We’ve seen some interesting baby names (e.g., Covid, Lockdown, Sanitizer) emerge in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But, so far, I haven’t heard of anyone intentionally giving their baby the name Rona — the Internet’s nickname for the disease.
The slang term Rona can now be found all over the place, from tweets (#rona) to memes (The Rona) to newspaper headlines (The ‘Rona is a Drag). Lots of people are using Rona as a search term. Here’s how Bustle.com described Rona:
Miss Rona, Aunt Rona, the Rona: these are all terms used to personify the virus as a villain who does not play around. “Rona is often used as a playful or ironic way to refer to COVID-19, especially when commenting on more relatable, humorous challenges of social distancing during the pandemic,” says Dictionary.com.
The jokey usage of Rona distances it somewhat from the gravity of the coronavirus situation. Couple this with the fact that repeated exposure to something often leads to a stronger preference for that thing, and I have to wonder: Will the baby name Rona see an uptick in usage in 2020?
These days, roughly two dozen baby girls per year in the U.S. get the name Rona:
- 2018: 24 baby girls named Rona
- 2017: 30 baby girls named Rona
- 2016: 27 baby girls named Rona
- 2015: 26 baby girls named Rona
- 2014: 21 baby girls named Rona
How many baby girls, do you think, will be named Rona in 2020?
Update, 5/2022: Rona was one of the fastest-falling girl names of 2021…
Sources: Coronavirus Slang Is The New Language Of The Internet, Mere-Exposure Effect – APA Dictionary of Psychology
Spotted a baby named Rona in the news today! Wasn’t a human, though — it was an alpaca. :) Here’s the article: Alpaca Loom welcomes baby Rona.