The baby name Arielle was already on the rise when it suddenly doubled in usage in 1989:
- 1990: 1,569 baby girls named Arielle [rank: 185th]
- 1989: 1,530 baby girls named Arielle [rank: 185th]
- 1988: 653 baby girls named Arielle [rank: 368th]
- 1987: 341 baby girls named Arielle [rank: 581st]
- 1986: 318 baby girls named Arielle [rank: 604th]
Similar spellings (like Ariele, Aurielle, Arrielle, Aryelle, and Aerielle) also saw higher usage that year.
Like most Ariel-based names, Arielle went on to reach peak usage in 1991, thanks to The Little Mermaid. But the animated film wasn’t released until November of 1989 — so it couldn’t have affected Arielle prior to 1989, and wouldn’t have affected it very much in 1989 either. (The usage of Ariel itself only increased by 41% that year.)
Instead, I think a character on the long-running ABC soap opera General Hospital was influencing the name during the last two years of the 1980s.
In October of 1988, Lady Arielle Ashton (played by actress Jane Higginson) sailed into fictional Port Charles on a yacht with her husband, Lord Larry Ashton. The man who became the ship’s mechanic, Colton Shore, happened to be Arielle’s former lover. Arielle and Colton came close to resuming their relationship, but Colton ultimately chose Felicia over Arielle, and Arielle left Port Charles (alone) in May of 1989.
What are your thoughts on the spelling Arielle? (Do you like it more or less than Ariel?)
Sources:
- Warner, Gary. General Hospital: The Complete Scrapbook. Santa Monica, CA: General Publishing Group, 1995.
- Who’s Who in Port Charles: Arielle Shore Ashton | General Hospital on Soap Central
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of General Hospital