At the 1976 Summer Olympics, 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first to score a “perfect 10” in a modern Olympic gymnastics event. (She was on the uneven bars at the time.) She ended up earning six more 10s — and winning three gold medals — in Montreal that July.
The same year, Comaneci popped up in the U.S. baby name data for the first and only time:
- 1978: unlisted
- 1977: unlisted
- 1976: 9 baby girls named Comaneci [debut]
- 1975: unlisted
- 1974: unlisted
Comaneci (pronounced koh-mah-NETCH) is one of several Romanian surnames that refer to the Cumans, a Turkic people who migrated to the Carpathian region in the early 13th century.
The name Nadia also got quite a boost in 1976. It jumped not only into the girls’ top 1,000, but straight into the top 500:
- 1978: 610 baby girls named Nadia [rank: 353rd]
- 1977: 790 baby girls named Nadia [rank: 303rd]
- 1976: 585 baby girls named Nadia [rank: 360th]
- 1975: 86 baby girls named Nadia
- 1974: 88 baby girls named Nadia
Nadia Comaneci’s first name was inspired by a Russian film character called Nadezhda. Nadia (also spelled Nadya) is a diminutive of Nadezhda, which means “hope” in Russian.
Comaneci now lives in the U.S. and is married to fellow Olympic gymnast Bart Conner. They have a son, Dylan Paul, who is named for Bart’s favorite musician, Bob Dylan, and Bart’s former University of Oklahoma coach, Paul Ziert.
P.S. Soviet gymnast Nelli Kim, who also earned a pair of perfect scores at the 1976 Summer Olympics, is likely behind he debut of Nelli in the U.S. baby name data in 1977.
Sources:
- Nadia Comaneci – Olympics.com
- Overman, Steven J. and Kelly Boyer Sagert. Icons of Women’s Sport. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2012.
- Deford, Frank. “Nadia Awed Ya.” Sports Illustrated 2 Aug. 1976.
- Romanian Surnames – Radio Romania International
- “Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner Welcome Baby Boy.” FOX News 6 Jun. 2006
- SSA
Image: Clipping from the cover of Time magazine (2 Aug. 1976)