The unusual name Jadakiss appeared in the U.S. baby name data from 1998 to 2003, reaching peak usage in the year 2000:
- 2004: unlisted
- 2003: 5 baby boys named Jadakiss
- 2002: 18 baby boys named Jadakiss
- 2001: 23 baby boys named Jadakiss
- 2000: 31 baby boys (and 13 baby girls) named Jadakiss
- 1999: 5 baby boys named Jadakiss
- 1998: 6 baby boys named Jadakiss
- 1997: unlisted
Where did it come from?
Raspy-voiced rapper Jadakiss (who was born Jason Terrance Phillips in New York in 1975).
He began his career as a member of the hip hop group The Lox. The trio’s first widely-heard song was “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa,” which was the B-side to the Grammy-winning 1997 single “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans. (Both tracks were tributes to The Notorious B.I.G.) The Lox’s most successful song, “Money, Power & Respect,” reached #17 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in May of 1998.
Curiously, by the time Jadakiss-the-rapper kicked off his solo career in 2001, Jadakiss-the-name was already on the decline. In fact, Jadakiss’ two biggest hits, “Why” and “U Make Me Wanna,” both came out in 2004 — the year the name dropped out of the SSA data entirely.
So how did Jadakiss come to have his stage name?
I just got it from some of my peers. Really one guy named me that. He didn’t even name me. He just called me [Jadakiss] by mistake and I was smart enough to experiment with it. I took it and ran with it cause I was looking for a name at the time anyway.
This reminds me of the story behind the name Eliantte, which also evolved from a mispronunciation.
What are your thoughts on the name Jadakiss?
Sources: Jadakiss – Wikipedia, The Lox – Billboard, 15 Questions with Jadakiss – Harvard Crimson, SSA