According to the U.S. baby name data, the usage of Tracy increased for both boys and girls during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s.
The boys’ rise was probably bolstered by a pair of masculine associations: leading man Spencer Tracy (who’d become famous in the mid-1930s) and comic strip character Dick Tracy (who first appeared in the papers in the early ’30s).
The girls’ rise was likely influenced by fictional character Tracy Lord, the protagonist of the play The Philadelphia Story (1939), which was adapted for the big and small screens multiple times. Tracy Lord — a beautiful but self-centered heiress — was portrayed by Katharine Hepburn in 1940 (film), Barbara Bel Geddes in late 1950 (TV), Dorothy McGuire in late 1954 (TV), Grace Kelly in 1956 (film), and Diana Lynn in late 1959 (TV).
Notably, the 1959 televised production of The Philadelphia Story featured original music, including “Tracy’s Theme” [vid] — an instrumental song that peaked at #13 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in February of 1960.
Another influence on the girls’ usage may have been AP columnist Hal Boyle, who often wrote about his daughter Tracy Ann (from the time she was adopted in 1953 until the early 1970s). Photos of Tracy Ann Boyle occasionally ran in the newspapers.
The name Tracy was being given more often to baby girls than to baby boys by 1954, and the girls’ usage was more than double the boys’ usage by the end of the 1950s:
| Girls named Tracy | Boys named Tracy | |
| 1962 | 8,308 (rank: 55th) | 3,340 (rank: 111th) |
| 1961 | 6,987 (rank: 64th) | 3,185 (rank: 119th) |
| 1960 | 5,767 (rank: 84th) | 2,584 (rank: 137th) |
| 1959 | 3,367 (rank: 131st) | 1,450 (rank: 199th) |
| 1958 | 2,110 (rank: 178th) | 1,249 (rank: 212th) |
| 1957 | 1,966 (rank: 183rd) | 1,156 (rank: 223rd) |
| 1956 | 1,386 (rank: 219th) | 773 (rank: 261st) |
| 1955 | 936 (rank: 280th) | 526 (rank: 323rd) |
| 1954 | 612 (rank: 348th) | 445 (rank: 338th) |
| 1953 | 326 (rank: 477th) | 327 (rank: 387th) |
Do you know of anything else (e.g., famous people, characters, news stories) that might have helped popularize the name Tracy in the mid-20th century? (Did I miss anything?)
Sources: The Philadelphia Story (play) – Wikipedia, Tracy’s Theme – Wikipedia, Billboard Hot 100 for the week of 22 Feb. 1960, SSA
Images: Clippings from the Oakland Tribune (6 Dec. 1959) and the Meriden Journal (17 Sept. 1959)
Could a later influence be from Tracy Bond (wife of James Bond) in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, played by Diana Rigg? (Her name is actually Teresa, but she goes by Tracy.) I know many, many women named Tracy, Tracey, Traci(e), etc. who were born in the early ’70s.
I love your posts about which pop culture influences made a name soar, Nancy! They’re so much fun and really make me want to do research.
So there was an era of popularity in the 50-60’s – and then in the 90’s there were some hits of country music by the various singers Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence, and Trace Adkins.
@Sharky – Yes, the character certainly could have been an influence. Thank you very much for mentioning her — I wasn’t aware that there was a Bond girl known as Tracy, even though I’ve researched Bond girls before. (She must have been listed as “Teresa” in the places I checked.)
I think the main influence behind the sharp 1969-1970 rise of Tracy is most likely the top-10 pop song “Tracy,” but I’m sure baby girls were named with the Bond character in mind as well.
I’m so happy you enjoy the pop culture posts. :) These are my favorite posts to write, and I really appreciate it when you (and others) take the time to comment. I learn more from the comments than I do from the research sometimes!
@Brenda Miller – Yes, great observation! The usage of Tracy was highest for baby boys during the 1960s, and that’s exactly when all of those (male) country singers were born — in ’66, ’68, and ’62, respectively.