How popular is the baby name Tristaca 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 Tristaca.

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Popularity of the baby name Tristaca


Posts that mention the name Tristaca

Where did the baby name Debraca come from in 1977?

Debraca Foxx as the "beauty of the week" in Jet magazine (Nov. 1977).
Actress Debraca Foxx

The name Debraca surfaced in the U.S. baby name data in 1977:

  • 1979: unlisted
  • 1978: unlisted
  • 1977: 7 baby girls named Debraca [debut]
  • 1976: unlisted
  • 1975: unlisted

And it never returned, making it a one-hit wonder.

My first thought was that Debraca might be mashup of Tristaca and Debbera, but some digging revealed a far more likely influence: Debraca Denise Foxx, the stepdaughter of comedian Redd Foxx (stage name of John Elroy Sanford).

Debraca appeared with Redd on an episode of his TV show Sanford and Son in January of 1977. Perhaps more importantly, in late 1977 she was presented as a “beauty of the week” in Jet magazine. (Other Jet beauties include Meyosha and Tchanavian.)

What are your thoughts on the name Debraca?

Sources:

Image: © 1977 Jet

P.S. Debraca dated Jackie Jackson, the oldest member of The Jackson 5, for a couple of years in the early ’70s.

Where did the baby name Tristana come from in 1971?

The character Tristana from the Spanish film "Tristana" (1970).
Tristana from “Tristana“

The name Tristana has popped up in the U.S. baby name data a total of four times. The first three appearances were in the early 1970s:

  • 1974: unlisted
  • 1973: 5 baby girls named Tristana
  • 1972: 7 baby girls named Tristana
  • 1971: 8 baby girls named Tristana [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

What put Tristana on the map?

The 1970 Spanish-language film Tristana, directed by Luis Buñuel. It was set in the early 1900s, and the title character — whose name was based on the phrase “triste Ana” (“sad Ana”) — was played by French actress Catherine Deneuve.

Here’s a summary of the film:

After the death of her mother, Tristana goes to live with her guardian Don Lope, who seduces her. She runs away from Lope with a young artist named Horacio. Unable to commit to Horacio and in need of health care due to her growing cancer, Tristana returns to Don Lope.

The film was released in the U.S. in September of 1970. It ended up receiving an Oscar nomination for “Best Foreign Language Film.”

It was based on the 1892 novel Tristana by Spanish novelist Benito Pérez Galdós.

Sources: Tristana (1970) – IMDb, The 43rd Academy Awards, Tristana (1970) – Rotten Tomatoes

P.S. Tristana reminds me of Tristaca, another name that debuted in the ’70s…

Where did the baby name Tristaca come from in 1977?

tristaca, advertisement, baby name, 1977
Photo of “Tristaca” writing to “Debbera”

Here’s a name with a unique story: Tristaca. It appeared in the U.S. baby name data for just two years, 1977 and 1978.

  • 1979: unlisted
  • 1978: 11 baby girls named Tristaca
  • 1977: 11 baby girls named Tristaca [debut]
  • 1976: unlisted
  • 1975: unlisted

The similar name Tristica also popped up, but in 1977 only.

Where did these names come from?

An eye-catching advertisement for Christian Children’s Fund that ran in newspapers and major magazines (Newsweek, Time, Cosmopolitan, Mademoiselle, Vogue, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parents’ Magazine, Psychology Today, etc.) in 1977 and 1978.

The top of the ad featured two photos: one of an impoverished child named Tristaca, the other of a Western woman named Debbera. Below Tristaca’s photo was a letter to Debbera (“My school report is very satisfactory”), and below Debbera’s photo was a letter to Tristaca (“I’m looking forward to the holidays now — hope to do a lot of skiing this winter”).

Check out how the ad copy kept repeating their names:

Tristaca and Debbera, though they’ve never even met, share a very special love. Tristaca lived in extreme poverty. Her mother has tried to support her family herself, but she can only get menial jobs that pay almost nothing.

Tristaca was a girl without any hopes, without any dreams. Then Debbera Drake came into her life.

Christian Children’s Fund was well known for their television commercials during that era, so a TV version of this advertisement might have existed as well, though I can’t find any evidence of it so far.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Tristaca?

P.S. The oddly spelled Debbera did not see a corresponding uptick in usage while the ad was out. Deborah-based names had been very trendy in the ’50s, so no doubt they sounded relatively passé by the later ’70s.