How popular is the baby name Gladys 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 Gladys.

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Popularity of the baby name Gladys


Posts that mention the name Gladys

Where did the baby name Miosotis come from in 1969?

Title of the telenovela "La Mujer de Aquella Noche" (1968), from the Universidad de Puerto Rico audiovisual archive.
“La Mujer de Aquella Noche”

The unusual name Miosotis first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1969, thanks to heavy usage in New York state:

  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: 8 baby girls name Miosotis
    • 8 born in New York
  • 1969: 10 baby girls name Miosotis [debut]
    • 8 born in New York
  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: unlisted

The inspiration?

A Puerto Rican telenovela called La Mujer de Aquella Noche (translation: “The Woman of That Night”), which aired during 1968.

Advertisement for the telenovela "La Mujer de Aquella Noche" (1968).
“La Mujer” ad

It was a 3-episode historical drama that told the love story of aristocrat Countess Adriana de Astolfi (played by Gladys Rodríguez) and itinerant gypsy Renzo (played by Braulio Castillo). Renzo’s pet name for Adriana was “Miosotis.”

The story was also turned into radio soap opera at some point, though I’m not sure when.

The Spanish word miosotis is a form of myosotis, another name for the forget-me-not flower (Myosotis palustris). The Greek word myosotis means “mouse ear” and describes the shape of the leaf.

Sources:

P.S. The name Quetcy, which we talked about a couple of days ago, was also popular among New York City’s Puerto Ricans (a.k.a., Nuyoricans) in the late 1960s…

Where did the baby name Sanita come from in 1957?

sanita pelkey, 1958
Sanita on “You Bet Your Life” (1958)

The name Sanita started appearing in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1950s:

  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 7 baby girls named Sanita
  • 1959: 6 baby girls named Sanita
  • 1958: 10 baby girls named Sanita
  • 1957: 11 baby girls named Sanita [debut]
  • 1956: unlisted

In 1957, a young woman named Sanita Pelkey won the Miss New York beauty pageant and finished twelfth in the Miss USA pageant.

(That was the doubly scandalous year during which the Miss USA winner, Leona Gage, was found to be married and the Miss Universe winner, Gladys Zender of Peru, was found to be underage. Leona was stripped of her title, but Gladys was not.)

Getting back to Sanita Pelkey…she went on to appear in several movies and on television until the late ’60s. (And she was briefly married to Rex Reason, a fellow actor with a similarly memorable name.)

Do you like the name Sanita?

Source: Sanita Pelkey – Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen

Where did the baby name Narada come from?

Narada Michael Walden's album "Awakening" (1979)
Narada Michael Walden album

The Hindu name Narada first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in the late ’70s:

  • 1983: 19 baby boys named Narada
  • 1982: 18 baby boys named Narada
  • 1981: 29 baby boys named Narada
  • 1980: 48 baby boys and 7 baby girls named Narada
  • 1979: 19 baby boys named Narada [debut]
  • 1978: unlisted
  • 1977: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Musician and producer Narada (pronounced NAH-ruh-duh) Michael Walden.

His most successful songs, “I Don’t Want Nobody Else (To Dance with You)” and “I Shoulda Loved Ya,” were both released in 1979. Both reached the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 47th and 66th respectively. Both also reached the top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot Soul Singles chart, peaking at 9th and 4th.

He went on to have a successful career, being nominated for a total of eight Grammys and winning three (two in the ’80s, one in the ’90s). He produced music for people like Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Gladys Knight, Shanice Wilson, Tevin Campbell, etc.

He was born Michael Walden in Michigan in 1952. In the early ’70s, he became a devotee of Indian guru Sri Chinmoy. Chinmoy gave him the spiritual name Narada, and Walden chose to use Narada as part of his stage name. (Carlos Santana, another follower, went by “Devadip Carlos Santana” for a time.)

In Hindu tradition, the character Narada is a sage and musician. He is portrayed “as both wise and mischievous, creating some of Vedic literature’s more humorous tales.”

Do you like Narada as a baby name? Would you use it?

Sources: Narada Michael Walden – Wikipedia, Narada Michael Walden – Billboard, Arunachal butterfly named after Narada, SSA

Where did the baby name Belita come from in 1943?

Belita in the movie Silver Skates (1943)
Belita in ‘Silver Skates’ (1943)

The name Belita first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1943:

  • 1945: 20 baby girls named Belita
  • 1944: 18 baby girls named Belita
  • 1943: 7 baby girls named Belita [debut]
  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Figure skater-turned-film star Belita, a contemporary of Sonja Henie. Belita was being featured in a film called Silver Skates in 1943.

She was born Maria Belita Gladys Olive Lyne Jepson-Turner in England in 1923. She competed (as Belita Jepson-Turner) at the Winter Olympics in Berlin in 1936, placing 16th in ladies’ singles.

While stranded in the U.S. during World War II, she embarked upon a Hollywood career. Some of her other films include Lady, Let’s Dance! (1944), Suspense (1946), and Never Let Me Go (1953), which starred Clark Gable and Gene Tierney.

And her unusual name? It was inspired by an Argentine estancia (ranch). Her great-grandfather had relocated to Argentina in the 1800s and established five sizeable estancias, mainly for raising cattle. He also built railroads to his properties. One of the estancias (and the associated railroad station) was named La Belita after his wife, Isabelita. “Since then there has always been a Belita in the family,” Belita said.

Belita retired from both skating and show business during the second half of the 1950s.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Belita?

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