Where did the baby name Thielen come from in 2018?

The name Thielen is relatively new to the U.S. baby name data, having debuted in 2018:

  • 2020: 14 baby boys named Thielen
  • 2019: 34 baby boys named Thielen
    • 12 born in Minnesota, 5 born in South Dakota
  • 2018: 21 baby boys named Theilen [debut]
    • 10 born in Minnesota
  • 2017: unlisted
  • 2016: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Professional football player Adam Thielen, who’s been a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings since 2013. His surname is pronounced THEE-len (the “th” is unvoiced, as in the words theme, or three).

He’s a Minnesota native who also played football for Minnesota State University (2009-2012), so it seems appropriate that a good proportion of the usage has occurred in Minnesota specifically. :)

Adam Thielen’s breakout season was 2016. His next two seasons were so successful that he ended up being both chosen for the Pro Bowl (2018 & 2019) and voted an NFL Top 100 Player (2018 & 2019) twice in a row.

The German/Dutch surname Thielen can be traced back to the early medieval name Thietilo, a pet form of Dietrich, Diederik, or any other compound personal name starting with the Germanic element theud-, meaning “people,” “race.”

What are your thoughts on this name? Would you use it?

Sources:

Name change: Lydia to Lidian

Lydia "Lidian" Emerson (1802-1892), second wife of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Lydia “Lidian” Emerson (with son Edward)

Transcendentalist writer and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson proposed to his second wife, Lydia Jackson, via letter in January of 1835.

We do not have Lydia’s reply to the proposal, but it came swiftly. […] Within a week he was calling her Lidian (though he continued for a while to write Lydia on the envelope) and they began planning a life together. It has been suggested that Emerson called her Lidian in order to head off the inevitable New England pronunciation of her married name as Lydiar Emerson, but all that we know for certain is that he remarked to a cousin at the time that “the philistines baptized her Lydia, but her name is Lidian.”

Ralph married Lydia/Lidian later the same year, in September.

In her correspondence, she signed herself “Lidian” when the letters went to her husband or to individuals within the Emerson circle; to her sister, she remained “Lydia.”

On her gravestone, her name is written “Lidian Emerson.”

Which name do you like more, Lydia or Lidian?

Sources:

Where did the baby name Tristana come from in 1971?

The title character from the Spanish film "Tristana" (1970)
Tristana from “Tristana“

The name Tristana has popped up in the U.S. baby name data a total of four times. The first three appearances were in the early 1970s:

  • 1974: unlisted
  • 1973: 5 baby girls named Tristana
  • 1972: 7 baby girls named Tristana
  • 1971: 8 baby girls named Tristana [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

What put Tristana on the map?

The 1970 Spanish-language film Tristana, directed by Luis Buñuel. It was set in the early 1900s, and the title character — whose name was based on the phrase “triste Ana” (“sad Ana”) — was played by French actress Catherine Deneuve.

Here’s a summary of the film:

After the death of her mother, Tristana goes to live with her guardian Don Lope, who seduces her. She runs away from Lope with a young artist named Horacio. Unable to commit to Horacio and in need of health care due to her growing cancer, Tristana returns to Don Lope.

The film was released in the U.S. in September of 1970. It ended up receiving an Oscar nomination for “Best Foreign Language Film.”

It was based on the 1892 novel Tristana by Spanish novelist Benito Pérez Galdós.

P.S. Tristana reminds me of Tristaca, another name that debuted in the ’70s…

Sources: Tristana (1970) – IMDb, The 43rd Academy Awards, Tristana (1970) – Rotten Tomatoes, SSA

Image: Screenshot of Tristana

Popular baby names in Jersey (Channel Islands), 2020

Flag of Jersey
Flag of Jersey

According to Jersey’s Superintendent Registrar, the most popular baby names of 2020 on the island of Jersey (located in the English Channel) were Isabella and Lucas.

Below are Jersey’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names for each of the last five years:

Girl Names

20162017201820192020
1OliviaOliviaSiennaOliviaIsabella
2EmilyMiaAvaAvaWillow
3AvaPoppyAmeliaAmeliaEmily
4MiaEmilyMiaEllaEva
5SophieGraceSophiaEmiliaIsla
6MatildaEvieLunaIslaSophie
7AbigailIsabellaLillyLilyAlice
8MayaMillieCharlotteMiaSophia
9DaisyAmeliaFreyaIsabellaAva
10IvyRubyEmilyCharlotteHallie

Boy Names

20162017201820192020
1HarryCharlieLeoOliverLucas
2OliverHenryOliverJackGeorge
3NoahLucasJacobLucasWilliam
4JackOliverWilliamMasonHenry
5LeoNoahNoahOscarAlfie
6EthanEdwardJoshuaArchieOscar
7DylanSebastianCharlieGeorgeArchie
8TheoJacobHenryAlfieOliver
9JoshuaIsaacLoganArthurNoah
10JamesArchieJackBenjaminLiam

A total of 863 babies (419 females and 444 males) were born on the island in 2020.

Sources: 2020 Superintendent Registrar Annual Statement [PDF], Isabella And Lucas Lead Baby Names List, REVEALED: Jersey’s most popular baby names in 2020

Image: Adapted from Flag of Jersey (public domain)