Where did the baby name Sinatra come from?

During the 20th century, the singular name Sinatra popped up in the U.S. baby name data four times — thrice in the late 1950s, and once more in 1966.

• 1960: unlisted
• 1959: 5 baby boys named Sinatra
• 1958: 5 baby boys named Sinatra
• 1957: 5 baby boys named Sinatra [debut]
• 1956: unlisted

It’s hard for me to tie these in with specific moments in Frank Sinatra’s career, as Sinatra released multiple albums per year, acted in movies, appeared on TV, and got married and divorced several times. As we know, any of these things may have inspired expectant parents.

The first appearance may have had something to do with the album Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956), or the movie High Society (1956), or Frank’s second attempt at television with The Frank Sinatra Show (1957-1958).

The second could simply correlate to the mid-1960s surge in popularity Sinatra experienced on the heels of the albums September of My Years (1965), A Man and His Music (1965), and Strangers in the Night (1966).

If you know more about Sinatra than I do, please chime in and let me know why you think more boys were named Sinatra in these particular years.

In the meanwhile, I can offer you the etymology: The Italian surname Sinatra can be traced back to the Latin word senator, which originally referred to a member of the Roman Senate.

P.S. The movie that kicked off Sinatra’s 1950s comeback, From Here to Eternity (1953), also kicked off the Hawaiian name Haunani.

Sources:

• Frank Sinatra – Wikipedia
• Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
• SSA

Image: Adapted from Frank Sinatra (1956-01-16, Studio A, with cup)

[Latest update: Sept. 2024]