# Origin of American names twofer: Lori and Tyrone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844 "2010-10-12T00:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844/21 "2010-10-13T20:02:18Z")
[quote=“NDP, post:18, topic:556844”] > [@RealityChuck](#): > > As for the second factor, “Richard” was a perennial male name for years until Richard Nixon’s presidency and Watergate when it took a sharp dip in popularity. I don’t know if it’s recovered since then. Not supported at all by Baby Name Wizard. [http://www.babynamewizard.com/name-voyager](http://www.babynamewizard.com/name-voyager) “Richard” has been and remains in steady decline from 1940. The graph shows the rate of decrease in naming babies Richard actually got less steep around the time of Nixon’s election, though not by much and I’m hardly implying causation. But certainly there’s not even a visible blip in slope in either direction ca. 1974. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844/22 "2010-10-13T21:12:30Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > > Lori probably arose as a variant of Laura: > > There was a somewhat abombinable period in ca. the 1970s when diminutive forms of female names began to be spelled with a terminal “i” as opposed to “ie,” and in some cases to be assigned as given names. Hence the rash of Jennis, Jacquis, and Loris. And I bet they all dotted the i with little hearts. 😃 Most of the Lori/Laurie/Lauriis I’ve know were Laura/Loretta/Lourdes\*. And it just happens that thet were all sexy as hell. \*she was Mexican. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844/23 "2010-10-14T01:08:56Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > And I bet they all dotted the i with little hearts. 😃 Don’t you just know it. ---
**Author:** ![falcotron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ab097/32.png) [@falcotron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/falcotron)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844/24 "2010-10-14T10:31:07Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > There was a somewhat abombinable period in ca. the 1970s when diminutive forms of female names began to be spelled with a terminal “i” as opposed to “ie,” and in some cases to be assigned as given names. Hence the rash of Jennis, Jacquis, and Loris. My mother, who was born in the 40s in Baltimore, grew up with three friends named Andi, plus a Wendi, a Loni, and a Lani (pronounced the same as Loni). And when my grandmother was young and hip (that is to say, before my mother and all her friends were born), she went by “Etti” (short for “Ethel”). So the “i”-name thing wasn’t purely a 70s thing. But for all I know that was just a local phenomenon. According to that Name Explorer link, “Loni” is the only one of those names that was ever in the top 1000. Oddly, none of those are variants of “ie” names. (Well, there are a few Andies and Lanies, but not many, and I’ve never met a Wendie or Lonie.) ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844/25 "2010-10-14T11:24:23Z")
I think what Dick Nixon ruined was the nickname “Dick” more than the name “Richard” itself. Just sort of helped the name & nickname not recover. The decline of both is probably also connected to the use of “dick” for “prick” to the point that “dick” is the more common word in the US now & has evolved its own associated meanings. And I’m about the same age as Nzinga & agree that Tyrone is pronounced “tie-RONE.” And my uncle Jon apparently went by Joni in the 1960’s. Pronounced like “Johnny” not “Joanie.” ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844/26 "2010-10-15T19:26:50Z")
After Col. Nasser turned military defeat in the 1956 Suez Crisis to political victory his prestige in the Arab world soared and many people named their children after Nasser. The name can still be found on young people today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-american-names-twofer-lori-and-tyrone/556844.md?page=1)