How popular is the baby name Juliet in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Juliet.
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(The variant form Quinden popped up the same year.)
If you remember the 1996 movie William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, then you’ll remember who kicked off the name: young singer Quindon Tarver (b. 1982), who covered two songs for the film: Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and Rozalla’s “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good).” In fact, he can be seen singing the latter song in the film’s wedding scene.
What are your thoughts on the name Quindon? Would you use it?
Here’s the next installment of rare female names used by either the actresses or characters in very old films (1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s).
Paducah
Paducah Pomeroy was a character played by actress Aileen Pringle in the film Piccadilly Jim (1936).
Paget Debra Paget was an actress who appeared in films from the 1940s to the 1960s. She was born in Colorado in 1933. Her birth name was Debralee Griffin.
Patria
Patria Channing was a character played by actress Irene Castle in the film Patria (1917).
Usage of the baby name Patria (which saw an uptick in usage in 1917).
Patta
Patta Heberton was a character played by actress May Allison in the film The Come-Back (1916).
Patterson
Patterson Dial was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Florida in 1902. Her birth name was Elizabeth Patterson Dial.
Peaches
Peaches Jackson was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in New York in 1913. Her birth name was Charlotte Jackson. Peaches was also a character played by actress May West in the film Every Day’s a Holiday (1937).
Peavey
Peavey was a character played by actress Olive Borden in the film Leave It to Me (1933).
Peg
Peg Entwistle was an actress who appeared in one film in 1932 (and, the same year, committed suicide by jumping off the H of the Hollywoodland sign). She was born in Wales in 1908. Her birth name was Millicent Lilian Entwistle. Peg was also a character played by actress Anna Neagle in the film Peg of Old Drury (1935).
Peggy
Peggy Pearce (born a Velma) was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in California in 1894. Peggy Cartwright was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Canada in 1912. Peggy Moran (Mary) was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1940s. She was born in Iowa in 1918. Peggy Ryan (Margaret) was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1940s. She was born in California in 1924. Finally, Peggy was also a character name in multiple films including Peggy Lynn, Burglar (short 1915) and Confessions of a Co-Ed (1931).
Pert Pert Kelton was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1960s. She was born in Montana in 1907. Pert was also a character name in multiple films, including Danger! Women at Work (1943) and Take It Big (1944).
Pervaneh
Pervaneh was a character played by actress Greta Nissen in the film The Lady of the Harem (1926).
Petal
Petal Schultze was a character played by actress Amy Veness in the film Red Wagon (1933).
Phyllis
Phyllis Gordon was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1940s. She was born in Virginia in 1889. Phyllis Haver was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Kansas in 1899. Phyllis Thaxter was an actress who appeared in films from the 1940s to the 1970s. She was born in Maine in 1919. Finally, Phyllis was also a character name in multiple films, including Just Like a Woman (short, 1915) and Wagons Westward (1940).
Pige
Pige was a character played by actress Marcia Mae Jones in the film Barefoot Boy (1938).
Pina
Pina Menichelli was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Italy in 1890. Her birth name was Giuseppa Iolanda Menichelli.
Pinna
Pinna Nesbit was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in Canada in 1896.
Piquette
Piquette was a character played by actress Shannon Day in the film Honor First (1922).
Plutina
Plutina was a character played by actress Clara Kimball Young in the film The Heart of the Blue Ridge (1915).
Pola
Pola Negri was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1960s. She was born in Poland in 1897. Her birth name was Barbara Apolonia Cha?upec. Pola was also a character played by actress Elizabeth Allan in the film Insult (1932).
Pompeia
Pompeia Plotina was a character played by actress Caroline Frances Cooke in the short film In the Days of Trajan (1913).
Pompilia
Pompilia was a character played by actress Marie Newton in the short film The Ring and the Book (1914).
Pomposia
Pomposia was a character played by actress Helen Ware in the film The Warrior’s Husband (1933).
Poppaea
Poppaea was a character name in multiple films, including Nero (1922) and The Sign of the Cross (1932).
Portland
Portland Fancy was a character played by actress Juliet Brenon in the film The Street of Forgotten Men (1925). (Plus there’s radio actress Portland Hoffa was most active during the ’30s and ’40s.)
Poupée
Poupée Andriot was an actress who appeared in films in the 1920s and 1930s. She was born in New York in 1899. Her birth name was Edna Stone. Poupée is French for “doll.”
Preciosa
Preciosa was a character played by actress Alice Joyce in the short film Between Father and Son (1911).
After working out for three weeks straight (yay!) you decide to reward yourself by going to the pastry shop and buying some French macarons. The nice lady at the register is pregnant, and she’s openly asking each customer for baby name ideas. When it’s your turn, you request a few extra details so you can tailor your suggestions. She says:
I like the names Leona, Amelia, and Lucia, but my spouse likes Carla, Sofia, Josephine, and Juliet. What are girl names we’d both like?
You’re a name-lover, and you could potentially give her dozens of ideas on the spot. But there’s a line of hungry people behind you, so you only have time to give her five baby name recommendations before stepping out of the way.
But here’s the fun part: Instead of blurting out the first five names you come up with (which is what you’d be forced to do in real life) you get to press a magical “pause” button, brainstorm for a bit, and then “unpause” the scenario to offer her the best five names you can think of.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you brainstorm:
Be independent. Decide on your five names before looking at anyone else’s five names.
Be sincere. Would you honestly suggest these particular baby names out loud to a stranger in public?
Five names only! All names beyond the first five in your comment will be either deleted or replaced with nonsense words.
Finally, here’s the request again:
I like the names Leona, Amelia, and Lucia, but my spouse likes Carla, Sofia, Josephine, and Juliet. What are girl names we’d both like?
Which five baby names are you going to suggest?
[To send in your own 2-sentence baby name request, here are the directions, and here’s the contact form.]
The winner!“Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners is the official winner of the Ultimate ’80s Name-Song Tournament!
It beat “Rock Me Amadeus” (1986) by Falco in the final round of voting.
The name Eileen has a complicated etymology. It’s an Anglicized form of the Irish name Eibhlín, which is a form of the Norman French name Aveline, which is a form of the Germanic name Avelina, which is ultimately based on either the Germanic root avi, which might mean “desired, wished for,” or the Germanic root aval, which means “strength.”
The related name Evelyn is the 20th most popular baby girl name in the country right now, but not-as-stylish Eileen is down in 748th place. Eileen was most popular in the U.S. during the 1940s, peaking at 70th in 1945.
And how about the band — where did they get the name Dexys Midnight Runners? “Dexys” (no apostrophe) comes from the club drug Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine sulfate) and “Midnight Runners” refers to the extra energy the stimulant gives users.
Thanks for playing along, everyone! I threw the Ultimate ’80s Name-Song Tournament together last-minute, so there wasn’t much time to research songs. I ended up overlooking a few good ones, such as:
“All for Leyna” (1980) by Billy Joel
“Romeo and Juliet” (1980) by Dire Straits
“Luanne” (1981) by Foreigner
“Baby Jane” (1983) by Rod Stewart
“Jane Says” (1987) by Jane’s Addiction
“Sweet Jane” (1988) by Cowboy Junkies (Velvet Underground cover)
Do you think any of these would have had a chance against “Come on Eileen”?
Finally, if I hold another name-related tournament next March, should it be songs again? If so, songs from what decade? If not, what would you like the theme to be?
Juliet by Philip H. CalderonEnglish actor Richard Burbage and English playwright William Shakespeare were close friends. So close that Burbage named his first daughter Juliet, very likely after the character from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
So Juliet Burbage, who was born in 1608 and only lived a few months, could have been the first baby girl in history to be named after the famous character.
Burbage and his wife Winifred also had children named Richard, Francis, Anne, Winifred, Julia (probably named in honor of her deceased older sister), William and Sara. Some speculate that Anne and William were named after William Shakespeare and his wife Anne, but there’s no way to know for sure.
Have you ever met anyone named Juliet? Do you like the name?
Sources:
Collier, J. Payne. The History of English Dramatic Poetry to the Time of Shakespeare; and Annals of the Stage to the Restoration. London: George Bell & Sons, 1879.
Neil, Samuel. Shakespeare. London: Houlston and Wright, 1861.
Wilson, Ian. Shakespeare: The Evidence: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Man and His Work. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1999.
