How popular is the baby name Siren 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 Siren.

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Popularity of the baby name Siren


Posts that mention the name Siren

Where did the baby name Alaetra come from in 1991?

american-gladiators-2

Last year we saw that nearly 75% of the original American Gladiator names (e.g. Blaze, Laze, Siren) had appeared on the SSA’s baby name list. None of them appeared due to the influence of the show exclusively, though.

Not so with Alaetra! In 1991, contestant Alaetra Dorsa appeared on American Gladiators three times before being eliminated. Her name debuted in the U.S. baby name data the same year:

  • 1993: 6 baby girls named Alaetra
  • 1992: 5 baby girls named Alaetra
  • 1991: 17 baby girls named Alaetra [debut]
  • 1990: unlisted
  • 1989: unlisted

This is the only American Gladiators contestant-inspired baby name debut I know of, but I’ll be on the lookout for others. (I thought Tareva was the only Star Search debut when I found it, but I’ve since found others…)

P.S. What’s the best American Gladiators contestant name of all time? Purple Roundy, who competed during season three (same as Alaetra Dorsa). Check out the Purple Roundy fan site. There’s even a Purple Roundy definition at Urban Dictionary.

“American Gladiator” names vs. Real-life baby names

american gladiators trading card
I had no idea American Gladiators trading cards existed before I wrote this post.

Ready for a game?

The original American Gladiators TV show (1989-1996) featured 32 American Gladiators and 31 mostly-tough-sounding Gladiator names. (Why 31? Because “Lace” was used twice.) Here are the 31 names:

  1. Atlas
  2. Blaze
  3. Bronco
  4. Cyclone
  5. Dallas
  6. Diamond
  7. Elektra
  8. Gemini
  9. Gold
  10. Havoc
  11. Hawk
  12. Ice
  13. Jade
  14. Jazz
  15. Lace
  16. Laser
  17. Malibu
  18. Nitro
  19. Rebel
  20. Sabre
  21. Siren
  22. Sky
  23. Storm
  24. Sunny
  25. Tank
  26. Thunder
  27. Titan
  28. Tower
  29. Turbo
  30. Viper
  31. Zap

The short-lived American Gladiators remake (2008) featured 20 new gladiators and 18 new tough-sounding gladiator names. (Why 18? Because Siren and Titan were recycled from the original.) Here are the 18 new names:

  1. Beast
  2. Crush
  3. Fury
  4. Hellga
  5. Hurricane
  6. Jet
  7. Justice
  8. Mayhem
  9. Militia
  10. Panther
  11. Phoenix
  12. Rocket
  13. Stealth
  14. Steel
  15. Toa
  16. Venom
  17. Wolf
  18. Zen

So here’s the game: Try to guess what percentage of the 31 original Gladiator names and what percentage of the 18 new Gladiator names have appeared on at least one of the SSA’s annual baby name lists. (To appear on a list, a name has to be given to at least 5 U.S. babies in a single year.)

Come up with your guesses before reading on!

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Ok, here are the answers.

Of the 31 original American Gladiator names, 23 have appeared on an SSA list: Atlas, Blaze, Bronco, Dallas, Diamond, Elektra, Gemini, Gold, Havoc, Hawk, Jade, Jazz, Lace, Malibu, Rebel, Sabre, Siren, Sky, Storm, Sunny, Tank, Thunder and Titan. That’s 74%.

Of the 18 remake American Gladiator names, 9 have appeared on an SSA list: Fury, Jet, Justice, Phoenix, Rocket, Steel, Toa, Wolf and Zen. That’s exactly 50%.

How close did you get to 74% and 50%?

Baby name warning from 1942

Unusual baby names are discussed regularly in the media these days, but I don’t often see the topic come up in old newspapers, which is why I was surprised to find the following in a paper printed in early 1942:

News pictures recently gave publicity to a baby who was born during a practice air-raid blackout and whose mother hit on the expediency of naming her Dawn Siren. Another baby has been named Victory Pearl Harbor.

These names did not impress our anonymous reporter:

Herewith is a brief for all children whose parents give them unusual mirth-provoking or humiliating names. The offending fathers and mothers may be well meaning enough and in some cases the names have significance at the time they are given, but before long the child is hanging his head in shame under the storm of derision of his playmates, or blushing when he gives his name for the roll at school.

Dawn and Victory seem tame nowadays…makes me wonder what this person would have had to say about today’s unusual names.

Speaking of Dawn and Victory, here’s a bit more about them…

  • Dawn Siren was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lingerman of Buffalo, New York. She was born “in Lafayette General Hospital during Buffalo’s test blackout Friday night.”
  • Victory Pearl Harbor was the son of William and Annie Moore of McComb, Mississippi. In the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), he’s listed simply as “Victor Moore.”

Sources: