How popular is the baby name Jeannedarc 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 Jeannedarc.

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Popularity of the baby name Jeannedarc


Posts that mention the name Jeannedarc

Where did the baby name Jeannedarc come from in 1920?

Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc)

Joan of Arc (1412-1431) — known as Jeanne d’Arc (pronounced zhan dark, roughly) in her homeland of France — was a peasant, a mystic, and a warrior during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England.

Well, she wasn’t a “warrior” exactly. She never actually fought in battle. She was more of an “inspirational mascot, brandishing her banner in place of a weapon.”

In any case, she ended up being captured by the enemy, convicted of heresy and witchcraft (among other things), excommunicated from the church, and burned at the stake — all before the age of 20.

But a few decades later the verdict was overturned, the excommunication was invalidated, and she was declared a martyr.

And during the centuries that followed, her reputation grew — especially among the French.

Despite all this, the well-known St. Joan didn’t officially become a Roman Catholic saint until the early 20th century. She was canonized in May of 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.

The same year, the full French form of her name, Jeannedarc, appeared in the U.S. baby name data for the first time. It popped up a total of five times during the 1920s (but it hasn’t been back since).

  • 1922: unlisted
  • 1921: 6 baby girls named Jeannedarc
  • 1920: 5 baby girls named Jeannedarc [debut]
  • 1919: unlisted
  • 1918: unlisted

(The SSA strips out spaces, apostrophes, and mid-name capital letters; this explains why “Jeanne d’Arc” is rendered “Jeannedarc” in the data.)

that’s not all, though Records show that more than a few of the babies simply named Jeanne and Joan in the 1920s had as middle names “d’Arc” and “of Arc.” Two examples:

  • Jeanne D’Arc Florabel Menard, daughter of David and Georgiana Menard, born in Vermont in 1924.
  • Joan of Arc Mary Agnes Chabot, daughter of Thomas and Zelia Chabot, born in Vermont in 1923.

A disproportionate number of these 1920s babies named Jeanne d’Arc and Joan of Arc were born in the Northeastern U.S. to families of French (Canadian) extraction.

Interestingly, St. Joan herself only used the medieval spelling of her name, “Jehanne,” and never included the surname “d’Arc,” which was a form of her father’s surname. In fact, if she’d been forced to use a surname, she likely would have chosen her mother’s, Romée, as per hometown tradition. The surname Romée denoted someone who had made a pilgrimage (though not necessarily to Rome).

Sources:

Image: Les vies des femmes célèbres

What gave the baby name Kateri a boost in 1980?

Catholic saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha

Among the seven new saints canonized by Pope Benedict seven last Sunday was Kateri Tekakwitha, an Algonquin–Mohawk woman who was born 1656 in what is now New York state. She is the first indigenous woman of North America to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

The name Kateri is based on her baptismal name, Catherine (which would have been pronounced the French way, ka-TREEN, as she was baptized by French Canadian Jesuits).

“Kateri” has been popping up in the U.S. baby name data for decades, starting roughly around the time Kateri Tekakwitha was declared venerable, in early 1943.

In 1980, the year Tekakwitha was beatified, usage of the name Kateri more than tripled:

  • 1982: 45 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1982: 37 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1980: 65 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1979: 18 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1978: 19 baby girls named Kateri

Every year since, several dozen U.S. baby girls have been named Kateri. Here are the most recent numbers:

  • 2011: 43 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2010: 29 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2009: 29 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2008: 35 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2007: 48 baby girls named Kateri

Do you think Kateri Tekakwitha’s promotion to sainthood will give her name another upward nudge? If so, how much of a nudge?

P.S. Other baby names inspired by Catholic saints include Jeannedarc and Cabrini.

Update, 2020: The name was given to 60+ babies for three years straight (2012 to 2014), but the 1980 number is still the overall high-point.

Sources:

Image: Kateri Tekakwitha by Fr. Claude Chauchetière