The name Mulan first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1998:
- 2000: 6 baby girls named Mulan
- 1999: 7 baby girls named Mulan
- 1998: 16 baby girls named Mulan [debut]
- 1997: unlisted
- 1996: unlisted
Where did it come from?
The animated Disney movie Mulan, which was released in June that year. Mulan went on to become the seventh-highest-grossing film of 1998.
The titular character (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) was a young woman who lived with her parents and grandmother in ancient China.
When China was suddenly invaded by the Huns, the emperor ordered that one man from every family join the Imperial Army. Mulan, wanting to spare her ailing father from having to serve, dressed in her father’s armor and, posing as a man, enlisted in his place. (She was accompanied on her military adventures by a diminutive Chinese dragon named Mushu.)
The movie was based on the Chinese folk song Mùlán Cí, which can be traced back to the Northern Wèi dynasty (386-535).
The legendary female warrior Mùlán was named after a type of magnolia tree, the word for which comprises two characters — the first (mù) meaning “wood,” the second (lán) meaning “orchid.”
What are your thoughts on the baby name Mulan?
Sources:
- Mulan (1998 film) – Wikipedia
- 1998 in film – Wikipedia
- The Ballad of Mùlán (by anthropologist David K. Jordan)
- Wiktionary
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of Mulan
I like Mulan because it is recognizable for Westerners; it has a beautiful meaning, sound and story behind it. It is actually not uncommon in the Chinese community.