7 Dutch (almost) extinct girls' names
Three- or four-letter names have become very trendy in the past year. Mila, Saar, Tess, Liv, or Mia were widely used as girls' names. But did you know that there are girls' names that are threatened with extinction? You rarely see these girls' names on birth announcements:
Completely extinct
For twenty years, from 1970 to 1990, Wendy one of the most well-known girls' names in the Netherlands was. The girls' name Wendy peaked in 1974, with 1,094 Wendys born that year. For example, the stars Wendy van Dijk (1971) and Wendy van Hout (1976) were also born around this peak. Believe it or not, but in 2024, not a single Wendy was born in the Netherlands. What makes this name simply not ‘it’ anymore? The name Wendy is apparently compared to older generations. If you think of a Truus – I'm just saying – you really don't picture a 3-year-old girl, do you?
No baby has this girls' name
Aaaah sorry Daan, but there are zero babies with the name Danielle born in the past year. In total, there are 19,423 girls with the French girls' name in the Netherlands, and the highest peak of born Daniëlles was in 1972, when 884 girls received the name. Girls' names that resemble Danielle, which are still given to girls, include: Dana, Delia, Deborah, and Dalia. Oh, as a second name, Daniëlle is still occasionally used.
From Chante to Chantal
A name that you also don't see anymore is Chantal (A name inspired by the French word ‘chante‘). Just like Daniëlle and Wendy, no children were born last year named Chantal. The girls' name Chantal peaked in 1974, but despite the success and popularity of Wendy van Dijk and Chantal Janzen, these names are not experiencing a rebirth.
Old K3 star as a girls' name
Margot is another example of a name that was once ‘in demand’ – in 1969, 1,259 Karins were born, and, and this is the strange part, when K3 was at its peak, the number of Karens and Karins decreased significantly. So there isn't really a connection between the popularity of people and how often their name is given to babies. I don't think this name will make a comeback either; Gen Z associates this name with the one and only ’Karen’, the archetypical complainer.
Boys' name as a girls' name
Then we have Jolanda, this is a girls' name that peaked earlier, namely around 1960. After 1970, the number of girls named Ingrid declined, and now, you guessed it, no Ingrids are being born anymore. When I think of the name Ingrid, I quickly think of my retired elementary school teacher, so I wouldn't quickly give that name to my children. Inge, on the other hand, you still hear a bit more often, both for boys and girls. In general, more boyish names are given to girls – think of Dirkje, Guusje, Bartje, or Gijsje – but sometimes with a diminutive or a different twist. Just look at my name.
Really a Dutch name
Mien. Sorry, but how cute is this name? This name wasn't that popular and has actually always been a bit extinct. In total, only 31 people in the Netherlands are named Mien. Shall we please make this name a bit more famous? I think Mien is so cute. In 1928 – a long time ago – 5 people named Mien were born. Fien, Mimi, and Katrien are used a lot and have a bit of the same vibe.
Hip and shorter: makes the girls' name increasingly fun
Last, a name that is also going extinct: in the ’70s you heard it everywhere, but nowadays it seems like no one uses this girls‘ name anymore: Annelies. Last year, the name was given to a girl less than 10 times. Nowadays, people often choose a hipper and shorter form of the girls' name, such as Anne (given 69 times last year) and Lisa (given 105 times last year). For another twist on the name, Anouk or Aylin could be a nice alternative.
