The name ‘Gary’ is dying out

Statistics from the University of Southampton database have confirmed that the name ‘Gary’ is well and truly dying out, revealing that there are only six undergraduates with the name in the entire institution.

After The Metro recently revealed that ‘Gary’ has been knocked off the top 100 baby names, the Soton Tab launched an investigation into the presence of the name within the University.

The figures reveal that there is just one undergraduate Gary to every nine staff members with the name.

While six undergraduates out of a pool of 21,742 go by the name, 28 out of 10,323 members of University staff are called Gary.

One out of the six, Second Year Biomedical Science student Gary Parfitt, is determined to keep the name in circulation. He told us:

It’s a pretty scary prospect, but I guess it’s up to me to make the name Gary sought after again, just like Lineker did when he won the world cup.

I dont understand why you wouldnt name your child Gary, there’s so much potential! Gaz, Gazza…well thats about it really, but it’s still a top name to have.

Gary Parfitt is positive that his name will live on

Meanwhile, Second Year student, Gary Goh, has no qualms about celebrating his soon-to-be extinct name:

Feels good to be a Gary. Calling all the great Garys out there, we are brothers and sisters!

Gary Young, who studies Biochemistry, is less optimistic. He’s asked his parents numerous times why they had to give him “the shittest name” and has talked of changing his name to “Lil Joey” instead.

Similarly, even newly retired lecturer at the University, Gary Farrell, who was born in 1961, is not convinced of the ‘coolness’ of the name, but admits he is concerned by its rapid decline. He said:

I’ve never really been happy with Gary as my identifier! Steve, Kevin and Dave always seemed slightly cooler. I always felt it identified me as a child of the 60s.

But that’s not my real concern with this story hitting the media recently. What alarms me is how some outlets concluded that by 2050 there will be zero Garys in the UK. Does that mean 35 years or less for all existing Garys?

What are your thoughts on the name Gary? Can it make a comeback and avoid extinction or is it time for it to go? Let us know in the comments below!