How popular is the baby name Tiare 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 Tiare.

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Popularity of the baby name Tiare


Posts that mention the name Tiare

Where did the baby name Tiki come from?

Graph of the usage of the baby name Tiki in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Tiki

In the 1950s and ’60s, Tiki culture — including Tiki bars — were all the rage in the United States. Even Disneyland got in on the action, introducing the Enchanted Tiki Room in 1963.

So it’s not terribly surprising the that the baby name Tiki emerged in the SSA data in the early 1960s:

  • 1964: 12 baby girls named Tiki
  • 1963: 9 baby girls named Tiki
  • 1962: 5 baby girls named Tiki
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 15 baby girls named Tiki [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted

But that rather impressive 1960 debut — and subsequent drop-off a year later– suggests that a specific event kicked off the initial usage of Tiki.

I’ve got two theories on this one.

First is the Hawaiian Eye episode “Fatal Cruise,” which aired in February of 1960 and featured actress Linda Lawson as a character named Tiki.

The schooner Tiki from the TV series "Adventures in Paradise" (1959-1962)
The schooner Tiki

Second is the show Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962), in which the main character, Capt. Adam Troy, travels around the South Pacific on a schooner called the Tiki.

(Adventures in Paradise, which kicked off the names Sondi and Tiare, was created by writer James Michener, who was behind the debuts of Sayonara and Kerith.)

The first theory makes the most sense, because Hawaiian Eye associated the name with a (very pretty) human. But I don’t think we can discount the second theory, because Adventures in Paradise consistently presented “Tiki” as a name…even if it was just the name of a boat.

So where does the word tiki come from? It was used in the Marquesas and in New Zealand to refer to any carving with human features. (The equivalent word in Hawaiian is ki’i and in Tahitian is ti’i.) Originally, though, Tiki was a specific mythological figure: “the Polynesian Adam, the creator of man…sort of half-man and half-god.”

What are your thoughts on Tiki as a baby name?

Sources: Fatal Cruise, Hawaiian Eye – IMDb, Adventures in Paradise – Fifties Web, Tiki Hangover: Unearthing the False Idols of America’s South Seas Fantasy

Image: Screenshot of Adventures in Paradise

Popular Maori baby names in New Zealand, 2013

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

New Zealand’s top Maori baby names of 2013 were announced last month.

According to the Department of Internal Affairs and the Maori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori), the country’s most popular Maori names of 2013* were Aria and Nikau.

Here are the top 20 Maori girl names and Maori boy names of 2013:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Aria
2. Maia
3. Ariana
4. Anahera
5. Anika
6. Aroha
7. Kora
8. Tia
9. Kaia
10. Ana
11. Ria
12. Tiare
13. Mereana
14. Nia
15. Tui
16. Wikitoria
17. Hinewai
18. Mahi
19. Terina
20. Mareikura
1. Nikau
2. Ari
3. Wiremu
4. Niko
5. Tamati
6. Hemi
7. Nikora
8. Te Ariki
9. Rawiri
10. Tane
11. Mikaere
12. Manaia
13. Kahu
14. Tangaroa
15. Kauri
16. Ariki
17. Manaaki
18. Tama
19. Ihaia
20. Matiu

This is the second-ever official list of popular Maori names, and it’s very different from the first list (2012). Notably, half of the girl names and nearly half of the boy names above are brand new. Two of the newbie boy names, Ari and Niko, now rank 2nd and 4th respectively.

The only Maori name on the list of popular baby names in New Zealand (top 25 of 2013) is Aria, ranked 24th.

*Actually, they’re the top Maori names given during the “2012-2013 financial year,” so, between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013.

Source: Maori Language Week: Top Maori boys’ and girls’ names

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular Maori baby names in New Zealand, 2012

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

A conversation with commenter elbowin a couple of weeks ago prompted me to do a bit of research on Maori names. And what did I stumble upon while doing that research? An official list of the top Maori baby names of 2012:

Baby Girl NamesBaby Boy Names
1. Maia
2. Aria
3. Manaia
4. Anahera
5. Ataahua
6. Aroha
7. Tia
8. Ariana
9. Kaia
10. Kahurangi
11. Maraea
12. Waimarie
13. Tui
14. Amaia
15. Miriama
16. Awhina
17. Hana
18. Anika
19. Huia
20. Mareikura
1. Nikau
2. Wiremu
3. Kahurangi
4. Kauri
5. Nikora
6. Tane
7. Tamati
8. Rawiri
9. Anaru
10. Tai
11. Manaia
12. Tama
13. Mikaere
14. Te Ariki
15. Ariki
16. Te Koha
17. Hoani
18. Manawa
19. Tiare
20. Hemi

The list was created using data from the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry of NZ’s Department of Internal Affairs. How?

The results are for the first name given to nineteen thousand Maori babies (by descent) registered in 2012. The analysis found that Maori girls are more likely to be given Maori names.

So, they tallied up and ranked all the Maori names given to babies of Maori descent. (In case you’re wondering, 61,178 babies were born in New Zealand in 2012 and 33% of these babies were of Maori descent.)

I do wish the press release had included some raw numbers, or at least mentioned what percentage of Maori babies got Maori names in 2012. Because, without this information, there’s no way to know what sort of influence (if any) Maori babies getting Maori names had on the overall 2012 list.

For instance, the top two Maori girl names, Maia and Aria — which aren’t exclusively Maori in origin — ranked 30th and 38th nation-wide. Would they have ranked as well if they hadn’t been so popular among the Maori specifically?

Anyway…it’s a cool list, regardless. Thanks, elbowin, for all the thoughtful comments. :)

Sources: Top 20 Maori boys’ and girls’ names released, Births and Deaths: Year ended December 2012

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Where did the baby name Vaitiare come from?

While researching the name Tiare on Monday, I discovered another Tahitian name in the U.S. baby name data: Vaitiare, which means “water flower” in Tahitian.

Vaitiare was a one-hit wonder in the data in 1991:

  • 1993: unlisted
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: 5 baby girls named Vaitiare [debut]
  • 1990: unlisted
  • 1989: unlisted

The influence here might have been Tahitian model/actress Vaitiare Hirshon, who dated Julio Iglesias for much of the 1980s.