Endangered Baby Names

Kaye and its more popular sister Kay, once common short forms of the perennially popular Katherine, are now on the endangered list, given to fewer than 50 baby girls each year. But maybe that makes them prime for a comeback? Rarer than Kate, in any case.

Popular in the 60s, 70s and 80s, Tracey (and its spelling variation Tracy) have since fallen out of style. As a masculine name, it has been in use since at least the 19th century and was spotlighted in 1837 when Charles Dickens used it for a character in his novel The Pickwick Papers. Derived from a Roman family name, it refers to an ancient settlement known as Thracia, although it has been considered a variant of Theresa too.

Rather than simplifying matters, this spelling only complicates them.