How popular is the baby name Delorean 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 Delorean.

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Popularity of the baby name Delorean


Posts that mention the name Delorean

Where did the baby name Capri come from in 1953?

1955 Lincoln Capri Sport Coupe
Lincoln Capri

The Italian island of Capri has been inhabited for millennia, but very few Americans were naming their babies Capri before Ford introduced the Lincoln Capri in the early 1950s:

  • 1955: 6 baby girls named Capri
  • 1954: 5 baby girls named Capri
  • 1953: 7 baby girls named Capri [debut]
  • 1952: unlisted
  • 1951: unlisted

The car was on the market from 1952 to 1959 and, as far as I can tell, it was the very first car-inspired baby name to appear in the data. Since then, many different cars have inspired baby names (e.g., Camry, DeLorean, Miata, Porsche).

These days the name Capri is given to close to 200 baby girls per year, which puts it pretty close to the top 1,000.

The origin of the island name “Capri” isn’t known for certain, but it could be derived from the ancient Greek word kapros, meaning “wild boar,” or from the Latin word capreae, meaning “goats.”

Do you like the name Capri? Would you use it for a baby girl?

Sources: Lincoln Capri – Wikipedia, SSA
Image: Adapted from a 1955 Lincoln Capri magazine ad

Where did the baby name Delorean come from in 1982?

DMC DeLorean with both doors open
DMC DeLorean

In 1982, the name Delorean double-debuted (for both genders!) in the U.S. baby name data:

Boys named DeloreanGirls named Delorean
19842610
1983239
19828*7*
1981..
1980..
*Debut

Why?

Because of the DMC DeLorean — a two-passenger sports car with gull-wing doors that was marketed to Americans starting in 1981. This explains the 1982 debut.

Another thing that happened in 1982, though, was that the DeLorean Motor Company went bankrupt. So the only car DMC ever brought to market was promptly taken off the market in 1983.

Just a couple of years later, the DMC DeLorean was immortalized (as a time machine!) in the massively popular ’80s movie Back to the Future (1985).

The DeLorean Motor Company was founded by engineer John DeLorean, whose father immigrated from Romania. The original family surname may have been Delureanu.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Delorean?

Image: Adapted from DeLorean DMC-12 with doors open by Kevin Abato under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Car names as baby names

Mazda Miata
Mazda Miata

Love cars? Here are some car-related names that have been used as baby names:

  • Allante, from Cadillac Allante.
  • Aston, from Aston Martin. Inspired by Aston Hill in England.
  • Audi, German manufacturer. The name is a Latin translation of Horch, surname of founder August Horch.
  • Avanti, from Studebaker Avanti. The word avanti means “forward” in Italian.
  • Bentley, British manufacturer. Named after founder W. O. Bentley.
  • Camry, from Toyota Camry. The name is based on kanmuri, which means “crown” in Japanese. (Here’s a baby Camryn, born inside a Camry.)
  • Capri, from Lincoln Capri.
  • Caprice, from Chevrolet Caprice. Named after a New York City restaurant.
  • Catera, from Cadillac Catera.
  • Celica, from Toyota Celica. The name is based on caelica, which means “celestial” in Latin.
  • Chevelle, from Chevrolet Chevelle.
  • Chevy, nickname for Chevrolet.
  • Cooper, from MINI Cooper. Named after auto racer John Cooper.
  • Cressida, from Toyota Cressida.
  • DeLorean, from DMC DeLorean.
  • Diamante, from Mitsubishi Diamante.
  • Dino, from Fiat Dino or Ferrari Dino. Both named after V6 engine designer Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari.
  • Dodge, a division of Chrysler. (I know of two babies named after Dodge pickup trucks specifically.)
  • Elantra, from Hyundai Elantra.
  • Elise, from Lotus Elise. Named after Elisa Artioli, granddaughter of Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli.
  • Elva, British manufacturer. The name is based on elle va, which means “she goes” in French.
  • Florian, from Isuzu Florian. Named after the fictional horse in Florian, the Emperor’s Stallion by Felix Salten.
  • Ford, American manufacturer. Named after founder Henry Ford. (I know of two babies named after Fords.)
  • Hudson, American manufacturer.
  • Jazz, from Honda Jazz.
  • Jeep, a division of Chrysler.
  • Jetta, from Volkswagen Jetta. The name is based on the phrase “jet stream.”
  • Jimmy, from GMC Jimmy.
  • Kia, South Korean manufacturer. (Here’s a baby Kia, born inside a Kia.)
  • Lexus, a division of Toyota. The name has no specific meaning, according to the company.
  • Lincoln, a division of Ford. Named after former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.
  • Martin, from Aston Martin. Named after founder Lionel Martin.
  • Mercedes, from Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. Named after Mercedes Jellinek, daughter of Austrian entrepreneur Emil Jellinek.
  • Miata, from Mazda Miata. Possibly means “reward” in Old High German.
  • Millenia, from Mazda Millenia.
  • Mondeo, from Ford Mondeo. The name is based on mundus, which means “world” in Latin.
  • Morgan, British manufacturer.
  • Porsche, German manufacturer. Named after founder Ferdinand Porsche.
  • Reatta, from Buick Reatta.
  • Renault, French manufacturer.
  • Royce, from Rolls-Royce. Named after founder Henry Royce.
  • Scion, a Toyota marque.
  • Shelby, from Shelby American. Named for founder Carroll Hall Shelby.
  • Torino, from Ford Torino.
  • Toyota, Japanese manufacturer. Named for founder Kiichiro Toyoda.
  • VW, short for Volkswagen.

Blog readers have also told me about babies named Riviera (after the Buick Riviera) and Axel (because of its similarity to the word axle).

Update, 2016 – Here’s a baby whose middle name, Megan, was inspired by a Renault Megane.

Know any babies that were named for automobiles?

[Psst! Were you looking for a post about giving a name to your car?]