How popular is the baby name Donivee 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 Donivee.

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Popularity of the baby name Donivee


Posts that mention the name Donivee

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

  • 2020: Jexi

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Apr. 2024]

Where did the baby name Donivee come from in 1942?

Actress Donivee Purkey
Actress Donivee Purkey

The curious name Donivee has appeared in the U.S. baby name data just once, in 1942:

  • 1944: unlisted
  • 1943: unlisted
  • 1942: 5 baby girls named Donivee [debut]
  • 1941: unlisted
  • 1940: unlisted

Where did this one-hit wonder baby name come from?

It was inspired by Donivee Purkey, an actress who gave Hollywood a shot in the early 1940s.

From mid-to-late 1941, 19-year-old Donivee Purkey of Texas was touted as a talented newcomer to motion pictures. A full-length image of “Pretty Purkey” was published in the newspapers in August; Hedda Hopper wrote about her in September; Ann Marsters told readers to “watch for a pretty girl named Donivee Purkey” in October.

Actress Donivee Purkey
“Pretty Purkey”

By the end of the year, Donivee Purkey’s name had changed twice: first to Laura Lee (or Lora Lee), then to Donivee Lee.

Despite all the hype and name-changing, though, Donivee Lee’s film career fizzled. Her first movie was supposed to be Cecil B. DeMille’s Reap the Wild Wind, but it’s not listed on her IMDb page. Out of the four movies listed, The Great Moment (1944) is the only one in which she played a credited role.

According to one source, Donivee ended up marrying a Hollywood executive. I’m guessing she stopped pursuing a film career at that point.

What are your thoughts on the name Donivee?

Sources:

P.S. Jinx, Gwili, and Sivi are three more forgotten Hollywood actresses who left their mark on the U.S. baby name charts.

Where did the baby name Gwili come from in 1932?

Actress Gwili Andre (1907-1959)
Gwili Andre

Here’s an unusual name I recently discovered in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1934: unlisted
  • 1933: 9 baby girls named Gwili
  • 1932: 10 baby girls named Gwili [debut]
  • 1931: unlisted
  • 1930: unliste

Gwili was only listed for 2 years before disappearing again.

The influence? Danish actress Gwili Andre (birth name: Gurli Andresen), who had a brief career in Hollywood.

U.S. movie studios were on the lookout for the next Greta Garbo, and many thought Gwili would fit the bill. Newspaper articles introducing her to readers in the early ’30s noted that Gwili was pronounced jee-lee.

Unfortunately, Gwili Andre’s career never really took off. She appeared in a string of B-movies until the early ’40s, then apparently stopped acting altogether. (One of her movies, Meet the Boyfriend, is available online if you want to check it out.)

P.S. Jinx, Sivi, and Donivee are three more forgotten Hollywood actresses who left their mark on U.S. baby names.