Baby name story: Wyangala

Wyangala Dam (in NSW, Aus.) in the 1930s

The Australian town of Wyangala was established as the Wyangala Dam (1928-1935) was being built across the Lachlan River (in New South Wales).

Dam workers and their families began moving to the site in large numbers in January of 1929. By August of that year, there had been “three deaths and two births” among the newcomers.

The first baby to be born in the territory was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Field. The child was named “Wyangala Doris.”

The place-name Wyangala is of indigenous origin (possibly of Wiradjuri origin specifically), but the meaning is unknown.

Source: “Wyangala News.” Carcoar Chronicle 30 Aug. 1929: 6.
Image: NSW State Archives

What gave the baby name Caprica a boost in 2010?

TV show "Caprica" (2010)

The rare name Caprica, which popped up in the U.S. baby name data several times in the 1970s, returned in 2010:

  • 2012: unlisted
  • 2011: unlisted
  • 2010: 6 baby girls named Caprica
  • 2009: unlisted
  • 2008: unlisted

Why?

Because of the sci-fi TV series Caprica (pronounced CAP-rih-kuh), which aired for just one season (Jan. to Nov., 2010). The title of the show referred to the fictional planet upon which the story was set.

TV show "Caprica" (2010)

Caprica was a spin-off prequel of the TV show Battlestar Galactica — not the original version from the late 1970s, but the re-imagined version from the early 2000s.

The events of Caprica took place 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica. The show focused on two Caprican families, the Greystones and the Adamas, and portrayed the creation of the first Cylons.

What are your thoughts on “Caprica” as a baby name?

Sources: Caprica – Wikipedia, Caprica – Rotten Tomatoes

P.S. One of Caprica‘s main characters, Joseph Adama, was played by Esai Morales…

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2021

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

According to New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs, the most popular baby names in the country last year were Charlotte and Oliver.

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

Girl Names

  1. Charlotte, 227 baby girls
  2. Isla, 214
  3. Amelia, 206
  4. Olivia, 185
  5. Ava, 184
  6. Willow, 180
  7. Lily, 174
  8. Isabella, 171
  9. Mila, 170
  10. Ella, 165

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 308 baby boys
  2. Noah, 265
  3. Jack, 235
  4. Leo, 234
  5. George, 222
  6. Charlie, 200
  7. Lucas, 190
  8. Theodore, 187
  9. William, 181
  10. Luca, 172

In the girls’ top 10, Isabella and Mila replaced Harper and Sophie.

In the boys’ top 10, Theodore and Luca replaced Thomas and Hunter.

Manaia comes in as the most evenly-split gender-neutral name, at a 50/50 split for boys and girls, with Quinn sitting just below the top of the list.

The top Maori baby names, according to the Te Taura Whiri Maori Language Commission, were…

Maori girl (kotiro) names

  1. Mia, 164 baby girls
  2. Aria, 120
  3. Maia, 97
  4. Aurora, 86
  5. Amaia, 63
  6. Kiara, 52
  7. Kaia, 50
  8. Amara, 44 (tie)
  9. Kora, 44 (tie)
  10. Maria, 43

Maori boy (tama) names

  1. Nikau, 93 baby boys
  2. Ari, 62
  3. Niko, 47
  4. Koa, 46
  5. Mateo, 45
  6. Keanu, 44
  7. Mikaere, 41 (tie)
  8. Manaia, 41 (tie)
  9. Kairo, 27 (tie)
  10. Kiwa, 27 (tie)

It should be noted, however, that not all of these “Maori” names are, in fact, Maori names. They were picked out of New Zealand’s national rankings because they “include vowels and consonants that appear in the Maori alphabet” — not because they correspond to actual Maori words. This is how non-Maori names like Aurora, Maria, Ari and Keanu end up in the Maori rankings.

(The Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages recently wrote about the difficulties involved in identifying Maori names, and revealed that he might stop releasing Maori rankings altogether after 2021.)

In 2020, the top two names overall in New Zealand were Isla and Oliver.

Sources: Top Baby Names in New Zealand, Charlotte and Oliver were New Zealand’s top baby names in 2021, Most popular Maori baby names for 2021, Top Maori baby names don’t have to be Maori words

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

How did “Battlestar Galactica” influence baby names in the late 1970s?

The character Apollo from the TV series "Battlestar Galactica" (1978-1979)
Apollo from “Battlestar Galactica“

Today, Battlestar Galactica is a sci-fi media franchise. But the original TV series — about a group of humans fleeing Cylons aboard a battleship called the Galactica — wasn’t terribly successful. It aired on ABC for a single season (from September of 1978 to April of 1979) before being canceled.

Still, the show managed to have a sizeable impact on U.S. baby names. Here are the names that various Battlestar Galactica characters influenced in the late 1970s:

Adama
Adama (played by Lorne Greene of Bonanza fame) was the commander of the Battlestar Galactica. The name Adama debuted (for boys) in 1978.

Apollo
Captain Apollo (played by Richard Hatch), a fighter pilot, was the son of Commander Adama. The name Apollo saw an increase in usage in 1978, and reached then-peak usage in 1979. (The peak was eclipsed in 2002 after speed skater Apolo Ohno became famous.)

Actress Maren Jensen as character Athena in the TV series "Battlestar Galactica" (1978-1979)
Maren Jensen in “Battlestar Galactica“

Athena
Lieutenant Athena (played by Maren Jensen) was the daughter of Commander Adama. The name Athena saw a spike in usage 1979, and the name Maren nearly tripled in usage the same year. (Jensen’s first name is a Dutch diminutive of Marina or Maria.)

Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (played by Laurette Spang) was a former “socialator” (courtesan) who worked as a Medtech aboard the Galactica. The name Cassiopeia debuted in 1979.

Starbuck
Lieutenant Starbuck (played by Dirk Benedict), a fighter pilot, was Apollo’s best friend. The name Starbuck was a one-hit wonder in the data in 1979. The Lieutanant’s name — just like the name of the famous coffee chain — was inspired by the Moby Dick character Starbuck.

Actor Terry Carter as character Colonel Tigh in the TV series "Battlestar Galactica" (1978-1979)
Terry Carter in “Battlestar Galactica“

Tigh
Colonel Tigh (played by Terry Carter) was Adama’s second-in-command aboard the Galactica. The name Tigh debuted in 1979, and the spelling Tighe saw peak usage the same year. (Carter, born John Everett DeCoste in 1928, was nicknamed “Terry” after the main character of the comic strip Terry & the Pirates when he was a teenager.)

What are your thoughts on the names above? (Would you consider using any of them?)

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of Battlestar Galactica

[Latest update: Oct. 2025]