Saddam Hussein served as the leader of Iraq from the mid-1970s until the early 2000s.
In August of 1990, he invaded Kuwait and set off the Persian Gulf War. (Years later, when asked why he invaded Kuwait, one of his answers was: “When I get something into my head I act. That’s just the way I am.”)
In early 1991, the a U.S.-led allied coalition attacked Iraq, mainly from the air (Operation Desert Storm). By late February, the Iraqis were finally driven out of Kuwait.
Saddam Hussein was in the U.S. news enough in the early 1990s that the name Saddam appeared in the U.S. baby name data for three years in a row:
- 1993: unlisted
- 1992: 5 baby boys named Saddam
- 1991: 10 baby boys named Saddam
- 1990: 15 baby boys named Saddam [debut]
- 6 born in California
- 1989: unlisted
- 1988: unlisted
The name Saddam means “one who confronts” in Arabic. In 2007, The Economist specified that the “ungainly” name was “a conjugate of the Arabic words for “shock” and “collision.””
Saddam Hussein’s full name at birth was Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti. “Hussein” was his father’s name, “Abd al-Majid” was his grandfather’s name, and “al-Tikriti” refers to the town of Tikrit, where he was born. He later abolished regional surnames, possibly to “obscure the number of members of his inner circle who were relatives from Takrit.”
Sources:
- “The blundering dictator.” Economist 4 Jan. 2007.
- The Crimes of Saddam Hussein: 1990 The Invasion of Kuwait – Frontline World
- “Name muddle: Say Saddam? Use Hussein?” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 6 Aug. 1990: 3.
- Saddam Hussein – Wikipedia
Image: Saddam Hussein in 1996
