The paranormal romance City of Angels was released in movie theaters in April of 1998.
The film’s main character, Seth (played by Nicolas Cage), was an angel who helped dying humans transition to the next life.
While doing his work in a Los Angeles hospital, Seth took an interest in heart surgeon Maggie Rice (played by Meg Ryan). He made himself visible (and audible) to her, so that they could communicate with one another, and the pair soon fell in love. Seth ultimately decided to give up his immortality in order to live as a human with Maggie.
City of Angels was a success at the box office and, in 1999, the name Seth was the fastest-rising boy name in the country:
- 2001: 6,223 baby boys named Seth (rank: 68th)
- 2000: 6,717 baby boys named Seth (rank: 63rd)
- 1999: 6,304 baby boys named Seth (rank: 65th)
- 1998: 4,587 baby boys named Seth (rank: 86th)
- 1997: 4,043 baby boys named Seth (rank: 97th)
The name reached peak usage one year later.
Here’s a visual:
The brief-but-steady rise of the name Maggie that began in the late ’90s may have been kicked off by the movie as well:
- 2000: 1,614 baby girls named Maggie
- 1999: 1,423 baby girls named Maggie
- 1998: 1,238 baby girls named Maggie
- 1997: 1,054 baby girls named Maggie
- 1996: 1,103 baby girls named Maggie
And one of Seth’s angelic friends, Cassiel (played by Andre Braugher), also had an impact on names. Despite the fact that the character was male, Cassiel debuted in as a girl name in the U.S. baby name data in 1999.
What are your thoughts on the name Seth? (Do you like it more or less than Cassiel?)
P.S. Coincidentally, the movie Universal Soldier: The Return, which came out in mid-1999, also featured characters named Seth and Maggie.
P.P.S. The Goo Goo Dolls’ power ballad “Iris” [vid], which was written for the City of Angels soundtrack, reached #9 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in December of 1998. Though the name Iris was not mentioned in either the song or the film — vocalist Johnny Rzeznik randomly chose the song’s title after spotting Iris DeMent‘s name in a magazine — the usage of baby name Iris did see an uptick in usage in the late ’90s.
Sources:
- City of Angels (film) – Wikipedia
- Yates, Henry. “The story behind the song: Iris by Goo Goo Dolls.” Louder 31 Jan. 2019.
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of City of Angels