11 Baby Names No One Will Use In 2025

One of the many thrilling and stressful tasks for parents-to-be is picking the perfect name for their baby. There are so many factors to consider in the selection process. Some people may value a name's meaning or history, while others care more about the originality or the sound of the syllables. There are also plenty of trendy names inspired by musicians or artists that may draw parents in when choosing a meaningful moniker. Between all the baby name books, websites, and opinions, it's easy to get overwhelmed with choices. 

With so many factors to consider, you might think that what names parents select is entirely individual, but statistics show that names tend to follow cyclical trends. A name that is widely used one decade may practically disappear in the next. By looking at current name trends and studying some of the influences on baby names, you can start to get an idea of what names are going to be popular as well as what names nobody will be using in the coming year. We've looked at some of the names currently falling out of fashion to find the ones you won't be seeing in 2025.

Justin was a popular name throughout the '80s and '90s. According to BabyCenter, the name's prevalence peaked in 1988 as the seventh most common name for boys born that year. Since then, the name has been on a slow and steady decline, and it's likely to become even less popular in 2025. 

Justin Timberlake may be the reason the name is falling farther out of grace. Sharing a name with the former NSYNC member used to be a perk of the name Justin. But, Timberlake has had a series of controversial moments, making him less of a favorite with the public. Notably, Timberlake had a run-in with the law in June 2024 when he was pulled over for driving under the influence and arrested when he refused to take a breathalyzer test. According to Page Six, the Grammy winner said, "This is going to ruin the tour" during his arrest. His mugshot and the infamous phrase quickly went viral and became a meme that tarnished Timberlake's reputation as well as his name.

Often, names associated with a prominent celebrity become more popular, but if that celebrity becomes known for the wrong reasons, the name's notoriety can have the opposite effect. That's exactly what happened to the name Justin. BabyCenter reported that after Timberlake's summer arrest, the name, which was already declining in popularity, dropped a notable 59 spots in popularity.

In 2024, the Stanley cup was everywhere. In this case, the Stanley cup doesn't refer to the hockey trophy but to the oversized reusable water bottle with a handle and straw that took the internet by storm. The brand first gained popularity in late 2023 and continued into 2024, with people showing off their Stanley collections on TikTok and waiting in long lines to purchase exclusive colors of the tumblers. It's great to see a trend that promotes reusable cups and staying hydrated, but the Stanley cup craze got a little out of hand. Most TikTok trends don't last long, and the Stanley cup was no exception.

In 2025, the Stanley cup trend is going out, and so is the baby name. Stanley hasn't been popular for many years, but now that the name is so closely associated with a large, colorful water bottle, even fewer parents are interested in choosing it for their son. According to BabyCenter, the name Stanley rapidly declined in 2024. It dropped 400 spots, landing at No. 1,385 on their baby name list. It seems safe to say that you'll be seeing fewer babies named Stanley than you will the once-viral Stanley cups in 2025.

Names can go in and out of style just like anything else, and many names that were once quite popular are becoming obsolete today. BabyCenter released a list of names that were at risk of going extinct in 2024. These names had dropped quickly in popularity to the point hardly any parents were picking them. While some of these names, like Brooke and Reid have gained popularity since the list was released, others have continued to decrease. Brady is one name that has had a continual drop since the late 2000s and will likely be even less popular in 2025, according to a graph published by BabyCenter.

Brady had a steep climb in popularity from the late '90s to 2008 when it peaked at No. 65. The name's popularity could have been partially pushed by the beloved NFL quarterback Tom Brady, but it has since fallen out of style and continues to drop quickly. It's popularity dropped 57 places from 2022 to 2023 and another 58 places in 2024. We'll likely continue to see the same trajectory in the coming year. While the name is becoming more popular for baby girls, however, it's still primarily used for boys and even with the growing number of girls using it, you'll still hardly ever come across this name.

McKenzie is another name at risk of extinction. The baby girl's name was never as widely used as some of the most popular baby appellatives, but it was fairly common for those born between the late '90s and the 2010s. Around this time, baby names that converted surnames into first names were having a big moment. This was the same period you might have seen children named Preston, Raegan, or Baylor. However, many of these first names that sound like last names are now out of vogue. 

Another reason millennial parents may not be drawn to McKenzie is that it has a lot of consonant sounds. Name experts have pointed out that parents are opting for more vowel-heavy names today. "There has been a big swing towards the more flowing sounds of vowels," Clare Green, editor at Nameberry, told the Independent.

With these trends working against McKenzie, it's no wonder the name has fallen out of style. It was down 164 spots in 2023 and continued the downward trajectory, dropping 93 more spots to No. 514 in 2024, according to BabyCenter. While McKenzie and similar names may come back in style eventually, it will likely continue to drop in 2025 as parents opt for more on-trend, soft-sounding names. 

There are many factors that can impact the popularity, or lack thereof, of a name. Helene is predicted to take a nosedive in naming trends after the hurricane with the same name devastated U.S. coastal towns in 2024. The Category 4 hurricane was catastrophic for Florida residents, destroying property and lives; it was the deadliest hurricane in the United States since Hurricane Katrina. 

Many parents select baby names due to their meaning and the associations they have with the names. Once a designation is tied to a natural disaster and the devastation it caused, it's difficult to look past that and see it as just a name. Because of this, BabyCenter predicts that Helene will have a drastic drop in name rankings. It's already a very uncommon name, landing at No. 15,733 in the U.S. It's been falling in popularity for years and will likely fall even further in 2025 as parents don't want their baby to be associated with a recent tragedy. Similar names like Helen or Helena might be a good choice for anyone who liked Helene but doesn't want their baby to share their name with a hurricane.

Just like Helene, BabyCenter predicted Milton would take a hit in popularity for the same reason. Hurricane Milton, a Category 3, came less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, worsening the devastation. It likely comes as no shock that parents will steer clear of these names — now heavily associated with natural disasters — when selecting baby names in 2025. Milton had a slight rise in popularity in 2024, moving up 168 spots in rankings to No. 4,150 on BabyCenter's list. However, the moniker has been on quite a low trajectory in the last few decades, and any spike in popularity will most likely be lost as the hurricane tanked the name's reputation. Understandably, few parents-to-be want to think of a tragic storm when holding their new bundle of joy.

Names losing popularity following a natural disaster is a trend that has been tracked for years. Following Hurricane Katrina, the once semi-popular name faded into obscurity and is still rarely seen today. "Once a tragedy like that happens, at least for adults, the name is a reminder of the amount of devastation," Katrina Cochran, a trauma recovery and crisis intervention psychologist, told NBC News. The same phenomenon will likely expel Milton from possible baby name lists for years to come, as parents tie the name to the harm caused by the 2024 storm. 

The trend of turning last names into first names has fallen out of favor with many young parents. Raegan (also spelled Reagan) is another surname-turned-first-name that was once on the rise but is now quickly falling out of style. According to BabyCenter, Raegan is one of the baby girl names dropping in popularity. Raegan was mostly used for baby girls and peaked in popularity in 2019, with some parents even using it as a unique gender-neutral name. However, since then, Raegan has had a rapid decline, falling 152 spots in BabyCenter's 2024 rankings.

Parents are likely moving away from the name Raegan as it has harsh consonant sounds that don't follow current baby naming trends. The decline of the name could also have been influenced by President Ronald Reagan's receding status in today's politics. The 1980s president has been a revered figure for American Republicans for many years, but as NPR pointed out, his legacy and influence seem to be shrinking within the party. This may have also contributed to the name's continued decline. 

For the most part, the name Donald has been dropping in popularity for decades. There were a few years when it briefly rose in popularity, all of which were likely tied to moments in Donald Trump's career. Although it never came close to how popular the name was in the 1930s, Donald briefly went back up when Trump became president in 2017 and again in 2021 after he lost his second election to Joe Biden. However, since then, the name has continued to drop in the rankings. In 2024, Donald fell 127 places to No. 1026 on BabyCenter's rankings.

Although Trump is still a very prominent figure in pop culture and politics, Jennifer Moss, founder and chief executive officer of BabyNames.com, said that doesn't mean it will once again gain popularity. In fact, Moss told Business Insider that it's much more likely parents will be avoiding baby names heavily associated with American politics in the future. "I would venture to guess that there would be a decline in political baby names," the expert said. "Because it's so volatile here in the U.S., I think that parents would stay away from that no matter who they support." Looking at how the name is trending toward the end of 2024, it seems unlikely that new parents of any political party will be naming their newborn Donald in 2025.

Often, names that are popular for a long period fall out of style eventually. As people who grew up hearing a name everywhere begin to have their own children, they opt for monikers that sound more original to them. This is why name trends tend to follow the "100-year rule," meaning it takes about a century for a once popular name to feel new again and come back in style. Pamela Redmond, creator of Nameberry, explained this cycle to The Guardian, saying, "Nobody wants to give their kids their parents' names — you know, like Linda or Pam." But once those names have been out of fashion long enough, young parents who haven't heard them may bring them back into use.

One name that hasn't come back into style is Bill which was at its most popular during the 1930s and had another smaller peak in popularity during the late '50s and early '60s. Today, you hardly ever hear the name of anyone younger than 60 years old. While Bill may make a glorious comeback eventually, that doesn't seem to be coming soon. It dropped 1007 places in BabyCenter's 2024 ranking and is making no sign of regaining ground in 2025. It will likely take several more years before this name can feel fresh again.

The name Kevin has developed a poor reputation in European countries like Germany and France. In general, it's considered a "lower class," uncouth name to the point that Germans coined the word "Kevinismus" to describe the negative perception of Kevins in their culture (via Discover Magazine). To explain this widespread perception, Jennifer Moss, founder and CEO of BabyNames.com, told HuffPost that people interpret baby names based on personal and public perception. "Personal perception is like people you have personally met in your past," she said. "The school bully, a teacher, a friend. Your perception of the name is based on people you've known in the past." However, the name Kevin has become so widely disliked in Germany and France that the negative associations with the name are a more widespread public perception, as opposed to stemming from individual experiences. 

This hatred toward the name is unfounded, and there are plenty of intelligent and impressive Kevins. However, as long as the perception persists, parents will continue to avoid the name. Although Kevinismus is specifically a German term, the dislike of the name seems to be spreading. Kevin has been dropping in popularity in the U.S. for decades. According to BabyCenter, it fell 47 places in 2024, and based on its trajectory, it will continue to fall in 2025. 

For millennials who grew up during the '90s and early '00s, Ashley was a common and popular name. Contemporary celebrities like Ashley Tisdale and Ashley Olsen made the name feel especially modern and hip. But decades later, the tides have changed. While millennials grew up thinking of names like Linda and Pamela as old names, their children think of names like Ashley as outdated. 

One TikTok user posted a video after her Gen Alpha daughter told her some names she considered "old people" names. Amber Cimiotti was shocked to hear names like Ashley, Samantha, and Amber included on the list. "I never thought of it from that point of view because I will always think of those names as my friends I met in fifth grade," Cimiotti told Business Insider. "But now that I drop her off at school, there are no Ashleys, there are no Amandas. It's Harpers and Madisons and Londons and Scarletts. So she's right." 

Ashley has decreased in popularity since the late '80s, according to BabyCenter, and will likely take several decades to come back in style as the upcoming generation views it as a dated name. So, it's unlikely we'll meet any 2025 babies named Ashley.