Where did the baby name Ilomay come from in 1932?

Singer Ilomay Bailey (1901-1991)
Ilomay Bailey

The curious name Ilomay appeared in the U.S. baby name data several times in the 1930s:

  • 1937: unlisted
  • 1936: 5 baby girls named Ilomay
  • 1935: unlisted
  • 1934: unlisted
  • 1933: 7 baby girls named Ilomay
  • 1932: 5 baby girls named Ilomay [debut]
  • 1931: unlisted
  • 1930: unlisted

The similar name Ilomae popped up for the first time in 1932 as well.

Where did these names come from?

A long-forgotten radio singer named Ilomay (pronounced ie-loh-mae) Bailey. She could be heard with her husband, pianist Lee Sims, on a weekday radio show called “Piano Moods” (NBC) during the early 1930s.

Ilomay was a Julliard-trained soprano originally from Kansas. She met Lee in Chicago (she took piano lessons from him) and they ended up becoming a team, both professionally and personally. The couple also performed on other radio programs, on stage, and sometimes in films:

Do you like the name Ilomay?

Sources: Lee Sims – Wikipedia, SSA
Image: Radio Mirror (Dec. 1933)

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