In 1982, the name Delorean double-debuted (for both genders!) in the U.S. baby name data:
| Boys named Delorean | Girls named Delorean | |
| 1984 | 26 | 10 |
| 1983 | 23 | 9 |
| 1982 | 8* | 7* |
| 1981 | . | . |
| 1980 | . | . |
Why?
Because of the DMC DeLorean — a two-passenger sports car with gull-wing doors that was marketed to Americans starting in 1981. This explains the 1982 debut.
Another thing that happened in 1982, though, was that the DeLorean Motor Company went bankrupt. So the only car DMC ever brought to market was promptly taken off the market in 1983.
Just a couple of years later, the DMC DeLorean was immortalized (as a time machine!) in the massively popular ’80s movie Back to the Future (1985).
The DeLorean Motor Company was founded by American engineer John DeLorean, whose father had immigrated to the U.S. from Romania. The original family surname may have been Delureanu.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Delorean?
Image: Adapted from DeLorean DMC-12 with doors open by Kevin Abato under CC BY-SA 3.0.
