The baby name Rawnie appeared in the U.S. baby name data just twice in the late 1930s:
- 1940: unlisted
- 1939: 6 baby girls named Rawnie
- 1938: 8 baby girls named Rawnie [debut]
- 1937: unlisted
- 1936: unlisted
Where did it come from?
It was inspired by a character named Rawnie (played by actress Rochelle Hudson) from the movie Rascals, which was released in mid-1938.
The film is about a young socialite suffering from amnesia. A group of gypsies take her in, name her Rawnie (“which means “lady” in the Gypsy language”), and teach her how to tell fortunes.
I did some research on the word rawnie and, though I wasn’t expecting it to, it really does mean “lady” in Romany. I’m also seeing it spelled rawni, raunie and rauni in various Romany dictionaries.
What do you think of the name Rawnie?
P.S. Rochelle Hudson was a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1931.
Sources: Rascals (1938) – Turner Classic Movies, SSA
It sounds like a nickname given by a toddler-aged sibling unable to pronounce a “real” name correctly. The fact that it only appeared on lists for two years in the last century seems about right to me!!
“I did some research on the word rawnie and, though I wasn’t expecting it to, it really does mean “lady” in Romany. I’m also seeing it spelled rawni, raunie and rauni in various Romany dictionaries.”
Given the historical origins of the Roma, I wonder if it’s connected to the Hindustani word rani. Edit: Google tells me yes.
Meh. Like a cross between raunchy, rowdy, and scrawny
@Diana – I could totally see that.
@C baker – Interesting! Thank you for the extra info.
@Megan – Hahaha. :)
I’m on the fence about Rawnie. It’s odd, but it also sounds to me like Ronnie, which I do like (due to my girl-crush on Ronnie Spector, born a Veronica).
I bet you this spawned a lot of Ronnies too.
i love the name Rani so Rawnie doesn’t seem that weird to me…am I the only one who actaully likes Rawnie?
I recall there is a book, ‘Rawnie On The Fells’, which is a rare and classic memoir of the youthful times in the ‘fells’ (low lying mountain lands of Great Britain) as recalled by a gypsy woman..
You’re right — looks like it was part of a longer work called My Gypsy Days (1953) by Dora Esther Yates.