Where did the baby name Miosotis come from in 1969?

Title of the telenovela "La Mujer de Aquella Noche" (1968), from the Universidad de Puerto Rico audiovisual archive.
“La Mujer de Aquella Noche”

The unusual name Miosotis first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1969, thanks to heavy usage in New York state:

  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: 8 baby girls name Miosotis
    • 8 born in New York
  • 1969: 10 baby girls name Miosotis [debut]
    • 8 born in New York
  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: unlisted

The inspiration?

A Puerto Rican telenovela called La Mujer de Aquella Noche (translation: “The Woman of That Night”), which aired during 1968.

Advertisement for the telenovela "La Mujer de Aquella Noche" (1968).
“La Mujer” ad

It was a 3-episode historical drama that told the love story of aristocrat Countess Adriana de Astolfi (played by Gladys Rodríguez) and itinerant gypsy Renzo (played by Braulio Castillo). Renzo’s pet name for Adriana was “Miosotis.”

The story was also turned into radio soap opera at some point, though I’m not sure when.

The Spanish word miosotis is a form of myosotis, another name for the forget-me-not flower (Myosotis palustris). The Greek word myosotis means “mouse ear” and describes the shape of the leaf.

Sources:

P.S. The name Quetcy, which we talked about a couple of days ago, was also popular among New York City’s Puerto Ricans (a.k.a., Nuyoricans) in the late 1960s…

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