More WWI Names – Allenby, Joffre, Pershing, Tasker

The top debut names of 1918 were Foch and Marne, for French general Ferdinand Foch and the Second Battle of the Marne. Of course, Foch and Marne weren’t the only WWI-related baby names to debut during the 1910s. Here are four more:

Allenby

• 1918 – 6 baby boys named Allenby

Allenby, which made the SSA’s baby name list only once, comes from British Field Marshal Edmund Allenby (1861-1936). He was given command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in mid-1917.

Joffre

• 1914 – 6 baby boys named Joffre
• 1915 – 14 baby boys named Joffre
• 1916 – 16 baby boys named Joffre
• 1917 – 37 baby boys named Joffre
• 1918 – 35 baby boys named Joffre
• 1919 – 7 baby boys named Joffre
• 1920 – 6 baby boys named Joffre

Joffre, which debuted in 1914 and peaked in 1917, was inspired by French General Joseph Joffre (1852-1931). He was commander-in-chief of the French Army during World War I.

The SSDI tells me that two of those 1917 babies were named Joffre Pershing and Joffre Haig, and that another Joffre Pershing was born in 1918.

Pershing

• 1915 – 10 baby boys named Pershing
• 1916 – (fewer than 5)
• 1917 – 53 baby boys named Pershing [ranked 882nd]
• 1918 – 295 baby boys named Pershing [ranked 334th]
• 1919 – 103 baby boys named Pershing [ranked 595th]
• 1920 – 28 baby boys named Pershing

Pershing, which debuted in 1915 and peaked in 1918, was inspired by General John Pershing (1860-1948). He was the only person promoted to the highest rank in the U.S. Army — General of the Armies — during his lifetime (in 1919).

Tasker

• 1918 – 7 baby boys named Tasker
• 1919 – 8 baby boys named Tasker

Tasker, which has been on the list a total of three times, comes from General Tasker Bliss (1853-1930). He was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1917 to 1918.

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Not surprisingly, WWI names above fell out of favor after the early 1920s. But a few did reappear on the SSA’s list in the early ’40s (during WWII) — Pershing in 1940, Joffre and Tasker in 1942.