How popular is the baby name Fitzsimmons 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 Fitzsimmons.

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Popularity of the baby name Fitzsimmons


Posts that mention the name Fitzsimmons

Where did the baby name Corbett come from in 1892?

Boxer James Corbett (1866-1933)
James Corbett

One of the most impressive baby name debuts of the late 19th century was Corbett, which first popped up in the U.S. baby name data in 1892.

Corbett was the highest debut until 1898 rolled around with the names Manilla, Hobson, and Admiral — all inspired by the Spanish-American War.

According to the SSA’s data, at least 23 baby boys were named Corbett in 1892:

  • 1894: 20 baby boys named Corbett
  • 1893: 15 baby boys named Corbett
  • 1892: 23 baby boys named Corbett [debut]
  • 1891: unlisted
  • 1890: unlisted

But the actual number was much higher. The Social Security Death Index indicates that at least 59 people named Corbett were born in 1892:

  • 1894: 67 people named Corbett
  • 1893: 49 people named Corbett
  • 1892: 59 people named Corbett
  • 1891: 5 people named Corbett
  • 1890: 3 people named Corbett

So, what gave Corbett a boost that year?

Sports!

In September of 1892, boxer James “Gentleman Jim” Corbett defeated John L. Sullivan to win the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Even if he hadn’t won, the press leading up to the match would have popularized the name enough for it to make a splash. More than half of those baby Corbetts — 31 out of 59 — were born before the match even took place.

(That said, many babies born in those days were not named immediately after birth. So no doubt a portion of the early Corbetts were actually nameless until the day of the event.)

Usage of the name increased again in 1894, which is the year Corbett defended his title against boxer Charley Mitchell.

Jim Corbett ultimately lost the title in 1897, to Bob Fitzsimmons.

(Sullivan, Corbett and Fitzsimmons are the first three middle names of the girl with 25 heavyweight boxing champion-inspired middle names.)

So what does the English surname Corbett mean? It can be traced back to a Norman French nickname meaning “little crow” or “raven.” The nickname was likely given to a person with a dark complexion or dark hair.

Do you like the name Corbett?

Sources:

Image of James J. Corbett from LOC

Baby girl named after 25 heavyweight boxers

To the kids at school, she’ll be Autumn Brown.

But her full name is: Autumn Sullivan Corbett Fitzsimmons Jeffries Hart Burns Johnson Willard Dempsey Tunney Schmeling Sharkey Carnera Baer Braddock Louis Charles Walcott Marciano Patterson Johansson Liston Clay Frazier Foreman Brown.

Autumn was born about 6 weeks ago in Wolverhampton, England. Her boxing-obsessed maternal grandparents gave their three children a total of 103 boxer names, and Autumn’s mother Maria (who wasn’t able to remember her own full name until the age of 10) decided to keep the tradition alive.

Autumn’s middle names are the surnames of 25 world heavyweight boxing champions, beginning with John L. Sullivan and ending with George Foreman (and including Ezzard Charles).

Source: Autumn’s a real knockout! Express & Star 22 June 2007.