According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Fabian leapt into the boys’ top 1,000 in 1959:
- 1961: 158 baby boys named Fabian [rank: 629th]
- 1960: 186 baby boys named Fabian [rank: 575th]
- 1959: 160 baby boys named Fabian [rank: 611th]
- 1958: 41 baby boys named Fabian
- 1957: 48 baby boys named Fabian
Why?
Because of mononymous Italian-American singer Fabian (pronounced FAY-bee-an), who was born Fabian Anthony Forte in South Philadelphia in 1943.
Spotted at the age of 14 by talent manager Bob Marcucci, the good-looking teenager was taught how to sing, how to dress, and how to behave. He was being groomed as a teen idol, and it worked.
He attained stardom in 1959, the year his three most successful songs came out. “Turn Me Loose” and “Hound Dog Man” each peaked at #9 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart (in May and December, respectively). Between them came his biggest hit, “Tiger,” which reached the #3 spot for two weeks in July.
Fabian also performed on television dozens of times in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Notably, he made seven appearances on The Dick Clark Show. He was even the mystery guest on an episode of What’s My Line? in November of 1959.
The name Fabian comes (via Fabianus) from the Roman family name Fabius, which was based on the Latin word faba, meaning “bean.”
What are your thoughts on the name Fabian?
P.S. Two other male pop stars of the era, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell, were also Italian-Americans who hailed from South Philadelphia.
Sources:
- Fabian Forte – Wikipedia
- “Forever Fabian.” Las Vegas Sun 19 Jul. 2022.
- Fabian – Behind the Name
- SSA
I love the name Fabian. I was aware of the singer as a sort of punchline, due to his lack of talent, popular only because he was cute. I would love to see the name grow in popularity, but F names are out of style right now.
I really like this name as well.