How popular is the baby name Bernice 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 Bernice.

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Popularity of the baby name Bernice


Posts that mention the name Bernice

Baby names with ICE: Icelynn, Vicente, Clarice

Ice (frozen water)
Ice (frozen water)

Looking for baby names that contain the word ICE?

If so, you’re in luck!

Because below you’ll find a long list of names that contain the letter sequence “i-c-e.” Most of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data.

  • Adelice
  • Aicen
  • Alice
  • Alicen
  • Altrice
  • Amice
  • Analice
  • Andice
  • Aniceta, Aniceto
  • Annice
  • Antrice
  • Ardice
  • Aricel
  • Ariceli
  • Aricela, Aricella
  • Arlice
  • Armistice
  • Arnice
  • Artice
  • Avice
  • Beatrice
  • Bellatrice
  • Berenice
  • Bernice, Burnice
  • Bicente
  • Boice
  • Brandice
  • Brenice
  • Brice
  • Briceida, Briceyda
  • Bricelyn, Bricelynn
  • Bricen
  • Briceton
  • Candice, Kandice
  • Cantrice
  • Caprice, Kaprice
  • Carice
  • Catrice, Katrice
  • Charlice
  • Choice
  • Cicel
  • Cicely, Sicely
  • Cicera, Cicero
  • Cirice
  • Clarice, Clairice
  • Cleatrice
  • Cloice
  • Clorice
  • Connice
  • Corrice
  • Curtice
  • Daiceon
  • Dalice
  • Danice
  • Darice
  • Darnice
  • Daurice
  • Deatrice
  • Delice
  • Deloice
  • Delorice
  • Demetrice
  • Denice, Dennice
  • Derice
  • Detrice
  • Dicey
  • Domicella
  • Donice, Donnice
  • Dorice
  • Edice
  • Elicena
  • Elicenda
  • Elice, Ellice
  • Eliceo
  • Eunice
  • Eurydice
  • Eustice
  • Fabrice
  • Farice
  • Felice
  • Floice
  • Florice
  • Gicel, Gicelle
  • Gicela
  • Gladice
  • Glenice, Glennice
  • Glorice
  • Gloricely
  • Glynice
  • Graice
  • Graicen
  • Gricel
  • Gricela
  • Gricelda
"Ice" (diamonds)
“Ice” (diamonds)
  • Ice
  • Icel
  • Icela
  • Iceland
  • Icelene, Icelean
  • Icelyn, Icelynn
  • Iceola
  • Ices, Icess, Iceis, Icesis
  • Icey

…And, for those of you who are primarily interested in names that start with ICE, here are some extra ideas (gleaned from U.S. vital records, censuses, etc.):

Icea, Iceal, Icealene, Icealia, Iceda, Icedra, Icedoria, Icee, Icelane, Icele, Icelea, Icelee, Iceleen, Icelena, Icelenn, Iceletta, Icelia, Icelin, Iceline, Icella, Icelle, Icelo, Icelona, Icelya, Icema, Icen, Icena, Icenia, Icenora, Icepearl, Icerene, Icerica, Icerine, Icerra, Icesa, Icesse, Icetta, Icette, Icevilla, Icevinda

Now, back to the list…

  • Jaice
  • Jaicee, Jaicey
  • Jaicen
  • Jaiceon
  • Jaicere
  • Jalice
  • Jamice
  • Janice, Jannice
  • Jaurice
  • Jenice, Genice
  • Jicela
  • Joice
  • Justice
  • Kaice
  • Kaicee, Kaicey
  • Kaicen
  • Kalice, Calice
  • Kennice
  • Kentrice
  • Laicee, Laicey
  • Lanice
  • Laodice
  • Laodicea
  • Larice
  • Larnice
  • Laurice
  • Latrice
  • Leatrice
  • Lenice, Lennice
  • Letrice
  • Liceria, Licerio
  • Licet, Licette
  • Loice
  • Lorice
  • Lovice
  • Lynice
  • Madicella
  • Maicee, Maicey
  • Marice
  • Maricel
  • Maricela, Maricella
  • Maricelda
  • Markice, Marquice
  • Marnice
  • Martice
  • Marticela
  • Martrice
  • Maurice, Morice, Mourice
  • Mauriceo
  • Mellicent
  • Mertice
  • Millicent, Milicent
  • Monice
  • Montrice
  • Myrtice
  • Odice
  • Olice, Ollice
  • Onice
  • Orice
  • Ottice
  • Patrice
  • Petrice
  • Prentice
  • Price
  • Pricella
  • Quanice
  • Rejoice
  • Rice
  • Ronice, Ronnice
  • Rosicela
  • Rubicela
  • Salice
  • Salvatrice
  • Santrice
  • Shalice, Chalice
  • Shanice, Chanice
  • Shandice, Chandice
  • Shantrice, Chantrice
  • Sharice, Charice
  • Sharnice, Charnice
  • Shatrice, Chatrice
  • Shaunice, Shawnice, Seanice
  • Shauntrice, Shawntrice
  • Shaurice, Chaurice
  • Shelice
  • Shenice, Chenice
  • Sherice, Sherrice, Cherice, Cherrice
  • Shonice
  • Shontrice
  • Shynice
  • Solstice
  • Tandice
  • Tanice
  • Taurice
  • Tenice
  • Terice, Terrice
  • Tice
  • Ticey
  • Tonice
  • Traice
  • Trenice
  • Trice
  • Tyrice
  • Ulices
  • Valice
  • Vanice
  • Venice
  • Verenice
  • Vernice
  • Veronice
  • Vetrice
  • Viatrice
  • Vice
  • Vicenta
  • Vicente
  • Vicey
  • Vonice
  • Vontrice
  • Wallice
  • Yanice
  • Yaricelis
  • Yicel

Some of the above are non-traditional spellings of more common names, such as Araceli, Demetrius, Isis, and Wallace.

Which ICE name do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Two more names that have an association with ice — “ice” as in the slang term for diamonds (as opposed to the solid state of water) — are Eliantte and Avianne.

Sources: SSA, FamilySearch.org

Images:

Maine family with 22 Children

kinderfest

Charles and Effie Dickey of Maine married in 1881 and went on to welcome 22 children — 14 girls, 8 boys — from the 1880s until the 1910s.

Here are the names of all the kids:

  1. Emma Mae (b. 1882)
  2. Ada Alice (b. 1883)
  3. Arthur Earness (b. 1884)
  4. Everlena Maude (b. 1885)
  5. Fannie Blossom (b. 1886)
  6. Nina Eudora (b. 1887)
  7. George Elwin (b. 1888)
  8. Fay Edna (b. 1889)
  9. Everett Onward (b. 1890)
  10. Merritt Carnot (b. 1891)
  11. Lema Inez (b. 1894)
  12. Margaret Ellen (b. 1896)
  13. Charles Loring (b. 1897)
  14. Effie Etta (b. 1898)
  15. Mildred Hortense (b. 1900)
  16. Ivan Thomas Nye (b. 1901)
  17. Floyd Merton (b. 1903)
  18. Arline Beatrice (b. 1904)
  19. Theodore Rayden (b. 1906)
    • Middle name could be Royden.
  20. Jessie Alberta (b. 1908)
  21. Ila Pearl (b. 1909)
  22. Hilda Bernice (b. 1911)

I think it’s funny that they decided to name two of the children after themselves only after already having a dozen. Maybe they were running out of ideas at that point. :)

Which of the above is your favorite? (I’d have to go with #8’s middle, “Onward.” What an interesting choice.)

Sources: Descendants of 22 siblings plan Maine reunion, Effie Etta Estes Dickey (1866-1950) – Find a Grave

Where did the baby name L’Tanya come from in the late 1940s?

Fashion designer L'Tanya Griffin with her daughter, also named L'Tanya.
L’Tanya Griffin (with daughter L’Tanya)

In the late ’40s, long before the name Tanya (a diminutive of Tatiana) reached peak trendiness in the ’70s, some specific Tanya-based names started debuting:

Girls named LatanyaGirls named LatoniaGirls named Ltanya
1955671032
195431922
195324811
19521265
195198.
195013.5
19497.9*
194866.
19477*5*.
1946...
*Debut

Latanya and Latonia first appeared in ’47. Ltanya followed in ’49. Latonya popped up in 1951, and other variants appeared later, including the intriguing LaTanga.

What influenced the usage of these names?

My guess is Hollywood-based African-American fashion designer L’Tanya Griffin.

She started to become famous during the second half of the ’40s. Her name began appearing newspapers around 1946, and it was often spelled “LaTanya” and “La Tanya.” (Her birth name was Julia Bernice Hilbert, incidentally.)

In mid-1949, a specific event made L’Tanya Griffin front-page news: Her estranged husband Earl tried to assault her with a beer can full of lye at racetrack in Atlantic City. She was uninjured, but her friend Marshall Miles (former manager of boxer Joe Louis) and several other people suffered first degree burns. Worst off was Earl himself, as the lye had splashed back into his face. It got into his eyes and blinded him (not permanently, turns out).

L’Tanya was at the height of her fashion-fame during the 1950s. She was even on the cover of Jet in mid-1954. The magazine sometimes ran pictures of her young daughter L’Tanya as well.

I’m not sure what became of L’Tanya Griffin after her fame waned in the ’60s, but I did discover that one of the babies named “LaTanya” in 1949 was none other than Samuel L. Jackson’s wife LaTanya Richardson.

Do you like the name L’Tanya?

Sources:

  • “Acid Toss by Hubby Backfires.” New York Age 20 Aug. 1949: 1.
  • “Fashions by L’Tanya” Ebony Aug. 1947: 24.
  • Kirkham, Pat and Shauna Stallworth. “”Three Strikes Against Me”: African American Women Designers.” Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference, ed. by Pat Kirkham, The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, 2000, pp. 123-144.
  • LaTanya Martinique, Los Angeles, California, ca. 1945
  • “Lye Hurled at Pretty Designer.” Pittsburgh Courier 20 Aug. 1949: 1.

Image: © 1954 Jet

What turned Taffy into a baby name in 1943?

The character Taffy Tucker from the comic strip "Terry and the Pirates" (1934-1973)
Taffy Tucker

Taffy isn’t just a type of candy — it’s also a name, and it debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1943:

  • 1947: 12 baby girls named Taffy
  • 1946: 6 baby girls named Taffy
  • 1945: unlisted
  • 1944: 5 baby girls named Taffy
  • 1943: 6 baby girls named Taffy [debut]
  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: unlisted

Why?

Because of Taffy Tucker, a new character introduced in the Terry and the Pirates comic strip during 1942.

Titular character Terry Lee joined the military in 1942, and there he met new people, including Taffy Tucker, an Army nurse, and Flip Corkin, an Army flight instructor (who was also Taffy’s boyfriend).

Taffy Tucker was a “spunky, dedicated nurse, hardworking and tireless, cheerful and caring and always feminine.”

At one point in the storyline, Taffy was kidnapped by a Japanese agent. She was beaten and left for dead in the interior of China. Thankfully, she was eventually rescued by Terry and Flip.

It took cartoonist Milton Caniff about three months to create the character:

[He] spent several days just worrying about a name for Taffy. Since he visualized her as a pert, snub-nosed girl from Georgia, he wanted a name with a typically Old South sound. He finally settled on Guinevere Marianne Tucker, nicknamed Taffy because of her candy-colored hair. She had to be short, because she was scheduled to fall in love with Flip Corkin, who is short, and she had to be blond [sic] for contrast with Flip, who is dark.

Caniff had modeled Taffy after a photo of real-life WWII military nurse Bernice Taylor of Kansas.

What do you think of Taffy as a baby name?

P.S. The name Taffy got a slight boost around 1949 thanks to the film The Doctor and the Girl, in which the young Dr. Corday has a love interest named Evelyn “Taffy” Heldon who operates a taffy machine in a candy store.

P.P.S. Other Terry and the Pirates-inspired baby names include Normandie, Merrily, and Raven.

Sources:

Image: Cover of Terry and the Pirates trade paperback #18 (published by Flying Buttress)