Where are all the babies named Denise, Rhonda, Murray or Neville these days?
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The short answer is these names, and many more, have fallen out of favour since their popularity peaked in the 1960s and they've been replaced by names such as Isla, Charlotte, Oliver and Henry.
Names go in and out of fashion as celebrities rise to fame, TV characters capture the nation's attention and royal births are celebrated, a 2024 survey by data analysts McCrindle found.
Penelope, Theo and Eloise have risen through the ranks of most-popular baby names since the period romance Bridgerton hit our screens in 2020.
And Margot, thought to be connected to Aussie actress Margot Robbie, Billie, for singer Billie Eilish, and Ariana, for singer Ariana Grande, have exploded in popularity with parents of Generation Alpha.
![A tiny baby hand grasps its parent's finger. Picture Canva A tiny baby hand grasps its parent's finger. Picture Canva](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/f01b0177-b544-4b81-9ce0-b420084bbd44.png/r0_0_1600_900_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A look back at the top Australian names over the past seven decades offers a glimpse into the most popular trends and influential figures of pop culture history.
1950s
In the decade that birthed many of the Baby Boomers, girls names such as Maxine, Joy, Jill, Sue, Lynne, Kaye, Rosalie, Dorothy and Marlene were Australia's favourites.
Marilyn, for actress Marilyn Monroe, was also among the top girls names for the decade.
![Actress Marilyn Monroe in the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl. Picture WBEI Actress Marilyn Monroe in the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl. Picture WBEI](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/e6f5acfb-de69-4810-9142-6c0087b60317.jpg/r0_0_2817_1584_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The top boys names in this era were Frederick, Larry, Denis, Victor, Grahame, Allen, Jeffery, Norman and Warwick.
1960s
Generation X emerged in the mid-1960s and with it came a fresh wave of trendy baby names partly inspired by the young stars of the era.
Girls names ending in a 'y', 'ie' or 'ee', such as Trudy, Lesley, Rosemary, Leonie and Maree, surged in popularity as did the names Lynette, Sharyn, Rhonda, Roslyn, Ruth, Diane, Denise, Jillian, Michele, Judith and Janine.
![The Seekers lead singer Judith Durham watching old footage of the band at the launch of 'Sights and Sounds of a Nation'. File picture The Seekers lead singer Judith Durham watching old footage of the band at the launch of 'Sights and Sounds of a Nation'. File picture](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/4719d41e-c57d-4695-89a4-02b05798d6a3.jpg/r36_0_2010_1109_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Popular boys names included Neville, Frank, Terence, Lindsay, Daryl, Murray, Leslie, Donald, Noel, Roger, Garry, Graeme and Darrin.
![Actor Terence Stamp in the 1965 film The Collector. Picture Mary Evans Picture Library Actor Terence Stamp in the 1965 film The Collector. Picture Mary Evans Picture Library](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/e32e365b-e0b2-4a0f-a244-9aec574871c6.jpg/r0_60_2703_1580_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Internationally inspired names such as Bernadette, Madonna, Therese, Carmel, Giovanni, Roberto, Giuseppe and Antonio also saw a rise in popularity in the 1960s.
1970s
The 1970s saw the rise of names such as Narelle and Janelle while Annette, Allison, Wendy, Sonia, Teresa, Robyn, Bronwyn, Sharon, Deborah, Suzanne, Kym, Tania, Tracy, Tina and Sandra.
![Debbie (Deborah) Harry from US band Blondie in 1977. Picture Graham Morris/Evening Standard/Getty Images Debbie (Deborah) Harry from US band Blondie in 1977. Picture Graham Morris/Evening Standard/Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/d7604c8c-d625-4463-93a7-1ff973718d1f.png/r0_0_1600_900_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Popular baby boy names in the last decade of Gen X included Graham, Keith, Warren, Bruce, Derek, Nigel, Kenneth, Neil, Trevor and Rodney.
![Clint Eastwood in the 1971 film Dirty Harry. Picture supplied Clint Eastwood in the 1971 film Dirty Harry. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/b903b372-8e02-441a-ab4d-3b409b75883a.jpg/r0_0_450_253_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Clint also made the list in the decade actor Clint Eastwood starred in Dirty Harry.
1980s
The 1980s brought the children of Generation Y, also known as Millennials.
'K' names such as Kristen, Kristy, Kirsty, Kellie, Kimberly and, of course, Kylie soared in popularity for girls.
![Scott, Jason Donovan, and Charlene, Kylie Minogue, get married in 1987 on Aussie soap opera Neighbours. Picture Grundy Scott, Jason Donovan, and Charlene, Kylie Minogue, get married in 1987 on Aussie soap opera Neighbours. Picture Grundy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/b2146b9c-7e3b-4d96-9fe6-2d4b2d56246b.jpg/r0_62_2000_1191_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Other favourite girls names were Jodie, Fiona, Joanna, Andrea, Anita, Julie, Melinda, Jane, Sally, Candice, Carly, Belinda and Simone.
The decade ushered in such popular boys names as Ricky, Chad, Wayne, Dane, Marc, Lee, Ian, Clinton, Russell, Glen, Philip, Geoffrey, Colin, Alan, Ross, Grant, Damian, Stuart, Gregory, Martin and Brenton.
1990s
Generation Y ended halfway through the 1990s when Generation Z emerged.
The most common baby names of the period included Stacey, Shannon, Tiffany, Jennifer, Renee, Amanda, Lisa, Tegan, Kelly, Rebekah, Ellen, Katherine, Rhiannon, Cassandra, Casey, Vanessa, Rachael, Georgina and Brittany.
![Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt in 1999. Picture AP Photo/FOX, Stephen Danelian Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt in 1999. Picture AP Photo/FOX, Stephen Danelian](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/d9220c55-6346-4428-9f2b-133b06aaed72.png/r0_0_1600_900_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Names beginning with 'M' were popular for females and popular names for males included Matthew, Mark, Michaela, Melanie, Michelle and Morgan.
Shaun, Dean, Kevin, Trent, Scott, Steven, Brendan, Adrian, Reece and Jared were among the most popular names for boys.
2000s
The turn of the millennium welcomed in a throng of Taylahs and Taylas as well as Kaylas and Makaylas.
![Actress Angelina Jolie in the 2001 blockbuster Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. File picture Actress Angelina Jolie in the 2001 blockbuster Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. File picture](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/954dc023-c840-4c25-9b00-a2c889cffd1a.jpg/r0_176_3780_2301_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Angelina, Alicia, Natasha, Bianca, Laura, Katie, Ashley, Brianna, Claudia, Kate, Gemma and Alana were also among the most common names for girls.
![British actor Jason Statham at the Australian premier of his movie "The Bank Job" in 2008. Picture AP Photo/Rick Rycroft
British actor Jason Statham at the Australian premier of his movie "The Bank Job" in 2008. Picture AP Photo/Rick Rycroft](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/15e025df-ca82-4ec1-9431-751a6740f4ee.jpg/r0_101_720_506_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Popular boys names included Jason, Jamie, Jeremy, Justin, Brayden, Peter, Tristan, Bradley, Rhys, Sam, Zane and Callum.
2010s
Generation Alpha arrived at the turn of the decade and with it came a wave of new favourite names.
They are the first generation born entirely within the 21st century and many of the names popular in this decade are still on the top 100 baby names list.
![Actress Emilia Clarke as the popular character Daenerys Targaryen in the Game of Thrones series. Picture supplied Actress Emilia Clarke as the popular character Daenerys Targaryen in the Game of Thrones series. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/6816299e-b113-4158-950d-25d2dd29e32e.jpg/r0_208_3600_2240_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Girls names include Emilia, Mila, Eleanor, Ayla, Elsie, Harriet, Esther, Penelope, Hazel, Frankie, Aurora, Florence, Sadie, Brooklyn, Eve, Aria, Freya, Millie, Peyton, Olive, Daisy and Harper.
Boys names included Arlo, Arthur, Sonny, Vincent, Theo, Elliot, Wyatt, Hugh, Theodore, Jude, Maxwell, Parker, Reuben, Billy, Spencer, Braxton, Fletcher, Felix, Rory, Harley, Ryan and Hugo.