Where did the baby name Gorizia come from in 1915?

The interesting name Gorizia was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in the middle of the 1910s:

  • 1917: unlisted
  • 1916: unlisted
  • 1915: 5 baby girls named Gorizia [debut]
  • 1914: unlisted
  • 1913: unlisted

Where did it come from?

The European town of Gorizia, which, though located in northern Italy, has a Slovenian name (meaning “little hill”). Americans began hearing a lot about Gorizia starting in mid-1915.

After Italy entered World War I in the spring of 1915, the Italian and Austrian-Hungarian armies began engaging in what would become a series of battles that lasted from June of 1915 until November of 1917. Italy’s initial objective was to cross the Isonzo River and take the town of Gorizia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. During the sixth battle (in August of 1916), Italy finally managed to capture Gorizia.

Though the Italians were routed during the final battle (a.k.a., “the greatest defeat in Italian military history”), in 1919, after the war was over, the Italian government annexed the regions they had previously captured.

What do you think of Gorizia as a baby name?

Source: Gorizia – Wikipedia, Gorizia – Lonely Planet, Battle of Caporetto – Wikipedia

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.