Horrified Gen X are realising they’re middle-aged after hearing what popular names have gone extinct

There's yet another update in the whole generation gap saga.

Now, Generation X - or Gen X for short - commonly refers to those born between 1965 and 1980.

Known as the predecessors of Millennials (born between 1981 to 1996) and possibly the grandparents of Gen Z (born between 1997 to 2012), Gen X are now mostly in their 40s and 50s in 2024.

And it seems they've been made all too aware of their middle-age after hearing what popular names have now gone extinct.

(Lucy Lambriex / Getty Images)

One social media page, who goes by the handle @nostalgia_nut online, took to TikTok to share a list of 17 names which they claim are 'so unpopular they're nearly obsolete'.

Now, before we get into it, you may want to take the list with a pinch of salt, considering the TikTok user failed to cite their sources and didn't explain what country the data came from.

So, we cross-checked each of the names with the Dark Greener's online database based on Office for National Statistics data to see how popular they ranked in England and Wales in 2022.

(Jamie Grill/Getty Images)

And they names in question? Brace yourself...

• Donna (3 babies in 2022.)
• Kerry (0 babies in 2022.)
• Nigel (0 babies in 2022.)
• Tracey (0 babies in 2022.)
• Lindsey (3 babies in 2022.)
• Gary (11 babies in 2022.)
• Cheryl (3 babies in 2022.)
• Clare (7 babies in 2022.)
• Tanya (9 babies in 2022.)
• Lorraine (4 babies in 2022.)
• Wayne (9 babies in 2022.)
• Beverly (5 babies in 2022.)
• Dawn (5 babies in 2022.)
• Stuart (8 babies in 2022.)
• Denise (7 babies in 2022.)
• Keith (7 babies in 2022.)
• Barry (4 babies in 2022.)

One TikTok user declared: "It's because we all know people with these names we'd never name our kids after."

"I'm ok with my name being on this list," admitted a second while a third joked: "Karen here! I am saddened by what has happened to my name. Is there a Manager I can speak to? Pronto."

A fourth chimed in: "What’s about the infamous 'Jennifer, Michelle & Heather?'"

"It almost feels like they’re not real names," added a fifth while another chirped: "Who looks at a baby and says, he looks like a Keith?"

And a final TikTok user theorised: "Wait until Gen Z starts naming their kids after their grandparents. We’ll start to see Karen and Gary again."

Well, I guess time will only tell.

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