The game show Press Your Luck (“Big bucks! No whammies!”) was on the air from mid-1983 to mid-1986. So far, I’ve found five baby names that were influenced by the show.
Thawann
The name Thawann was a one-hit wonder that popped up in 1984:
- 1985: unlisted
- 1984: 5 baby girls named Thawann [debut]
- 1983: unlisted
Two-time contestant Thawann was on the show in December of 1983. She won the first game she played (PYL episode 54) but not the second (PYL episode 55). At the start of the first show, she told the host her name was Indian.
Geron
The name Geron more than doubled in usage in 1984:
- 1986: 6 baby boys named Geron
- 1985: 5 baby boys named Geron
- 1984: 12 baby boys named Geron
- 1983: 5 baby boys named Geron
- 1982: 5 baby boys named Geron
One-time contestant Geron was on the show in May of 1984 (PYL episode 175). A slightly similar soap opera-inspired name, Mergeron, happened to debut the same year.
LaDina
The name LaDina also more than doubled in usage in 1984:
- 1986: 6 baby girls named LaDina
- 1985: 8 baby girls named LaDina
- 1984: 10 baby girls named LaDina
- 1983: unlisted
- 1982: 5 baby girls named LaDina
Two-time contestant LaDina was on the show in December of 1984 — the same two dates as Thawann, ironically. She won the first game she played, but not the second. (I can’t find the episodes online anywhere.)
Shequita
The name Shequita saw a significant increase in usage in 1985:
- 1987: 42 baby girls named Shequita
- 1986: 51 baby girls named Shequita
- 1985: 128 baby girls named Shequita
- 1984: 36 baby girls named Shequita
- 1983: 27 baby girls named Shequita
Two-time contestant Shequita was on the show in May of 1985. She won the first game she played (PYL episode 422) but not the second (PYL episode 423). At the start of the first show, she told the host her name was Spanish and meant “small.”
Mayuri
The name Mayuri debuted in 1986:
- 1987: unlisted
- 1986: 6 baby girls named Mayuri [debut]
- 1985: unlisted
One-time contestant Mayuri (pronounced mah-yoo-dee) was on the show in January of 1986 (PYL episode 599). At the start of the show she mentioned that she’s from Hawaii, but she didn’t say anything about her name, which I’m assuming is Japanese.
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These were the only unique PYL contestant names I spotted on the U.S. charts, but there were plenty of other PYL contestants with unique names, such as: Adoris, Ayne, Beverlyn, Cookie, Donarae, Feargus, Fredda, Guillermo, Hercules, Hillie, Linnea, Llewellyn, Maari, Maytee, Menard, Menett, Meri Lea, Mordecai, Ondreia, Queta, Ramin, Romey, Sancy, Smittay, Thorne, Tinker, Tissa, and Yogi.
Source: Press Your Luck (fanpage)
