popular internet meme "Bye Felicia". A total of 55 per cent of parents surveyed said they would not choose that name for that reason.
Other names on the "least popular" list include Harvey (thanks to Harvey Weinstein), Scarlett, Christian, Ryan (who'd want their child associated with a low-cost airline?), Katie and Cait, and Lauren.
UK parenting site ChannelMum.com conducted the study and found that parents most commonly shun a name because it reminds them of someone they don't like.
A total of 83 per cent of parents chose that as the reason to avoid a particular name. Eighty-one per cent of parents also said they rule out names that don't fit with their surname.
Worries about going viral and being linked to a meme are a sign of the times and are now playing on the minds of parents, with 55 per cent of them saying that is a worry when choosing a name.
- Alexa (because of Amazon Alexa) - Felicia (because of the "Bye Felicia" meme) - Katie/Cait (because of celebrities like Katie Hopkins and Caitlyn Jenner) - Scarlett (replaced by the trendier Violet) - Lauren (because of too many reality TV stars with the same name) - Stan (because of the hashtag #Stan which means "stalker fan") - Ollie (because of the American pet food brand) - Christian (both because of Fifty Shades of Grey but also because it's seen as "too religious") - Harvey (because of Weinstein) - Ryan (because of Ryanair)
