How did “The Addams Family” influence baby names in the 1960s?

The Addams Family (l-r): Gomez, Wednesday, Uncle Fester, Morticia, Lurch, Grandmama, Pugsley
The Addams Family (l-r): Gomez, Wednesday, Uncle Fester, Morticia, Lurch, Grandmama, Pugsley

The characters in The Addams Family originated in single-panel newspaper cartoons drawn by Charles Addams in the late ’30s. They were all nameless until the darkly funny TV sitcom The Addams Family (1964-1966) came along and named them.

And so, thanks to the show, three brand-new baby names debuted in the U.S baby name data in the mid-1960s:

Wednesday

The name Wednesday appeared in 1965:

  • 1968: 14 baby girls named Wednesday
  • 1967: 15 baby girls named Wednesday
  • 1966: 22 baby girls named Wednesday
  • 1965: 15 baby girls named Wednesday [debut]
  • 1964: unlisted

This was inspired by somber 6-year-old Wednesday Addams (played by Lisa Loring). Her name was taken from “Wednesday’s child is full of woe” — a line in the nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child.”

Morticia

The name Morticia also appeared in 1965:

  • 1968: 5 baby girls named Morticia
  • 1967: unlisted
  • 1966: 7 baby girls named Morticia
  • 1965: 9 baby girls named Morticia [debut]
  • 1964: unlisted

The variant Marticia debuted that year as well.

This one was inspired by Addams family matriarch Morticia Addams (played by Carolyn Jones). Her name was clearly based on the Latin word mort, meaning “death,” and closely resembles the modern word mortician.

Addam

A third baby name that appeared in the data in 1965 was Addam:

  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: unlisted
  • 1966: unlisted
  • 1965: 6 baby boys named Addam [debut]
  • 1964: unlisted

It’s not technically “Addams,” but it’s close enough for us to assume it was inspired by the show. (The standard spelling, Adam, saw a spike in usage in 1964. I’m not sure if this was caused by the show, though.)

So here’s today’s question: which goth-girl name do you like more, Morticia or Maleficent?

Source: The Addams Family (TV series) – Wikipedia

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