The name Sharman was the fastest-rising baby name of 1948, the second-fastest of 1949, and saw its highest usage in 1950:
- 1953: 44 baby girls named Sharman
- 1952: 63 baby girls named Sharman
- 1951: 76 baby girls named Sharman
- 1950: 160 baby girls named Sharman [peak]
- 1949: 126 baby girls named Sharman
- 1948: 30 baby girls named Sharman
- 1947: 8 baby girls named Sharman
What was the influence?
American socialite Sharman Douglas.
Her father served as the U. S. ambassador to the Court of St. James’s from early 1947 to late 1950. While the family lived in England, Sharman became famous for her close ties to the British royal family — particularly Princess Margaret. (They were roughly the same age.)
Here’s what the American newspapers were saying about Sharman in mid-1947:
An eager, flaxen-haired teenager from Tucson, Ariz. has become Britain’s debutante of the year. The common people and the socially elect have fallen under her spell. She is tall, lithe Sharman Douglas, 19-year-old daughter of U.S. Ambassador and Mrs. Lewis W Douglas. Apart from the two royal princesses, she is undoubtedly the most photographed girl in all Britain, screen stars included.
The press followed “Charmin‘ Sharman” throughout the time she was overseas.
In late 1948, for instance, the papers reported that she was dating two men — the Marquess of Blandford and the Marquess of Milford-Haven — both of whom had been linked to Princess Margaret. In mid-1949, it was reported that her father “had cut down on [her] social life” after a London columnist brought up the possibility of Sharman and Princess Margaret falling for the same man.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Sharman?
Sources:
- “British Study Likely Romance.” Billings Gazette 18 Jul. 1949: 8.
- “English Nobleman to Visit U.S.–Business Or Romance?” Sandusky Register 14 Oct. 1948: 16.
- “Life Visits U.S. Ambassador to Britain.” Life 27 Oct. 1947: 150-156.
- Sharman Douglas – Wikipedia
- Wace, Barbara. “Sharman Douglas Captivates British Society in First Season.” Corpus Christi Caller-Times 12 Aug. 1947: 9.