Last month, the TV game show The Price Is Right featured a contestant named Kendra.
After introducing herself to the show’s host, Drew Carey, she mentioned the origin of her name:
And, actually, I was named Kendra 36 years ago from a contestant from The Price is Right.
Then she played a game called “More or Less.” She won the first three prizes (workout equipment, a shuffle board table, and a laptop) but not the fourth (a Hyundai Venue SEL).
Before Kendra left the stage, Drew said,
You got all these prizes, Kendra. And if anybody out there just had a baby, and they’re looking for a nice baby name, I think Kendra would be a lovely one. You can pass on the tradition of naming your children after Price Is Right contestants.
I’ve tried scanning partial lists of contestants, but so far I have not spotted one named Kendra from 1989 or thereabouts.
(If any of you guys ever come across a comprehensive list of Price Is Right contestants, please let me know! Not only would it help us to track down the original Kendra, but it would also allow us to see if any past contestants influenced U.S. baby names.)
Sources:
- Furnell, Hannah. “Price Is Right player named after another contestant wins big but loses out on jackpot.” Daily Express US 10 Mar. 2025.
- The Price is Right – Wikipedia
Image: Screenshot of The Price is Right
It’s not my usual sort of name, but like the name Kendra because the head of my MFA program/poetry professor is named Kendra, and she’s really cool. Maybe I should encourage her to go on The Price Is Right.
Haha, perhaps!
I’ve only met a single Kendra in my life. I feel like I should know at least a few Kendras by now.