The baby name Treasure debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1935:
- 1937: 6 baby girls named Treasure
- 1936: 18 baby girls named Treasure
- 1935: 16 baby girls named Treasure [debut]
- 1934: unlisted
- 1933: unlisted
Treasure was the top debut name that year, in fact.
And yet, because Treasure (like Memory) is also a vocabulary word, figuring out where it must have been used as a girl name circa 1935 is tricky.
There are a lot of possibilities in the 1930s, actually — movies, literature, radio, comic strips, etc.
Any thoughts on this one?
(And, I wonder whether a baby name alluding to riches wouldn’t have been especially appealing during the era of the Depression? Hm.)
Update, Feb. 2017: I think Becca has figured it out!
Vida Hurst’s novel Tango, which was serialized in various newspapers in 1934 and 1935, featured a female protagonist named Treasure McGuire.
Here’s a description of the story:
Golden-haired Treasure McGuire, who looks like an angel, but who dances the tango with mysterious grace and abandon, is the heroine. She scorns the love of fiery Carlos Bermuda, of kind Oliver Keith, of domineering Rudolf Molinari, but gives her heart to youthful, adoring Anthony Molinari.
They marry secretly and spend a glorious week at Lake Tahoe. But on their return to San Francisco, bitterness and distrust tear them apart. Happy, carefree Treasure is faced with problems that sweep girlhood away forever and change her into a woman fighting for the man she loves.
A movie adaptation of Tango came out in early 1936. This explains why the usage of the name increased slightly the year after it debuted.
Thank you, Becca!
Sources:
- “Tango” [Advertisement]. Indianapolis Times 15 Jan. 1935: 6.
- Tango (1936 film) – Wikipedia
- SSA
Image: Clipping from the Indianapolis Times (16 Jan. 1935)
[Latest update: Sept. 2025]
There was a film of ‘Treasure Island’ released in 1934, and the book ‘Back to Treasure Island’ came out in 1935. But would this explain it becoming a name for girls?
Exactly. I mean, those *could* be the cause here, but it just seems like a stretch.
I’m thinking there must be a female character named Treasure out there somewhere, but we just haven’t found her yet. Hm.
Nancy, your post on Rise led me to take a second look at Treasure and I think I found the character in question. A movie called Tango came out in 1936 and the main character is named Treasure McGuire. The novel it was based on, by Vida Hurst, came out in 1935. Hurst’s IMDb states that she “wrote 52 novels in 32 years that were serialized in newspapers by The Register and Tribune Syndicate.”
That has to be it. Thank you so much, Becca! Mystery solved. :)
I met a young girl named Treasure! I was tickled when I heard the name. Her mother didn’t go into reasoning why she picked that name but interestingly her other daughter had a T name. Apparently she named both her girls T names because her name started with a T. I think that’s a cute idea as well as the name Treasure.