How popular is the baby name Al in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Al.

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Popularity of the baby name Al


Posts that mention the name Al

What gave the baby name Avalon a boost in 1921?

Sheet music for the song "Avalon" (1920)
“Avalon” sheet music

Avalon began as a legendary Arthurian island. It was first mentioned in the early 12th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who may have derived the name from the Welsh word afal, meaning “apple.”

By the late 1800s, Avalon was seeing regular (if rare) usage as a baby name in the U.S., probably thanks to Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King — a series of Arthurian poems published from 1859 to 1885.

These poems also influenced real estate developer George Shatto to use the name “Avalon” for the Catalina Island resort town he was building in the late 1880s.

California’s Avalon became a popular vacation destination for the Hollywood film community during the early 1900s, and in 1920 the town (and the name) were featured in a song called “Avalon,” written for entertainer Al Jolson.

Here’s the chorus:

I found my love in Avalon
Beside the bay
I left my love in Avalon
And sailed away
I dream of her and Avalon
From dusk ’til dawn
And so I think I’ll travel on
To Avalon

Al Jolson’s rendition of “Avalon” became one of the top songs in America in early 1921.

Not surprisingly, the baby name Avalon saw a spike in usage the same year:

  • 1923: 22 baby girls named Avalon
  • 1922: 23 baby girls named Avalon
  • 1921: 43 baby girls named Avalon
  • 1920: 11 baby girls named Avalon
  • 1919: unlisted

You can see a similar spike in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) data:

  • 1923: 17 people with the first name Avalon
  • 1922: 17 people with the first name Avalon
  • 1921: 36 people with the first name Avalon
  • 1920: 10 people with the first name Avalon
  • 1919: 3 people with the first name Avalon

After the 1920s, the usage of Avalon as a baby name tapered off. In fact, the name wasn’t in the SSA data at all during the ’60s and ’70s.

But it popped up again in 1982. The influence was probably the 1982 Roxy Music album Avalon, which included a song called “Avalon” (video). A slightly later influence was no doubt Marion Zimmer Bradley’s 1983 fantasy novel The Mists of Avalon. (The name of the lead character, Morgaine, debuted in the data in 1984.)

The usage of Avalon has been steadily rising ever since, though the name has yet to hit the top 1,000.

What do you think of the baby name Avalon?

P.S. One of the pre-1921 Avalons was a baby girl born in late 1903 to Mr. and Mrs. Goslin of Maryland. She was born aboard the Chesapeake Bay paddle steamer Avalon. Sadly, Avalon Goslin died of pneumonia in 1918 — just a few years before the song “Avalon” became famous.

P.P.S. Another top song from around this time was Dardanella.

Sources:

Where did the baby name Toosdhi come from in 1969?

The character Toosdhi from an episode of the TV series "It Takes a Thief" (1968).
Toosdhi from “It Takes a Thief”

The baby name Toosdhi first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1969:

  • 1973: unlisted
  • 1972: 7 baby girls named Toosdhi
  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: 5 baby girls named Toosdhi [debut]
  • 1968: unlisted

Where did it come from?

It’s not a variant of Tuesdee, which happened to debut the same year.

Instead, Toosdhi is one of the dozens of baby names that debuted thanks to minor television characters (e.g., Ibe, Alethea).

In Toosdhi’s case, the character was featured on a single episode of the action-adventure TV series It Takes a Thief (1968-1970).

The characters Toosdhi and Alexander from "It Takes a Thief" (1968-1970)
Toosdhi and Alexander from “It Takes a Thief”

In “To Catch a Roaring Lion,” which first aired on the very last day of 1968, main character Alexander Mundy (played by Robert Wagner) is sent to the fictional African country of Zambutiko to recover a set of ancient scrolls. In Zambutiko, Mundy meets Toosdhi Mboto (played by Denise Nicholas). After introducing herself, Toosdhi spells out her unique name:

“I’m Toosdhi.”

“Well, this is the first time that Monday’s ever going to follow Tuesday.”

“As with your name, it’s spelled differently. T-o-o-s-d-h-i. Toosdhi Mboto. My identification.”

“I don’t think I can read this out here, the sun is so bright. Why don’t we go to some dark spot, with rum in it.”

“I will be your personal guide while you’re here, Mr. Mundy.”

“You can call me Al.”

The name made a second appearance on the national list in the early ’70s, likely because of reruns, but hasn’t been back since.

What are your thoughts on the name Toosdhi?

P.S. From 1969 to 1974, Denise Nicholas played the part of a high school guidance counselor on the TV series Room 222.

Sources: “To Catch a Roaring Lion,” It Takes a Thief – IMDb, SSA
Images: Screenshots of It Takes a Thief

Where did the baby name Lash come from in 1948?

The actor/character Lash LaRue in the movie "Son of a Bad Man" (1949).
Lash LaRue in “Son of a Bad Man“

The curious name Lash first appeared in the U.S. baby name data (as a boy name) in 1948:

  • 1953: 11 baby boys named Lash
  • 1952: 9 baby boys named Lash
  • 1951: 8 baby boys named Lash
  • 1950: unlisted
  • 1949: 6 baby boys named Lash
  • 1948: 5 baby boys named Lash [debut]
  • 1947: unlisted
  • 1946: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Either of two related things: actor Alfred “Lash” LaRue, who starred in dozens of B-Westerns in the late 1940s and early 1950s, or one of the characters he portrayed — the similarly named Lash LaRue. The character was featured in a series of eleven “Lash LaRue” movies released from 1948 to 1952.

The actor/character Lash LaRue in the movie "Son of a Bad Man" (1949).
Lash LaRue in “Son of a Bad Man“

LaRue, who bore a strong resemblance to Humphrey Bogart, got the nickname “Lash” from his use of an 18-foot bullwhip. He learned how to wield it in preparation for an earlier movie role as the Cheyenne Kid. It became his signature prop/weapon thereafter. (At the time, movie cowboys either used revolvers or fought with their fists.)

He was glad to be rid of the nickname “Al”:

“I never liked ‘Al,’ ” he says. “When I sold newspapers on the streets, every fat-bellied, tobacco-spitting character was named ‘Al’ or ‘Big Al.’ That wasn’t for me.”

The character was popular enough to be featured in a series of Lash LaRue comic books, sold from 1949 until 1961. “His comic books were immensely popular, with each selling at least a million copies.”

What are your thoughts on the baby name Lash?

Sources:

Baby name story: Alpacino

Actor Al Pacino in the late 1970s.
Al Pacino

Alpacino Beauchamp, a primary school teacher from Ohio, had this to say about his first name in a 2002 University of Cincinnati interview:

All of my mom’s sisters have different stories, but the one I’ve told all these years is from an aunt who said my mom was in the hospital to have me, she was watching TV, and the movie, Saturday Night Fever was on. I’ve never seen the movie myself, but apparently, there’s a scene where John Travolta is singing in the mirror, and he keeps repeating Al Pacino’s name really fast, so it sounds like it’s one name. So then in the hospital, my mom goes, ‘That sounds cool, I think I’m going to name my son that,’ and her doctor says, ‘Yeah, funny, so what do you really want on the birth certificate?’ Alpacino’s on the birth certificate, so that’s my name.

Alpacino was born in the early 1980s — about a decade after the first Godfather movie earned the real Al Pacino (born Alfredo James Pacino) an Academy Award nomination.