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 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?
I loved the cartoon She-Ra! (although Teela makes for a better name). And Jem – can’t forget her outrageous theme song!
There’s at least one woman in the Netherlands who has She-Ra as a middle name:
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/populariteit/naam/She-Ra
No He-Mans unfortunately, but there is a Hey-Man:
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/populariteit/naam/Hey-Man :)
“Hey-Man”? :) I wonder how that name came about.