25 Names That Are Going Extinct

Delores is a variation on the Spanish name Dolores, which means aches or sorrows. It’s short for La Virgen María de los Dolores, Virgin Mary of Sorrows. American actress Delores Taylor co-wrote and starred in the hit “Billy Jack” movies from the 1970s.

Bob is shorthand for Robert, and it may be surprising that this name appears on the list of names going extinct. There are no shortage of famous Bobs in our culture: singer Bob Dylan, comedian Bob Hope, and baseball pitcher Bob Gibson, to name a few.

Bert is a short form of various names such as Albert and Herbert. Fans of the children’s show “Sesame Street” will remember the Muppets Bert and Ernie, and though they may be saddened by the name’s demise, at least Ernie did not make the list of 25 names going extinct. Another spelling of the name is Burt, and the famous people with that name include actors Burt Reynolds and Burt Lancaster and songwriter Burt Bacharach.

Gail, also spelled Gayle, is a short form of the name Abigail, the name of first lady Abigail Adams, the wife of the nation’s second president, and the mother of the sixth. Gail’s heyday was during the 1950s, and it has since been surpassed by variations of the name including Abigail and Abby.

Maude has German origins and it means “battle-mighty.” That aptly described the title character of the sit-com “Maude,” whose feisty female lead was played by Bea Arthur.

Patsy is sometimes used as a truncated version of the names Patricia and Patrick, and it remains popular in Ireland. One of the most famous Americans with the name was country singer Patsy Cline, who died in a plane crash in 1963. Patsy is also a derogatory name for someone who is easily fooled.

Traci is one of several variations on the name Tracey or Tracy, which is a surname as well as a unisex first name. Both versions of the name peaked in popularity in 1970. It is the first name of the spoiled heiress played by Katharine Hepburn in “The Philadelphia Story.”

Margie is often used as a short form of the names Margaret and Marjorie. An even shorter form is Marge, the name of the wife of cartoon character Homer Simpson. The name reached its peak in the early 1930s. “My Little Margie” was a sit-com that ran for four seasons in the 1950s.

Sue is a short form of a number of names, including Susan and Suzanne. The name is the Anglicized form of the French name Susanne. It is less common as a given name. One prominent Sue was Sue Grafton, the best-selling author of detective novels.

Beulah is an ancient Hebrew name meaning “married.” The name began to be used in England during the Reformation and was later used by the Puritans. In popular culture, “The Beulah Show” was a radio program in the 1940s and a TV sit-com noteworthy for the fact that it was the first to feature an African-American as the title character.

Vicki, Vickie, and Vicky are often used as short forms of the name Victoria. Vicki peaked in popularity in 1954. Famous Vicki’s in pop culture include comedian/singer Vicki Lawrence and pop singer Vicki Sue Robinson

Perhaps the most famous male Kim of all was the character created by Rudyard Kipling and later made into a movie starring Errol Flynn. The most infamous Kim was the British spy Harold “Kim” Philby, who defected to the Soviet Union in 1963.

The Four Seasons had a No. 1 hit with “Sherry” in 1962, and the peak year for the number of babies born with that name (though the spelling is different) was the next year. With apologies to the singing group, it is unlikely girls with that name will be coming out tonight or at any time soon.

Nettie, English in origin, is one of the names whose peak years were in the 19th century. The name is related to the names Annette and Henrietta. The 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel” included a character called Nettie Fowler.

Garfield is of English origin meaning “triangular field.” It peaked in popularity in 1881, the same year President James A. Garfield was assassinated. Garfield is also the name of the cynical cartoon cat created by Jim Davis.

Bessie, Hebrew for “pledged to God,” peaked in popularity in the 19th century. It is short for Elizabeth or Beatrice. The name can be found in characters in the books “Jane Eyre” and “The Plough and the Stars.” More recently, it was the name of notable African-American women Bessie Coleman, an aviator and the first civilian licensed African-American pilot, and blues singer Bessie Smith. The name reached its peak in the 1880s, climbing to No. 13 in popularity.

Terry, also spelled Terri or Teri, is both a male and female name. Most of the famous Terrys are male, but some of the notable female Terrys include Terri Nunn, vocalist for the 1980s synth-pop group Berlin, and Terry Moore, an Oscar-nominated actress who appeared in movies during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The name Ed, short for Edward, hit its peak year in 1885, but there have been many famous Eds since then, among them actors Ed Asner and Ed Harris. Another Ed of note is British singer Ed Sheeran, who appears as himself in the movie “Yesterday.”

Vickie, along with Vicki, is a short form of the name Victoria, which peaked in popularity in 1954. Vickie had more staying power, topping out in 1956.

The name Carole peaked in popularity in 1942, the acclaimed actress Carole Lombard died in a plane crash on a tour to raise war bonds. Also that same year, Carole King was born. King is one of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time and inspired the Broadway hit, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”

Velma is a variation on Wilma or Wilhelmina, though its origin is in dispute. The most famous Velmas are fictional — the brainy Velma Dinkley in the animated television series “Scooby-Doo,” the deadly Velma Kelly in the musical “Chicago,” and the meddling stage mom Velma Von Tussle in the movie “Hairspray.”

Blanche, from the French word for white, originally referred to a pale blonde and became connected with the ideal of purity. Another name associated with famous fictional characters is Blanche. Among the best known of these is Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who appears in the Tennessee Williams’ play “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Another famous fictional Blanche is Blanche Ingram, a character in the novel “Jane Eyre.” There is also a character named Blanche Devereaux in the long-running TV series “The Golden Girls.”

The name Myrtle is of Greek origin and the plant of the same name is associated with peace and fertility. The name peaked in popularity in 1895. Literary characters named Myrtle appear in “The Hand of Ethelberta” by Thomas Hardy, Theodore Dreiser’s “The Genius,” and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”

Maud, which peaked as a name in 1882, isn’t a very common name so it is not surprising to see it near the top of our list. There have been some famous Mauds, however. Maud was the youngest daughter of King Edward VII and the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and she eventually became Queen of Norway. Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne inspired poet William Butler Yeats, while Swedish actress Maud Adams appeared in three James Bond movies.

The name most likely headed for extinction is the female version of Willie. The female version of the name is derived from German meaning “determined protector” and is a variation on the German name Wilhelmina. The average number of female babies with the name Willie averaged just 5 names between 2012 and 2018.