In the mid-20th century, when names like Darlene and Charlene were trendy, the rare name Troylene popped up in the U.S. baby name data a handful of times.
The name saw peak usage in 1963 specifically:
- 1965: 5 baby girls named Troylene
- 1964: unlisted
- 1963: 13 baby girls named Troylene
- 1962: unlisted
- 1961: unlisted
Why?
The answer has to do with a Texas burlesque dancer called “Candy Barr.” (Her birth name was Juanita Dale Slusher.)
In the early ’60s, Candy Barr served over three years of a fifteen-year prison sentence for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.
Just after she was released in April of 1963, several photographs of Candy and her 7-year-old daughter Troylene ran in the newspapers.
Troylene’s father was Candy’s second husband, Troy Phillips.
It’s interesting to note that most of the 20th-century Troylenes I found in the records were born in Texas, and that a good number of them had fathers named Troy.
What do you think of the baby name Troylene?
Sources:
- Barr, Candy [Juanita Dale Slusher] – TSHA
- Cartwright, Gary. “Say ‘Cheesecake’.” Texas Monthly Jan. 1986: 280.
- SSA
Image: Clipping from the Santa Cruz Sentinel (2 Apr. 1963)
[Latest update: Jul. 2024]