How popular is the baby name Ada in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Ada.

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Popularity of the baby name Ada


Posts that mention the name Ada

Baby name story: Pulmotor

pulmotor

According to a newspaper article from 1913, Ada Bradshaw of Leavenworth, Kansas, named his newborn baby boy Pulmotor Bradshaw. Why?

The child came into the world and for an hour refused to breathe, despite the efforts of physicians. The new city pulmotor was sent for and the infant responded almost instantly when the oxygen was applied.

I haven’t been able to track down any records for Pulmotor Bradshaw — the only baby named Pulmotor that I’ve ever heard of — but I can tell you a a few things about the pulmotor itself.

What was it?

The pulmotor was an early resuscitation device designed to pump oxygen into and out of the lungs.

The device was patented in 1907 by Heinrich Dräger of Germany.

Several years later, U.S. fire departments, police departments and hospitals began acquiring and using pulmotors.

A New York Times article from late 1912 mentioned that New York City’s second pulmotor had just arrived, but that NYC was still behind Chicago, where there were already three pulmotors.

“Pulmotors were used extensively in Europe and the U. S. as late as the 1940s,” according to the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.

Sources:

Image: Gas Age-Record, 4 Mar. 1922, p. 257

Babies born on days of eclipses, named Eclipse

Lunar eclipse (Dec. 2011)
Lunar eclipse

This Saturday’s lunar eclipse will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2014, so today is a good day to post about people who have been named Eclipse!

Below are people with Eclipse as either a first or a middle name. I’ve even matched a few with specific historical solar eclipses listed on NASA’s website.

1700s

  • Maria Eclipse Moor, born in England on September 5, 1793, the day of a partial solar eclipse.

1800s

  • Emma Eclipse Earl, born in England on September 7, 1820, the day of a partial solar eclipse.
  • William Moore Eclipse Reddall, born in England in 1820.
  • Eclipse Mitchell, born in South Carolina circa 1828.
  • Eclipse Sabourin, born in Quebec circa 1823.
  • Eclipse Thomas, born in North Carolina in 1829. (Father of Eclipse J. Thomas, below.)
  • Eclipse Northeast, born in England circa 1831.
  • Charles Eclipse Bennett, born in England in 1836.
  • Maria Eclipse Wilson, born in England in 1836.
  • Augusta Caroline Eclipse Golden, born in England in 1837.
  • Eclipse Scott, born in Virginia on May 26, 1854, the day of a partial solar eclipse.
  • Eclipse Hilsden, born in England circa 1862.
  • Eclipse J. Thomas, born in Georgia in 1867. (Son of Eclipse Thomas, above.)
  • Eclipse Smith, born in Kentucky circa 1869.
  • Eclipse Newton, born in Missouri circa 1871.
  • Nina Eclipse Gain, born in Canada circa 1873.
  • Luna Eclipse Hill, born in Texas on October 24, 1874. (Daughter of Luna Eclipse Weaver, birth date unknown.)
  • Ida/Ada Eclipse Wade, born in Massachusetts in 1874. (I found records for both Ida and Ada — could be a misspelling, or could mean twins.)
  • Eclipse Green, born in Mississippi in 1877.
  • Lily Eclipse Monks, born in England circa 1878.
  • Henry Eclipse Monheim, born in Utah on July 29, 1878, the day of a partial solar eclipse.
  • Marvin Eclipse Wallace, born in Texas on July 29, 1878, the day of total solar eclipse.
  • Sanford Eclipse Gantt, born in Texas on July 29, 1878, the day of a total solar eclipse.
  • May Eclipse Glass, born in England circa 1890.
  • Essie Eclipse McGill, born in Tennessee on January 29, 1892.
  • Eclipse Blackman, born in Georgia circa 1898.

1900s

  • Eclipse Eley, born in Georgia circa 1900.
  • Eclipse Ruth Green, born in Mississippi circa 1914.
  • Vivian Eclipse Cubine, born in Oklahoma on May 2, 1920.
  • Eclipse Deutschman, born in New York circa 1925.
  • Eclipse De Marco, born in Rhode Island circa 1925.
  • Angelina Eclipse Ramos, born in Hawaii on May 5, 1941.
  • Jennifer Eclipse Kerr, born in Texas on July 6, 1982, the day of a total lunar eclipse.
  • Kathleen Eclipse Hernandez, born in Texas on July 11, 1991, the day of a partial solar eclipse.
  • Kathleen Eclipse Long, born in Texas on June 12, 1992.

2000s

What are your thoughts on the name Eclipse? Would you ever consider using it?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from December 10th Lunar Eclipse by SteveB under CC BY 2.0.

[Latest update: Feb. 2025]

Edgar Allan Poe names: Lenore, Ligeia, Prospero

Writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Edgar Allan Poe

The godfather of Gothic fiction, Edgar Allan Poe, was born 202 years ago today.

He may have been master of the macabre, but he wrote widely — far beyond horror. His other works fall into genres such as humor/satire, science fiction, detective fiction, and adventure fiction.

To celebrate Poe’s birthday, let’s check out some of the character names he used in his short stories, poetry, and longer works:

Girl Names

  • Ada, from the poem “Tamerlane” (1827)
  • Alessandra, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Annabel Lee, from the poem “Annabel Lee” (1849)
  • Annie, from the poem “For Annie” (1849) and the short story “Landor’s Cottage” (1849)
  • Arabella, from the short story “The Man That Was Used Up” (1839)
  • Berenice, from the short story “Berenice” (1835)
  • Camille, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Eleonora, from the short story “Eleonora” (1842)
  • Ermengarde, from the short story “Eleonora” (1842)
  • Estelle, from the short story “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842)
  • Eugenie, from the short stories “The Spectacles” (1844) and “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” (1845)
  • Eulalie, from the poem “Eulalie – A Song” (1845)
  • Evangeline, from the poem “Evangeline” (1848)
  • Fanny, from the poem “Fanny” (1833)
  • Grettel, from the short story “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” (1835)
  • Helen, from the poems “To Helen” (1831) and “To Helen” (1849)
  • Ianthe, from the poem “Al Aaraaf” (1829)
  • Isabel, from the poem “Fairy-Land” (1829)
  • Jacinta, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Jane, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Kate, from the short story “Three Sundays in a Week” (1841)
  • Kathleen, from the short story “The Man That Was Used Up” (1839)
  • Lalage, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Lenore, from the poems “Lenore” (1843) and “The Raven” (1845)
  • Ligeia, from the poem “Al Aaraaf” (1829) and the short story “Ligeia” (1838)
  • Madeline, from the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839)
  • Marian, from the short story “The Oblong Box” (1844)
  • Marie, from the short story “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842)
  • Miranda, from the short story “The Man That Was Used Up” (1839)
  • Morella, from the short story “Morella” (1835)
  • Pauline, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Psyche, from the short story “A Predicament” (1838)
  • Rowena, from the short story “Ligeia” (1838)
  • Stephanie, from the short story “The Spectacles” (1844)
  • Tabitha, from the piece “How to Write a Blackwood Article” (1838) and the short story “The Man That Was Used Up” (1839)
  • Ulalume (rhymes with tomb), from the poem “Ulalume” (1847)
  • Una, from the short story “The Colloquy of Monos and Una” (1841)
  • Zanthe, from the poem “Al Aaraaf” (1829)
"The Cask of Amontillado" illustration by Harry Clarke
“The Cask of Amontillado”

Boy names

  • Adolphe, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Adolphus, from the short story “The Spectacles” (1844)
  • Alberto, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Alexander, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Alexandre, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Alfonzo, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Andrew, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Angelo, from the poem “Al Aaraaf” (1829)
  • Arthur, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) and the short story “Some Words with a Mummy” (1845)
  • Auguste, from the short stories “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842), and “The Purloined Letter” (1844)
  • Augustus, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) and the short story “A Tale of the Ragged Mountains” (1844)
  • Baldazzar, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Barnabas, from the short story “Thou Art the Man” (1844)
  • Benito, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Charles, from the short story “Thou Art the Man” (1844)
  • Cornelius, from the short story “The Oblong Box” (1844)
  • Dirk, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)
  • Egaeus, from the short story “Berenice” (1835)
  • Emmet, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)
  • Ernest, from the short story “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (1845)
  • Ethelred, from the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839)
  • Fortunato, from the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846)
  • Frank, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Frederick, from the short story “Metzengerstein” (1832)
  • Gordon, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)
  • Hans, from the short story “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” (1835)
  • Henri, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Isidore, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Israfel, from the poem “Israfel” (1831)
  • Jacques, from the short story “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842)
  • James, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • John, from the short story “The Man That Was Used Up” (1839) and the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Jules, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Julius, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Jupiter, from the short story “The Gold-Bug” (1843)
  • Meredith, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Napoleon, from the short story “The Spectacles” (1844)
  • Paul, from the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Pedro, from the short story “The Oval Portrait” (1842)
  • Peter, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) and the short story “The Business Man” (1840)
  • Pierre, from the short story “Bon-Bon” (1832), the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840), and the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
  • Poindexter, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Politian, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Prospero, from the short story “The Masque of the Red Death” (1842)
  • Richard, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)
  • Robert, from the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) and the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840)
  • Roderick, from the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839)
  • Rupert, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Tamerlane, from the poem “Tamerlane” (1827)
  • Theodore, from the short story “The Man That Was Used Up” (1839)
  • Toby, from the unfinished novel The Journal of Julius Rodman (1840) and the short story “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” (1841)
  • Ugo, from the play Politian (1835)
  • Victor, from the short story “The Spectacles” (1844)
  • William, from the short stories “William Wilson” (1839), “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), and “The Gold-Bug” (1843)
  • Zoilus, from the short story “Shadow – A Parable” (1835)

Though they aren’t character names, Raven and Poe could be added to this list as well, as both are closely associated with Edgar Allan Poe. And both are bird-related, incidentally: the surname Poe can be traced back to the Middle English word for “peacock.”

Which of the above names do you like best? Which would you considering using in real life?

Sources:

[Latest update: Oct. 2022]

What popularized the baby name Marilyn in the 1920s?

Broadway actress Marilyn Miller (1898-1936)
Marilyn Miller

In the early 1920s, the baby name Marilyn, which was already on the rise, began to rise much more swiftly:

  • 1925: 3,419 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 83rd]
  • 1924: 2,860 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 101st]
  • 1923: 2,286 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 118th]
  • 1922: 1,698 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 145th]
  • 1921: 696 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 253rd]
  • 1920: 522 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 288th]

By 1925, it was one of the top 100 girl names in the nation.

Graph of the popularity of the baby name Marilyn in the U.S. since 1880.
Usage of the baby name Marilyn

What popularized it?

Broadway star Marilyn Miller, who was at the height of her fame in the 1920s. After performing in several Ziegfeld Follies shows, she went on to star in musical comedies like Sally (1920), Sunny (1925), and Rosalie (1928). She also appeared in several films.

She was born Mary Ellen Reynolds in Indiana in 1898. Her stage name was created by combining her first name with her mother’s middle name (Lynn), and adding her stepfather’s surname (Miller). She initially spelled it “Marilynn.”

Sadly, Marilyn Miller died in 1936 (due to complications following nasal surgery). The same year, the name Marilyn reached the highest ranking it would ever attain:

  • 1939: 9,539 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 19th]
  • 1938: 9,745 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 19th]
  • 1937: 9,738 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 13th]
  • 1936: 11,065 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 13th]
  • 1935: 10,416 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 14th]
  • 1934: 9,384 baby girls named Marilyn [rank: 17th]

A decade later, in 1946, Twentieth Century Fox executive Ben Lyon — a former actor who had co-stared with Marilyn Miller in her last film — signed a young actress named Norma Jeane Baker. She reminded him of Miller, so he suggested that she change her name to “Marilyn.” Adding her mother’s maiden name, she became “Marilyn Monroe.”

The baby name Marilyn remained in the top 100 until 1959, with Marilyn Monroe giving it a bit of a boost in the mid-1950s. Since then, though, usage has been slowly declining (except for a couple of years in the early 2010s, thanks to the 2011 Marilyn Monroe biopic My Week with Marilyn).

What are your thoughts on the name Marilyn?

Sources:

P.S. A few decades later, another Mary Ellen in the entertainment business became famous under the name Mala…