Babies named for George B. McClellan

Union officer George B. McClellan (1826-1885)
George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan, born in Philadelphia in 1826, served as a general during the initial years of the American Civil War. For several of those months — from November 1861 to March 1862 — he was the commander of the entire Union Army.

In 1864, he unsuccessfully ran for president against Abraham Lincoln. Years later, he was elected governor of New Jersey (1878-1881).

Hundreds of U.S. baby boys were named after George B. McClellan, particularly during the first half of the 1860s. Some examples…

A high percentage of McClellan’s namesakes were born in his home state of Pennsylvania. In fact, the name Brinton (which was McClellan’s mother’s maiden name) still sees its highest usage in Pennsylvania, according to the SSA’s state-by-state baby name data.

Source: George B. McClellan – Wikipedia

Where did the baby name Derna come from in 1912?

Advertisement for the movie "The Heroine from Derna" (1912).
“The Heroine from Derna” movie ad

The name Derna debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1912:

  • 1914: 6 baby girls named Derna
  • 1913: 5 baby girls named Derna
  • 1912: 10 baby girls named Derna [debut & peak usage]
  • 1911: unlisted
  • 1910: unlisted

The reason could be either (or both) of two related things that drew attention to the African place-name Derna that year.

The first was the single-day Battle of Derna on March 3, 1912 (110 years ago today). The battle was part of the Italo-Turkish War and it took place near Derna, a port city in northeastern Libya.

The second was the Italian silent film The Heroine from Derna (originally L’eroica fanciulla di Derna), a drama set against the backdrop of the battle. It was released in the U.S. in June.

The modern city of Derna was founded by Islamic refugees from Al-Andalus during the late 15th century. (The Iberian Peninsula was being re-conquered by European Christians at that time.) Originally, the site was an Ancient Greek colony called Darnis or Darne.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Derna?

Source: Ahmida, Ali Abdullatif. The Making of Modern Libya: State Formation, Colonization, and Resistance. Albany: SUNY Press, 2009.
Image: Advertisement in the June 15, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World

Popular baby names in South Africa, 2020

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa

For 2020, Statistics South Africa didn’t release one set of baby name rankings covering the entire country. Instead, it released nine sets of rankings, each representing one of the country’s nine provinces.

So let’s start with that. Here are the top 3 girl names and top 3 boy names of 2020 within each of South Africa’s nine provinces, listed from most to least populous:

  • Gauteng (26.0% of the population)
    • Top girl names: Lesedi, 843; Melokuhle, 835; Lethabo, 809
    • Top boy names: Lethabo, 995; Bokamoso, 636; Omphile, 633
  • KwaZulu-Natal (19.3%)
    • Top girl names: Lisakhanya, 1,607; Asemahle, 1,301; Melokuhle, 991
    • Top boy names: Lubanzi, 1,759; Melokuhle, 1,202; Ayabonga, 1,196
  • Western Cape (11.8%)
    • Top girl names: Melokuhle, 410; Othalive, 262; Mia, 216
    • Top boy names: Liam, 338; Noah, 254; Lundanele, 240
  • Eastern Cape (11.3%)
    • Top girl names: Enzokuhle, 669; Melokuhle, 667; Othalive, 641
    • Top boy names: Enzokuhle, 727; Othalive, 565; Melokuhle, 492
  • Limpopo (9.8%)
    • Top girl names: Tshegofatso, 586; Amogelang, 572; Lethabo, 562
    • Top boy names: Ofentse, 622; Phenyo, 588; Katlego, 564
  • Mpumalanga (7.8%)
    • Top girl names: Melokuhle, 816; Amahle, 597; Minenhle, 439
    • Top boy names: Blessing, 443; Banele, 424; Junior, 397
  • North West (6.9%)
    • Top girl names: Warona, 451; Reatlegile, 351; Omolemo, 340
    • Top boy names: Lethabo, 510; Refentse, 336; Warona, 267
  • Free State (4.9%)
    • Top girl names: Amohelang, 363; Omphile, 309; Rethabile, 299
    • Top boy names: Lethabo, 525; Amohelang, 400; Katleho, 355
  • Northern Cape (2.2%)
    • Top girl names: Warona, 89; Remofilwe, 79; Omolemo, 74
    • Top boy names: Lethabo, 96; Leano, 63; Refentse, 63

Using only the data they gave us (nine top-ten lists), here’s what I came up with for the most popular baby names in the country for 2020:

Girl Names:

  • Melokuhle
  • Enzokuhle
  • Lesedi
  • Rethabile
  • Lethabo

Boy Names:

  • Melokuhle
  • Lethabo
  • Lubanzi
  • Banele
  • Junior

But we’re missing a lot of data here, so there’s no telling how close these are to the official national rankings.

In 2019, the top baby names in South Africa were Melokuhle and Enzokuhle.

Update, 3/6/22: Commenter Andrea very kindly pointed out that I totally missed (!) the national rankings in the statistical release I cited. I’m sorry about that, everyone. Here are the top 10 lists:

Girl Names

  1. Melokuhle, 4,347 baby girls
  2. Amahle, 2,523
  3. Enzokuhle, 2,370
  4. Lisakhanya, 2,327
  5. Lethabo, 2,319
  6. Omphile, 2,300
  7. Lesedi, 2,236
  8. Okuhle, 2,225
  9. Lethokuhle, 2,222
  10. Rethabile, 2,094

Boy Names

  1. Melokuhle, 3,187 baby boys
  2. Lethabo, 3,139
  3. Lubanzi, 3,029
  4. Enzokuhle, 2,871
  5. Banele, 2,793
  6. Junior, 2,323
  7. Lethokuhle, 2,196
  8. Ayabonga, 2,105
  9. Siyabonga, 1,972
  10. Omphile, 1,857

Sources: P0305 – Recorded live births, 2020, List of South African provinces by population – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)

Where did the baby name Rissa come from in 1947?

The character Rissa Fortune from the movie "Time Out of Mind" (1947).
Rissa from “Time Out of Mind“

Rissa has always been a logical nickname for Clarissa and other -rissa names. But it first appeared as an independent name in the U.S. baby name data in 1947:

  • 1949: 5 baby girls named Rissa
  • 1948: unlisted
  • 1947: 5 baby girls named Rissa [debut]
  • 1946: unlisted
  • 1945: unlisted

This was the year the movie Time Out of Mind came out. One of the central characters was Clarissa “Rissa” Fortune, played by actress Ella Raines.

The protagonist was her brother, Chris, an aspiring composer/pianist who had to battle various things — his stern father, his spoiled wife, his own alcoholism — while trying to find his footing as an artist.

What are your thoughts on the name Rissa? Do you like it as a standalone name, or do you prefer it as a nickname for a -rissa name (like Clarissa, Nerissa, Marissa, or Larissa)?

P.S. I also mentioned Rissa in the Risë post.

Source: Time Out of Mind (1947) – TCM, SSA