In this final installment of "one-hit wonder names" (see parts, 1, 2 and 3) we take a names-eye-view tour through history.
Baby names act as a cultural mirror, reflecting the mood and obsessions of every age. Sometimes it's a whole style, like the girls given boyish names (Frankie, Tommie) in the 1930s. Sometimes it's personality driven, like the Shirley surge in that same decade. And sometimes a specific historical moment is memorialized in names. The one-hit wonder names are a treasure trove of these cultural moments. Some of the moments were momentous, others pop-culture trifles. A few were completely unknown to me until the names themselves led me to them, and a few frankly shocked me as name inspirations. Check them out yourself in this arbitrary, capricious One-Hit Timeline of History.
1895: Trilby
George du Maurier's novel Trilby, first published serially in 1894, was a popular sensation. Filled with romance, horror, plucky heroes and supernatural villainry, Trilby became one of the most popular books (and later plays) of its time. The novel's longest-lasting contribution to our language comes from its villain, the all-powerful Jewish hypnotist Svengali, but during the book's heyday the beautiful Irish heroine Trilby made her naming mark as well.
1898: Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone was one of the leading political forces of 19th-century England, serving several terms as Prime Minister between 1868 and 1894. The "gladstone bag" and "gladstone carriage" took their names from him. Gladstone died in 1898.
1898: Schley
The 1898 Battle of Santiago de Cuba was the largest naval engagement of the Spanish-American War. The destruction of the Spanish fleet was a milestone in the decline of Spanish influence in the Americas. The United States squadron was commanded, somewhat controversially, by Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley.
1900: Goebel
William J. Goebel was a controversial figure in Kentucky politics. Goebel was a populist, a foe of big business and an advocate of civil rights, and the consummate practitioner of machine politics. In 1895 he killed political adversary John Sanford in a duel, but plead self-defense and was acquitted. In 1899 he won a disputed election to become governor of Kentucky. On January 30, 1900 Goebel was shot in the chest by an assassin; the next day he was sworn in as governor; two days later he was dead. He remains the only U.S. state governor to be assassinated in office.
1918: Foch
Ferdinand Foch was a distinguished general of the French Army and Marshal of France. In the Spring of 1918 he was named Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, leading the international armies which turned back the last major German advance of WWI. Foch accepted Germany's surrender on November 11, 1918.
1954: Rahn
In 1954 the German soccer team was unseeded entering the World Cup tournament in Bern, Switzerland, the first World Cup they were permitted to compete in after World War II. In the finals against heavily favored Hungary, Germany trailed until Helmut Rahn scored both tying and winning goals. Rahn became a national sporting legend and the game came to be known as the "Miracle of Bern," a turning point in post-war German identity.
1964: Destry
The TV Western "Destry" which premiered in 1964 was a spinoff of the classic film Destry Rides Again. It didn't last a full season.
1972: Jabbar
In 1971 basketball great Lew Alcindor, who had led the Milwaukee Bucks and UCLA Bruins to championships, changed his name to the Arabic Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem debuted on the popular name charts in 1972 at #407 and has become an African-American standard. Jabbar was propelled to popularity the same year but quickly faded.
1977: Amin
In 1976 Ugandan president Idi Amin allowed a hijacked airplane originating from Israel to land at the Entebbe airport. The event turned international attention toward his violent regime which was blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths. By 1977, Amin was a global larger-than-life villain. As other nations broke off diplomatic ties he bestowed extravagant titles on himself and attracted a swirl of rumors of personal atrocities.
1977: Kunta, Kinte
The 1977 miniseries "Roots," based on the novel by Alex Haley, was a cultural phenomen. An overwhelming popular and critical success, "Roots" turned a generation of Americans--especially African-Americans--toward the study of geneology and family history, and helped encourage a trend toward African-styled baby names. The lead character, Kunta Kinte, was a Mandinka boy in Gambia who was kidnapped by slave traders and taken to America. Both Kunta and Kinte made the 1977 name charts.
Comments
Katie -- on interesting Google names: if you Google my name, you get the name of the first African American slave to sue for her freedom. The only person who ever knew that pre-Google was a college professor who taught 19th century American literature and culture.
Marta -- Daphne Anne is way too many nasal "A's" in the standard U.S. accent (midwesterny). Daphne Rebecca sounds culturally "off" in some way I can't put my finger on (perhaps Greek/Hebrew, which is odd, because didn't those two cultures actually coexist in ancient times?). The others are pretty good. Though I will admit that Daphne, to me, is one of those names that looks better on paper than it sounds said aloud.
Though I am glad my daughter Caroline's name isn't as fuddy-duddy as it would have been when I was a child, I'm kind of sorry to see it nested in such a group of names I think of as over-the-top trendy-old-fashioned.
If you like the shape of Daphne but you're afraid of the "Daffy" nn, try Delphine ... very similar shapes and sounds, but the nickname options are maybe more palatable (Dell, Della, Fina, Elf?).
Love Damaris, Penelope, and Helen(a) very much--they're all family names for us, and we're not even Greek.
Penelope, to me, is much cuter and less "dramatic" (if I understand what you mean by that) than Daphne. I don't know why Penelope isn't more popular. It's got everything: it's old-fashioned but not fuddy-duddy, literary (The Odyssey) but not pretentious, and it has great nicknames: not only Penny but Nellie or Nell.
I don't think Daphne is dramatic at all, and I rather like it. I like all of the names you've chosen. I do like Ophelia too but think that one might be too dramatic. The one name I don't like is Damaris - to me it is just not pretty at all. Good luck-- I'm sure it will be beautiful!
name gurus:
not even close to on the topic of the article, but listen: 2nd son on the way, our last name is an english one in the mold of Cunningham/Wittington/Willingham etc., question is, is it off-sides to use the traditionally *irish* name Patrick with a english sounding last name? I know Patrick is a pretty americanized name by now, but I'm mildly concerned with mixing up british isles in the name. Further complication(?):the middle name will likely be 'blair' - wife's scottish family name. Thoughts??
Re Daphne: with my Southern accent it doesn't sound nasally at all (not much does). I like it quite a bit!
Don- What is your 1st son's name? Personally I think Patrick will be fine. Granted I am in the States and there are many Patricks here. Not so many that it is overly popular but plenty who clearly aren't Irish. :)
Also I love Padraig - I think that would be overkill with a very British last name :)
oh, I should mention that I'm in the usa, rather than britain. first son's name is henry, which we think goes nicley with patrick, so there's that.
don--if you're in the US, I think that would be fine--I can't speak for Britain. It especially makes sense if your son will also have some Irish heritage. I don't see it as two radically different cultures to put together, like Svetlana Pennington or Bjorn Worthington or something--it flows fine, and I would say is certainly common enough here not to raise any eyebrows.
Are you ready for all the Patrick Henry comments, though? :o)
Don, I don't think Patrick [Cunningham or something like it] is weird at all -- it flows rather nicely, and I've never understood all the fuss about mixed ethnicity names anyway. I can understand that if you live in a place where there is considerable racial/ethnic/religious/etc tension, you might not want to exacerbate that with child's name, but otherwise, as in your case, I don't think it's a big issue. And honestly, although Patrick O'Reilly sounds pretty Irish to me, I don't hear Patrick alone and think it's incredibly Irish-sounding. Besides, I know so many children of mixed ethnicity that a name like Sunitra Romano doesn't even phase me. I can understand it's not everyone's cup of tea to mix names of diff. ethnicities, but I don't think Patrick Worthington would even register to most people as a mixed ethnicity name. I know a Chinese-American man named Patrick (both of his parents are Chinese and his ln. is something along the lines of Wang), and I never even thought twice about his name until now.
Don- Sounds great- there are many, many English Patricks, so to my English ear it sounds fine. The three names have a nice flow to them as well.
marta --I know of a girl named Devney -- I think it's a last name turned first, but the second syllable sounds similar to Daphne. I really like it, also like Devin/Devon. There's an actress on Big Love named Daveigh, which is also cute.
Helena is nice -- I prefer it pronounced Hel-uh-nah, rhymes with Helen, as opposed to Hel-eee-nah, which is how one of my relatives pronounces it.
Re: Daphne Rebecca - the author Daphne Du Maurier wrote a book called Rebecca, so I associate those names together. I do like the combo, though.
I like Penelope a lot and don't think it's any more dramatic than Daphne. A friend's daughter is Grayson Penelope, named after her grandmother, Penny. I just love the name. They call her Gracie.
Marta, I love Daphne and think it's a great name that I think might be in store for a comeback in the next 20 years. I kind of feel the same way about Phoebe. It's got the literary thing going for it on 2 ends- Greek mythology and Daphne du Maurier. And it has a sort of early 20th century feel that I'm sort of partial to.
The only Daphne I know is early 30's and is an actress and to my knowledge no one has ever called her "Daffy." If you like it, go for it.
Marta: i'm not that big a fan of Daphne, but I also knew a Daphne who was kind of Daffy, so maybe that colors my opinion My favorite of the ones you listed is Greta -- I love that name!
I have a question about the name "Oscar" -- I think it is super cute, but I worry about the Oscar Meyer song -- is this the first thing that comes to mind? or is that too old a jingle at this point? also, would it sound bad with a two-syllable last name that ends in -er? for instance, oscar calder? oscar water? oscar baker?
Marta--
I think the first thing to come to mind w/ Oscar is Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch!
That's what I was thinking too. Oscar sounds a bit grouchy to my ears.
I have a quick question for you. Is it okay to have a first name that ends with the same letter as the last name starts with? For instance, Silas Smith. Would the name just come out sounding like "Sila"? Our last name starts with an "M" and my favorite boy names end in "M". (Abrahm, Adam, William . . .) Would this be a disqualifier for you?
TM--I actually think you might be ok with the two Ms. It's funny, because I ruled out Silas because our last names start with S! But I think it would depend on the two names--if both are very clear and/or well-known, then I think it would be ok. Example--William Martin works, I think, because there aren't a lot of people named either Willia or Artin. It still *sounds* like William Martin. I think Adam would also work pretty well in general depending on the last name (there are Adas, but not many "Addas"), but Abrahm might be a bit trickier--Abra sounds like a plausible girl name.
I like Oscar, too, but I think there would be too many grouch jokes by people who think they're clever, which the kid would get sick of fast. "Hey, Oscar, looking a little grouchy today! Hah! Bet you never heard that one before!" :rolleyes: Maybe save it for a pet?
Actually, my dad's name was Oscar; even though he had the name long before the Muppet, he still had to put up w/ grouch remarks--mostly from little kids, who would ask things like, "Where's your garbage can?"
(And, no, he was not a grouch!)
Re the two Ms: I wouldn't do it, but I think hyz has it right--if the names are clear and well-known, it's probably not a problem. I have a similar situation--if I introduce myself by saying, "Hi, I'm Arlene," the listener can't tell if my name is Arlene or Marlene. If my name were, say, Amanda, this problem wouldn't arise. So I guess it depends on the specific names.
Off topic question: Where are all the baby Michaels?
The preschoolers I know are all Noahs, Dillons, and Landons, but Michael is (according to the numbers) much more popular! The only thing I've thought of is that the Michaels are named after fathers and grandfathers, and are called by their middle names.
Thanks for the feedback. I can't decide if I'm okay with it or not yet. The name nerd in me says "no way." I just wish it didn't rule out so many of my favorite boy names!
Mom of AA,
I'm not sure what circle you're in, but I do still see lots of the very traditional male names along with all the Noahs and Maxes. David, Jonathan, John, Matthew, Michael, Andrew, Adam, Mark, are all still pretty common among people I know--Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, middle or upper class, many religious (Catholic, Jewish, Protestant), and many traditionalists naming after relatives. There may be some nicknames (I posted at the end of the last thread that I just heard of a *very* well to do WASPy little boy named Frank III, nn "Trip"--his brother is Ryan, cousin is David), but most of the ones I know just go by the plain old name.
Arlene--I also have that problem with my name! It's not quite as likely to be mistaken as yours, but I do have to be careful to enunciate so it doesn't mush together.
I disqualified names that ended with the same letter as our last name (one was Beck; glad I stayed away from that one!).
I like Oscar, but it might not work with your last name. Similar to my first comment, we crossed off names that ended in -en/-on because our last name ends in -on. For example, Hayden Christensen just sounds funny to me.
I don't know, maybe I have more 'rules' than most? (Certainly there are others on this site who have similar rules -- I can't speak for normal people!)
No no no on Oscar. The grouch connection is lethel!
I think the rules are generally good, but I think there can be case by case exceptions made, especially for a name you love love love. The two Ms isn't ideal, but I think it could work fine under certain circumstances.
And hey--I kind of like the en/on ending with some 2 syl fns, 3 syl lns. I never thought of it until now, but that can be kind of nice. How about Aidan Christiansen, or Hayden Sorenson? I think it flows without being too cute. Sounds like a news anchor, to me. It's a moot point with our names, but fun anyway....
I agree with Jill C. about naming your child something that has the same ending sound as your last name. My last name ends in -on, 3 syllables, and every syllable ends with "n" and has a completely different vowel sound in it, so I guess I'm a little hyper-sensitive to the whole first-name-ending-in-n thing. I've always thought it sounded a little...oh, repetitive, I guess (Anna Miranda, anyone?). But that just comes from my own personal experience with my difficult last name.
I agree with hyz about a name that ends in M with a last name that begins in M. It really does depend on the actual name. You wouldn't want poor little Liam or Willem to be mistaken for Leah and Willa all the time, but with the names you have picked out, it probably wouldn't be a problem.
Our difficulty in choosing a child's name is that our last name is a geographical feature (think Hill), so a lot of names are out- imagine Brooke Hill, Marina Hill, maybe even Violet... except I'm still stuck on Violet... I like flower names, so it's a drag. What do you think? Do you think I could still use a flower name?
I have been reading your comments for a little while now, and have found the practice quite addictive! What a fun board!
I have the same question as TM, really. My absolute favorite name for an eventual son (we currently have a 4-year-old daughter, Sophie) is Oliver. Our last name is two syllables, begins with R, and ends with L. It is not, but sounds similar to the word "regal". Is a little boy named Oliver "Regal" out of the question for the baby-naming mavens out there? I realize that the names run together a bit and aesthetically it's not perfect, but please be honest and tell me if it's bad enough to avoid the name. Thanks for your help!
I like the way all those names sound with a Hill-type name. I don't think people would even put it together that the first and last name both have to do with nature/geographical features. Go for it!
I think you're kind of in the same boat about Oliver "Regal." I think Oliver is well-known enough that no one is going to mistake the name for Olivah Regal. Sounds good with Sophie, too.
Oscar - have to put my vote in the "no" category. Just can't get past the grouch connection.
Daphne - I have to be honest, I just don't like the sound of the name. I think Penelope is a lot more mainstream, and would be cute with nn Penny. Daphne just makes me think Scooby Doo.
Sharon, I don't think Oliver "Regal" would be a problem at all. To me, with a name like Oliver, you know that there's a final letter "R" coming when you start O-l-i-v-e, and they don't run together at all. As for the last letter/first letter issue, it all depends on the names for me. I think I'll eventually have the same problem, having a last name that begins with an A - will that make all first names ending with an A off limits? (I hope not!)
Sharon: My personal opinion is that you should avoid flower and nature first names with a geographical last name. I DO notice names like Rowan Hill, Rose Park, Marina Brooks, and Lily Woods and think they sound like bad subdivision names.
Eve: I know a young Oskar and love his name. I do think it qualifies as a bold name choice, though, because of the current connotations.
Sharon: If your last name really sounds like "Regal," then it sounds like "Oliver Eagle!"
Trilby Gobble: Delphine is one of my favorites, and virtually never used in the U.S.! Nice suggestion.
Danielle: Two A's don't run together as much as two R's. Sophia Anderson sounds much better than Amber Robinson, in my opinion.
Oliver "Regal" sounds great to me. I don't see a problem.
I guess I am in the minority; I think Oscar is really cute and I can picture it on a cute little toddler as well as on a good-looking, fun-loving 25-year-old. (Actually, the more I think about it, the more I love it!)
MARTA, I love all of the names you listed, except Daphne. I especially love Penelope, nn Penny.
thanks for the feedback on oscar. for some reason, i'm not too disturbed by the oscar the grouch connotation (maybe because i like oscar the grouch) -- it's just the oscar meyer weiner thing. and i have some concern about the combo with a last name that ends in the -er sound.
my other choice is jonah, which sounds better with the last name, but i think is a little soft, and not as distinctive as oscar.
Hey, I was going to say Phoebe! :-) It's similar in feeling to Daphne for me, high-brow classical associations but a slightly goofy sound. But it doesn't have the "daffy/daft" connection, which is a plus.
I could never name a daughter Ophelia. It's got a single strong literary connection, which consists of being abused, going mad, and committing suicide.
re: Daphne: I like it. Of course, the only one I've known was a prof in her 40s (i guess) so i wouldn't know about the problems a child with this name might face.
i also am not a fan of descriptive names like Rosy Hill.
Oh, man, I absolutely adore the name Ophelia. Always have. I am expressly not allowed to use the name, however. "Do we want our little girl to drown herself as a teenager? I don't think so." Sigh.
Re: Oscar - I know a lot of very upscale types are using it again. I don't get what they think is going to happen when their little one turns on PBS for the first time and sees the Grouch.
People were asking where all the baby Michaels and Emilys are -- they're in New York City!
The city release the top baby names for 2006, and Michael was #1 for boys, Emily #2 for girls. The whole list is here:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2007/pr085-07.shtml
I love the name Oscar! I think it has a lovely sound and style. I do worry about the connections to the grouch and the weiner. But I think it's one of those names that is going to come into fashion very soon with the same crowd that's currently using Julian, Oliver, etc, and once it becomes a bit more common, those associations will fade away from the name. Not that anyone won't *know* the associations, but once you know a few lovely children named Oscar, the grouch and the weiner won't be the first things you (or their peers) think of when you/they hear the name. Take the name Zoe - there's the muppet, after whom, I'm sure, many parents wouldn't want to name their child, but there are also many girls and women named Zoe out there who define the name as something else. I think the people using Oscar now are the more adventurous ones, but the trend will follow shortly.
I actually think Trilby has a chance of coming back. I've noticed that a lot of names ending in "by" are popular right now. Ashby, Colby, etc.
For those Ophelia lovers, how about Zephelia? I had a great aunt with the name. It's not my cup of tea, but I can see its charm.
Marta, another vote for Delphine! I love that name.
Two new girl babies in the neighborhood: Kensington and Muriel. (Not from the same family, obviously!) This goes to show that people from the same socio-economic level do not have uniform naming styles. At least not in California!
Eve, I don't see any real problem with Oscar. So there's a grouch character on Sesame Street named Oscar--I can't really see that as causing a crisis in a kid! "You're Oscar Smith, not Oscar the Grouch, so get in the tub, Mister." End of conversation. Same with Oscar Meyer weiners--they haven't even run that ad campaign in a long time, have they? Again, not a deal breaker in my mind. (Unless your last name really is Meyer or Weiner, I guess.)
In Los Angeles, there are loads of little Latino boys (and men, of course) named Oscar, Hector, Victor... so I think of it more in that context now.
I like the name Oscar. I know a young Oscar (about 6) and would you believe I never thought of the grouch connection till now? I actually thought of Oscar Peterson, the jazz pianist.
sorry to jump into this thread so late, but I've got to vote for Delphine! I knew a girl once named that, and her parents called her Delphi - a pet name, I guess - but we all knew her as Della. Absolutely adorable on a baby girl! I know a Daphne right now, and she's not exactly the nicest person around, so I kind of have bad feelings toward that name.
But I also love Ophelia, as well as Delia and Greta. Greta = Great, hm? Penelope is cute too though. Penelope Delphine?
Oh, and my brother is named Oscar! He goes by Oz though - and he actually likes all the wizard jokes that go with it.
Oscar is quite popular in the Uk,and I think t's a great name - although here we associate it with the writer Oscar Wilde. I've never heard of Oscar Meyer Weiner - off to google away my ignorance!
Marta: Ok, as the mom of a 2 year old Daphne I have to speak up! We love her name and it fits her perfectly. (mn Elizabeth, by the way). We haven't had any issues with things people call her (except mispronouncing her name). They are actually kinda cute: Daph, daffodil, and around home we've been calling her just Doo-Dah lately, but that's just because she's being a typical 2 yr old.
I love your name list as a whole, especially seeing my own up there. :) But I seriously need to focus on boy ideas now as we are 7 weeks til due and only a sketchy name list in the works. Panic is setting in!
Marta, I think Daphne is rather adorable, Phoebe is nice too but becoming very popular possibly due to to the character on friends...
Eve: We've actually had a rather lengthy discuss on the pro's and cons of Oscar before (although I'm not sure which previous post it was in but you might like to have a scroll through...)
From what I could gather last time and evidenced above - Americans seem to be put off by the dual references of Oscar Mayer and Oscar the Grouch but elsewhere as in the UK (where Oscar would once have been a very 'cool' choice) it is becoming a lot more mainstream.
Anne: Jessica sounds outdated to my ears and I'm English! I feel about Jessica very much like what some of you were saying about Emily in the States: Where are these Jessica's?? Emily, Olivia, Chloe and Ruby abound around here but not a Jessica in sight...
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