Baby names: Alexa, Stan and Ollie among popular first names shunned because of change in social attitudes

'Although Alexa was a popular choice a few years ago, the rapid proliferation of Amazon Alexas is killing it off. No one wants a daughter and a device with the same name'

The most common reason for avoiding a favoured title was because it reminded the family of someone they didn't like (Shutterstock)

Alexa, Stan and Ollie are among popular baby names being ditched by parents because they don’t fit with the modern world, according to new research.

While fashionable with older mothers and fathers, two-thirds of young parents are rejecting Alexa because it's the same name as Amazon’s digital assistant.

Although it was ranked as the UK’s 21st most popular girl’s name in 2016, digitally savvy parents don’t want their daughter sharing her name with a tech device.

Other popular names being dropped by millennial mothers and fathers include Stan - because of the hashtag #Stan which is used online to mean ‘stalker fan’.

Ollie, the 69th most popular name for a boy, is also falling out of favour because of a bizarre internet phenomena which sees humans eat the American Ollie brand dog food.

As a result, three-in-five young parents say they won’t pick it for their son.

Girls name Felicia is being also shunned for baby girls because it is the subject of cruel internet meme Bye, Felicia – with 55 per cent of young parents not considering it for this reason.

The study by parenting site ChannelMum.com found the most common reason for not using a name was if it “reminds me of someone I don’t like”.

A whopping 83 per cent of parents reject baby names for this reason, alongside 81 per cent who rule out a moniker which doesn’t fit with their surname.

Seven-in-ten have also struck out a name choice after realising it would mean their child’s initials spelled something rude or silly.

But the poll also found other names falling out of use for unusual reasons include Harvey – which is being shunned by 34 per cent on the back of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, while Scarlett for girls is becoming less popular, with 27 per cent of mothers and fathers preferring the trendier Violet.

Other boys' names falling from favour include Christian.

Two-in-five families have shunned the name due to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon, and because it is seen as ‘too religious' in multicultural Britain, while the once popular Ryan is being rejected due to links with the infamous budget airline, with three in five saying its popularity is nosediving.

On girls’ names, the study of 1,434 parents found Katie and Cait are becoming less popular for a range of reasons, including links to controversial columnist Katie Hopkins, the I Am Cait TV show following Caitlyn Jenner and the decline of Kate Middleton’s popularity in favour of new royal, Meghan Markle.

Lauren has also plunged in popularity because it is linked to a number of downmarket reality TV stars.

Overall, 55 per cent of parents would be very worried if their child had a name linked to a hashtag, meme or other internet trend, with one in 25 encouraging their child to use a middle name or change their name altogether.

SJ Strum, ChannelMum.com baby name expert, said: "Although Alexa was a popular choice a few years ago, the rapid proliferation of Amazon Alexas is killing it off. No one wants a daughter and a device with the same name.

"This problem will only grow. If Facebook ever launches its rumoured AI personal assistant M, it will end the popularity of Emma, which is shortened to Em.

"And Samantha, Harmony and Solana are all definite no nos as they're all brands of sex robot. These are problems no parent faced a few years ago."

SWNS