How Many Babies Were Named After Fonzie?

I posted about Joanie and Chachi yesterday, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a few words about Fonzie today.

Now, babies were named Fonzie long before Happy Days aired. (Long before TV, in fact.) But the names of these early Fonzies were likely based on Alfonso, not on Fonzarelli.

Happy Days, featuring the popular character Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, debuted in 1974. The next year, the name Fonzie (which had been absent from the SSA’s baby name lists for four decades) experienced a brief revival:

• 1975 – 9 baby boys named Fonzie
• 1976 – 6 baby boys named Fonzie
• 1977 – 8 baby boys named Fonzie

That’s a grand total of 23 Fonz-inspired Fonzies.

P.S. The Happy Days opening theme song is far better than yesterday’s selection, don’t you think?