Where did the baby name Nedda come from in 1919?

Actress Barbara Castleton, who played Nedda in the movie "Heredity" (1918)
Barbara Castleton

The rare name Nedda first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1919:

  • 1921: unlisted
  • 1920: unlisted
  • 1919: 6 baby girls named Nedda [debut]
  • 1918: unlisted
  • 1917: unlisted

Why?

My guess is a silent film.

The movie Heredity, which came out in August of 1918, featured a main character named Nedda Trevor. She was played primarily by actress Barbara Castleton. (The child-version of Nedda was played by Madge Evans.)

The film is now lost, but, according to one contemporary description, Nedda was

…a descendant of a famous family who, in the time of Charles the First, had rendered a great service to this monarch and were accorded signal honors. Reverses having overtaken the Trevors, Nedda is compelled to seek employment in a factory. She charms the son of the millionaire owner of the plant, but will not marry him because of the difference in their financial standing. Her mother is mysteriously murdered and through circumstantial evidence she is arrested for the crime. The story is dramatic and forceful and full of surprises.

The story (originally entitled “The Blood of the Trevors”) was written by Maravene Thompson.

The Italian name Nedda is a diminutive of Antonietta (which itself is a diminutive of Antonia). What are your thoughts on the name?

Sources:

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