How popular is the baby name Betty in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Betty.
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My guess is female jockey and trick rider Ardoth Schneider.
She’d been winning races since the late 1920s, so her name — often misspelled “Ardath” — had been mentioned in the newspapers before.
But 1933 was the year she was declared Sweetheart of California Rodeo:
While thousands cheered themselves hoarse at the western arena [in Salinas] this afternoon as the spectacular 22nd annual rodeo got under way, the 1933 Sweetheart crown was placed over the lustrous, black locks of winsome Ardoth Schneider, 23, of Long Beach.
Following the win, various photos of Ardoth — typically astride or beside a horse — began popping up in the newspapers. And I think the photos (as opposed to the mere mentions) are what made the difference.
As the new “Sweetheart,” she went on a tour of Panama, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador with a letter of introduction from President Roosevelt that described her as California’s “finest outdoor girl.”
What are your thoughts on the name Ardoth? Would you use it for a modern-day baby?
Sources:
“The Fair Sex in a New Field.” Cincinnati Enquirer 1 Apr. 1928: 110.
“Favorite of Rodeos.” Oakland Tribune 24 Sept. 1933: 57.
“Girl Student Rise to Tijuana Triumph.” New York Times 12 Mar. 1928: 25.
“Long Beach Girl Wins Sweetheart of Rodeo Honors.” Santa Cruz Sentinel 22 Jul. 1933: 3.
P.S. For several months in the winter of 1928, Ardoth was in Japan performing for the coronation of Emperor Hirohito. Twice a day, she jumped her Shetland pony Betty off a 40-foot platform into a pool of water “to entertain the enthusiastic Japanese crowds.”
P.P.S. Tuesdee is another female jockey-inspired baby name I discovered in the data.
On the hunt for a rare girl name with a retro feel?
Here’s a long list of uncommon female F-names associated with early cinema (1900s-1940s). Each of the names below is either a character name or an actress name from that era. For those names that have seen enough usage to appear in the SSA data, I’ve included links to the popularity graphs.
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Fabienne
Fabienne was a character name in multiple films, including Fazil (1928) and The Doctor and the Girl (1949).
Usage of the baby name Fabienne (which debuted in the data in 1949).
Fadette
Fadette was a character name in multiple films, including Fanchon, the Cricket (1915) and The Inner Chamber (1915).
Faire
Faire Binney was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1950s. She was born in New Jersey in 1900. Her birth name was Frederica Gertrude Binney. Faire was also a character played by actress Frances Dade in the film The She-Wolf (1931).
Falfi
Falfi Tumble was a character played by actress Marjorie Daw in the film Fear-Bound (1925).
Faline Faline was an animated character in the film Bambi (1942).
Usage of the baby name Faline (which debuted in the data in 1943).
Fanchette
Fanchette was a character name in multiple films, including A Million a Minute (1916) and The Daring of Diana (1916).
Fanchon
Fanchon was a character name in multiple films, including Fanchon, the Cricket (1915) and The Clown (1927).
Fanette
Fanette was a character name in multiple films, including Money Mad (1918) and A Gamble with Hearts (1923).
Fania
Fania Marinoff was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Russia (now Ukraine) in 1890. Fania was also a character name in multiple films, including When a Girl Loves (1924) and The Yellow Ticket (1931).
Fauvette
Fauvette was a character played by actress Elsie Ferguson in the film His Parisian Wife (1919).
Fay
Fay Tincher was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Kansas in 1884. Fay Bainter was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. She was born in California in 1893. Fay Wray (of King Kong fame) was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1950s. She was born in Canada in 1907. Her birth name was Vina Fay Wray. Fay was also a character name in multiple films, including The Rainbow Trail (1925) and Stage Kisses (1927).
Fieda
Fieda Druse was a character played by actress Ann Little in the film The World for Sale (1918).
Fifi
Fifi D’Orsay was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1960s. She was born in Canada in 1904. Her birth name was Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier. Fifi was also a character name in multiple films, including The Blackbird (1926) and While Paris Sleeps (1932).
Filina
Filina was a character played by various actresses (such as Blanche Cornwall and Clara Beyers) in various movies called Mignon, all based on the 1866 opera of the same name.
Filomena
Filomena was a character played by actress Rafaela Ottiano in the film All Men Are Enemies (1934).
Fioretta
Fioretta was a character name in multiple films, including The Conspiracy of the Crazy (1941) and Song of Scheherazade (1947).
Flametta
Flametta was a character played by actress Marion Leonard in the short film The Duke’s Plan (1910).
Flavia
Flavia Arcaro was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Texas in 1876. Flavia was also a character name in multiple films, including Ponjola (1923) and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937).
Florelle
Florelle was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1950s. She was born in France in 1898. Her birth name was Odette Elisa Joséphine Marguerite Rousseau.
Florentine
Florentine Fair was a character played by actress Cleo Madison in the film The Lure of Youth (1921).
Florianne
Florianne was a character played by various actresses (such as Mary Thurman and Genevieve Tobin) in various movies called Zaza, all based on the 1898 play of the same name.
Florida
Florida Kingsley was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Florida in 1867. Florida was also a character played by actress Maude George in the film The Frame-Up (1915).
Florine
Florine Hanna was an actress who appeared in 1 film in 1916. She was born in Kentucky in 1883. Florine was also a character name in multiple films, including The Rose of Paris (1924) and Broadway Babies (1929).
Fredi
Fredi Washington was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1930s. She was born in Georgia in 1903. Her birth name was Fredericka Carolyn Washington.
Frieda
Frieda Inescort was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. She was born in Scotland in 1901. Frieda was also a character played by actress Evelyn Brent in the film Spy Train (1943).
Fritzi
Fritzi Massary was an actress who appeared in films from the 1900s to the 1920s. She was born in Austria-Hungary (now Austria) in 1882. Her birth name was Friederike Massaryk. Fritzi Brunette was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1940s. She was born in Georgia in 1890. Her birth name was Florence Brunet. Fritzi Ridgeway was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Montana in 1898. Fritzi was also a character name in multiple films, including Broadway Arizona (1917) and One Heavenly Night (1931).
Gail Gail Kane was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1887. Her birth name was Abigail Kane. Gail Patrick was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1930s. She was born in Alabama in 1911. Her birth name was Margaret LaVelle Fitzpatrick. Gail was also a character name in multiple films, including Dangerous (1935) and Woman Doctor (1939).
Garda Garda Sloane was a character played by various actresses (Florence Rice, Rosalind Russell, Ann Sothern) in various late-1930s mystery movies (Fast Company, Fast and Loose, Fast and Furious) written by Harry Kurnitz.
Gerda Gerda Holmes was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Illinois in 1892. Gerda was also a character name in multiple films, including Three Sinners (1928) and Babies for Sale (1940).
Germaine Germaine De Neel was an actress who appeared in films in the 1930s. She was born in Canada in 1911. Germaine was also a character name in multiple films, including Evening Clothes (1927) and The Great Garrick (1937).
Gertrude Gertrude McCoy was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Georgia in 1890. Gertrude Robinson was an actress who appeared in films from the 1900s to the 1920s. She was born in New York in 1890. Gertrude was also a character name in multiple films, such as Coming-Out Party (1934).
Gigi Gigi Perreau was an actress who appeared from the 1940s to the 2010s. She was born in France in 1941. Her birth name was Ghislaine Elizabeth Marie Thérèse Perreau-Saussine.
Ginna Ginna was a character played by actress Eve Arden in the film My Reputation (1946).
Usage of the baby name Ginna (which debuted in the data in 1947).
Ginny Ginny Simms was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1950s. She was born in Texas in 1913. Her birth name was Virginia Ellen Simms. Ginny was also a character played by actress Luana Patten in the film Song of the South (1946).
Glad Glad was a character played by various actresses (such as Mary Pickford and Jacqueline Logan) in various movies called The Dawn of a Tomorrow, all based on the novella of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Glenda Glenda Farrell was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was born in Oklahoma in 1901. Glenda was also a character name in multiple films, including TheWhite Parade (1934) and Down Argentine Way (1940).
Gonda Gonda was a character played by actress Belle Bennett in the film Ashes of Hope (1917).
Googie Googie Withers was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1990s. She was born in British India (now Pakistan) in 1917. Her birth name was Georgette Lizette Withers.
Gora Gora Dwight was a character played by actress Clarissa Selwynne in the film Black Oxen (1923).
Goytia Goytia was a character played by actress Lottice Howell in the film In Gay Madrid (1930).
Granella Granella was a character played by actress Malvina Longfellow in the film The Wandering Jew (1923).
Gratia Gratia Latham was a character played by actress Pearl White in the film A Virgin Paradise (1921).
Gwennie Gwennie Lyne was a character played by actress Julia Swayne Gordon in the film The Maelstrom (1917).
Gwenny Gwenny Miller was a character played by actress June Lang in the film Too Many Women (1942).
Gwili Gwili Andre was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1940s. She was born in Denmark in 1908. Her birth name was Gurli Andresen.
Usage of the baby name Gwili (which debuted the year Andre’s first film came out).
Gwyn Gwyn Allen was a character played by actress Arline Judge in the film Smith of Minnesota (1942).
Gypsy Gypsy Abbott was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Georgia in 1897. Gypsy Rose Lee was an actress who appeared in films in the 1930s to the 1960s. She was born in Washington in 1911. Her birth name was Rose Louise Hovick. Gypsy was also a character played by actress Evelyn Brent in the film Bowery Champs (1944).
Just remember that the SSA data doesn’t become very accurate until the mid-to-late 20th century, so many of the numbers below don’t reflect reality all that well.
Same format as usual: Girl names on the left, boy names on the right. Numbers represent single-year decreases in usage. From 1880 to 1881, for instance, usage of the girl name Mary dropped by 146 babies and usage of the boy name William dropped by 1,008 babies.
I’ve already written about some of the names above (click the links to see the posts) and will write about others in the future. In the meanwhile, feel free to beat me to it! Comment below with the backstory on the fall of Shirley in the late ’30s, Linda in the early ’50s, etc.
A couple of months ago, we looked at a long, year-by-year list of the top baby name rises. A month after that, we saw the corresponding list of top drops.
On that second post, Frank B. left a comment in which he asked about absolute rises and drops — because the lists only covered relative movement within the data. So I thought two more posts were in order: top raw-number rises, and top raw-number drops.
We’ll start with the rises again. Just keep in mind that the SSA numbers don’t become very accurate until the mid-to-late 20th century, so many of the numbers below don’t quite reflect reality.
Here’s the format: Girl names are on the left, boy names are on the right, and the numbers represent single-year rises in usage. From 1880 to 1881, for instance, the usage of the girl name Ethel increased by 155 babies and the usage of the boy name Chester increased by 106 babies.
Some of these names I’ve written about already, and others I plan to write about in the future. If you can give explanations for any of those others right now, though, feel free! Just leave a comment…
On the hunt for a rare girl name with a retro feel?
Looking for an uncommon girl name with a retro feel?
