Names That Are Dying Out: 50 Names Fading Fastest

A name fades when parents stop choosing it. Each name here was common for decades, but so few babies get it now that, by our estimate, the number of living people with it will fall by at least 77% over the next 30 years.

None of them will vanish. Names come back (see our vintage list), and there will be people with every one of these names for decades. But if you know someone with one of them, they're probably older than you.

Names That Are Dying Out: 50 Names Fading Fastest
#	Name	Fewer by 2056	Peak year	Alive	Average age
1	Phyllis	90%	1947	134K	74
2	Patsy	90%	1941	58.4K	75
3	Carole	89%	1942	60.5K	75
4	Betty	88%	1930	311K	76
5	Shirley	87%	1935	295K	75
6	Gail	86%	1951	143K	71
7	Delores	86%	1932	51.1K	74
8	Carol	86%	1946	511K	72
9	Judy	86%	1947	259K	72
10	Peggy	86%	1958	167K	71
11	Jo	86%	1954	112K	71
12	Sue	86%	1947	84K	71
13	Doris	86%	1928	120K	75
14	Linda	85%	1947	1.06M	70
15	Lois	85%	1927	97K	75
16	Barbara	85%	1947	798K	72
17	Dianne	83%	1947	68.7K	69
18	Judith	83%	1943	284K	72
19	Janice	83%	1951	267K	70
20	Joyce	83%	1942	271K	72
21	Bill	83%	1947	65.3K	68
22	Kay	82%	1942	60K	71
23	Dolores	82%	1930	64.8K	74
24	Wanda	82%	1957	155K	69
25	Joan	81%	1932	220K	73

Names That Are Dying Out: 50 Names Fading Fastest, continued
#	Name	Fewer by 2056	Peak year	Alive	Average age
26	Geraldine	81%	1930	74K	72
27	Diane	81%	1955	387K	68
28	Glenda	81%	1950	74.9K	69
29	Mildred	81%	1920	59.6K	74
30	Beverly	81%	1953	215K	70
31	Debra	80%	1955	455K	66
32	Jim	80%	1959	73.6K	66
33	Vicki	80%	1954	122K	67
34	Vickie	80%	1956	88.9K	66
35	Patricia	79%	1951	1.01M	68
36	Donna	79%	1959	583K	68
37	Janet	79%	1954	356K	68
38	Marcia	79%	1951	88.4K	68
39	Lynda	78%	1947	57.1K	68
40	Roberta	78%	1953	90.2K	69
41	Tom	78%	1959	64.5K	66
42	Jeanne	78%	1947	84.8K	68
43	Sharon	78%	1947	535K	68
44	Deborah	78%	1954	602K	66
45	Marsha	78%	1952	79K	67
46	Nancy	78%	1947	628K	68
47	Cathy	78%	1958	139K	65
48	Fred	77%	1924	93.5K	67
49	Connie	77%	1955	195K	67
50	Larry	77%	1947	486K	65

How this list works

Names with 50,000+ estimated alive, ranked by how much the living count shrinks by 2056 if births continue at the last three years' pace. Ages are estimates for people alive in 2026, from Social Security baby-name records and SSA life tables. How we calculate this

How this list works

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