Where did the baby name Mannix come from in 1967?

The character Joe Mannix from the TV series "Mannix" (1967-1975)
Joe Mannix from “Mannix”

The main character of the memorably violent TV series Mannix was Los Angeles private investigator Joseph “Joe” Mannix (played by Mike Connors). The show premiered in 1967 and, the same year, the baby name Mannix debuted in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1969: 9 baby boys named Mannix
  • 1968: 13 baby boys named Mannix
  • 1967: 7 baby boys named Mannix [debut]
  • 1966: unlisted
  • 1965: unlisted

The name remained in the data while the show was on the air, but disappeared after the series was canceled in 1975.

It didn’t stay away long, though. In fact, it’s been a regular in the data since actress Angelina Jolie made the like-sounding name Maddox trendy.

So what does Mannix mean? It’s an Anglicized Irish surname meaning “descendant of Manachán” — Manachán being a personal named derived from the Gaelic word manach, meaning “monk.”

Do you like the name Mannix? Do you like it more or less than Maddox?

P.S. Mike Connors’ legal name was Krekor Ohanian. (He was of Armenian descent.) His agent, Henry Willson — famous for re-naming actors like Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson — gave him the stage name “Touch Connors” at the start of his career. (“Touch” was a nickname he’d acquired on the basketball court.) Connors disliked the name, but it wasn’t until later in his career that he was permitted to change “Touch” to “Mike.”

Sources:

  • Mannix – Wikipedia
  • Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • SSA

Image: Screenshot of Mannix

[Latest update: Oct. 2025]

Baby born on D-Day, named Deeday

D-Day

A baby boy born in England on June 6, 1944, was named Deeday Rodney White — primarily because his father, Bert, kept hearing the term “D-Day” on the radio:

All his father reported hearing on the wireless the morning he was born was about the D-Day landings.

“He said to me all he could hear was ‘D-Day, D-Day, D-Day being drummed into my head’.”

Mr. White said initially the registrar refused to accept the name, saying the operation was top secret.

His father returned the next day with a copy of the Daily Mirror reporting the news of the D-Day landings on the French coast.

The name doesn’t have a hyphen on his birth certificate, but Mr. White prefers to write it “Dee-Day.”

And, even though he “hated” the name as a child, he became proud of it as an adult — so much so that he passed it down to his own son.

(Other D-Day babies include Dee Day, Invasia, and D-Day.)

Source: “D-Day: The baby named after the Normandy landings.” BBC News 5 Jun. 2019.

Where did the baby name Bocephus come from in 1986?

Hank Williams, Jr., presenting "Bocephus" on a chalkboard in the "My Name is Bocephus" music video (1987).
From the “My Name is Bocephus” music video

The unusual name Bocephus first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1986:

  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: unlisted
  • 1986: 7 baby boys named Bocephus [debut]
  • 1985: unlisted
  • 1984: unlisted

Where did it come from?

The 1986 song “My Name Is Bocephus” (pronounced boh-SEE-fuss) by Hank Williams, Jr.

Billboard described the song as “Muddy Waters-style blues” in its review of Hank’s album Montana Cafe, which reached #1 on the Top Country Albums chart in September. The song was also released as the B-side to the single “Mind Your Own Business,” which hit #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart later the same year.

“My Name Is Bocephus” apparently became popular enough on its own, though, to warrant the making of a music video. That video, which came out in early 1987, ended up winning the CMA’s Music Video of the Year award.

So…why would a guy named Hank write a song declaring that his name is “Bocephus”?

Because Bocephus was his childhood nickname. And a rather public one at that.

Hank, Jr., was born Randall Hank Williams in 1949 to country music legend Hiram “Hank” Williams and his first wife Audrey. Hank, Sr., nicknamed his son Bocephus after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield’s ventriloquist dummy.

Hank, Sr., died on the first day of 1953, when his son was three-and-a-half. During the short time they had together, though, he would end his radio performances with a message to his son — something like “Don’t worry, Bocephus, I’m coming home.” In this Feb. 1951 “Mother’s Best” radio show, for instance, you can hear Hank say “Bocephus, see you directly son” at 27:09.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Bocephus?

Sources:

P.S. Hank, Sr.’s second wife was Billie Jean Horton.

Popular baby names in Chile, 2021

Flag of Chile
Flag of Chile

According to data from Chile’s Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación, the most popular baby names in the country last year were Sofia and Mateo.

Here are Chile’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Sofía, 2,401 baby girls
  2. Emma, 2,352
  3. Isabella, 2,156
  4. Emilia, 2,047
  5. Mia, 1,923
  6. Agustina, 1,820
  7. Julieta, 1,723
  8. Trinidad, 1,722
  9. Isidora, 1,698
  10. Josefa, 1,687

Boy Names

  1. Mateo, 3,272 baby boys
  2. Lucás, 2,057
  3. Agustín, 2,055
  4. Benjamín, 2,030
  5. Santiago, 1,809
  6. Gaspar, 1,759
  7. Tomás, 1,645
  8. Maximiliano, 1,533
  9. Vicente, 1,485
  10. Matías, 1,405

In the girls’ top 10, Julieta replaced Florencia.

In the boys’ top 10, Maximiliano replaced Joaquín.

Also popular is the interesting name Facundo, which has ranked inside the top 20 for the last few years.

The indigenous Mapuche people make up about 12% of the Chilean population, so Chile’s rankings included a number of Mapuche names, such as…

NameMeaning in MapucheUsage
LautaroHispanicized form of Leftraru (see below)219 boys (rank: 85th)
Rayen“flower”173 girls (91st)
Millaray“gold” + flower”157 girls (105th)
NahuelHispanicized form of Nawel (see below)137 girls (115th)
Eluneybased on elun, meaning “to give”89 girls (135th), 66 boys (180th)
TahielHispanicized form of tayül, meaning “sacred song”83 boys (154th), 1 girl
Ayelenbased on ayelen, “laughing,” ayliñ, “clear,” or aylen, “ember”63 girls (182nd)
Antu“sun” (the sun god in Mapuche mythology)38 boys, 15 girls
AukánHispanicized form of Awkan (see below)29 boys
Nawel“jaguar”24 boys
Ayün“love”15 boys, 6 girls
Newen“force”15 boys
Leftraru“swift raptor (crested caracara)”8 boys
Aliwen“tree”5 boys, 4 girls
Relmu“rainbow”4 girls, 2 boys
Likan“stone”5 boys, 1 girl
LihuenHispanicized form of Liwen (see below)4 girls, 1 boy
Awkan“rebellion, war”4 boys
Mankeform of mañke, meaning “condor”4 boys
Kallfuform of kallfü, meaning “blue”4 girls
Liwen“morning”3 girls, 1 boy
Küyen“moon” (the moon god in Mapuche mythology)3 girls
Milla“gold”2 girls
Quimey“beauty”2 boys
Kallfüray“blue” + “flower”1 girl
Lafken“sea, ocean”1 boy
Lihue“life”1 boy
Likanrayen“stone” + “flower”1 girl
Llampüdkenform of llampüdkeñ, meaning “butterfly”1 girl
Millalikan“gold” + “stone”1 boy
Millantú“gold”+ “sun”1 girl
Millarelmu“gold” + rainbow”1 girl
Pangui“mountain lion”1 boy

I also noticed a lot of names with similar elements (mainly toward the bottom of the rankings). Some of the repeated elements that caught my attention were…

  • Wid-
    • e.g., Widencia (f), Widmayer (m), Widnaido (m), Widnalem (f), Widnelson (m)
  • Wil-
    • Wilbenson (m), Wilchinia (f), Wilciano (m), Wilferman (m), Wilyana (f)
  • Wood-
    • Woodentz (m), Woodgina (f), Woodison (m), Woodjeny (f), Woodmerry (m)
  • -(s)ley
    • Dawensley (m), Frantzley (m), Jamesley (m), Phidensley (m), Roodensley (m)
  • -sky
    • Bervensky (m), Ferdensky (m), Lorvensky (m), Marvensky (m), Rodlensky (m)
  • -aïca/aica
    • Anaica (f), Ednaica (f), Janaïca (f), Onaïca (f), Phidnaïca (f), Schaïca (f)

Plus there were plenty of combinations thereof, like Widensley (m), Wildanaïka (f), and Woodjonsky (m).

Finally, here are some of the rare baby names that were bestowed just once in Chile last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Astroïcha, Auraluna, Berveline, Crismnia, Dillexy, Duciél, Evadorie, Ferlandina, Freiberlyn, Gibernica, Hashlyn, Huskerly, Inanga, Ingibor, Jephterline, Judelca, Kenverlin, Kimpavita, Lindiana, Lircay, Mashely, Mipsy, Nilvia, Nuntai, Oromanga, Phedjine, Quisdelina, Rhominna, Ribencia, Siarel, Silfidalinda, Texeline, Thiamara, Unay, Viozelin, Wisberline, Wismia, Xi, Yohanella, ZabinaAubincliff, Aztron, Bivenson, Chedelin, Daftan, Denberth, Everzon, Flandy, Fraynell, Genghini, Holiver, Hvitserk, Idvian, Iphadson, Jeymack, Jorvenqui, Kessnerl, Kontiki, Lebis, Leevoydwens, Mamlaka, Malkocoglu, Naylorby, Nilton, Olifirt, Phibens, Quedlin, Rodnord, Royber, Sphendy, Samadhi, Taypi, Tervenson, Unax, Vamsi, Wissander, Worlph, Xing, Yandidier, Zarueth

Kontiki is one of the names of the Inca creator deity Viracocha. (In the 1940s, it was used as the name of the Kon-Tiki expedition across the Pacific.)

Malkocoglu was likely picked up from a character in the Turkish TV series Muhtesem Yuzyil, which has become particularly popular in Chile (as El Sultán).

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Chile (public domain)