The late ’80s and early ’90s were good to Patrick Swayze (pronounced SWAY-zee). In 1987 he was in the movie Dirty Dancing. In 1990 he was in the movie Ghost. In 1991, he was in the movie Point Break and also declared the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine.
Not surprisingly, it was during this period the name Swayze started popping up in the U.S. baby name data:
- 1992: unlisted
- 1991: 7 baby boys named Swayze
- 1990: unlisted
- 1989: 5 girls named Swayze [debut]
- 1988: unlisted
But only twice. Then nothing…for more than a decade.
Swayze reappeared on the list in the mid-2000s, along with the spelling variant Swayzee:
- 2008: unlisted
- 2007: 5 baby girls names Swayzee [debut]
- 2006: unlisted
- 2005: 5 baby girls named Swayze
- 2004: 6 baby girls named Swayze
- 2003: unlisted
But things didn’t really heat up until a few years later.
Starting in 2009 — the year Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer, sadly — we start to see more and more babies with the names Swayze, Swayzee, Swayzie and Swayzi:
- 2012:
- 52 baby girls and 13 baby boys named Swayze
- 20 baby girls named Swayzee
- 20 baby girls named Swayzie
- 7 baby girls named Swayzi [debut]
- 2011:
- 26 baby girls and 6 baby boys named Swayze
- 14 baby girls named Swayzie
- 13 baby girls named Swayzee
- 2010:
- 17 baby girls and 7 baby boys named Swayze
- 6 baby girls named Swayzie [debut]
- 2009:
- 5 baby boys named Swayze
- 5 baby girls named Swayzee
If we condense the above, that’s 10 babies in 2009, 30 in 2010, 53 in 2011, and 112 in 2012. So, the number of babies with a Swayze-inspired name has been doubling every year.
Why the mini-explosion of Swayzes? I think it has to do with style. The name Swayze is reminiscent of Hollywood/celebrity (like Brando, Harlow, Monroe, Travolta) and it sounds very modern, especially with that kicky “zee” ending (like trendy Mackenzie).
Do you like Swayze as a baby name?
How popular do you think Swayze names will get?
P.S. Here’s one last Swayze-inspired name for you: Orry. It debuted in 1985 and was inspired by a Patrick Swayze’s character Orry Main from the TV miniseries North and South.
Source: SSA
Image: Screenshot of Ghost
The numbers for 2013:
Swayze – 59 girls, 9 boys
Swayzee – 17 girls
Swazyie – 16 girls
In total, that’s 101. So it looks like the numbers are no longer doubling.
Looks like the name Swayze is particularly popular in the state of Mississippi.
Also, incidentally, there’s a town in Indiana called Swayzee.