According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Dawn saw a significant increase in usage in the mid-1960s:
- 1966: 13,602 baby girls named Dawn [rank: 24th]
- 1965: 13,341 baby girls named Dawn [rank: 26th]
- 1964: 12,614 baby girls named Dawn [rank: 33rd]
- 1963: 8,416 baby girls named Dawn [rank: 52nd]
- 1962: 8,980 baby girls named Dawn [rank: 50th]
Why?
Because of the Four Seasons song “Dawn (Go Away),” in which the narrator speaks to a female named Dawn (who’s as “pretty as a midsummer’s morn”).
Here’s what it sounds like:
The song was released as a single in January of 1964. From late February to early March, for three weeks straight, it ranked #3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. (The two songs that prevented it from climbing any higher were both Beatles songs: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.”)
What are your thoughts on the name Dawn? (Do you like it more or less than Sherry?)
Update, Feb. 2025: Thank you to Randi for mentioning a second possible influence: actress Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on the sitcom Gilligan’s Island, which premiered in September of 1964.
Sources: Dawn (Go Away) – Wikipedia, Billboard Hot 100 for the week of 22 Feb. 1964, Gilligan’s Island – Wikipedia, SSA
I love the concept of dawn, one of my favorite times of day. And fortunately, in my accent, it sounds different than “don,” but I dislike Dawn as a name because I really hate when people pronounce it like don.
I had a close friend in high school named Dawn. She was almost named Pearl, because she was born on December 7th (the anniversary of the WWII Pearl Harbor attack). I have never met anyone named Pearl, but I have met lots of Dawns, because I was born in 1973 and it was fairly popular in my age group.
I knew one Dawn growing up, and she happened to be from New York originally, so the way she said her name was distinct from Don.
Everyone else, though, said “Dawn” just like “Don.” If there was a difference in pronunciation, it was slight. (I’m from southeastern MA originally.)
So I can understand why people who prefer the distinct “Dawn” pronunciation would be hesitant to use this name, because many people just don’t say it that way.
I was not aware of the song, but the TV show Gilligan’s Island also premiered that year, with actress Dawn Wells. I’ve always thought that was what contributed to the name’s popularity spike. The name Tina (actress Tina Louise from the same show) saw similar increase in usage around the same time.
I was born in 66 and I went to school/scouts/camp with several Dawns, but whenever I hear the name it makes me think of Dawn Dolls which were like a smaller version of Barbie. I’m not sure why/when they chose the name, but maybe they were responding to the increased usage?
@Randi – Oh you’re right, I didn’t even account for Dawn Wells. Thank you very much for bringing her up. She certainly could have contributed to the name’s increase in usage in 1964. (Gilligan’s Island started airing in late September that year.)
The name Tina, though, had already risen to peak usage (more or less) by the time the show started airing, so it’s hard to know how much Tina Louise influenced “Tina.” It’s also worth noting that the compound name Tinalouise didn’t pop up on the charts during the show’s original run (’64 to ’67), and that the series didn’t seem to affect the usage of either Ginger or Mary Ann.
@Ellyn – That’s interesting, I’ve never heard of Dawn dolls before. According to the Wikipedia page, they were put on the market in 1970 — right when the name was at peak popularity (numerically). So I think it’s very possible that the toy company people had a sense that Dawn was a trendy girl name at that time.