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YOU'RE passé, baby

I’m a baby name expert – the once-popular monikers going extinct, so is yours on the list?

A HANDFUL of once-popular baby names were given to zero newborns last year.

While thousands of new parents welcomed little ones named Olivia, Emma, Liam, or Noah, monikers that were once all the rage popped up on few if any new birth certificates in the US in 2021.

A handful of once-popular baby names were given to zero newborns last year
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A handful of once-popular baby names were given to zero newborns last yearCredit: Getty

Pamela Redmond, the creator of , is an expert on how naming trends have changed over the years.

And speaking to the US Sun, she noted that some .

"These names were used for hundreds and in some cases thousands of babies in decades past, but were given to zero (or almost no) babies in the US last year," she said.

Among the previously-popular baby girl names that you no longer see today are Beryl (which means "sea-green jewel"), Hester, Hortense, and Melba.

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Dorinda was once trendy – see The Real Housewives of New York City star Dorinda Medley – but has since fallen out of favor, with no children being named that last year.

Also once common but now a rare choice for new mothers and fathers are Ernestine, Gay, Gilda, Lashonda, Latonya, and Myrtle.

That isn't to say it's impossible to think of someone with those names, but it's very unlikely they were born in 2021.

While there were zero Gildas or Helgas born last year, there were just five Caroles and eight Rhondas.

Some female names have lost favor due to world events or pop culture associations, including Ghislaine for girls.

There are also several old-fashioned names for boys that were once popular but are now no longer likely to be found in the nursery.

Among them are Alva, Buford, Carey, and Dudley – though Harry Potter's bullying cousin likely did no favors for the latter.

Also missing from 2021 birth certificates for baby boys were the names Ezzard and Glynn.

Several names for boys and girls have fallen out of favor and were given to no new babies last year
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Several names for boys and girls have fallen out of favor and were given to no new babies last yearCredit: Getty

Extinct baby girl names

Beryl
Carole
Dorinda
Ernestine
Gay
Gilda
Helga
Hester
Hortense
Kerry
Lashonda
Latonya
Melba
Myrtle
Rhonda

Only five baby boys in the US were named Elbert in 2021.

Quite a few male names have also lost favor due to either real or fictional associations, including Adolph and Adolf, Alf, Barney, Bart, Kermit, and Moe.

Nameberry creator Redmond notes that there are also quite a few names that were once popular for boys but are now widely considered to be girls' names.

For instance, while 61 baby boys were name Beverly in 1950, zero boys got the name in 2021.

There were 129 baby boys named Carol and 82 named Shirley in 1950, but zero in 2021.

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Extinct baby boy names

Alva
Buford
Carey
Dudley
Elbert
Ezzard
Glynn

The year 1950 also saw 554 male Carrolls (to 2021's 11), 120 male Lavernes (to 2021's six), and 189 male Sandys (to 2021's seven).

Meanwhile, both boys and girls were named Gail, Gale, and Leigh in 1950, but babies of neither sex were given those names in 2021.

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