According to the U.S. baby name data, the usage of the name Meadow more than doubled in 1999, then more than tripled in 2000:
- 2001: 293 baby girls named Meadow [rank: 806th]
- 2000: 134 baby girls named Meadow
- 1999: 38 baby girls named Meadow
- 1998: 17 baby girls named Meadow
- 1997: 15 baby girls named Meadow
By 2001, Meadow ranked inside the girls’ top 1,000 — and it’s been there ever since.
What was drawing attention to this name around the turn of the century?
The crime drama series The Sopranos, which began airing on HBO in January of 1999. One of the most popular and influential television shows of all time, The Sopranos collected 21 Emmy Awards over the course of its six-season run.
The show’s protagonist was “the antihero you can’t help but root for,” Italian-American mobster Anthony “Tony” Soprano (played by James Gandolfini). Tony lived in New Jersey with his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and their two teenage children, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and Anthony, Jr. (Robert Iler).
Here’s how HBO described Meadow:
Tony and Carmela’s firstborn: pretty, bright, and talented, always an honor student. Meadow is tough and clear-eyed about her father’s profession. […] They may not always like her boyfriends or her temper tantrums, but she’s their princess.
What are your thoughts on Meadow as a baby name?
Update, Aug. 2019: I just came across the following name story: “My daughter’s name is Meadow Brooke. I was raised in Merrick, right off of the Meadowbrook Parkway, and my husband loved The Sopranos […] So we named our daughter after the show and the parkway I’ve driven my entire life. Her name means so much to us and only people in New York would understand the meaning behind it.”
Sources:
- The Sopranos – Wikipedia
- Meadow Soprano – The Sopranos (Official Website) – HBO.com
- Jerome, Richard. “The Sopranos: The Show That Changed Everything.” Life 17. Sept. 2021.
- Berger, Jennifer. “Long Island moms share the stories behind their kids’ unique names.” Newsday 20 Aug. 2019.
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of The Sopranos
[Latest update: Nov. 2024]