The UK baby names at risk of extinction in 2022…

The UK baby names at risk of extinction in 2022 including Karen and Donald

The baby names at risk of becoming 'extinct' in the UK have been revealed.

BabyCentre has unveiled the names that were almost entirely unregistered by parents at all in 2022 – a sure sign that they’re critically endangered, including Karen and Donald.

The once popular names are at the opposite end to 2022 girls’ and boys’ chart toppers Sophia, Lily and Olivia and Muhammad, Noah and Theo.

Sarah Redshaw, Managing Editor for BabyCentre UK, said: “After becoming the name of a million memes it looks like Karen is only just hanging on. We could very well see it drop off completely next year. And it’s no surprise that Donald is meeting the same kind of fate after the last US president’s controversial time in office.”

For names that have already hit zero registrations, girls’ names with a 70s and 80s American vibe dominated the list. There were no baby girls named Farrah, Stacey, Kelly, Barbie or Britney this year. Equally, names like Sheila, Deirdre and Shirley also fell from grace.

In a similar picture for boys, Cliff, Nigel and Harold weren’t registered at all alongside Rhett, Brent, Quinton and Giles.

Sarah said: “These names might have fallen out of fashion, but they could make a great choice for your newborn. They’re familiar but it’s unlikely there will be another boy or girl with the same name in your child’s class. Parents looking for cool and unique choices might want to put Farrah and Rhett on their shortlists.”

Dwayne was one name that enjoyed an upsurge on its nil count in 2021 with four registrations this year. And one parent registered Maude, an alternative spelling of Maud, this year, possibly marking the vintage name’s revival after zero registrations last year.

The full list of endangered baby names can be seen below: