What popularized the baby names Teela and Shera in the mid-1980s?

The character Teela from the animated TV series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983-1985).
Teela from “He-Man

Remember the ’80s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe?

I haven’t yet found any ’80s babies named after He-Man, but I’ve found a bunch with names inspired by Teela and She-Ra — two other popular characters from the Masters of the Universe franchise.

He-Man premiered on TV in 1983. The main female character was Teela — daughter of the Sorceress, foster-daughter of Man-At-Arms, and protector/friend of Prince Adam (a.k.a. He-Man).

In 1984, usage of the baby name Teela spiked high enough for the name to reach the top 1,000 for the first and only time:

  • 1986: 49 babies named Teela
  • 1985: 145 babies named Teela
  • 1984: 175 babies named Teela [rank: 872nd]
  • 1983: 27 babies named Teela
  • 1982: 13 babies named Teela
  • 1981: 5 babies named Teela
The character She-Ra from the animated TV series "She-Ra: Princess of Power" (1985-1987).
She-Ra from “She-Ra

The cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power was a spin-off of He-Man that premiered in 1985 (the same year as Jem). She-Ra was the alter ego of Princess Adora, twin sister of Prince Adam.

Right away, usage of the baby name Shera nearly tripled:

  • 1988: 44 baby girls named Shera
  • 1987: 63 baby girls named Shera
  • 1986: 135 baby girls named Shera
  • 1985: 120 baby girls named Shera
  • 1984: 42 baby girls named Shera
  • 1983: 31 baby girls named Shera

The SSA omits hyphens and makes all internal letters lower-case, so unfortunately there’s no easy way to find out how many of these babies got the specific name “She-Ra.” (We know they exist, though: Mental Floss recently spotted a lady in the UK named She-Ra.)

I’m guessing the She-Ra upswing was both more immediate and less impressive than the Teela upswing (286% vs. 648%) because, while She-Ra was a titular character (whose name viewers would have picked up on right away) her spin-off series didn’t quite achieve the same level popularity that the original series did.

Which ’80s cartoon-lady baby name do you like more, Teela or She-Ra?

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