The rare name Devoe re-emerged in the U.S. baby name data in 1990:
- 1992: unlisted
- 1991: unlisted
- 1990: 9 baby boys named Devoe
- 1989: unlisted
- 1988: unlisted
What brought it back that year?
The R&B/hip hop trio Bell Biv DeVoe, made up of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe — three former members of the ’80s boy band New Edition.
BBD’s two most successful singles, “Poison” and “Do Me,” both peaked at #3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in 1990 (in June and September, respectively).
The group described its sound — and, in a sense, new jack swing itself — in the music video for “Poison”:
Our music is mentally hip-hop smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop appeal to it.
The surname DeVoe has several possible derivations. In many cases, it can be traced back to the French surname DeVaux, which originally referred to someone from one of the various locations in France called Vaux, meaning “valleys.”
What are your thoughts on Devoe as a first name?
P.S. Michael Bivins went on to discover and manage both Boyz II Men (which included Wanyá Morris) and Another Bad Creation (whose biggest hit was “Iesha“).
Sources:
- Bell Biv DeVoe – Wikipedia
- Bell Biv DeVoe – Billboard
- Williams, Stereo. “‘Poison’ Turns 30: How Bell Biv DeVoe’s Hit Reinvented New Jack Swing.” Vibe 25 Feb. 2020.
- Hanks, Patrick, Simon Lenarcic and Peter McClure. (Eds.) Dictionary of American Family Names. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of the music video for “Poison”