The rare name Valdine was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1930s:
- 1940: unlisted
- 1939: unlisted
- 1938: 5 baby girls named Valdine [debut]
- 1937: unlisted
- 1936: unlisted
What put it there?
My best guess is a piano prodigy from Winnipeg.
In the summer of 1938, Valdine Condé, “9-year-old Canadian pianist, made a highly successful debut as [a] soloist with the New York Civic Orchestra.” She played Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor. Glowing reviews of the concert ran in the New York newspapers.
Valdine — whose first name was sometimes spelled “Valdina,” and whose surname was sometimes spelled “Condie” — had been playing for audiences in Canada since the age of five. She went on to play for audiences in various parts of the world until the mid-1940s. I’m not sure what became of her after that.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Valdine?
Sources:
- “Canadian Pianist, 9, Wins Ovation Here.” New York Times 1 Aug. 1938: 9.
- Holliday, Bob. “St. Vital prodigy stunned New York audiences.” Winnipeg Free Press 31 Mar. 2015.
- Prodigies – The Canadian Encyclopedia
- “Valdina Nordal-Condie.” Lögberg [Manitoba, CA] 19 July 1934: 1.