"Names come in and out of favour," says Pamela Redmond Satran, a naming expert and author of eight books on baby names
"Monica is a good example in the US. The name had been inching up
But in 1998, after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, the name slipped to 105 and went down even further the next year
The name Katrina has also declined in popularity in the US following Hurricane Katrina.
Adolf and Judas are now extremely rare
One man who has struggled more than most with his moniker is Lucifer Howse, a 33-year-old alternative medicine practitioner in Brighton.
When he picked up his driving licence a few years ago, the woman behind the counter barked Biblical phrases at him and shouted: "It's you. I know it's you."
strange names can sometimes become self-fulfilling prophecies.
"A study has shown that kids with a name like 'Lethal' are more likely to grow up to commit crimes - though of course parents who would name their child 'Lethal' are probably not aiming to be class mom."
clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk 