Where did the baby name Mazola come from in the 1910s?

Mazola newspaper ad, April 1918
Mazola newspaper ad, April 1918

Mazola, “the first cooking and salad oil made from corn,” was introduced to consumers in 1911. The brand name was based on the words “maize” and “oil.”

Mazola first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1919:

  • 1921: 11 baby girls named Mazola
  • 1920: 7 baby girls named Mazola
  • 1919: 8 baby girls named Mazola [debut]
  • 1918: unlisted
  • 1917: unlisted

Mazola marketing campaigns of the 1910s and 1920s no doubt played a part in this.

In fact, it looks like 1918 was the year that Mazola newspaper advertisements started to feature people — women in particular. Adding images of women could have been the very thing that prompted expectant parents to start seeing the brand name as a potential female name.

Earlier ads (like the one below) sometimes mentioned housewives, but didn’t offer the reader an image of one.

Mazola newspaper ad, December 1917
Mazola newspaper ad, December 1917

In 1918, in contrast, advertisements with images of housewives (and other people) were added to the mix. Some examples:

Mazola newspaper ad, June 1918
Mazola newspaper ad, June 1918

Mazola newspaper ad, May 1918
Mazola newspaper ad, May 1918

Mazola newspaper ad, July 1918
Mazola newspaper ad, July 1918

It’s not hard to imagine that the housewife in these ads was a lady named Mazola. Especially when you consider that -ola names (Viola, Leola, Enola, Ceola, Theola, etc.) sounded fashionable during the first half of the 20th century.

What are your thoughts on “Mazola” as a baby name?

Sources:

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