Where did the baby name Tawn come from in 1948?

advertisement for tawn men's toiletries, late 1940s
© 1947 Life

The baby name Tawn debuted as a girl name in the U.S. baby name data in 1948:

  • 1950: unlisted
  • 1949: 6 baby girls named Tawn
  • 1948: 12 baby girls named Tawn
  • 1947: unlisted
  • 1946: unlisted

The name Dawn no doubt paved the way for Tawn, but I think this relatively high debut in 1948 can be attributed to something even more specific: an ad campaign for a new line of men’s grooming products sold under the brand name Tawn.

The line included shampoo, hair dressing, cologne deodorant, talc, brushless shave, and after-shave lotion. Each item could be purchased individually or as part of either a gift-set or a men’s travel kit.

Tawn Lotion had existed as a standalone product since at least the early 1940s. McKesson-Robbins, Inc., bought the product in 1942, developed a line of Tawn products around it, then introduced the line in 1947 via ads in several national magazines (Life, Look, Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post).

Tawn after-shave lotion, for men who get around!
© 1947 Life

…I usually don’t include two images of the same thing in a post, but the tagline “For men who get around!” was too good to skip. :)

So what are your thoughts on the baby name Tawn? Would you use it?

Source: “Tawn Comes of Age.” Glass Packer Mar. 1947: 193.

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