Where did the baby name Cedeno come from in 1973?

Baseball player Cesar Cedeno
César Cedeño

The name Cedeno first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1973:

  • 1975: unlisted
  • 1974: unlisted
  • 1973: 7 baby boys named Cedeno [debut]
  • 1972: unlisted
  • 1971: unlisted

After that, though, it fell back below the SSA’s 5-baby threshold, and it never managed to re-emerge.

Where did this one-hit wonder come from?

The influence was baseball player César Cedeño (pronounced seh-DAYN-yo), who, throughout the 1970s, played center field for the Houston Astros. He was well known for stealing bases. In fact, he still holds the Astros team record for career stolen bases.

Speaking of career…he was at the height of his career in the early 1970s — winning Gold Glove Awards, appearing in All-Star Games, etc. This may have been enough to cause the debut, though an unfortunate incident that made headlines in late 1973 (and early 1974) may have played a part as well:

That offseason, back home in the Dominican Republic, Cedeno was involved in a domestic incident with his 19-year-old mistress. The two were drinking and playing with a gun, it went off, and the girl was killed. Cedeno eventually turned himself in and was charged with involuntary manslaughter, released after spending 20 days in jail.

The Spanish surname Cedeño is derived from the word sedeño, which can mean “silken,” “tow cloth/rope,” or “bristle.”

What are your thoughts on Cedeno as a first name?

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