# Names that became popular or unpopular due to pop culture. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153 "2004-07-21T06:09:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/41 "2004-07-21T18:15:49Z")
I’m not sure if actor (as opposed to character) names would qualify, but in high school 10 ( :eek: ) years ago, it seemed that every other young african-american mother named her son Denzel. And **Ethilrist** , I guess my parents might qualify as odd (or maybe just out of touch with movies), because my youngest brother, born in 1981, got named Jason. 😉 Or was the comedian referring to something other than Friday the 13th? Actually, going through the Social Security link **alanak** gave, it looks like Jason was in the top 5 for most of the 70s, then started dropping after 1980, falling of the top ten after '83. So there probably is a connection. That’s a neat site, allowing for all kinds of theorizing… ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/42 "2004-07-21T18:30:09Z")
Warning: Satire… [http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/813324/posts](http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/813324/posts) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/43 "2004-07-21T18:49:58Z")
“Linda” owes its popularity to Philip Barry’s play “Holiday,” which was later made into a [film](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0030241/) starring Katherine Hepburn. The name remained popular for decades after that. “Adolf” lost a lot of popularity after WWII (or even before: Harpo Marx changed his legal name to “Arthur” in the late 30s), for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/44 "2004-07-21T19:20:30Z")
The name **Ashley** took a nosedive after _Gone With the Wind_, but came back as a girl’s name. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/45 "2004-07-21T20:21:10Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > I know of at least one couple who named their daughter Mercedes after the character in _License to Drive_. If I’m going to name my child after someone in a movie, damned if I’ll pick a movie starring the redoubtable Corey Haim. That’s my older sister’s name! (born in 1958) My dad was a race car driver, duh. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/46 "2004-07-21T20:25:31Z")
I wonder how many little Galadriels, Aragorns and Pippins will be running around in a few years (please, no boys named “Merry”). ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/47 "2004-07-21T20:45:36Z")
I’ll bet there are a lot more **Quentin** s around ever since Mr. Tarrantino became popular. I wonder if the middle initial **W** will become less popular? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/48 "2004-07-21T20:56:36Z")
Elvis. Uncommon before “_the_ Elvis”. Cher? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/49 "2004-07-21T21:25:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Linda” owes its popularity to Philip Barry’s play “Holiday,” which was later made into a [film](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0030241/) starring Katherine Hepburn. The name remained popular for decades after that. I thought this was very interesting, so I decided to check it at the Social Security name link given earlier. The play version of Holiday ran on Broadway in 1928. Linda went from #324 in the 1920s to #95 in the 1930s. The movie version of Holiday was made in 1938. But Linda dived to #310 in the 1940s. It was #2 in the 1950s. Seems like something well after Holiday was the reason for its popularity. And it’s gone from #170 in 1990 to #412 in 2003. Now’s a good time to name a daughter Linda if you want her to be different in school. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/50 "2004-07-21T21:35:02Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I wonder how many little Galadriels, Aragorns and Pippins will be running around in a few years (please, no boys named “Merry”). I know a woman whose middle name is Arwen. She says her father wanted that to be her first name, but mom put her foot down on it. My name, Roger, is way out of style today. Hell, it was out when I was born. It did have a hey day in the 1940’s though. I’m pretty sure it was popularized by Roger Wilco. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/51 "2004-07-21T21:40:37Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > It seems quite likely that the name **Madison** for a girl was started as a joke in the Tom Hanks / Darryl Hannah movie [Splash](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088161/) (1984). I find at least 200 females with the first name Madison in the 1930 U.S. census. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/52 "2004-07-21T21:41:54Z")
> [@Captain Lance Murdoch](#): > > I know a woman whose middle name is Arwen. She says her father wanted that to be her first name, but mom put her foot down on it. That was almost my first name! It was my father’s idea (he was a huge sci-fi/fantasy fan). But my mom changed it to “Arlyn” (which is actually an old Southern man’s name). In sixth grade, I got tired of having such a weird name and started using my middle name instead. I’m not sure if you would contribute it to pop culture, but the nickname “Dick” is extremely unpopular now. I’ve never met anyone under 50 who used it. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/53 "2004-07-21T21:50:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Elvis. Uncommon before “_the_ Elvis”. Better check your facts. There were **3,336** people with the first name Elvis in the 1930 U.S. census, five years before Elvis Presley was born. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/54 "2004-07-21T21:53:13Z")
I said “uncommon” not “non-existant”. How many Tom, Davids, Micheals & the like- Millions. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/55 "2004-07-21T22:03:48Z")
Well, if you put it _that_ way, the name Elvis remained uncommon. There were never millions of people named Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/56 "2004-07-21T22:11:36Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > …But Linda dived to #310 in the 1940s. > > It was #2 in the 1950s. > > Seems like something well after Holiday was the reason for its popularity… Maybe it was this: And a-one. And a-two… _When I go to sleep, I never count sheep. I count all the charms about Linda…_ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/57 "2004-07-21T22:41:49Z")
There were certainly many Jennifers before Erich Segal’s “Love Story” was published, but that book and the ensuing Ali McGraw film made Jennifer the most popular girls’ name of the 1970’s. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/58 "2004-07-21T22:47:43Z")
I remember hearing that “Kizzie” started getting some circulation within the black community after _Roots_ came out. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/59 "2004-07-21T23:16:27Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I bet there are at least a few Trekkies who named their children Seven or Beverly Deanna or Wesley (or Spock). I really like the name Ian Andrew, which is the name of Deanna Troi’s father and child. No Tiberiuses or William Thomases though. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153/60 "2004-07-22T01:50:17Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I wonder how many little Galadriels, Aragorns and Pippins will be running around in a few years (please, no boys named “Merry”). I know an “Arwen”, but she’s well into her late twenties by now. (Her mom was an English literature professor.) As for naming girls after cities: Dallas, Phoenix, and Helena on my class lists at two different schools (Dallas and Phoenix at one school, Phoenix and Helena at the others, and as I found out, they _were_ named after the cities (at least with the middle on, I would have claimed the creature!). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-that-became-popular-or-unpopular-due-to-pop-culture/256153.md?page=4)