The curious name Donyale debuted impressively in the U.S. baby name data in 1966:
- 1968: 35 baby girls named Donyale
- 1967: 43 baby girls named Donyale
- 1966: 15 baby girls named Donyale [debut]
- 1965: unlisted
- 1964: unlisted
Where did it come from?
African-American model Donyale Luna, who, in March of 1966, became the first black model to appear on the cover of Vogue (the British version).
Overnight, she became an international celebrity — not to mention one of the most in-demand models in the world.
A Time article from 1966 described her as “a new heavenly body who…is unquestionably the hottest model in Europe at the moment.”
She was born in Detroit in 1945 with the name Peggy Ann Freeman. In the early 1960s, as a teenager, she started going by the name “Donyale Luna.” The name Donyale may have been inspired by the French name Danielle, while Luna was “perhaps in reference to the era’s fascination with lunar expeditions.”
One of the reasons Luna is not well-remembered today? She passed away from an accidental drug overdose in 1979. This was a year and a half after she gave birth to a baby girl named Dream.
What do you think of the name Donyale?
Sources:
- Brown, Elspeth H. Work!: A Queer History of Modeling. Durham: Duke University Press, 2019.
- Cazzaniga, Dream. “Remembering Donyale Luna, The First Woman Of Colour Ever To Appear On The Cover Of Vogue.” British Vogue 19 Apr. 2019.
- Goff, Keli. “The First Black Supermodel, Whom History Forgot.” The Cut 10 Jul. 2013.
- “The Luna Year.” Time 1 Apr. 1966.
Image: © 1966 Vogue
P.S. Another popular fashion model from the 1960s who went by a pseudonym was Twiggy…
Sad end for Donyale. I knew of a Danyell when I was in grade school, her sister, Tarasonia, was a classmate.