In 1992, mayonnaise maker Hellmann’s added Dijon mustard to the mix (literally!) by adding Dijonnaise to their product line.
They introduced/marketed the new condiment with the following TV commercial:
(That catchy “Dij, Dij, Dij, Dij-onn-aise” ditty is set to the tune of “Duke of Earl.”)
Expectant parents must have either loved the Dijonnaise or loved the commercial (perhaps both?) because here’s what happened next:
- 1996: unlisted
- 1995: 5 baby girls named Dijonnaise
- 1994: unlisted
- 1993: 23 baby girls named Dijonnaise [debut]
- 1992: unlisted
Yup, nearly two dozen babies named Dijonnaise in 1993. And five more a couple of years later.
Conclusion? At least 28 baby girls born in the U.S. in the mid-1990s were named after Hellmann’s Dijonnaise.
(It should be noted, though, that the sound of the word Dijonnaise was relatively trendy at the time. Three of the names that debuted on the charts the year before, for instance, were Dijonnae, Daijanae and Dajonae.)
Source: About – Hellmann’s