Where did the baby name Tressy come from in 1963?

Tressy (doll) in a store catalogue
Tressy in a store catalogue

In the 1960s, the Tessie-like name Tressy began popped up in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1968: 15 baby girls named Tressy
  • 1967: 17 baby girls named Tressy
  • 1966: 23 baby girls named Tressy
  • 1965: 33 baby girls named Tressy [peak]
  • 1964: 16 baby girls named Tressy
  • 1963: 8 baby girls named Tressy [debut]
  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: unlisted

Why?

Because of the fashion doll Tressy, whose hair could be made longer or shorter with the turn of a key. (The keyhole was on her lower back.)

She was manufactured by the American Character Doll Company and introduced to consumers in 1963 — just a few years after the original fashion doll, Barbie, hit the scene in 1959.

Tressy was the very first doll with “growing” hair. Various versions of the original Tressy — with different hair colors, or with dye-able hair — were available in the U.S. for several years.

Crissy (doll) in a television commercial.
Crissy in a TV commercial

American Character went out of business in 1968, and Ideal Toy Company ended up with the defunct company’s assets. The next year, Ideal introduced the popular Crissy doll, which utilized the same mechanism for adjusting hair length and had a similar influence on the baby name Crissy. Ideal also re-introduced its own (much larger) version of Tressy.

What do you think of Tressy as a baby name? Would you use it?

Source: American Character Dolls 1919-1969

Unusual baby name: Zelute

Here’s an interesting name I spotted a few months ago: Zelute. It belonged to Miss Zelute B. Cheever (1796-1873) of Lynn, Massachusetts.

The name apparently comes from a Greek word — more often transliterated as zeloute — that’s used several times in the Bible. It means something along the lines of “desirous,” “covetous,” or “earnestly seeking,” but also “jealous” or “envious,” depending upon the context.

It’s related to the more familiar words zealous and zeal. (Zeal has begun popping up in the data lately, btw.)

What are your thoughts on the name Zelute? (How about Zeal?)

Where did the baby name Rolayne come from in 1948?

College basketball player Arnie Ferrin (in the late 1940s)
Arnie Ferrin

The rare name Rolayne has appeared in the U.S. baby name data a total of four times — all in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Usage was particularly high in Utah:

  • 1953: unlisted
  • 1952: 8 baby girls named Rolayne
  • 1951: 5 baby girls named Rolayne
  • 1950: unlisted
  • 1949: 16 baby girls named Rolayne
    • 8 born in Utah
  • 1948: 16 baby girls named Rolayne [debut]
    • 12 born in Utah
  • 1947: unlisted
  • 1946: unlisted

Where did the name come from?

RoLayne Rasmussen, the University of Utah homecoming queen who married well-known University of Utah basketball player Arnie Ferrin in June of 1948.

Arnie was born Chariton Arnold Ferrin, Jr. (The name Chariton is based on the ancient Greek word charis, meaning “grace, kindness.”) He was a four-time All-American during college, and after graduating in 1948 he played for the Minneapolis Lakers from 1948 to 1951. He helped the Lakers win the BAA championship in 1949 and the NBA championship in 1950.

And as Arnie made headlines, RoLayne was often mentioned in the articles as well. As were their children, as they came along. (They had four: Arnold III, Richard Bard, Louanne, and Shawn.)

RoLayne was one of several baby names to be influenced by the partner of a high-profile person. Names similarly influenced include Perian, Stedman, and Josanne.

Sources: Arnie Ferrin to be Inducted into Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor, Obituary: RoLayne Rasmussen Ferrin (1999), SSA

Image: Adapted from Arnie Ferrin (public domain)

Popular baby names in Croatia, 2020

Flag of Croatia
Flag of Croatia

According to Croatia’s Ministry of Justice and Administration, the most popular baby names in the country last year were (again) Mia and Luka.

Here are Croatia’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Mia (531 baby girls)
  2. Lucija
  3. Sara
  4. Ema
  5. Nika
  6. Marta
  7. Rita
  8. Mila
  9. Petra
  10. Ana

Boy Names

  1. Luka (870 baby boys)
  2. David
  3. Jakov
  4. Ivan
  5. Petar
  6. Roko (the Croatian form of Rocco)
  7. Matej
  8. Noa
  9. Filip
  10. Mateo

In the girls’ top 10, Mila replaced Iva.

In the boys’ top 10, Noa and Filip replaced Karlo and Borna.

Finally, here are some insights about Croatian baby-naming trends from sociologist Ivan Balabanic:

Today, parents give their children names that are more pleasing to the ear and in accordance with their own taste, because new generations have moved away from the traditional obligation to give names of other family members to children […] Today’s names are also a reflection of greater freedoms, individualism and personalism because parents are no longer so attached to tradition and extended families.

He noted that modern Croatian parents are moving away from names that were popular during the Yugoslavian era (1945-1991) — names like Milan, Dražen, Mladen, Zdravko — and also away from the names of historical Croatian princes, such as Krešimir, Trpimir, Branimir and Domagoj.

Sources: Most popular baby names in Croatia last year revealed, What baby names are Croatians choosing now? A move from tradition

Image: Adapted from Civil ensign of Croatia (public domain)