Where did the baby name Sedale come from in 1985?

Basketball player Sedale Threatt
Sedale Threatt

We looked at the ’80s name Sadane recently, so today let’s look at a similar name that emerged in the U.S. baby name data during the same decade: Sedale.

  • 1989: 6 baby boys named Sedale
  • 1988: 6 baby boys named Sedale
  • 1987: 17 baby boys named Sedale
    • 5 born in Pennsylvania
  • 1986: 28 baby boys named Sedale [peak]
    • 10 born in Pennsylvania
  • 1985: 9 baby boys named Sedale [debut]
  • 1984: unlisted
  • 1983: unlisted

What put this name on the map?

Basketball player Sedale Threatt (pronounced seh-DAYL THREET). He played in the NBA from 1983–1997, and his first four seasons were with the Philadelphia 76ers — which accounts for the relatively high usage in Pennsylvania in the mid-’80s.

The name dropped out of the data in 1990, but rebounded a few years later when Sedale Threatt was playing particularly well for the Los Angeles Lakers. “In 1992-93, Threatt became the second Laker, after [Magic] Johnson, to lead the team in scoring, assists and steals.”

  • 1995: unlisted
  • 1994: 9 baby boys named Sedale
  • 1993: 14 baby boys named Sedale
  • 1992: 14 baby boys named Sedale
  • 1991: unlisted
  • 1990: unlisted

I don’t know how many children Sedale Threatt ended up having, but I do know that he passed his unique first name down to at least three of them: Sedale Threatt Jr., another Sedale Threatt Jr., and Tyler Sedale.

What are your thoughts on the name Sedale? (Do you like it more or less than Sadane?)

Sources:

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