The rare baby name Rebbie both re-emerged in the U.S. data and saw peak usage in 1985:
- 1987: 7 baby girls named Rebbie
- 1986: 9 baby girls named Rebbie
- 1985: 24 baby girls named Rebbie [peak]
- 1984: unlisted
- 1983: unlisted
Why?
Because of singer Rebbie (pronounced ree-bee) Jackson. Her biggest single, “Centipede,” was released in September of 1984 and peaked at #24 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in December.
Rebbie — born Maureen Reillette Jackson in Gary, Indiana, in 1950 — was the eldest of the ten Jackson siblings. Her famous younger brother, Michael Jackson, “wrote, produced, arranged and sang in the background” on “Centipede.”
Rebbie was the first Jackson sister to see success as a solo artist. By the time her follow-up album came out in late 1986, however, baby sister Janet had established herself as the biggest star of the three. (Janet Jackson’s breakthrough album Control had been released in February of that year.)
What are your thoughts on the name Rebbie?
Sources:
- Collier, Aldore. “Rebbie, Oldest Sister, Latest Bloomer, in the Jackson Family.” Jet 27 May 1985: 24-26.
- Piatkowski, Peter. “Rebbie Jackson Bid for Pop Stardom in the Midst of 1980s Jacksonmania.” PopMatters 8 Oct. 2021.
- Rebbie Jackson – Wikipedia
Image: “Family Support” (photo). Jet 1 Feb. 1988: 41.