How popular is the baby name Gotye 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 Gotye.

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Popularity of the baby name Gotye


Posts that mention the name Gotye

Will babies be named for Carly Rae, maybe?

By now we’ve all heard Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” (Just in case, here’s the video.)

The song has hit #1 on the pop charts in the U.S. and a number of other countries. Currently it’s the second-best selling single of 2012 after “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye.

But the pop charts don’t interest me as much as the baby name charts.

The name Carly entered the top 1,000 in 1973 thanks to another singer, Carly Simon. It peaked in the ’90s. Since then, it’s been sinking:

  • 2011: 1,264 babies named Carly
  • 2010: 1,435 babies named Carly
  • 2009: 1,506 babies named Carly
  • 2008: 1,682 babies named Carly

Based on records I’ve seen, at least a couple hundred of the babies named Carly since the ’70s were given the middle name Rae.

Do you think Carly Rae Jepsen will make the name Carly (and/or the combo Carly Rae) more popular in 2012?

How do you pronounce Gotye?

Gotye in the music video for "Somebody That I Used To Know" (2011)
Gotye

Belgian-Australian musician Gotye (pronounced go-tee-yay) has been making headlines lately thanks to the single “Somebody That I Used To Know,” which became a Billboard #1 hit just a few days ago.

So…what’s up with that name?

The name Gotye is an anglicized form of the French name Gaultier (also spelled Gauthier and Gautier).

Gotye was born Wouter De Backer in Belgium. He started going by Walter, the English version of Wouter, when his family moved to Australia. And his mother’s pet name for him, Gaultier, is yet another version the name.

He decided to use Gaultier as his stage name, but instead of using a French spelling, he chose to render it Gotye. (This is similar to the way Irish singers/sisters Enya and Moya Brennan anglicized their names from Eithne and Máire.)

Source: Gotye – Wikipedia
Image: Screenshot of Gotye from the music video for “Somebody That I Used To Know”