The simple name Ren, after dropping out of the U.S. baby name data for a year in 1983, returned with nearly two dozen baby boys in 1984:
- 1986: 22 baby boys named Ren
- 1985: 32 baby boys named Ren
- 1984: 21 baby boys named Ren
- 1983: unlisted
- 1982: 10 baby boys named Ren
What brought it back?
The main character of the movie Footloose, which was released February of 1984 and went on to become the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year.
Ren McCormack (played by Kevin Bacon) was a teenager who loved to dance. The problem? He’d recently moved from the big city to a rural town where dancing was banned, thanks to the efforts of a local preacher.
As Ren challenged the anti-dancing law (so that the town’s high school could hold a senior prom), he also became romantically involved with the preacher’s rebellious daughter Ariel* (played by Lori Singer).
Coincidentally, one of the fastest-rising boy names in the U.S. in 1984 was the similar name Ryne; the trendiness of Ryne could have influenced the usage of Ren as well.
What are your thoughts on the name Ren? Do you like it as a standalone name, or do you prefer it as a nickname for something longer (like Lorenzo, Terrence, Warren, or Reynold)?
*Ariel was apparently the inspiration behind the name of Disney’s Little Mermaid…
Sources: Footloose – Wikipedia, 1984 in film – Wikipedia, Footloose review – Roger Ebert, SSA
Image: Screenshot of Footloose