How popular is the baby name Mandrill 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 Mandrill.

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Popularity of the baby name Mandrill


Posts that mention the name Mandrill

What turned Mandrill into a baby name in 1973?

Mandrill's album "Just Outside of Town" (1973)
Mandrill album

A mandrill is a monkey native to western central Africa. So it’s very curious that Mandrill popped up in the U.S. baby name data for 4 years straight in the middle of the 1970s:

  • 1977: unlisted
  • 1976: 9 baby boys named Mandrill
  • 1975: 8 baby boys named Mandrill
  • 1974: 6 baby boys named Mandrill
  • 1973: 6 baby boys named Mandrill [debut]
  • 1972: unlisted
  • 1971: unlisted

What put it there?

A Brooklyn-based funk band called Mandrill.

One of the most progressive funk bands, Mandrill brandish a jam-heavy form of funk liberally infused with Latin, Caribbean, and jazz influences, plus gospel, blues, psychedelia, African music, and straight-up rock.

Mandrill was formed by Panamanian-American brothers Ric, Lou, and Carlos Wilson in 1968. The band had seven members by the time the first album was released in 1971.

In total, three of Mandrill’s songs — one from their debut album, plus two more from their third album — ended up reaching Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart:

  • “Mandrill,” which peaked at #94 in June of 1971
  • “Fencewalk,” which peaked at #52 in June of 1973
  • “Hang Loose,” which peaked at #83 in August of 1973

The brothers named their band after the mandrill “because of its distinctive, colorful face and well-developed, family-oriented social organization.” The covers of several of Mandrill’s albums (including the first, below) feature the face of a mandrill.

Mandrill's self-titled debut album (1971)
Mandrill album

What are your thoughts on Mandrill as a baby name?

Source: Mandrill (band) – Wikipedia, Mandrill – AllMusic, Mandrill – Billboard